Visible: Out on Television

A very detailed history of LGBT representation on TV from Beginning to End. All the casts, the stories, the footage, the conversation are heart-warming but bittersweet at the same time.

This is the first series on Apple TV+ for which I can unequivocally say it's worth it to pay for the service. (We've watched "The Morning Show", which started out iffy but ultimately ended up being pretty good, and "Servant", which started out good but was then really frustrating, typical of M. Night Shyamalan. There's also "The Elephant Queen" in the queue when we can get around to it.) . This five-part docuseries on LGBTQ visibility on television over the years was mainly really good, with a number of familiar talking heads, although not all of them said anything necessarily new or particularly interesting, but there was enough to really make me feel proud to be who I am. It also stressed the importance and necessity of representation and what it means for young gay kids to see themselves on the screen. 🙂 . It's an easy binge, and I definitely recommend it to anyone who, in these dark days of political grotesquerie, needs to be reminded how far we've come in the past 70 years of broadcast television. (There's a significant segment in the series about Harvey Milk, so after E03, we watched "Milk", since Shane had never seen it, and of course, my eyes welled up numerous times. Sean Penn's Best Actor Oscar was richly deserved for that role.)

I think everyone should watch this mini series. It shows that growth sometimes takes time but thankfully, through the sacrifices and determination of so many, growth is possible. Thank you for sharing your stories.

I have to say that this has to be the best documentary about this subject that I've ever watched. It was totally engrossing and informative. The number of talking heads, who know the subject intimately, give us no-holds-barred stories of their own lives and the lives of those they are familiar with. Every aspect of being a part of television's history, from invisibility or made fun of to acceptance and celebrated is included. Every genre, including the news is included. It is an unforgettable series that should open hearts and minds. Two thumbs as high up as one can go for this one.

I mostly went into this docuseries as an excuse to test the new Apple TV + service that comes with new apple devices, and I was presently surprised by this feature. One of the best ways to distill modern American culture is through Television, and this docuseries creates an excellent timeline of American perceptions of the LGBTQ community through specific television examples.

I feel like the documentary is so thorough and covers nearly all facets of the LGBT community that I can hardly think of any examples it excluded. It honestly might be a bit too thorough, with some points feeling reiterated too much, but I am glad that such a thorough analysis of LGBTQ culture exists.

The series excels at pointing out how much the LGBTQ movement changed so rapidly in the last 50 years. The depictions of are a stark contrast to media today and it exemplifies how far the movement has gone. It's telling that even in the last 20 years that being LGBTQ was still relatively taboo in media (and in some instances still is). The series also does an excellent job juxtaposing television media with historical events such as the election and assassination of Harvey Milk and the Stonewall Riots.

Overall, a great docuseries if you are interested in LGBTQ history. It admittedly can seem a bit too long, so I doubt this will interest anyone with a passing interest in the LGBTQ community and I highly doubt this will change a person's opinion about LGBTQ rights / issues. But as series about appreciation for LGBTQ history, I think it does an excellent job.