Sarah’s 20 Most Influential Bi and Pan TV Characters

Stories have always held a special power for me. They are a way that I make sense of the world and a catalyst for self-reflection.

It’s probably not surprising that stories and the characters they are about have played an important role in my own story as a bisexual woman. With that in mind, to celebrate Pride, I’m taking some time to look back on the bi and pansexual characters that have been meaningful to me over the years.

Some played a personal part in my life. Others felt like important moments or spoke to important conversations about bi/pansexual representation. And then a few, well, I just really love and wanted to celebrate.

A quick note about language for this list. If a character hasn’t identified as pan or bi within a show, I relied on what creators have said or how fans most often discuss them. If it was still vague off-screen, I tried not to assume at all.

As part of our Critics’ Picks series, here are my 20 Most Influential Bi and Pan TV Characters.

1. Waverly Earp (Wynonna Earp)

Without question, Waverly Earp is the character, straight or queer, that has had the most significant impact in my life. The ways she influenced me and the unexpected things she brought to my life extend well beyond my identity as a queer person.

I needed Waverly’s idealism and resilience. I needed her heart and her spirit before I realized I needed her as a queer character. She inspired me to write again after nearly ten years, and the ripple effect of that inspiration continues to surprise me today.

Through writing, I met queer friends who didn’t know anything about me and had no expectations. This was important because, at the time, I wasn’t publicly out and had no plans to come out.

Having a space to express myself freely was like a weight being lifted. Soon it wasn’t enough to have a space to escape to, though, and I made the decision to come out to my friends and family.

Suddenly, Waverly meant something to me in a whole new way. This character that I loved so much became important not just because she was a queer character, but because she was a bisexual woman constantly learning about who she was and evolving into a more confident, more honest version of herself.

We found our voices together, and her courage was contagious. I borrowed some of it to make one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.

My story as a bisexual woman can’t possibly be told without talking about Waverly Earp, and there aren’t words that could ever do justice to the gratitude I feel towards the character or the people that bring her to life.

2. Sara Lance (Legends of Tomorrow)

If Waverly Earp helped me find the courage to come out, Sara Lance helped me find the courage to do it unapologetically.

Sara Lance is one of the most formidable and important heroes in the Arrowverse. She earned her place in that universe with a tenacity and force of will that made her shine just a little brighter and fight just a little harder.

Sara’s words and the conviction and honesty Caity Lotz delivered them with often held meaning for me beyond the confines of the show and emotional resonance that made me feel brave.

Having all of that embodied in a badass bisexual captain felt special. It still does. It was affirming in ways few things I’d seen on TV growing up had been.

When I came out, despite being lucky enough to know I would be supported, the words still sometimes got stuck in my throat and made me feel self-conscious. I felt awkward and nervous just saying bisexual in those first days.

Today, being bi is a source of confidence that empowers me to speak up. Part of that is because Sara Lance was the voice in my head telling me to be who I was proudly and to maybe raise a little hell along the way. After all, “when did a Legend ever go quietly.”

3. John Constantine (Legends of Tomorrow)

John Constantine can sometimes get overlooked in conversations about LGBTQ+ representation, and that’s a shame.

Like Sara, John’s sexuality is taken seriously and expressed as part of who he is but never all of who he is. It’s approached with a clarity not afforded very many bisexual or pansexual characters.

All of that makes John important and worth celebrating much more than we do. For me, though, it’s the long journey John took that makes the iteration of him on Legends of Tomorrow so satisfying.

Before John Constantine was ever a Legend, he was a popular comic book character. He had a rich history and had been established as bisexual since the early 90s.

It was cannon, which made all the screen adaptations of him, especially his short-lived NBC series, that played him straight disheartening and frustrating.

When it already seems like a part of your identity is constantly being devalued or delegitimized, it feels personal. It also makes the joy of seeing some of that erasure rectified on Legends of Tomorrow a little sweeter and more poignant.

