The Deep Dive: Summer Dramas — Coming Soon

An Indian man in a cleric's collar and an older White man in a brown suit sit in the front seat of a convertible car — Rishi Nair as Alphy Kottaram and Robson Green as Geordie Keating on MASTERPIECE's *Grantchester*

Jackie covers drama and lifestyle content on GBH.org. She is a writer, editor, and content producer with an abiding love for the weirder side of the internet, and the creator, producer and host of GBH's Drama After Dark.

June 02, 2026

It’s officially June, which means two things: summer is nearly here, and it’s Pride Month! Since we have to wait a couple of weeks for the return of summer dramas, now seems like the perfect time to feature a few of my favorite shows that feature LGBTQ characters. If you’re looking for even more to watch, our GBH Pride collection has a list of entertaining and thought-provoking documentaries and films you might enjoy.

Happy Pride!
Jackie Bruleigh, Local Digital Content Editor

This is a web edition of GBH's The Deep Dive, a weekly newsletter bringing you the best GBH has to offer.

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Shows for Pride

MASTERPIECE Grantchester

Not only is Grantchester about to return for an eleventh (and, unfortunately, final) season, but it’s also got one of our favorite gay characters in MASTERPIECE history. Leonard has been through a lot. What will the future hold for him? Find out on June 14 at 9 pm!

Bookish

If you’re looking for even more crime-solving, don’t miss Bookish. The drama series, set in post-war London, follows a gay bookseller who moonlights as a detective.

MASTERPIECE Van der Valk

Forget the grumpy eponymous lead of this show. Let’s take a minute to appreciate his best friend and crime-solving partner, Lucienne Hassell: a badass lesbian with a truly incredible wardrobe.

More MASTERPIECE Dramas with LGBTQ Characters

Sanditon

Sure, Charlotte is the main character of this show. But where would we be without the delightful Arthur Parker? MASTERPIECE even rounded up cast reactions in an article titled “Sanditon's Unsung Hero, Arthur Parker.” No notes!

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The Count of Monte Cristo

There are a LOT of characters in this series, but don’t miss the charming love story between Eugénie Danglars and her piano teacher, Louise. In a show with some satisfyingly dark storylines, their romance was a nice contrast.

Downton Abbey

The man. The myth. The legend. No matter how you feel about him, I’d argue that Thomas Barrow is one of the most interesting and entertaining characters in Downton.

Miss Scarlet

Cast your mind back to Season One, when this show was still Miss Scarlet and The Duke, and Eliza’s situation was, somehow, even more precarious. Remember her friend and eventual benefactor, Rupert Parker? Of course you do; he was a delight.

Recipe of the Week

Chocolate-Hazelnut Cream Cake

Celebrate with a cake! This chocolate-hazelnut cream cake from Milk Street is billed as an “impressive and sumptuous special-occasion dessert.” Sounds good to me!

Even More Drama

Can’t wait for Grantchester to return? We’ve got a Season 11 preview and some first-look images to tide you over.
A lot of you were interested in our The Forsytes hats gallery, so here’s a video from MASTERPIECE on the fashions featured in the first season. And in case you missed it the first time around: Tuppence Middleton dishes on her character Frances, a panel with the cast on the making of the series, and my piece about how The Forsytes mirrors modern internet culture.

Dive Into America 250

Boston Resistance: Then & Now

GBH Forum Network captured this panel discussion, which launches Silence Dogood’s Precedented Times Series at Old North Church. This new series builds on Silence Dogood’s projection-based storytelling to create spaces for live civic dialogue, rooted in Boston’s deep tradition of public dissent and collective action.