What to Watch This Pride Month
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Optimum has curated a list of some of the best movies and series you can stream right now in celebration of Pride Month.
June has officially become LGBTQ+ Pride Month, in honor of the June 1969 Stonewall Riots. This event consisted of the queer community challenging oppression in the streets of New York. Now, we have the incredible opportunity to celebrate those who have fought for liberation and made remarkable triumphs for the LGBTQ+ community every year in the month of June.
We recognize that film and television are powerful mediums and that representation of people both on and off screens are important. For this reason, we would like to take some time to recognize means of entertainment, such as documentaries, reality shows, television shows, and movies that have taken great strides to represent queer culture in a positive light, exhibiting to audiences the importance of letting differences unite us, not divide us.
While these entertainment options may not paint a full picture of the LGBTQ+ experience, they certainly help get the conversation started and will hopefully encourage viewers to learn more about queer culture.
Our “must-watch” list below is a great place to start this June!
Subscribers can watch or stream all movies now through Optimum TV or Optimum Internet. Learn more about premium channels here.
20. Brat Loves Judy (WE tv)
Hip Hop's most outrageous power couple-rap legend Brat and beauty mogul Judy-face their toughest challenge yet: the day-to-day reality of married life.
19. MTV All Store Shore (Paramount+ Original)
The world’s biggest reality superstars from some of television’s most iconic series come together for an epic vacation at the ultimate shore house, to battle it out for a cash prize and global bragging rights. On this first-of-its-kind party competition series, stars of shows like “Jersey Shore,” “Love Is Blind,” “RuPaul’s Drag Race,” and “Bachelor in Paradise" face off in a variety of party-style challenges. Premiere date June 1st, 2023, VOD: June 2nd, 2023 - TBD
18. Campfire Christmas (Hallmark Channel)
Camp Evergreen is a beloved summer camp owned by Lily and Frank Baker. They decide to retire and sell the camp, but not before they host one final Christmas in July celebration that all camp alums & their families are invited to attend. As the festivities for Christmas in July week unfold, this tight-knit group of friends each evaluate where they are in life and where they want to go, ultimately building paths to find their own happily ever afters. Premieres June 22, 2023
17. The Christmas Setup (Lifetime)
The Christmas Setup follows the story of New York lawyer Hugo (Ben Lewis) who heads to Milwaukee with his best friend Madelyn (Ellen Wong) to spend the holidays with his brother Aiden (Chad Connell) and his mom Kate (Fran Drescher), who is also in charge of the local Christmas celebrations. Ever the matchmaker, Kate arranges for Hugo to run into Patrick (Blake Lee), Hugo's high school friend and secret crush, who has recently returned after a successful stint in Silicon Valley. As they enjoy the local holiday festivities together, Hugo and Patrick's attraction to each other is undeniable and it looks as though Kate's Santa-style matchmaking is a success. But as Hugo receives word of a big promotion requiring a move to London, he must decide what is most important to him. On demand June 1st-30th, 2023
16. Restaurants at the End of the World (National Geographic)
Follows Chef Kish as she searches for the secret ingredients - people, places, culture, and traditions - within the world's most remote restaurants in Boquete, Panama; Svalbard, Norway; North Haven Island, Maine; and Paraty, Brazil. Running any successful venture takes a certain tenacity and grit, but those who set up deep in the wild, cut off from the grid and normal supply lines, are in a class all their own.
Chef Kish goes behind the scenes and embeds herself with local purveyors, farmers, herders, kitchen crew, managers, and head chefs to listen to their stories and witness the day-to-day balancing act required to bring unique food to the table, meal after meal. She then dives into the depths of the land to forage only the freshest ingredients and, along the way, unearths the culture and heart behind the cuisine.
15. And Just Like That (Max)
The series follows Carrie, Miranda, and Charlotte as they navigate the journey from the complicated reality of life and friendship in their 30s to the even more complicated reality of life and friendship in their 50s. Watch Season 1 now ahead of the Season 2 premiere on June 22 on Max.
