Steven Canals

The mastermind behind Pose discusses the show’s impending conclusion and how he plans to “permeate” Hollywood with more LGBTQ+ stories.

“I don’t want Pose to just be a moment. I want Pose to be a movement,” says Steven Canals. We’re speaking with the co-creator and executive producer about the legacy of the breakout LGBTQ+ drama, which has revolutionised inclusivity and diversity on television with the largest transgender cast in history. Since Pose premiered in 2018, the show has received unanimous praise and various accolades including the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor, which made Billy Porter the first openly gay Black man to be nominated for and win in an Emmy leading category.

Although Pose is arguably at its peak in popularity and - with a 100% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes - acclaim, it was announced earlier this year that the third season, which debuted in the US in May, would be its last. As one of the only shows on television dedicated to authentically telling the stories of Black and Brown queer and trans people, the news left Pose viewers across the world in a state of mourning.

“We always knew that the end of the series was going to be 1995/96 when HIV/AIDS stops being a clear death sentence,” Steven explains. “We didn’t necessarily know how long it would take us to get there, but I think once we went into the writer’s room for season three, it just became abundantly clear to me that the end goal was in our eyeline.”