Anne with an E

Characters are not race or gender swapped from the source; new characters are original additions.

Anne is a strong feminist protagonist and the show emphasizes female empowerment, but men are not systematically diminished or mocked as a message.

• Anne challenges gender norms and advocates for women's education
• Marilla joins a progressive mothers' group questioning women's roles

The later seasons add prominent LGBTQ+ storylines not in the source, including a gay teacher and a queer storyline for Aunt Josephine.

• Aunt Josephine's grief over her late female partner is depicted
• Cole's storyline as a gay teenager finding acceptance
• A gay schoolteacher subplot

The show introduces Black and Indigenous characters into 1890s Prince Edward Island as a deliberate inclusion that addresses racism, somewhat beyond the source's setting.

• Bash (Sebastian), a Black character, becomes Gilbert's close friend and settles in Avonlea
• Indigenous Mi'kmaq characters and a residential school storyline added

The series frequently foregrounds contemporary social-justice themes — feminism, racism, residential schools, LGBTQ+ acceptance — often in didactic fashion.

• Storylines on the trauma of Indigenous residential schools
• Explicit feminist speeches about women's rights and bodily autonomy
• Anti-racism subplots involving Bash and his family

The show critiques period sexism and bigotry but frames it through historical context rather than as a blanket anti-male or anti-West message.

• Critique of patriarchal norms restricting women
• Depiction of colonial mistreatment of Indigenous peoples

Adds substantial modern identity-driven storylines (LGBTQ+, racism, residential schools) absent from L.M. Montgomery's novels, beyond ordinary adaptation liberties.

• Invented gay characters and queer storylines
• Added Indigenous residential school arc
• Bash as a recurring Black character not in the books