diff --git a/packages/grafana-ui/src/components/TimeSeries/TimeSeries.tsx b/packages/grafana-ui/src/components/TimeSeries/TimeSeries.tsx
index 2be4cca998f..9e5eee1d7ff 100644
--- a/packages/grafana-ui/src/components/TimeSeries/TimeSeries.tsx
+++ b/packages/grafana-ui/src/components/TimeSeries/TimeSeries.tsx
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@ import { DataFrame, TimeRange } from '@grafana/data';
 import { withTheme2 } from '../../themes/ThemeContext';
 import { GraphNG, GraphNGProps, PropDiffFn } from '../GraphNG/GraphNG';
 import { PanelContext, PanelContextRoot } from '../PanelChrome/PanelContext';
-import { PlotLegend } from '../uPlot/PlotLegend';
+import { hasVisibleLegendSeries, PlotLegend } from '../uPlot/PlotLegend';
 import { UPlotConfigBuilder } from '../uPlot/config/UPlotConfigBuilder';
 
 import { preparePlotConfigBuilder } from './utils';
@@ -39,8 +39,7 @@ export class UnthemedTimeSeries extends Component<TimeSeriesProps> {
   renderLegend = (config: UPlotConfigBuilder) => {
     const { legend, frames } = this.props;
 
-    //hides and shows the legend ON the uPlot graph
-    if (!config || (legend && !legend.showLegend)) {
+    if (!config || (legend && !legend.showLegend) || !hasVisibleLegendSeries(config, frames)) {
       return null;
     }
 
diff --git a/packages/grafana-ui/src/components/uPlot/PlotLegend.tsx b/packages/grafana-ui/src/components/uPlot/PlotLegend.tsx
index da976de76b8..327af272497 100644
--- a/packages/grafana-ui/src/components/uPlot/PlotLegend.tsx
+++ b/packages/grafana-ui/src/components/uPlot/PlotLegend.tsx
@@ -27,6 +27,29 @@ interface PlotLegendProps extends VizLegendOptions, Omit<VizLayoutLegendProps, '
   config: UPlotConfigBuilder;
 }
 
+/**
+ * mostly duplicates logic in PlotLegend below :(
+ *
+ * @internal
+ */
+export function hasVisibleLegendSeries(config: UPlotConfigBuilder, data: DataFrame[]) {
+  return config.getSeries().some((s) => {
+    const fieldIndex = s.props.dataFrameFieldIndex;
+
+    if (!fieldIndex) {
+      return false;
+    }
+
+    const field = data[fieldIndex.frameIndex]?.fields[fieldIndex.fieldIndex];
+
+    if (!field || field.config.custom?.hideFrom?.legend) {
+      return false;
+    }
+
+    return true;
+  });
+}
+
 export const PlotLegend = React.memo(
   ({ data, config, placement, calcs, displayMode, ...vizLayoutLegendProps }: PlotLegendProps) => {
     const theme = useTheme2();