Two new queer TV shows on the horizon that we cannot wait to see: INVISIBLE BOYS from Australia and OLYMPO from Spain

There are two new queer TV shows on the horizon that we cannot wait to see. First from Australia there’s  INVISIBLE BOYS which follows four young gay men as they understand and explore their identities while living in Geraldton, a regional town in Western Australia. It is set in 2017, against the backdrop of the highly visible and divisive same-sex marriage survey, because although they are four different men, they are all gay.

Because of their sexuality they share the experience of feeling invisible as they often don’t fit the neat narratives associated with “progress”. What sets the series apart form others is that it challenges the dominance of gay respectability politics in the teen drama genre.  For example the horny gay teen isn’t hidden away in Invisible Boys – nor are his choices always comfortable.  Like when Charlie uses an app to arrange a sexual encounter with an older married man in his home, before being caught by his wife.

Kudos  for the way the series captures the complicated mix of joy and fear – the clash of opportunity and consequence – that accompanies becoming visibly gay in these environments.  Its an experience that most gay men will recognize and sympathize with.

Based on an adaptation of Holden Sheppard’s novel of the same name and starring  Joseph Zada, Aydan Clafiore  Zach Blampied and  Joe Klocek and is currently screening on Australian network STAN.  You can either access this by a VPN now or wait until a global release date is  announced.

Then Netflix Espana series OLYMPO  from the producers of Elite follows  the country’s best athletes” as they train at the Pirineos High Performance Center who are led by Amaia, the captain of the national synchronized swimming team who demands only the best from herself and does not allow any mistakes.  But her position may be in jeopardy when her teammate and best friend Núria outstrips her for the first time,. The question now  isn’t just who will win but how far they’re willing to go to stay in the race.

The series hasn’t even aired yet but with the release of a lot of very steamy pictures on Social Media, there’s plenty of speculation about which characters will be at the center of Olympo’s queer narratives, with users praising the series for embracing homoerotic tension rather than shying away from it. Given Élite’s track record of delivering compelling LGBTQ+ storylines, expectations are sky-high for Olympo to carry the torch.  It is expected to air later this year