4. Rosa Diaz (Brooklyn Nine-Nine)

Rosa Diaz was important to me before ever I saw her on my TV because I was a fan of Stephanie Beatriz first. Her words in interviews and on social media made me feel seen and helped me articulate my own experiences more clearly.

When I saw Rosa’s coming out story on Brooklyn Nine-Nine Season 5 Episode 9, “Game Night,”  it was everything I’d hoped for, starting with the simple fact that they actually said bisexual. Multiple times.

TV often speaks about bi and pan characters in vague terms. There’s nothing inherently wrong with that. Not every character needs a label, and too much focus on labels can be harmful.

But there is power in words, especially ones we assert for ourselves. Too much ambiguity can feel like negation, so hearing Rosa affirmatively say, “I’m bi,” mattered to me.

It also mattered to me that Rosa asserts she would always be bisexual no matter who she marries. That was a powerful statement because being bi is about who I am, not who I’m with.

“Game Night” is a hopeful coming out story. It ends with Rosa’s found family rallying around her and Captain Holt offering the uplifting reminder that “every time someone steps up and says who they are, the world becomes a better, more interesting place.” Indeed, cheers to that.

5. Eleanor Shellstrop (The Good Place)

Eleanor’s queerness is not a major part of her story. In fact, it’s not even confirmed outside of flirting with Tahani and a few jokes here and there.

At first glance, there isn’t anything extraordinary about the way Eleanor represents bi or pansexuality outside of the fact that she is either bi or pan. But it’s precisely the way Eleanor’s sexuality is portrayed as unexceptional that makes me a fan.

There is always a need for stories about the experiences of LGBTQ+ people, and it is important to have stories that explicitly state that a character is bi or pan.

But, there is also a value in media that normalize the spectrum of sexuality and gender and tell stories that center characters that happen to be queer because heteronormativity need not be the default. Eleanor’s sexuality isn’t a gimmick; it’s just another part of who she is. Eleanor is bi or pan because why wouldn’t she be?

There are many different ways to tell LGBTQ+ stories, and sometimes just making it a mundane matter of fact speaks volumes.

6. Helena “H.G” Wells (Warehouse 13)

Helena “H.G” Wells is one of my favorite villains, redemption arcs, and really characters of all time. Smart, funny, mischievous, and full of grief and righteous rage, you couldn’t help but be charmed and intrigued.

Helena was my first experience with a favorite queer fan pastime, non-canon shipping.

For the uninitiated, in the absence of explicit representation in media, queer fans had to create it for themselves through subtext and imagination (non-canon shipping isn’t something just queer folks do, they just happen to be really good at it).

Helena and Myka are one of the great non-cannon love stories.

The chemistry between them radiated from the screen, a chemistry that Jaime Murray and Joanne Kelly, who played Helena and Myka, respectively, later confirmed was intentionally romantic. Sparks flew, angst flowed, and the implication was obvious.

Looking back now, it’s clear that I had a bit of a crush on Helena, maybe even my first TV crush. All I can say is, I had good taste even before I knew I wasn’t straight.

7. Callie Torres (Grey’s Anatomy)

Full disclosure: I don’t actually watch Grey’s Anatomy and never really have. But Callie Torres is still important to me.

While not a perfect parallel, for me, Callie’s coming out felt a bit like a bisexual Ellen moment. Something shifted when Callie came out as bisexual. Whether or not you watched the show, you felt it.

She wasn’t the first bisexual character on TV, and there are some great examples of representation before her. But, it’s undeniable in 2006, when Callie came out, the pickings were slim.

Then all of a sudden, this complicated, fully formed character on a wildly popular drama said she was bisexual, and the scope of what was possible felt different.

While her story and relationships had some highlights and lowlights, you just can’t talk about bisexual representation without talking about Callie Torres.

8. Bo Dennis (Lost Girl)

The world of Lost Girl is unapologetically queer. It’s a world where heteronormativity isn’t an assumption, and sex isn’t treated as a source of shame or something to be contained for its characters, especially its women, to be worthy.

At the center of this world is Bo Dennis, an unaligned bisexual succubus who refused to be boxed in by either the political factions of the Fae within the show or thematically in the way she was written.

