Streaming Queer: December 2023

"Under Pressure: The U.S. Women's World Cup Team" Season 1

This docu-series follows the US Women's World Cup team on their journey to the 2023 FIFA World Cup, "from enduring injury to upholding legacy" as the most decorated team in international soccer history. The series follows both the team's struggles and explores some of the players' personal circumstances (from veteran champions to rising stars). We look forward to a showcase of some of the country's greatest athletes – with the added bonus that many of them are openly queer.

"Under Pressure: The U.S. Women's World Cup Team" premieres December 12 on Netflix.

"Blue Jean"

The BAFTA-nominated film set in England during the Margaret Thatcher years tells the story of a queer teacher navigating life amid anti-LGBTQ+ legislation. At school, Jean (Rosy McEwen) is reserved and closeted, lying to her coworkers to avoid socializing with them after work. In her personal life, she regularly visits a gay bar with her friends and girlfriend. Things get complicated when a new student (Lucy Halliday) arrives at Jean's school, because the student and Jean later recognise each other at the gay bar. Turbulence hits Jean's work and personal life as secrets are exposed, and questions about the kind of life she and the student deserves are raised.

"Blue Jean" premieres December 14 on Hulu.

"Chicken Run 2: Dawn of the Nugget"

It's a "Chicken Run" sequel! Having found their hard-earned peaceful paradise far away from humans after defying death to escape Tweedy's farm, Ginger (Thandiwe Newton) and Rocky (Zachary Levi) hatch a kid named Molly. Queer actor Bella Ramsey voices the delightful, adventurous young chicken who turns their worlds upside down in the best way. Back on the mainland, all of chicken-kind faces a new and terrible threat – Nugget land! The family can't leave other chickens in the danger they've escaped, so they're breaking in for a rescue mission.

"Chicken Run 2: Dawn of the Nugget" premieres December 15 on Netflix.

"Such Brave Girls" Season 1

A charming, hilarious comedy series from the U.K. "exploring life and love in all its ugly chaos," "Such Brave Girls" follows a single mother and her two daughters, Josie and Billie, as they try to piece their lives back together after their father and husband "finally leaves them." Written, created by, and starring "two queers with mental health issues," this show is filled with sparkling dark humor about everything from abortion to suicide, as we follow their efforts towards stability while being terribly selfish, in debt, and desperate for affection. For queer daughter Josie, this means being vaguely normal around her crush.

"Such Brave Girls" premieres December 15 on Hulu.

"Leo Reich: Literally Who Cares?!"

After rave reviews at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and an Off-Broadway run, "Literally Who Cares?!" is a comedy special from queer Gen-Z comedian and self-diagnosed "important young mind" Leo Reich, who goes up on stage to ask important questions like "Is this helping?", "Am I hot?" and "No offense guys but literally what is going on?" Said to combine stand-up comedy with humorless performance art, Reich's special has musical elements and "anxious non-sequiturs in a valiant attempt to raise awareness about important social and political causes... or something."

"Literally Who Cares?!" premieres December 16 on Max.

"Gwyneth vs Terry: The Ski Crash Trial"

We cannot wait to dive back into the deliciously low-stakes theatrics of the lawsuit against Gwyneth Paltrow for a skiing collision involving retired optometrist Terry Sanderson. The glorious audacity of Sanderson suing Paltrow for $300,000 ultimately and iconically resulted in her being awarded "a symbolic $1." It will be worth tuning in to see more of Paltrow's chic outfits and relive her quotable statements ("Well, I lost half a day of skiing") on the stand alone. We will be living for the drama.

"Gwyneth vs Terry: The Ski Crash Trial" premieres December 18 on Max.

"Maestro"

Bradley Cooper directs and stars in this film as queer composer Leonard Bernstein in "Maestro" – a cinematic love letter to art, music, and family. The film's focus is on the lifelong relationship between Bernstein and Felicia Montealegre Cohn Bernstein (Carey Mulligan), a 26-year-long marriage which endured his many affairs with both men and women. Matt Bomer plays one of Bernstein's lovers, clarinetist David Oppenheim.

"Maestro" premieres December 20 on Netflix.

"Berlin"

Berlin (of Netflix hit series "Money Heist," the character for whom this is a prequel) was portrayed as brilliant, inventive, hopelessly romantic, and casually bisexual in the popular heist show where we first met him. This spinoff series is set in the golden era of his "glory days," where Berlin (Pedro Alonso) assembles a team in Paris (Begoña Vargas, star of sapphic cult thriller "Welcome to Eden" among them) for what he believes is one of his greatest plans ever: stealing 44 million euros' worth of jewels in one night.

"Berlin" premieres December 29 on Netflix.