By far the most discussed non-binary character on television right now – and possibly most discussed character, full stop – is And Just Like That’s Che Diaz, a swaggering comedian and podcast host played by Tony Award-winner Sara Ramirez. While Diaz has arguably been the most polarising addition to the Sex And The City reboot, it matters immensely that Sara Ramirez has had a say in a story that shares many aspects of their own, as has Cynthia Nixon, who plays Miranda Hobbes. Already out as queer and bisexual, Ramirez came out as non-binary in 2020 and left their marriage, giving real heft to Che’s speeches about changing your life.

With non-binary, gender-fluid or otherwise gender-expansive characters cropping up on a whole host of shows including And Just Like That, Grey’s Anatomy, Star Trek: Discovery and One Day At A Time, it might feel like enbies (NBs, get it?) are suddenly everywhere on television. GLAAD only started counting non-binary characters on television in the last five years, because earlier representation was too scant, mostly consisting of one-offs with little depth. 

Whether a character is genderqueer, agender or bigender, if they also identify as transgender or not, audiences can see more non-binary characters on the small screen than ever before. Crucially, this fledgling but growing subset of representation is moving beyond exceptionalism and into genuine inclusion in storytelling, thanks in no small part to the voices of the non-binary and transgender actors playing these parts. It’s still early days and not every depiction nails it, but NB representation on television is increasingly rapid and far outpaces representation in film.

One reason this recent trend is more than mere prevalence or tokenisation is that many characters are played by people with lived experience who have some level of influence in their character’s storylines. As transgender actor Jen Richards pointed out in the documentary Disclosure, when transgender (and, by extension, non-binary) actors play gender-expansive parts, they don’t have to subscribe to restrictive norms. There’s no need for extreme make-up, prosthetics or outlandish devices when non-binary actors such as Vico Ortiz, Jesse James Keitel, Asia Kate Dillon, Theo Germaine, and Indya Moore are helping to shape the pop culture landscape with their work. 

Increasingly, gender identity is not a big reveal saved for a cliffhanger or A Very Special Episode but rather it’s introduced matter-of-factly, signalling that there’s nothing salacious or sensational about those who live beyond the binary. On Shrill, ER Fightmaster’s character shortened their name to Em at the start of the final season, mirroring the actor’s identity. Not much else needed to be said about the topic on a show that was already thoroughly invested in marginalised identities. 

Fightmaster now plays Dr Kai Bartley, a new character on this season of Grey’s Anatomy, who was simply introduced with their name and pronouns, without further explanation. Instead, that time was spent with another doctor gushing over some of their impressive work, setting up chemistry between the two. By not solely focusing on defining the character’s identity, it opens up the opportunity for their story arcs to delve into deeper, more complex issues of identity or to focus on something else entirely.

While Grey’s Anatomy is a very mainstream show, it has a strong reputation for diversity as a matter of course. It’s not a coincidence that that’s where Sara Ramirez suggested introducing bisexuality into the character of Dr Callie Torres, though Ramirez was still closeted at the time. Callie is the longest running LGBTQ+ character on television.

On AJLT, Che’s introduction held the audience’s hand, but it was at least in their own words during their slick, motormouthed introduction to their podcast with Carrie. Their quick explanation of “I am both and neither” and hearing Carrie comfortably use and explain they/them pronouns may help some of AJLT’s audience. 

As the season has gone on, however, the original SATC characters have struggled to be the allies they might imagine themselves to be. It’s not entirely unsurprising for their wealthy, liberal, cis and (mostly) hetero and white milieu, but could still contribute to reinforcing incorrect ideas about what it means to be gender-expansive. In spite of how comfortable Carrie seemed, she did not correct Steve when he indirectly referred to Che as a woman, belying a common misconception that non-binary people are women-adjacent or women-lite. With main characters misgendering Che and making Rock’s (Alexa Swinton) gender exploration about themselves (more on that soon), the writing regarding the gender-expansive characters feels stuck in the starting blocks, unable to explore these characters with any real depth.

As Che pointed out during their comedy concert, it’s weird for queers on TV to fly solo, surrounded by cishets. They said it while surrounded by community, because even if Che’s community isn’t the focus of AJLT, it clearly exists in their life. Thankfully, television writers have finally started receiving that message, with shows like Vida that are populated with countless queers of every possible identity. On Shrill and Good Trouble, it’s clear there’s a whole queer world, complete with bars, networking and gossip. Some of the most interesting things Sex Education had to say about being non-binary were only possible because it featured two enby teens who played off one another throughout the most recent season, rather than leaving one stranded on their own. For example, Cal (Dua Saleh) showing Layla how to safely bind their chest, or the way Layla (Robyn Holdaway), who is white, chose appeasing the white, oppressive authority over solidarity with fellow enby student Cal, who is Black.

The very concept of genders outside of the male/female binary might be difficult for many cishets to wrap their brain around, but since non-binary is an umbrella term for many different identities, it invites a variety of – maybe even infinite – interpretations. A character like Mo on Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist, played by Alex Newell, feels rare on screen, but there are so many real-life Mos. Zoey’s neighbour and friend Mo, a passionate entrepreneur and singer, is gender-fluid and typically uses he/him pronouns. While Mo is largely a lone queer on the show, there is basically no quibbling about Mo’s identity, which does not fit neatly into the binary conception of man or woman, trans or not – Mo is simply Mo. When his identity comes up it’s for more nuanced stories, like how he relates to his religious background.

While gender identity can be straightforward for some, it is complex for others, perhaps even a moving target. Portrayals like Mae in Feel Good, Rock in AJLT, and Charlie in Amazon’s With Love give a glimpse of different gender journeys while hinting how loved ones should (or shouldn’t) react. Mae ended season one of Feel Good picking up a chest binder and spent much of season two comparing themselves to Adam Driver and asking other characters, “Do you think I’m trans?” Gender chaos took a backseat to the other crises Mae (played by comedian and show creator Mae Martin, on whom the character is loosely based) juggled at any given moment, but by the series finale, they ambled over to the idea of being non-binary. It’s a quippy portrayal that fellow “anaemic scarecrows” might recognise – something that’s sort of always been there that nevertheless manages to creep up on them. Suddenly being called a woman or lady feels unnatural, but they don’t have any other answers, until they do. 

It’s not uncommon for shows to pair the introduction of an adult trans or non-binary character with a story of a child exploring their gender, as AJLT, Grey’s Anatomy and With Love have all done. The ambiguity in Rock’s identity is natural – they may not know how they identify, and they may never want a specific label. But in the meantime, their sister and school responded supportively by using their pronouns and chosen name and recommending support to their parents, while their parents have taken a while to get on board.

This is by no means an exhaustive account of the recent positive shift in non-binary representation in the television landscape – Rutherford Falls, One Day At A Time, P-Valley, Big Sky, Motherland: Fort Salem, Billions and many more shows feature non-binary characters. It’s a good sign that there’s now too much representation to be contained in just one article. 

Images: Sky; HBO Max; Netflix