Apple’s Visible: Out on Television is a well-crafted, eye-opening experience

Apple TV+’s five-part documentary series Visible: Out on Television presents a captivating look at the progression of LGBTQ representation in TV and Film.

History has not been kind to the LGBTQ community, and no other medium exemplifies this better than that of television. The things we see on the small-screen end up largely affecting how society views things in reality, and that becomes brutally clear in the eye-opening Apple TV+ original series Visible: Out on Television. The industry has come a long way since the days of poorly portraying the community with inaccurate and extremely hurtful stereotypes.

Things nowadays have improved in media, with shows like Transparent and Pose becoming critically acclaimed and having been nominated for significant accolades. Trailblazer Ellen Degeneres just this year became the second-ever recipient of the coveted Carol Burnett Award for outstanding contributions both on and off-screen.

The journey that Degeneres and countless others have had to endure to make these magnificent achievements possible is brilliantly structured and beautifully crafted in Visible: Out on Television. This unflinching look at the struggles and triumphs of these brave people is both thoroughly engrossing and cleverly outspoken. When a series of clips and interviews can educate, entertain, and move someone to tears, that something to be admired and revered as a triumph.

The show mixes archival footage with exceptional accounts from an incredible selection of stars. This allows the series to rely less on narration, allowing both the participants and audience to convey the enthralling story. There also needs to be significant credit given to the editing, especially in the way each episode is cut together with affecting precision that pushes Visible’s message in an engrossing manner.

For the longest time, the small screen had the wrong idea when it came to the LGBTQ community. They were the punchline, the twisted villain, or the mentally ill. These depictions were a tough pill to swallow for the LGBTQ community, and Visible: Out on Television illustrates how they made sure this practice would not persist.

So many significant moments are covered throughout the hard-hitting piece, and it really showcases what a roller coaster ride the entire ordeal has been. Degeneres’ coming out on her ABC series was seen as a big step forward only to see the series lose ratings and finally get the axe. Prominent figures like Hollywood Squares star Paul Lynde and Real World’s Pedro Zamora to game-changing programs like Will & Grace, Early Frost, all the way up to Ryan Murphy’s Pose are gone over in great detail and respectfully revered for their courageous contributions.

And there aren’t just big names being brought up in the discussion on screen. Behind the scenes and in front of the camera are some of the industry’s top players. The series is produced by Jessica Hargrave, Wanda Sykes, and Wilson Cruz with Ryan White serving as executive producer.

On camera, we get to hear compelling takes from LGBTQ actors, writers, and journalists describing what it means to see their world through the TV screen. Among the many stars sharing their take on the topic are Rachel Maddow, Neil Patrick Harris, Ellen Degeneres, Adam Lambert, Anderson Cooper, and Billy Porter just to name a few. Their insight and expertise are as essential as the ideals the Apple series is trying to get across to subscribers.

One thing that drives any great program is conflict. Seeing stories of heroes overcoming insurmountable odds to stop unfair oppression provides a powerful message of hope and inspiration to the masses. If there is one thing Visible: Out on Television excels at is it exquisitely educates everyone that change is possible as long as we do it together. The Apple TV+ series leaves you with the knowledge of how far society has come and reminds us there still aways more to go.