She so easily could have been just another cliche. She is a succubus, after all. A creature that feeds off of the energy of her partners during sex.

You’d be forgiven if reading only the synopsis of the show, you were a little suspicious. But because of the thought, intentionality, and care show creator Michelle Lovretta took in creating Bo, she was a defiant response to those cliches.

It’s easy sometimes to take what Bo and Lost Girl did for granted because of the infusion of bisexual and pansexual characters in fantasy and sci-fi since then.

But Bo opened the door for many of the characters that followed, and they are in her debt.

9. Kelly Booth (Black Mirror- San Junipero episode)

San Junipero is an hour about second chances. It’s about love and joy and choosing yourself. It’s a heartfelt and sweet reminder of the power of happy endings, especially for LGBTQ+ fans who have had to fight so hard for them.

It also gave us one of my favorite bisexual characters, Kelly Booth. Kelly is a colorful burst of energy when we meet her. She’s confident and outgoing and exceedingly easy to fall for.

As the story goes on, we see new layers and learn about her fears and doubts. We see her kindness and empathy, which makes you root for her happy ending even more.

Something else I appreciate about Kelly is the way the writers took care to express how much she loved her husband and the depth of her connection with Yorkie. Both relationships are given weight and importance, and one doesn’t diminish the other.

She has room in her heart to love and cherish her husband’s memory and fully embrace her new beginning with Yorkie once she allows herself the chance.

10. Annalise Keating (How To Get Away With Murder)

Annalise Keating was always going to be a trailblazer, just in the fact that she existed at all.

A confirmed pansexual character, as well as a black woman leading a cultural phenomenon that navigated her sexuality with relative ease, was groundbreaking TV.

But she is much more than that. She’s a conflicted character that exists in the grey. An unbound force of chaos and the embodiment of cool-headed control, at least until she’s not.

Annalise is many things, but boring is not one of them. She is fascinating and sympathetic, even if not always likable, and that’s the point.

When we fight for representation or push back on harmful tropes, the goal isn’t to have every character be perfect and never make mistakes. We aren’t looking to replace bad with dull.

The goal is to tell human stories that are layered and messy sometimes. Stories about people who have flaws and don’t always make the right choice but are still worthy of compassion and empathy.

We want heroes and we want villains, but we also want characters like Annalise that don’t fit into any box and refuse to bend to expectations.

11. Clarke Griffin (The 100)

Clarke, the reluctant leader of Skycru on The 100, is an important touchstone for many LGBTQ+ fans. She was also one half of Clexa, a beloved relationship that people still hold tight to years after it ended. One that mattered in people’s lives in meaningful ways.

But Clarke’s legacy will also forever be tied to the “Bury Your Gays” trope after her love interest, Lexa, was killed in season three. Clarke is more than just what happened on “Thirteen,” but her connection to the “Bury Your Gays” trope is what impacted me most personally.

When “Thirteen” aired, I was only a casual fan of The 100, but I still felt frustrated. The explosion of pain and the feelings of betrayal I saw from fans changed how I thought about media and representation.

It made me more aware of patterns that caused harm and made me want to fight for something better. And I wasn’t alone. Fans, writers, and activists pushed for better representation, and things started to change.

There’s still a long way to go, but real progress has been made, and Clarke played an important part in that. That’s her legacy too.

12. David Rose (Schitt’s Creek)

If you need an example of how to depict bi or pansexual characters on TV well, look no further than David Rose from Schitt’s Creek.

There aren’t many examples of pansexual characters on TV and even fewer pansexual men. To have David, a central character, not only be pansexual but make it explicit within the show is quietly extraordinary.

I say quietly, not because it had less of an impact. Schitt’s Creek has received significant and well-earned praise for its LGBTQ+ representation.

I say quietly because while the show doesn’t make David’s sexuality ambiguous, it does it with an informality that makes it clear it’s just not a big deal to the characters, even if it’s a big deal for representation.

