Queer as Folk (US) Guide, Meaning , Facts, Information and Description
Queer as Folk is an American television series produced by Showtime, which is based on the British series of the same name created by Russell T. Davies. This US version of Queer as Folk uses various directors (chiefly American and Canadian), and has a story by Ron Cowen and Daniel Lipman and Del Shores.
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2 Season discography 3 General description 4 Character descriptions, plot details 5 Cultural implications 6 See also |
Cast
Season discography
This show contains 4 seasons so far:
- Season I: 22 episodes
- Season II: 20 episodes
- Season III: 14 episodes
- Season IV: 14 episodes
General description
This series is principally about the story of four gay men: Brian, Michael, Emmett, Ted, and a lesbian couple, Lindsay and Melanie.The show is noted for its relative frankness in its depiction of gay lifestyles and sex. A disclaimer, "'Queer as Folk' is a celebration of the lives and passions of a group of gay friends. It is not meant to reflect all of gay society" appears before each episode. The series won the GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Drama Series, 2001.
Brian is an advertising executive. His best friend since childhood, Michael, runs a comic-book shop. Justin is Brian's lover. Ted is an accountant. Emmett is a party planner and caterer. Debbie is Michael's mother and a committed gay-rights activist. She runs a diner where everyone meets. The dance club Babylon is another favorite place. Lindsay is an artist and her partner, Melanie, is an attorney.
The characters are connected in various ways. Justin is also co-creator with Michael of the comic-book character Rage, which they based on Brian. Brian has a son, Gus, by Lindsay. Ted and Emmett were briefly lovers but their relationship ended because Ted became involved with drugs. Later, in the forth season, Ted has recently begun working as an accountant for Brian, who started his own agency in the fourth season. Toward the end of the fourth season, Melanie and Lindsay's relationship is on the rocks and during a heated discussion, Melanie (who is pregnant by Michael through artificial insemination) ends up being brought to the hospital to give birth.
The series is set in the city of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, which it depicts with a good deal of creative license. Nearly all of the actual filming takes place in Toronto, Ontario. Woody's, the central bar in this fantasy Pittsburgh, is the name of a leading gay bar in Toronto, whose real exterior is shot with only minor disguise.Character descriptions, plot details
Cultural implications
A wildly-popular program and groundbreaking in the American context, Queer as Folk has nonetheless been strongly criticized by some queer people for its unrealistic portrayal of actual gay relationships, with the irrestibility of Brian held up to particular disparagement.