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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. The cast is as follows:
- Gale Harold as Brian
Kinney
- Randy Harrison as Justin
Taylor
- Hal Sparks as Michael Novotny
- Peter Paige as Emmett
Honeycutt
- Scott Lowell as Ted
Schmidt
- Thea Gill as Lindsay Peterson
- Michelle Clunie as
Melanie Marcus
- Sharon Gless as Debbie Novotny
This show contains 4 seasons so far:
- Season I: 22 episodes
- Season II: 20 episodes
- Season III: 14 episodes
- Season IV: (unknown)
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, and Ted has recently begun working as
an accountant for Brian, who started his own agency in the fourth season.
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 supposed irrestibility of
Brian held up to particular disparagement.
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.
See also: Queer as Folk (UK)
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