Happy Wednesday Scribblers. I hope you are all having a wonderful day and taking care of yourselves. This week I wanted to share my thoughts on the new version of Queer as Folk (2022). Eric and I finally sat down to binge watch the drama, and since we finished the show, and since there won’t be a new season, I figured I would share my thoughts on this updated version of this innovative drama from 1999.
I was a huge fan of the British version of Queer as Folk, and I was excited to see them bring it to the US. When Queer as Folk came out, it was edgy and broke all the barriers that were in place and it was brilliant.
If you don’t know what Queer as Folk is, here is a brief summary of the show: The lives and loves of a group of gay friends living in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
When I saw Peacock was planning on revamping and updating the show for 2022 I wasn’t sure if that needed to be done, but since Hollywood is all about remakes (with hits and misses) I figured I would give it a chance… then I read the reviews. Then I saw that the show wouldn’t be picked up for a second season. Because of this, we ended up waiting to watch since there wasn’t a rush.
The remake of Queer as Folk is basically this: It centers on a group of club-going friends who find support in the (New Orleans) gay community following a tragedy.
What I really liked about this show was how the writers really brought in the diversity. You want to see the rainbow, this show provides that. And there are some wonderful veteran actors who help bring credibility to the cast: Juliette Lewis, Kim Cattrall, and Ed Bagley, Jr. who all play strong supporting characters allowing the younger cast to shine. Everything about the casting was wonderful, and they impressed me. This is how Hollywood should cast our (the queer communities) stories.
Sadly, despite the wonderful cast and the strong acting, I found myself disappointed with the show. I had a hard time liking any of the characters (with a few exceptions; Bussey, Marvin, and Ali all stood out and I would have loved to see more of them and learn more of their stories). The characters we were meant to care about held no interest for me and I kept waiting for their scenes to end so we could go back to the side characters I loved. I’m not sure what the writers were trying to do with the major stars of the show. Were they writing drama for drama’s sake, because it wasn’t needed. They had so much to work with that they didn’t need to keep piling it on.
Maybe it’s the writer in me, wow can I say that? But I wanted more story and less drama. The series started with a bang and we got thrown in to all the characters’ lives, which was good, but before we even got to learn more about these people, they added more drama. Each episode kept adding to the fire (and not in a good way). They had some amazing plot points that they could have run with, especially with the diversity of the cast, but the writers chose to quickly wrap some of these large issues up with a few lines of dialogue before adding a bunch of new drama. Honestly, it was a mess and frustrating to watch in some parts.
Where the original Queer as Folk gave enough drama to keep the show interesting (while hitting on topical subjects for the time period) this new version didn’t give us a chance to meet these characters and learn about them, so we could actually care about them.
One bright spot that I loved was learning some of the back story between Ruthie and Brodie. They handled those moments so well; it made me more annoyed that they didn’t do that with everyone.
I want to call out Ryan O’Connell (who played Julian). He did a wonderful job with the few bits and pieces they gave him. Ryan was the writer and star of Special, which I adored. If you haven’t watched Special do so, as Ryan was excellent in the show and it’s a lot of fun. I also loved the scenes with him and Nyle DiMarco. I wouldn’t mind seeing the two of them in a movie or TV show together. Their chemistry together worked for me.
Despite my disappointment with the show, it’s worth watching. Eric actually really enjoyed it, so it might be a me thing. Maybe Peacock will give it another look, make a few changes and bring it back, but I’m not sure. Either way, I would watch a new season.
There you have it, my thoughts on Queer as Folk (2022). Have you watched Queer as Folk (any of the versions)? What did you think? Did you like them, hate them, or what? Let me know in the comments below. Until next time, have a great week.