Took the Bait! 5 TV Shows That Lured Viewers with Homoerotic Tropes

It's great that television offers diversity in terms of characters' gender, age, race, and sexual orientation, which shows how different and yet important we all are. But sometimes shows use diversity, especially LGBTQ+ representation, just to attract more viewers and boast ratings. These five shows are prime examples of this.

Supernatural – Dean & Castiel

The WB/The CW's hit series featured plenty of relationships during its impressive fifteen-season run. But Supernatural was particularly notorious for its queerbaiting.

People were shipping Dean Winchester and Angel Castiel from the moment they first met because of the sizzling chemistry between the two. From long looks and flirtatious comments to heartfelt confessions and risking their lives to keep each other safe, Dean and Castiel were more affectionate than friends usually are.

And sadly, it took Castiel going to Super Hell (thanks for the memes) to confess his love for the older Winchester brother.

Teen Wolf – Stiles & Derek

MTV's teen drama wasn't shy about its LGBTQ+ representation, but it still made use of queerbaiting, as two of the show's main characters, Stiles Stilinski and Derek Hale, had an obvious undercurrent of sexual tension between them. And while Stiles was speculated to be bisexual, his relationship with Derek never went anywhere more serious than simple flirtation. Still, there was so much flirting that viewers couldn't help but ship the two, much to their own chagrin.

Supergirl – Kara & Lena

This DC superhero drama series was just another one that used the 'very close friends' trope. Supergirl's title character and Lex Luthor's well-meaning niece were smitten at first sight and developed a very close and beautiful relationship over the years, with Kara abusing her superpowers to surprise Lena with a real French breakfast and Lena cheering up her 'good friend' with little gifts. But despite the characters' affection for each other, the show never revealed that they were a couple.

Two and a Half Men – Walden & Alan

When Charlie Sheen was fired from the hit CBS sitcom Two and a Half Men in 2011, his character was replaced by Walden Schmidt, portrayed by Ashton Kutcher. As the new owner of the late Charlie Harper's house, Walden invited Alan and Jake to move in with him.

It wasn't long before the sitcom started making fun of their relationship, with Alan taking care of Walden like a wife would and the two characters becoming emotionally close. So close, in fact, that they even married – fraudulently – in order to adopt a child together. But even though they kissed tenderly and it was implied that Alan was in love with Walden, they never became more than friends.

It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia – Dennis & Mac

The epitome of queerbaiting, this FX sitcom constantly featured its two main characters getting into many hilarious situations that implied their sexual and romantic obsession with each other, which the rest of the characters made fun of. However, Dennis and Mac were never confirmed to have had an affair during the show's sixteen-season run, in spite of the fact that Mac came out as gay in later seasons.