Visible: Out on Television review – LGBTQ history through the lens of TV

Apple TV+ series Visible: Out on Television will be released on the platform on February 14, 2020.

For Apple TV+, Visible: Out on Television is a first; it’s there first-ever original documentary title and it’s in the form of a 5-part series. And what an important series to start off with. Visible: Out on Television goes through the ages of TV and how the LGTBQ movement has evolved since the birth of television. Using archival footage and interviews from popular figures, the Apple TV+ series ranges from homophobia in television to coming out in the industry.

And it’s certainly an education; just the other day, Twitter trended at the news when Phillip Schofield revealed to the world that he is gay. I sat back and wondered why on earth did he keep this a secret for so long — your sexuality is your sexuality. But I often forget with my heterosexual lens that when Phillip Schofield first started his television career, the industry was not rife with wholly positive representation, and the entertainment world was merely not ready or equipped, which seems absurd when writing this sentence.

The main strength of Visible: Out on Television is its focused efforts to show a genuine timeline from the birth of television until now. The series reveals the dark ages, the flagrant homophobia and the industry’s attempts to villainize the many groups of the LGBTQ community. The series also revels in moments where there was a shining light whereby a production was approved for television, edging representation ever so closer and increasing the benchmarking for progressive entertainment.

Visible: Out on Television proves the point that it has taken a considerable amount of time to reach where we are now, but there is still a long way to go.

For Apple TV+, this progressive and enlightening series is a great start towards building their documentary library and it will be surely appreciated by the LGBTQ community.