Whether you watched the show chronologically when it first aired in the early 2000s or unapologetically recorded episodes on your parent’s TiVo as a closeted teenager like me, Showtime’s Queer as Folk was a major milestone in LGBTQ entertainment.
Upon discovering the show eight years after the final episode aired, I had never seen anything like it. Throughout its five seasons, the narratives and storylines promoted safe sex, displayed the harms of drug use, highlighted plotlines of gay bashing, and brought to the forefront the importance of same-sex marriage.
And for a hypersexual 15-year-old like me, it also had some of the hottest gay sex scenes on premium cable.
With Peacock releasing its reboot later this week, I decided to rewatch the original American series’ entire first season, which highly captivated my 15-year-old imagination, and dissect those memorable moments at age 25. Like many shows and films of that era, certain elements of Queer As Folk haven’t aged so well. While certain other elements remain timeless.
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(Caution: MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD, but it’s been 17 years since the last episode aired, and if you’re reading this you’ve probably already seen it, so… Oh well, I guess?)
When Brian meets Justin
In the pilot episode, viewers are transported to the Babylon, a booming nightclub for the circuit queens of Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, and no, they weren’t serving it ancient city style. Still, the boys with frosted tips and 501 jeans were a serve. We are introduced to the most interchanging yet chaotically synchronous relationship between Brian Kinney and Justin Taylor. These two looked like they came out of an Abercrombie & Fitch advertisement. Either that or a couple from an exclusive video for Helix Studios. Whatever the case, at 15, they were my wet dream come to life.
Rewatching at 25, what’s difficult to swallow is the overall timing of when these two first meet. Justin is a minor. There’s a lot to unpack with the problematic roots of their relationship, but as the show progresses, the characters and even viewers (myself included, at one point) end up rooting for them. Which is… okay… I guess? Regardless, you’re left wondering if the two are kindred spirits, star-crossed lovers, or a product of Stockholm syndrome. You could argue any of these sentiments. I should also note that, at 19, my first boyfriend was 39, and we regretfully share a matching tattoo. So do I empathize with Justin? Kind of. Was I a bigger clown than him? Obviously.
Michael’s 30th birthday
In episode 11, Michael turns 30, which becomes a recurring joke. Apparently at 30, one should bear a scarlet letter on their chest and obtain a lifetime supply of Depends. Truth be told, I was and still am terrified of getting older, and I saw a little bit of myself in Michael both then and even now. We’re both slightly annoying and cautiously indecisive individuals with heavy hearts, and we love a good co-dependent relationship.
To sum up this episode, Michael contemplates getting back together with his hunk-of-an-ex-chiropractor, Dr. David, but Brian gets in between the pair developing a relationship. Michael’s mother and arguably everyone’s favorite TV mom and possibly an Aries, Debbie, then goes to Brian to tell him to release her son from his grasp.
As an attempted goodbye to their friendship, Brian plans a surprise party for Michael that turns into quite a spectacle, leading characters to spiral and get messy while also making great television. I loved watching mess then, and unfortunately, nothing has changed.
Emmett’s 72-hour wait
During Michaels’s 30th birthday, the show’s softer and likable character Emmett Honeycutt goes through an anxiety-driven weekend due to a voicemail from an HIV testing clinic asking him to return to the facility. Sirens go off and Emmett, who is incredibly mindful of his safe sex practices, believes he may have tested positive for HIV, which comes back negative, and he was asked to come back due to a bounced check. Clownery.
One of the admirable things the show captures is the importance of sex safe. The wide array of sex scenes throughout the series featured the characters using condoms. While rewatching this episode, I realized how it engrained this normalcy of safe sex practices into my mind. Did I follow those practices in my teen years and early twenties? Regretfully no. Does this make me an even bigger clown? Again, yes. But at least I’m self-aware.
Ted and other drugs
Another positive element to the series that made it stand out for me then and even more now was its plotlines regarding the harms of drug use and how the journey with addiction leading to sobriety doesn’t happen in a straight line.
One character, Ted Schmidt, has his first encounter with drugs due to an overdose on GHB, which foreshadows his battle with drug use in the third season. Overall, Ted’s development makes a positive turn reaching him towards the destination of sobriety with thicker skin and an optimistic future.
