Many of the television series I love feature gay characters (from the ambiguously flirty to the outright butch). And, like most of you, I cheer for and support fictional queers as if they were actual friends. Here are a few of my favorite individual gay characters on current and canceled shows:

Arrested Development: Tobias Fünke (the hilarious David Cross)

Brothers and Sisters: Kevin Walker (Matthew Rhys, who hides his thick Welsh accent quite well)

Deadwood: Calamity Jane & Joanie Stubbs (Robin Weigert & Kim Dickens, who both appeared on Lost in Season 3)

Entourage: Lloyd (the scene-stealing Rex Lee)

Nip/Tuck: Liz Cruz (Roma Maffia)

The Office: Oscar (Oscar Nunez)

Six Feet Under: David Fisher (the incredibly talented Michael C. Hall)

Wonderfalls: Sharon Tyler (who then starred in another canceled Fox show – Drive)

Of course I also love the shows with out hosts and contestants: Ellen, Last Comic Standing, Project Runway, and Top Chef. The only lesbian-specific series I watch besides The L Word is Work Out.

By the way ladies, why is it that we are so poorly represented on the more physically demanding reality shows like Survivor and The Amazing Race? We ALL know some seriously Sporty Spice Lesbians out there who would dominate and win…if only they would audition.

Stereotypical or not, I would argue that the presence of gay characters and out celebrities on television is still significant and inspiring. The social landscape has dramatically and vastly improved for gay writers, actors, directors, producers and executives since Ellen bravely barreled through that barely askew door back in 1993. Our community and culture has permeated the entertainment landscape to the point where we’re almost passé. And that suits me just fine.

Stay tuned! In the coming weeks I will be previewing the fall TV season (taking a look at new shows and gay characters debuting later this year), and taking an in-depth look at the Indigo Girls’ entire discography (to get those of us on the Alaska cruise even more excited about their performance onboard in September!)