I grew up in a working-class, Evangelical household where tv was the only permitted form of entertainment, so it was on all the time. I still watch an hour or two almost every day, mostly to check for gay texts or subtexts. That's a lot of tv programs. Most fade into oblivion, but some are memorable due to their intriguing premises, interesting settings, gay subtexts, or beefcake -- or all four. These are the top 25 gay-coded, beefcake-heavy shows of the last decade, premiering 2016 to 2025.
2016
The Crown. The life of Queen Elizabeth, with the glamour, glitz, and soap opera shenanigans of the royal family. No gay characters, but future Doctor Who Matt Smith plays Prince Philip.
Kim's Convenience. Korean-Canadian family in Toronto, with no gay characters after the first episode, but a lot of buddy-bonding and beefcake.
2017
Big Mouth. Middle schoolers negotiate puberty, with the help of individually-assigned hormone monsters and other supernatural beings. The gay guy eventually gets his own plotlines, coming out to his parents, dating the bi guy, and learning about sexting.
Britannia. Romans vs. Celts in 43 AD, with creepy Druids, some possible paranormal, muscular soldiers, and some gay subtexts.
2018
Disenchantment: A parody of Medieval fantasy. Disappointing in the first season: my review calls it "gay free." But showrunners often postpone the queer characters: they think all viewers are homophobic, and will run away screaming unless they become invested in the show before the queer characters show up. Later seasons become immensely gay-friendly.
The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina. The teen witch of Archie comics with dark comedy plotlines, a same-sex romance, and a lot of hunk. ranging from Ross Lynch as regular boyfriend Harvey to Moses Thiessen as the pizza delivery guy.
2019
The Righteous Gemstones. An absurdly wealthy family of Southern televangelists negotiate threats. I'm not sure I should include this one since, in retrospect, it was a little annoying. Endless queer codes involving Gideon, Eli, and Pontius, with no resolution, just "crumbs." And it took forever for Kelvin and Keefe to become canon. They should have kissed at the end of Season 1.
But I spent two years arguing about, researching, and posting about the show. And I found some cute gay actors...who haven't posted on social media since the series ended, grr.
2020
Panchayat. Engineering grad Abhishek is talked into a civil service job in a remote village, where there are so many queer codes that I could swear they were deliberate. And he doesn't meet The Girl!
More after the break
2021
Ghosts (American Version). A houseful of wacky ghosts, including a hunky stock broker who died without his pants, and a Revolutionary War soldier who comes out and nearly marries the guy he accidentally killed. Other gay characters appear on occasion.
Reservation Dogs. The problems of teens growing up on a reservation in Oklahoma. Queer, nonbinary, and gay actors and a pleasant lack of hetero-horniness.
The Great North. A quirky family in a small town in Alaska, with a gay son who gets a boyfriend, and eventually a horny lesbian aunt.
2022
Severance. Adam Scott works for a mysterious cult-like company that separates his home and work life, with memory fragmentation: each side is completely unaware of the other. A rocky start, with some queerbaiting, but eventually some canonical gay characters emerge.
Best Foot Forward. A boy negotiates middle school with a prosthetic leg. He gets the standard two friends, but no girlfriend. No girl craziness! He asks a boy to dance with him. Plus his brother is a bodybuilder, and his dad is Stephen Schneider of The Righteous Gemstones.
Wednesday. The Goth girl of The Addams Family enrolls at the Nevermore Academy. No gay characters, but a lot of hunks, and in the second season we get Isaac Ordonez as a gay-coded Pugsley.
The Sandman. The immortal personification of Dream and his sarcastic raven assistant try to find out who stole his Maguffin. With gay couples and beefcake. The awful second season completely destroys the world-building, and retro straightcasts everybody.
2023
That 90s Show. A sequel to That 70s Show, with too much graphic sexual content for my taste (these were teenagers), but who could resist the sweetly horny, out and proud Ozzie? 
Wellmania. Australian comedy about a train-wreck lady returning to Australia for redemption (and her gay brother's wedding).
Unprisoned. Ex-con grandpa counsels his extremely queer-coded grandson. They don't actually say "gay," but close enough.
2024
Agatha All Along. The witch from Wellmania, her colleagues, and her gay teenage assistant (who has secrets of his own) investigate the potentially deadly Witches' Road.
2025
Chad Powers. A washed-up a-hole baseball player (Glen Powell) pretends to be a college prodigy to get back into the game. Sounds awful, but just wait: He doesn't get a girlfriend. And he has a strong gay subtext romance with Danny, the team mascot who helps him with the ruse.
The Chair Company. Soul-destroyed salary man (Tim Robinson), trying to investigate a broken office chair, goes down a rabbit hole of conspiracy and deceit. Or is it all a delusion? Plus his teenage son (left) is strongly queer coded.
North of North. An Inuit lady, her gay bestie, some Inuit culture, and a lot of beefcake.
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