NBC to air first ever sitcom featuring a bisexual female lead
HOLLYWOOD, CA – OCTOBER 24: Natalie Morales attends the premiere of Amazon Studios “Suspiria” at ArcLight Cinerama Dome on October 24, 2018 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by David Livingston/Getty Images)
The first sitcom featuring a bisexual female lead is about to hit our screens.
Abby’s, which follows the story of the main character as she runs an outdoor bar in her own back garden, will air on 28th March on NBC.
The character will be played at Natalie Morales, who identifies as queer and has appeared in the Fox comedy series The Grinder and NBC sitcom Parks and Recreation.
She has also appeared in Santa Clarita Diet and Bojack Horseman.
The show describes the bar as “the perfect gathering place for locals to find camaraderie and sanctuary.”
However, “[In order] to maintain the perfect bar ecosystem, all patrons must abide by a specific set of rules.
“This includes no cell phones (not even to look something up), understanding that earning a seat at the bar takes time to rise through the hierarchy and knowing that losing a challenge may have some unpleasant and unpalatable drink-related repercussions.”
Morales at the Toronto International Film Festival in Toronto in 2017 (GEOFF ROBINS/AFP/Getty Images)
Better LGBT representation on TV
Last year, a GLAAD report found there are more LGBT+ characters on TV than ever before.
Viewers have seen a total of 433 regular and recurring queer characters on broadcast, cable, and streaming platforms over the past year, compared to the previous record high of 329, which was set in 2017.
Shows like Supergirl, Brooklyn Nine-Nine and Pose — which has a record-breaking number of transgender characters — have launched LGBT+ representation to new heights.
The percentage of queer characters on broadcast primetime has also reached an unprecedented level, with one in 11 characters — 8.8 percent — being openly LGBT+.
Queer men and women are equally represented in this figure and there are also more queer people of colour on broadcast TV for the first time.
There has also been an increase in the number of transgender and bisexual characters over the past year, helped by shows like The Bisexual and Supergirl, which has introduced trans character Nia Nal.
