10 Essential TV Gay Couples For LGBT+ Pride Month 2020

With a multitude of engaging plot threads running throughout (not-to-mention a healthy balance of heartwarming and humorous moments), there's a lot to love about Fox's 9-1-1 spin-off. One of its best elements, however, is the budding romance between T.K. Strand and Carlos Reyes.

The son of Rob Lowe's Owen Strand, T.K. is very much at the center of the narrative and, as he attempts to leave his troubled life behind upon his move to Texas, the young firefighter comes across the hunky Officer Reyes. Naturally, the pair quickly hit it off and waste little time having fun together.

The refreshing thing about 'Tarlos' is how their relationship was presented. While we all love a good coming out story (after all, they can be incredibly inspirational), same-sex relationships are rarely explored without at least one, and more often than not, it's a traumatic one for the character(s) involved. And yet, here there wasn't a need for one.

Sure, T.K. had his own emotional journey as he attempted to figure out whether he wanted a serious relationship or not, but neither his nor Carlos' sexuality was ever called into question by themselves or anyone around them struggling to accept them, and the pair's on-again/off-again romance was very much the primary relationship of the first season. And that is the kind of variety that LGBTQ+ relationships deserve.

With a second season that promises to explore their relationship in much more depth on the horizon, good things are undoubtedly in store for 9-1-1: Lone Star - which is good because the chemistry between Ronen Rubinstein and Rafael Silva is absolutely off the charts!