When David explains to Stevie that he is pansexual using the fantastic “I like the wine, not the label” metaphor, he does it like it’s the most obvious thing in the world. And really, why shouldn’t it be?

It’s sort of a relief to step into this world where David is just allowed to be who he is — where there’s no vagueness about what label fits him best, but the focus is always on the wine.

13. William Hill (This Is Us)

Soft-spoken and kind-hearted, William Hill made his time with his son’s family felt. His gentle wisdom with a sympathetic touch can still be felt on the show despite his short time in the Pearsons’ lives.

He also left his mark in another way. In addition to being a beautifully written, fully realized bisexual character, he is also an older Black man, and that is something we rarely get to see on screen.

Even as I write this list, at times lamenting how little representation I had growing up, I’m aware that most of the increase in bi and pan representation is with characters that look and identify like me, a cis white woman under the age of 40.

But our identities don’t exist in a vacuum. They intersect and inform each other. My experience as a bisexual, cis white woman isn’t universal. We need more characters like William who offer different perspectives and different ways of existing in the world.

If we aren’t striving to represent the immense and beautiful diversity of the LGBTQ+ community, we aren’t really striving to represent the LGBTQ+ community at all.

14. Poison Ivy (Harley Quinn)

Poison Ivy was one of my favorite characters long before she showed up on DC Universe’s Harley Quinn, but this version of Ivy is by far my favorite.

She is the most grounded character and often balances out the unpredictable energy of everyone else. She is sarcastic, loyal, and of course, brilliant.

Her relatability and her relationship with Harley give the show its heart. It elevates the show from a wickedly funny diversion to a story with characters and relationships we are deeply invested in, which is, of course, still wickedly funny.

It’s taken a while for the series to bring Harley and Ivy’s romantic feelings to the screen, but it was worth the wait. The writers took time to build a bond between Harley and Ivy that doesn’t rely on viewers’ knowledge of the pair’s history outside of the show.

They let the characters grow and gave us space to care about them as individuals before introducing the idea of them as a couple.

The slow burn of their relationship into something potentially romantic shows how seriously the writers take it and the respect they have for both characters, and that’s where all good love stories start.

15. Mazikeen (Lucifer)

For most of Lucifer‘s Fox run, the fact that Mazikeen was pansexual was just a passing assumption and off-handed comments. But that changed when the series moved to Netflix for its fourth season, and Maze developed feelings for Lucifer’s ex, Eve.

As Maze’s feelings for Eve deepened, viewers saw a softer, more vulnerable side of her. There was a new depth to her emotional life that expanded her character and made her a more full and sympathetic presence.

Even more satisfying is the way this development subverted tropes that plague representation of bi and pansexual characters.

Far too often, bi and pansexuality are used to cast characters as unreliable romantic partners, hypersexualized, manipulative, etc. All of which you might expect from a demon, and were even true of Maze in early seasons.

But those early seasons are also the seasons where Maze’s sexuality is the most vague. Rather than being something shallow that caricatures hers, the exploration of her sexuality is used to reveal her deep capacity for love and connection.

It challenged our expectations her and of bi and pansexual stereotypes.

16. Captain Jack Harkness (Doctor Who & Torchwood)

Captain Jack was the first bi, pan, or omnisexual (as he is described on Doctor Who) character I ever saw on TV and that will always make him kind of special.

He made his big debut on Doctor Who full of swagger and charm. Flirting with anyone who caught his eye and making everyone swoon. It’s not hard to see why he became an immediate fan favorite.

Jack’s sexuality on Doctor Who is used mostly to reinforce his difference because he’s from the future when people have evolved past limited ideas of gender and sexual preference.

In 2005, that was still a big deal, and in the tradition of Star Trek, there is something hopeful in the idea that he represents a more open-minded future we will evolve to.

Still, it wasn’t until his spinoff series, Torchwood, that we see Jack’s sexuality as more than a running gag or shorthand for “he’s from the future.”

On Torchwood, that seed that was planted on Doctor Who when Jack was just shamelessly flirting grew into emotional storylines and important relationships that informed his growth and drove his journey.

