Sapphics flock to new teen drama Sterling Point

The new teen drama has viewers praising its natural queer representation, messy relationships and lesbian love, though some fans say the show still has a diversity problem.

Entertainment . Written by Sarah Creighton Keogh.

Sterling Point cast
Image: @ameliehoeferle via instagram

Warning, spoilers ahead!

New teen drama Sterling Point is quickly getting fans talking, particularly over its refreshing approach to queer characters and relationships.

The series follows Annie (Ella Rubin) as she spends the summer on a small Canadian island, which she finds out she and her twin brother Connor (Keen Ruffalo) inherited from their maternal grandfather. Here, she encounters a memorable group of people, including Oona (Bo Bragason), her quirky younger sister Maple (Mabel Strachan), and gender non-conforming character Sully (Nikko Angelo Hinayo), who has two gay moms. And of course, lest we forget, Ramona (Amélie Hoeferle), a masc lesbian who happens to be Annie’s secret sister. 

Before the central romance fully develops, Maple suggests that Annie has “bi vibes,” and the theory is certainly not dismissed. Annie immediately tells Oona that her British accent is hot, while her previous dating history was largely spent with an obviously closeted gay boyfriend. She had apparently been waiting since sixth grade for him to come out so they could finally break up.

Annie spends the next couple of episodes experiencing something of a sexual awakening whilst being stuck in a love triangle, during which she reveals that she once wondered whether she might be asexual and is only now beginning to realise that perhaps she isn’t. For now, at least, Annie’s sexuality remains open to interpretation.

That ambiguity is part of what fans appreciate about Sterling Point. Rather than isolating LGBTQ+ characters into a single queer storyline, the show weaves queer people, relationships and identities throughout its world.

Creator Megan Park has said that making the series queer felt completely natural. “It just feels like queer representation just makes sense,” Park told Out. She added that she was “always trying to make things feel authentic and character-driven first and foremost.”

Park’s experience acting on teen television also shaped her approach. Having appeared on The Secret Life of the American Teenager, she has spoken about how trope-heavy early-2000s teen TV could feel.

“I come from the acting side of the early 2000s TV space, which was incredibly tropey and definitely didn’t feel to me always like the most reflective of what I was actually experiencing or the people around me,” she said.

Fans have embraced that approach. One fan took to X to share: “sterling point is a 10/10 the two female leads aren’t fighting over a man they’re both incredibly likeable and supportive of each others grief they’re both messy and they are actually realistic young adults the lesbians are buzzy and the plot is amazing”.

 

Another viewer wrote: “sterling point feels so fresh and good because after so long there is a show with proper communication no forced connection, real chemistry and real queer representation that didn’t treat them like side characters. IKTR”.

 

However, not everyone is celebrating the representation without reservations. Some viewers have criticised the show for being overwhelmingly white, particularly among its main female characters.

“As much as i loved sterling point, that show was sickeningly white. the lack of poc was hard to watch and it’s insane how @PrimeVideo keeps getting away with this sh*t,” one person wrote.

 

Another viewer said: “Tried watching sterling point for the wlw but this show is wayyyyy to white for me”.

 

The criticism highlights a larger conversation around representation: while Sterling Point offers plenty of queer visibility, some fans want that diversity to extend beyond sexuality and gender.

There is also an unavoidable tension in celebrating Sterling Point as an Amazon Prime Video original. Amazon has faced extensive criticism over its treatment of workers, environmental impact and economic power. Still, for viewers who have long wanted queer characters to simply exist as complicated teenagers, with crushes, grief, awkwardness, messy communication and genuine chemistry, Sterling Point appears to be hitting a nerve.

© 2026 GCN (Gay Community News). All rights reserved.

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