Russell T. Davies’ Original British Queer As Folk Series Is Being Rebooted On Peacock
At some point this story almost feels like it’s the boy crying wolf. We’ve consistently witnessed many gay-centered television series trying to imprint our minds as much as Queer as Folk (QAF). Whether you watched the British version from Russell T. Davies or Daniel Lipman and Ron Cowen’s American reboot, you were instantly a fan of the show and in for the long haul. Series like Looking and many others have tried to give us the uniqueness and heart QAF had, but have failed to land as a ground breaking and unforgettable show. QAF is to gay men what Sex and the City is to straight women. Brian, Michael, Emmett, and Ted are our versions of Samantha, Carrie, Charlotte, and Miranda. As the world turns, it seems like we’ll be getting a new group of QAF friends to indulge in.
According to Deadline, QAF is being rebooted by Stephen Dunn and is set to premiere on NBC’s streaming service, Peacock. This is the same script that was going to be rebooted on Bravo years ago but slipped through the cracks. Deadline confirms we will indeed be seeing this series on Peacock, which should be celebrated. The plot will follow a group of diverse friends in New Orleans who are stemming from a recent tragedy. Davies is going to be executive producing, so the show is in good hands. But, of course, we must start off another gay series with some type of tragedy…cue the judgements. Dunn told Deadline:
“It is a surreal honor to adapt the notoriously groundbreaking series by Russell T. Davies. When the show originally aired, the idea of unapologetic queer stories on TV was so provocative that I felt I could only watch Queer As Folk in secret. But so much has changed in the last 20 years and how wonderful would it be if the next generation didn’t have to watch Queer As Folk alone in their dank basements with the sound muted, but with their family and friends and the volume cranked all the way to the max.”
Related Post: QAF’s Randy Harrison Returns to Studio Theatre for ‘Cock’
QAF was obviously never toned down. They unapologetically hit hard themes that affect the gay community – it’s why the series is still beloved to this day. However, the reboot being on Peacock seems a little puzzling. When you think NBC, you don’t think overtly inappropriate and hard-hitting subjects. You mostly think of sitcoms. QAF watered down to a PG-13 version of itself simply won’t work – even if they are trying to reach out and relate to the coddled, safe space-seeking Generation Z. Yet, on the bright side, Peacock is taking some rather daring initiatives with their work. Emmy Rossum’s series Angelyne based on the Hollywood staple is still in production and that show must be racy in order for it to work. Fingers are crossed the network won’t downplay gay culture and give us a real take in order to have a long running series and not a one-season wonder.
Writer’s Note A: This is the opinion of one Instinct Magazine contributor and does not reflect the views of Instinct Magazine itself or fellow contributors.
Source: Deadline
One of the very rare times that the US version was far superior to the UK show. How Sharon Gless never got an Emmy let alone a nomination beggers belief.