17. Leila (The Bisexual)

Stories that center LGBTQ+ experiences tend to group everyone together and most are about cis gay and lesbian characters.

But the experiences and challenges that face different communities under the LGBTQ+ umbrella are not the same and that’s what makes The Bisexual different. It explores bisexuality, specifically.

Lelia’s discomfort in her group of lesbian friends and seeing some of the bias and negation from within the queer community, I felt that. When her roommate makes a comment about bisexuals not being able to commit, I cringed in recognition of a stereotype.

But I also related to the way those things receded into the background as Lelia became more comfortable calling herself bisexual. Just like Lelia, the more comfortable I got in my own skin the less those things informed my story.

It was oddly cathartic, though, to see all those ideas that had made me squirm so much in the past dramatized on-screen through Lelia.

Not every story about bi and pansexual characters needs or even should be about the fact that they are bi or pansexual but it’s nice to have a few and to see those parts of my experience represented in a meaningful way too.

18. Angela Montenegro (Bones)

Angela Montenegro was my favorite character on Bones before it was revealed she was bi or pan. I’m always drawn to the idealists that give a show its heart. Add that she was super smart, and I was sold (hence my love for Waverly Earp).

Angela’s bi/pansexuality was revealed in a rather common way, through a long lost ex named Roxie. The trope normally ends with the ex leaving and the character’s bi/pansexuality never being mentioned again. Bones didn’t do that, though.

Instead, Angela and Roxie get back together and stay together for several episodes. It was the first time I’d seen a bi/pansexual character have sustained relationships with people of different genders. It was the first time I’d seen bi/pansexuality taken seriously.

To be sure, Roxie was still a bit of a place holder since we didn’t see that much of their relationship and most fans knew Angela would end up back with Hodgins.

That story today probably wouldn’t even register. But 2008 was a lifetime ago in terms of representation and it felt different from what I had seen up to that point. It felt like a start.

19. Luna Loud (The Loud House)

LGBTQ+ representation in children and family programming is something we’ve seen more of recently. But only very recently.

Shows like Steven Universe, Andi Mack, The Legend of Korra, and the sublimely queer world of She-Ra and the Princesses of Power have made real leaps in the right direction.

But relative to the vast amount of content and compared to other types of media it’s still pretty uncommon. Learning about one feels like discovering a priceless gem.

So, when I heard that Luna Loud from Nickelodeon’s The Loud House was bisexual I had to check it out.

What I found was the Loud family’s resident rock star. Luna is passionate, excitable, and ambitious. She dreams big even if she sometimes has to push past a few insecurities and doubts.

She is also bisexual and has an adorable relationship with her girlfriend, fellow musician Sam (seriously, they are the cutest).

It’s cool to think that kids have characters like Luna helping inform how they understand the world. Maybe for them having LGBTQ+ characters in the media they consume will be unexceptional and the normalcy of queer people will be what’s obvious instead “boy gets the girl” like it was for me.

20. Darryl Whitefeather – Crazy Ex-Girlfriend

There are many things I appreciate about Darryl. One of the big ones is that he comes out later in life.

Despite what media suggests, a lot of people come out when they’re older. Anecdotally, I find this to be especially true for bi and pan people, including myself.

For me, there was this small voice in my head telling me it was too late and that my window to upset people’s expectations had passed. Seeing older characters like Darryl have coming out stories helps people like me imagine that as a possibility for ourselves too.

Of course, the thing Darryl will forever be remembered for giving the world the anthem “Getting Bi.”

I’ve never seen a character announce that they were bisexual with more delight and excitement than Darryl. It’s kind of magical. Everything that is great about Darryl is in that scene.

If I’m being honest, nothing has captured how I felt when I finally came out more completely than that song and the exuberance that Pete Gardner performs it with.

What better way to end this list than with Darryl expressing the joy of being “bi bi bi until the day he dies.”

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What bi and pan characters have influenced or inspired you? Let me know in the comments below, and take a look at who some of our other writers chose as their most influential TV characters here. 

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