14. The Other Two (Max)
An aspiring actor and his sister Brooke, a former professional dancer, try to find their places in the world while wrestling with their feelings about their 13-year-old brother Chase's sudden rise to internet fame. Seasons 1 and 2 available now and catch new episodes Thursdays on Max.
13. Maurice Hines: Bring Them Back (STARZ)
This documentary film follows the lives of two drag queens Laveau Contraire and Franky Canga as they prepare for a weekend of New Orleans' queer celebration of identity, Southern Decadence.
12. Trapped: The Alex Cooper Story (Lifetime)
Based on a harrowing true story, when 15-year-old Alex (Addison Holley) revealed she was gay to her devout Mormon parents, they feared so deeply for her soul that they took her from their Southern California home and placed her against her will in a conversion therapy home in Utah.
Trapped for eight months with strangers (Sarah Booth and Ian Lake), Alex faced horrible punishments and beatings that were intended to cure her homosexuality. After realizing she would have to submit to their rules in order to survive, Alex was eventually allowed to attend school, where she became friends with a boy that was the president of the gay-straight alliance. He helped Alex get in touch with an attorney, who later helped orchestrate her escape. On demand June 1st-30th, 2023
11. Tangerine (Movies on Demand)
A transgender sex worker frantically tracks down her cheating pimp-boyfriend through the streets of LA on Christmas eve. Starring Kitana Kiki Rodriguez, Mya Taylor
10. Hacks (Max)
The dark mentorship between legendary Las Vegas comedian Deborah Vance and her young, entitled writer Ava continues to evolve as the two travel across the country workshopping Deborah's new stand-up act. Seasons 1 and 2 available now on Max.
9. The Last of Us (Max)
Based on the critically acclaimed video game of the same name, the story takes place twenty years after modern civilization has been destroyed. Joel, a hardened survivor, is hired to smuggle Ellie, a 14-year-old girl, out of an oppressive quarantine zone. What starts as a small job soon becomes a brutal, heartbreaking journey, as they both must traverse across the U.S. and depend on each other for survival. All episodes available now on Max.
8. The Inspection (Showtime)
A young, gay Black man with few options for his future decides to join the Marines, willing to do whatever it takes to prove himself to his estranged mother and triumph in a system that would otherwise cast him aside. Starring Jeremy Pope and Gabrielle Union.
7. Pariah (Movies on Demand)
A stunningly effective portrait of a young Brooklyn girl whose conservative black family cause her to bury her emerging sexual identity as a lesbian. Starring Adepero Oduye and Pernell Walker.
6. To Decadence With Love, Thanks for Everything (STARZ)
An intimate portrait of a trailblazing entertainer who navigates the highs and lows of his lengthy showbiz career, and a complex relationship with his superstar brother, tap dance legend Gregory Hines.
5. Prayers for Bobby (Lifetime)
Golden Globe® winner Sigourney Weaver makes her television movie debut portraying Mary Griffith, a profoundly religious wife and mother who begins to question her faith after the suicide of her beloved gay son and ultimately becomes an advocate for gay rights. Based on a true story. On demand June 1st, 2023 - June 30th, 2023
4. Moonlight (Movies on Demand)
A moving, transcendent, award-winning look at 3 defining chapters in the life of Chiron, a young man growing up in Miami. Starring Mahershala Ali and Alex Hibbert.
3. Milk (Movies on Demand)
Harvey Milk is an activist and a politician who became the first openly gay man to be elected to public office in the U.S. The following year, Milk and San Francisco mayor George Moscone were assassinated. Starring Sean Penn and Josh Brolin.
2. Euphoria (Max)
Amidst the intertwining lives in the town of East Highland, 17-year-old Rue struggles to find hope while balancing the pressures of love, loss, and addiction. HBO's Emmy®-winning series continues to follow her dynamic group of friends as they enter into a new year, questioning their choices and what they want for themselves. Seasons 1 and 2 available now on Max.
1. Brokeback Mountain (Movies on Demand)
The story of a forbidden and secretive relationship between two cowboys and their lives over the years. Starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Heath Ledger.
Hope our list provided you lots of movies and series to look forward to this month! Happy watching!
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