Television needs more old queer couples – and brilliant minds prove it

Warning: Spoilers for Brilliant Minds season 2, episode 1.Brilliant spirit is not unrelated to dramatic plots of love, but its main pairing highlights the scarcity of representation on the screen for a major demography. Most medical procedures love Brilliant spirit Include romance to a certain extent, whether they are convoluted love triangles, slowders, they will not, or couples in place / quirky which contribute more drama than the high octane cases they deal with.

What distinguishes NBC’s new medical drama is the captivating and real inspiration taken from Oliver Sacks, a renowned neurologist with intriguing case studies that lend themselves to a procedural format. However, the most remarkable aspect of Brilliant spirit Season 2 is not a rare condition or an exasperating antagonist – it is the love life of Dr Oliver Wolf (Zachary Quinto).

The relationship of Nichols & Wolf is already a key scenario in Brilliant Minds Season 2

The two characters sail in their first main conflict

Like his non -fictional counterpart, Dr. Wolf experiences the face of the front (Prosopagnosia), who triggers him with bad foot with his colleague, Dr. Josh Nichols (Teddy Sears). Throughout the 13 episodes in Brilliant spirit Season 1, the two go beyond their initial false ideas and carry out their mutual attraction. Unlike typical medical dramas, however Wolf and Nichols act on their feelings fairly quickly.

Although their first kiss occurs at the end of episode 7, the end of the end of Brilliant spirit Season 1 – where Oliver learns that his alleged father is in fact by living – throws romance in full swing. To make things worse, the problems of Papa de Wolf strike well while Nichols verbalizes his growing feelings, leaving them at a complicated crossroads.

Unfortunately, the Brilliant spirit The first in season 2 confirmed that the pair was still sailing. Nichols reminds the wolf that he wants to be in a relationship but, of course, clarifies that he will not expect reciprocity forever. The couple’s disconnection, although not the main scenario, will certainly be a recurring plot throughout the season.

Although the conflict itself is nothing new, twinning is different from most “ships” on television during prime time. Their general dynamics are familiar, but The ages of Nichols and Wolf add a unique rotation: the two doctors are at the end of the forties, approaching 50 years. They are far from the elderly, but they are also significantly older than many novels on the air-at least, it seems.

The representation of the brilliant Minds of an older gay relationship is refreshing but rare for television during prime times

Middle age characters (and more) are generally not trays

Each person deserves to be represented in the stories they watch, but Television and the film tend to focus on younger demographic data. Whatever the genre, it looks like a surplus of titles that follow the young protagonists – sometimes literal children ( Foreign things Season 1), but often adolescents (Wednesday,, Big mouthetc.) or young adults.

There is nothing wrong with creating stories on high school students or twenty years, but our media should not be limited only to the main young characters. In 2020, the United States Census Bureau recorded more than 33 million citizens aged 65 to 74, while the age group of 45 to 64 represented 25% of the country’s total population. Unfortunately, our predominant age group feels underrepresented on the screen.

Of course, television would false Young is not a modern concept. As the University of Victoria concluded, the elderly have been largely omitted from television broadcast since the middle of the 20th century. When you take into account other identity markers, such as breed, sex and sexuality, figures decrease more.

Despite the scarcity of older queer characters seem to get me the fictitious spotlights, the real world data is undeniable. In the United States, almost one out of 10 adults identify like LGBTQ (via a Gallup 2025 survey)-but it is not simply a “trend” of the Z generation. 14% of millennials, 5% of generation X, and 3% of baby boomers identify as something other than heterosexual, increasing since the previous years.

There are incredible examples of older queer characters – like Robert and Sol Grace and FrankieWho are the unexpected catalyst behind the premise of the show – but some good examples of representation do not cancel the overwhelming feeling of invisibility that television propagates.

Queer representation came to leaps, but not all groups are also represented

Recent statistics show a worrying disparity

Even among younger demography, queer representation is not equal. The gay and lesbian alliance against the defamation organization is annually follows the quantity and quality of the queer characters on the screen, giving a precious overview of the place where the studios succeed and where, unfortunately, they fail.