Mel and Linds
One of the less toxic relationships on the show was between Melanie Marcus and Lindsey Peterson. As a teen, I didn’t care too much about their storyline, but I wish I did because maybe I would’ve had a more inclination toward what a non-toxic relationship could look like. I see now how their connection was so synchronized, tender, and romantic, yet they shared tension at times. But, overall, I fell in love with them as individuals and their relationship and had small crying fits with a glass of pinot grigio watching their love grow.
Brian’s 30th birthday
A lot occurs in the Season 1 Finale in its 50-minute time frame. The arguable anti-hero Brian Kinney turns dirty 30! Another scarlet letter is marked, and a lifetime of adult diapers is shipped to his tastefully decorated loft. More agist content is bequeathed to viewers, and my fear of getting older grows stronger.
Also in the episode, Brian goes on a sex and drug binge and nearly attempts suicide, which is very dramatic. At the same time, Micheal contemplates moving to Portland with Dr. David. Meanwhile, Ted’s boyfriend at the time, Blake, checks into rehab and leaves on his unfortunate terms. Brian still entertains Justin and later accompanies him to his high school… which is okay?? And finally, the season ends with Brian and Michael in a hospital waiting room after a classmate brutally assaults Justin. Again, a lot happens, and I’m surprised baby gay Joey had the attention span to follow this unraveling.
Final thoughts
Though the original American version of Queer As Folk had its impressions and made strides toward seeing LGBTQ narratives in mainstream media, it failed to address the elephant in the room. The series didn’t have any reoccurring characters who were non-cis or POC. And if you were to dissect the term “queer”, you’d realize that there’s a lack of depth beyond the white gaze. However, much like Friends and Sex and the City, Queer as Folk was a product of its time. That said, it encapsulated the importance of camaraderie and chosen familial relationships in such a tender way from beginning to end. The great thing is that this leaves a lot of room for the new series to expand and explore in its characters and plotlines. Though Ron Cowen and Daniel Lipman’s series sets a strong foundation for LGBTQ narratives in film and TV, one could hope that the reboot dismantles barricades as the original once did and patches up the harmful crevices within its foundation… and fingers crossed for more hot sex scenes!
tallskin4
“Though the original American version of Queer As Folk had its impressions and made strides toward seeing LGBTQ narratives in mainstream media, it failed to address the elephant in the room. ”
– there were no trans!! OMG
Shocking!
that sort of reveals that trans/gender woo is a constructed and contemporary confection of the modern era!
No, surely not, cos we know trans people have always been with us, walking amongst us, i mean after all trans invented sliced bread, airplanes, nuclear power and organic tofu, to mention but a few of their contributions to humanity
Charlie in Charge
There were plenty of Transgender folks around when the show was created. We know this because they frequently use the term “LGBT.”
I love the series with all my heart but I am glad that the new one will feature trans characters and people of color on the main cast.
tallskin4
Charlie in Charge, of course there hundreds of trans characters in the original qaf
Yeah, that trans character who, oh what’s his name, the one who, oh yes and that other one who
You know who i mean
Cam
@tallskin4
This account always Rushes in to obsessively attack Trans people anytime there is a post that remotely touches the topic.
You sound like those Republican closet cases who attack gay people because they’re closeted and hate themselves. What else could explain your complete obsession with trans people and constantly attacking them? You’re on multiple sites screaming about them.
MEthinks the lady doth protest too much.
Diplomat
I get tallskin4. Trans isn’t a sexual orientation like LGB. There is alot of resentment from some about trans being attached to LGB at all. It wasn’t a choice, it was foist on the gay community and did dilute and confuse the understanding of sexuality. Had it been its own classification, it could have been more realistically studied and separated from the confusion str8s have about gay people to begin with. Now we toil with a lot of stigma from trans folk I.e. Lia Thompson, most didn’t sign up for. That is something Q F could potentially address.
tallskin4
@Diplomat – i think you and gay men like you are creeps and traitors to lesbians and women
You are male rights supporters
Diplomat
You’re all over the board making no sense. A woman challenges a trans over sports rights and somehow that’s male power? Wierd comments.
I protect women by wanting their spaces safe from males and their dicks and men are somehow creeps and traitors? What do lesbians even have to do with all this. Maybe you could state your case a bit more clearly. And clarify if you’re trans. That is if you care to be considered credible.
john.k
It is interesting that when the British original was first shown in 1999 the British tabloids were outraged by the portrayal in the first episode of rimming. There was no mention of the fact that Nathan was a 15 year old having sex with a 29 year old. No doubt it would be different now.
