Words by Phebe Barnum-Bobb
Design by Chyna Sudbury

Sapphic representation is arguably better than ever on the small screen. (The bar was very low.) While we’re still forced to endure far more of the heterosexual agenda than we would like, queer audiences now have access to a broader range of sapphic stories; a long-overdue shift after decades of lesbians being sidelined, coded, or denied lasting, visible love stories. (Don’t get us started on the “Bury Your Gays” trope.)

According to GLAAD’s 2024–2025 Where We Are on TV report, which counted 489 LGBTQIA+ characters across scripted television, women made up half of that number. This marks a clear increase compared to a decade ago, when lesbian and sapphic characters were far fewer and far less visible.

To honour the progress made over the past 30 years (as well as Valentine’s Day!), we’ve compiled a list reflecting on the sapphic couples that broke ground for queer representation on television. From Buffy the Vampire Slayer’s resident witches to Orange is the New Black’s favourite inmate couple (not Piper and Alex, sorry), these romances helped queer women feel seen and paved the way for future LGBTQIA+ representation.

We should add: this is not a definitive list. The couples included were selected for their mainstream impact, even when those portrayals were imperfect. Many of these relationships are complicated, messy, and far from aspirational, but they helped make sapphic love visible at scale. This list also serves as a reminder of how much progress still needs to be made, particularly when it comes to Black sapphic love in the mainstream.

Carol Willick and Susan Bunch (Friends, 1994–2004)

Though much of Friends hasn’t aged particularly well for the LGBTQIA+ community (Chandler’s trans mother, for one), we have to give the sitcom props for the relationship between Carol (Jane Sibbett) and Susan (Jessica Hecht). In 1996, the series aired the first-ever lesbian wedding in a sitcom, and while the episode stopped short of showing the couple kiss, its inclusion on one of the most popular TV shows of all time was significant. It remains one of Friends’s most-watched episodes with over 31 million viewers. Although the couple’s appearances throughout the series was scarce, it was groundbreaking to see Carol and Susan navigate real-life complications, from co-parenting with Ross to facing judgement from family members, all while presenting a loving, stable partnership. Quietly ordinary, their relationship offered one of the small screen’s earliest portrayals of a lasting, healthy lesbian relationship. We never got that kiss, but it’s important to celebrate the small wins.