In the last of Glaad Where we are on television Report, there were only 39 used to the LGBTQ series on 454 characters recorded on ABC, CBS, CW, FOX and NBC during the 2023-24 Network TV cycle. Among these, 13 queer characters did not return the following season due to the cancellations of series, the deaths of characters or simply to be canceled.

In addition, although Glaad does not measure the average age group of queer characters, there is a clear disparity in the representation we have. Despite a fairly equal split of gay and lesbian characters in 2023-24, there were only 12 bisexual characters, three transgender characters and no asexual character.

What is most worrying is the situation as a whole. Glaad’s report revealed that The television season of the 2023-24 network had the lowest percentage of main queer characters since 2017-18And the global representation has gradually started to flow since the 2021-222 report.

This can be partially attributed to the WGA / SAG strike, but there is another devastating trend at stake: the various and inclusive series end, but not enough new shows are ordered to compensate for the differences. Consequently, although the number of real queer Americans is increasing, the representation on the screen is decreasing.

Why is it deeply necessary for the older queer characters to exist in wider stories

The representation must be significant, not static

Beyond queer characters being simply included, we must demand a significant and well-written representation. The characters who are LGBTQ cannot exist only for being the symbolic gay character, and their scenarios should not exclusively trust their queerness. The best measure of healthy queer representation is the Vito Russo test, invented by Glaad in 2013.

According to the Vito Russo test, Queer characters should not be defined by their sexual orientationThey should not lack depth or be transformed into punchline, and their scenarios cannot perpetuate harmful stereotypes from the queer community. These measures guarantee that queer characters are not thoughtless additions to otherwise heteronormative stories. They are rather recognized beyond their sexuality – but also not despite this.

An excellent example is Agatha Harkness in Marvel’s Disney + Success Agatha from the start. His queerness is anchored in his character, but it is not the end, the end. The goal that AGATHA serves in the story is far beyond the shallow representation or the performative inclusiveness.

Undating only a character for an aspect of their identity would be a bad service for them and the spectacle as a whole. Especially for average and superior characters, who are not always in general interest, simultaneously protecting their personality and respecting their queerness is essential.

Brilliant Minds is an excellent start for a diversified queer representation, but other networks must join the movement

Broadcast TV is incredibly influential (and can have real implications)

NBC via MovietillsDB

This concept of including queer characters but to appreciate them beyond their queerness Brilliant spirit excels in. The romance between Wolf and Nichols is convincing, but the NBC drama does not sacrifice their personalities in its own right; Brilliant spirit Do not limit Dr. Wolf to his sexuality, but his expertise in queerness and his medical expertise do not excite each other.

Brilliant spirit respects his characters and provides interesting plots beyond romanceBut it must be the starting point of a quarter of work at the industry scale, not rented like lightning in a bottle. Now that NBC has opened the way with such nuanced couple, other major broadcasting networks must follow suit and offer viewers a realistically representation.

The queerness has no age limit and older LGBTQ people deserve to tell their stories about television during prime time. It doesn’t matter if Nichols and Wolf are going through their relationship problems in season 2, Brilliant spirit opened the door to a fair and significant representation on the screen. If the television industry in general takes note, it is the happiest end NBC could hope.

Take advantage of the coverage of the priestly listening hours of Screenrant? Click below to register for our weekly network television newsletter (be sure to check “Network TV” in your preferences) and get the interior scoop of the actors and showrunners of your favorite series.

Register now!

Release date

September 23, 2024

Directors

Lee Toland Krieger, David Katzenberg, Dawn Wilkinson, Harry Jierjian, Jordan Canning, Maggie Kiley, Sudz Sutherland, Charles Randolph-Wright, Deborah Kampmeier

Writers

Sara Saedi, Ryan Knighton, Will Ewing, Daniela Lamas, Davia Carter, Stasia Demiick, William Yu, David Carter, Alex Berger, Shannon Looney