POSE

Set in New York City during the 1980s, Pose follows overlapping worlds where ballroom performers, aspiring models, and downtown artists pursue recognition and family. Its focus is on the houses, chosen families led by charismatic figures who train competitors for the balls while sheltering members from social rejection and economic hardship. Characters like Blanca, Pray Tell, Angel and Elektra try to build careers and reputations amid glitter, underground nightlife and a widening gap between old money and new wealth. As the AIDS crisis grows, the series shows how identity, desire and survival shape relationships and careers, mixing high-energy voguing scenes with quieter moments of care and conflict to show how community can be a refuge and a battleground.

Created by Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk and Steven Canals, Pose premiered on FX in 2018 and ran for three seasons. The series attracted attention for the creators' television track record and for its groundbreaking casting, putting transgender actors in prominent lead and recurring roles across the ensemble.

Billy Porter won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series in 2019 for his performance as Pray Tell. Pose also earned multiple Emmy nominations across acting, writing and technical categories, drawing awards recognition to its ensemble and the authenticity of its production.

The show had a notable cultural impact, helping bring ballroom culture's language, aesthetics and competitive artistry into mainstream awareness. It increased visibility for transgender performers of color, influenced fashion and music moments, and prompted broader conversations about HIV, healthcare disparities and chosen family that shaped later portrayals of queer life on television.

Critics and audiences praised the series for its performances, costume and production design, and period detail, reflected in a user average of 8.244 out of 10 from 580 votes. Major themes include identity, community, ambition, class divides and the toll of the AIDS epidemic, all presented through intimate character drama and the spectacle of the balls.