DennisBTR
I loved the series.
One correction – the show is set in Pennsylvania. The legal age of consent in Pennsylvania is 16. Justin was 17 in the show. Therefore, he was not a minor for the purposes of being able to consent to sex. He was a minor for other legal aspects, which the show portrayed very well.
It is such a common mistake to assume that 18 is the legal age for everything. The legal age of consent for sex varies from state to state – form 16 to 18, depending on the state. In some cases there are exceptions to that if the two are within a certain distance in age, usually 2 years. The legal age to buy alcohol and tobacco is 21. 18 is the legal age for things like being able to enter into contracts, but it is not the legal age for everything.
Kangol2
Yes, and to the article writer, it’s “Pittsburgh,” not “Pittsburg,” Pennsylvania.”
BigE
Not necessarily. Many states have different laws concerning consent depending on whether the activities are heterosexual or homosexual. For the longest time, any homosexual sexual activity was illegal.
Heywood Jablowme
The thing that didn’t make sense was Justin going illegally to a bar all the time. Maybe that was plausible in the UK but not in the US where in real life, Babylon would have eventually gotten shut down and Justin might have had a jail story to tell. It just did not make sense.
Davy
Great show which always gets a lot of flack but for it’s time it was groundbreaker. Since u weren’t the age of the characters when it came out, u really don’t know the social climate at the time and what it did for the gay community. A lot who slag the show are either young kids who have no idea what it was really like when the show premiered or those goody two shoes who thought it was over the top and unrealistic. As someone who worked in gay clubs for 20 years, I related to it well and found it captured that time period of gay culture. There are still subjects and things this show addressed which still aren’t addressed in today’s programming. I hope the reboot does well but realistically it won’t. It’ll try to cater to too many people and lose its impact cause it won’t have a relatable focused story. Gotta cast the right “characters” not just the right “look”
bachy
I have never seen this show and want to, but can’t figure out which one to see: the UK original, the Pittsburgh remake… or just wait for the reboot?
Diplomat
Pittsburgh remake by far.
bachy
Thanks so much, Diplo!
Diplomat
U bet!
Funbud
The British original is great fun, more of a romp (although the Northern accents take a bit of getting used to). The American remake was more of a soap opera. I enjoyed it less but still worth seeing.
bachy
Thanks for weighing in, Funbud!
monty clift
Can gay men not have a show about gay men without you making everything about trans? Obnoxious toad who wrote this trash piece go sit on a finger.
dario717
I’m not one to often agree with Negative Nancy’s, but in this instance I’m thinking that I should at least change my name to Nan.
Kangol2
I strongly support nonbinary and trans people, but what I do feel is missing from nearly every show dealing with contemporary LGBQTIA life in the US is a realistic depiction of the tensions that exist and sometimes erupt between gay-identfied men and non-binary people, gay men and trans women in particular, and lesbian-identified women and trans women.
(I see almost no queer films or series that explore the lives of trans men, though some mainstream shows like Queen Sugar, ironically enough, have done so.)
These tensions, which regularly pop up here in the comments section too, on social media and in real life, are just not explored realistically. It would make for some uncomfortable TV, but it would also mirror life as people are living it.
In terms of Queer As Folk, it wasn’t my cup of tea. I could see if had been set in a town in Vermont or Maine, etc., but for a show set in Pittsburgh, which as of 2000 was fairly diverse, it didn’t measure up, though I have to say I wasn’t surprised. In this regard, Looking was a significant improvement in some ways.
Jaws1939
By the time this show came on the air I could not relate to anybody. I was already in a LTR (Still am to same man) and was also sober (Still am today). I did not like the screaming matches between Brian and Melanie. By the end of the 2nd season I had more than enough.
The episodes that I saw only were too full of melodrama and no substance. You must remember I was the same age as the people in the cast. I never thought being 30 was a death sentence.
ShiningSex
The show was pretty accurate for a lot of things. A lot of people have their first sexual encounter with someone older. It’s NOT legal, but it happens. Why’s that an issue? It’s A SHOW.
Also, the turning 30 being the death of a person was a bit silly. I can see queens thinking it’s true until they’re THERE. It’s not that big of a deal. There were cheesy moments, but all in all a great show. I doubt the new one will live up to it.
