Why The Just Announced ‘Queer As Folk’ Reboot Is A Revival We Actually Need

We’re at an unfortunate point in popular culture where fresh ideas are either scarce or stifled and therefore a reboot is being flung at us every damn week and while a lot of shows really don’t need to be revisited, groundbreaking noughties series Queer as Folk is not one of them. We absolutely deserve a modern-day version and here’s why.

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Both the UK and the US renditions were ahead of the curb at a time when there was little to no LGBTQIA+ representation on television and even when you did see a gay or bi character here or there, they were treated as lesser than their straight counterparts.

Here we had a show that provided a window into what it looked like to be a queer man or woman in the then-modern world. Gay people saw themselves represented on-screen and straight people saw what it meant to be gay: we eat, we drink, we date and we have sex just like everyone else.

I think we can all agree that even now, almost two decades after the first season aired in 1999, we’re in dire need of a series where queer folk aren’t secondary characters and LGBTQIA+ issues aren’t just throwaway plot-points but are the main focus as they are to us in real life.

The original Queer as Folk told the story of queer matters from a ’90s/’00s lens, before gay marriage had been legalised in most countries, and while there has been a major shift in attitudes since then, our current climate is far from perfect and I reckon we could all benefit from a QAF take on the state of the world in 2019.

Bravo‘s upcoming reboot is being administered by OG series creator Russell T. Davies and writer/director Stephen Dunn who will be writing and directing this time ’round as well.

The new version reportedly features new characters in a new setting and will be a modern take on the British series about a gang of party-loving mates who find support in the gay community following a tragedy.

Dunn and Davies will executive produce with Nicola Shindler of Red Productions, who executive produced the original, along with Lee Eisenberg of Quantity Entertainment. Digital Rights Group will also produce and Emily Brecht of Quantity is co-executive producing via Universal Cable Productions as the studio.

The QAF franchise started in 1999 with a British version starring Aidan Gillen, Charlie Hunnam (*drool*) and Craig Kelly, set in Manchester’s gay village around Canal Street.

A North American remake was launched a year later, set in Pittsburgh and starring Gale Harold, Randy Harrison, Hal Sparks, Peter Paige, and Scott Lowell.

The original British version is now streaming on Stan if ya wanna school yourself on QAF history.

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