I did like the UK one, but it didn’t compare to how great the U.S. one was.
I wish the reboot had the previous cast with new people.
Just like the reboot of Tales of the City which was a mess, I doubt the reboot will last.
Heywood Jablowme
Funny you should mention “Tales of the City” which also had an aging twink protagonist, also named Michael, who also “crossed the Great Divide” (turned 30). The usual word for this is “derivative.”
RiBrad
Why do we now insist that every show has to tell every person’s story? It is/was common for four gay guys of the same ethnicity to be best friends. It’s not “problematic”, it’s just life. There were no regular trans characters because the show wasn’t about characters who were trans. In the same way that Pose isn’t about straight white accountants from Texas.
lykeitiz
Well, you beat me by 1/2 hour. I came to say the EXACT same thing. Last time I checked, it was still legal to have a show about white people. The term “cis” wasn’t even used when QAF first aired.
And, as a real-life cis-white male, I absolutely loved Pose and everything it stood for. I didn’t sit around bitching and looking for the white guys.
Nightflyer720
Agreed. A piece of entertainment should fulfill a vision, not fill a quota. While representation is critical, every show or movie can’t represent everyone all the time. Let creatives tell their own stories. And let them populate those stories with characters that genuinely resonate with them.
In this mad rush to be inclusive, many seem to have forgotten that an overcrowded canvas ensures NOTHING stands out.
Karlis
The British version of QaF was absolutely brilliant. From what I’ve seen of the American version — not so much. Pretty much like “La Cage aux Folles,” which was wonderfully funny in French, and “Birdcage,” which was not funny at all.
gaym50ish
Like most America series, they don’t know when to quit and eventually “jump the shark” for lack of any innovative story lines. The one-season British version was the perfect length. I do disagree with you about “The Birdcage,” however. It WAS funny, and I thought it was a brilliant adaptation of the French original.
CityguyUSA
Hey. It wasn’t a perfect show but it was the best we ever had where we didn’t have to be watching on a specigic night to catch 2 men kissing. It was a major upgrade to oh so stereotypicalgay shows that made me nausious and often only depicted soft porn.
Neoprene
I prefer it when the creators of shows like QAF do what they choose to do rather than what someone not skilled in developing it wishes they would do to satisfy their personal agenda.
Davy
As someone who watched both series completely, I will have to politely disagree. I prefer the tone of the USA one which is very different. Even rewatched the entire series recently with some of the younger generation. Didn’t bother with another rewatch of the British version. Too short anyways.
theaterbloke
Definitely the British series. One thing I’ve observed is that US TV tends to prioritize casting pretty people more than their British counterparts (it is starting to change though,) often to the detriment of the series. I found the acting to be better on the original QAF.
Also, the writing is more concise. For example, when Brian outs Michael at the party there’s a whole speech from Debbie on what she knew he was really doing. In the Brit version, one line from Hazel said it all.
travdaddy
I would just like to point out an inaccuracy – Brian didn’t attempt suicide, he risked suicide in an unsafe attempt at auto-erotic asphyxiation. Which never actually made sense to me because that scarf did not seem practical for either. (I’ve watched this show too many times lol.) Because I loved it. Mostly because of the steamy sex scenes.
As a closeted small-town white cis gay boy, I didn’t entirely relate to the characters and their lifestyle, etc. But I still enjoyed their story. Because imo, the story that was being told, was told well. (Emphasis on the sex scenes which imo are hotter than a lot of hardcore porn out there.) A story that you can’t entirely fault it for either because it was based on another series.
Could it have had a more diverse representation? Yeah. Though it glossed over and neglected important topics, stories and experiences of biopic and myriad other communities, I still feel many of the plotlines and messages were universally relatable to all of us who identify as queer, regardless of our intersection. And as others have pointed out, one show can’t be everything to everyone. I also think a factor not considered is that the characters and creators lived in a time that did not have the technology nor the platforms/channels that exist today which have made information more accessible, given a voice to those who need it, and would have informed the story that needed to be told, rather than the one they wanted to tell.
The show I grew up with gave me all the feels. I’m confident the reboot will do the same. I don’t know a single person who isn’t ready to welcome it with open arms, and I hope it does for a new generation, what it did for me.
Davy
So agree. Gonna def try the new one wth an open mind. I always try to give new shows 3 episodes before deciding to invest. Hoping I’m not disappointed