Over two decades after Russell T. Davies, a Welsh screenwriter, created a groundbreaking British TV drama that followed the lives of three gay men in Manchester, England. “Queer as Folk” is being reimagined by Peacock, the streaming channel owned and operated by NBC Universal.
The latest version, which is nearly 17 years old after the American adaptation that featured a group gay friends in Pittsburgh, was ended on Showtime, aims to address contemporary concerns by painting an even more nuanced portrait of the LGBTQ community.
Stephen Dunn created the “Queer as Folk” new series. It follows a group of friends who are affected by a massacre at Babylon, a New Orleans gay bar. This tragedy is similar to the Orlando Pulse nightclub massacre of 2016, which was the inspiration for Davies’ initial pitch to acquire the rights to the property. It took Dunn five years to grant Dunn these rights.
In an interview with the media, Dunn, 33, stated that “there’s no community more fractured, sprawling and that has so many divisions.” It was a tragedy that affected everyone and brought them together in such a way that it seemed like a story about rebuilding a community could be the basis for a television show.
After dropping out of medical school, Brodie (Devin Way) returns home to be with his adopted mother, Brenda (Kim Cattrall), who is a hot-tempered, charming young gay man. He also visits Julian (Ryan O’Connell), who is disabled. Brodie, who is soon to be the biological father of twins after donating his sperm for Ruthie (Jesse James Keitel) and Shar (CG), his trans friend. Brodie, who was raised by a supportive single mom (Juliette Lewis) and lost a close friend to the shooting, decides to move in with Noah (Johnny Sibilly), a successful attorney who is not as well-rounded as he appears.
Dunn was secretly a child of American television, and when he saw the American adaptation as a teenager in Canada, it meant that reimagining “Queer as Folk” with Davies attached as executive producer, meant that there was an inherent obligation to honor the original source material, but also to make space for LGBTQ people who were historically ignored on TV.
He told NBC News that he believes it is time to reexamine the meaning of “queer” as it has changed in the past 20 years.
Keitel is most well-known for his role as one of the first nonbinary characters in network TV’s ABC’s “Big Sky.” He said that LGBTQ viewers are tired of not being reflected and expect more from the representation they see.
Keitel stated, “What I think is really great about our show? There are stories that I don’t think have been told on television before.” Keitel stated that there aren’t many trans women on TV, particularly not in roles that allow them make mistakes and still be sexual.
Dunn stated that Hollywood’s past treatment of queer characters has led to a desire to create role models and saintly representations of them.
He said that it was rare for queer characters that they could show their authentic, flawed and messy side. This is because people are afraid of being offended. It’s difficult for people outside of the community to discern whether this is going be offensive or authentic. I believe the benefit of an all-queer writers room or cast is that they approach this from a perspective based on love and want to tell stories with authenticity, rather than being provocative or obnoxious.
Dunn admitted that he did not intend to create a show in which everyone on the other side of the camera was “queer,” but he feels it is important to “encourage authentic queer storytelling through casting and hiring real, real queer people with real lives to contribute.”
Keitel was cast as the series’ first regular last summer. Keitel, who had seen “a little” of American television while she was in college, said that it was the idea of playing a transgender woman that appealed to the most.
“Ruthie’s first episode has a line that I adore. It says, “Hey, you could be trans and toxic. It’s called intersectionality, b —-!’ This is why I decided to make this show. Keitel stated that these are queer people given the chance to be human. Ruthie is a reflection of me, and I believe a lot viewers will see her mistakes and see her triumphs. Her arc is her trying to reach her goals, and possibly fumbling again.
Dunn decided that a shooting at a nightclub would be the pilot’s inciting incident. He flew to Orlando to meet community leaders and Pulse survivors to get a better understanding of their responses to the tragedy. Dunn stated that he reached out “to ensure we were doing it right” when the series was picked up by the network.
The actors and writers did not shy away from the problems that still plague the community, such as the exploitation and fear of being HIV-positive, violence towards trans and nonbinary persons, and the exploitation and exploitation of queer trauma. However, they wanted to capture the joy in rebuilding a vibrant community like New Orleans.
Dunn stated that “we really, truly need these types of stories more than ever because of the realities we face as queer persons.” Humor and joy are not a luxury, it is a survival tool for many of us. It was certainly for me.
Keitel stated that trauma and tragedy are unfortunately inextricably “linked with the queer experience of America in 2022”, citing violence against transgender communities, record numbers of anti-LGBTQ bills, and queer people being “labeled predators and groomers.”
She said that it was important to not forget the joy of the “real-life journey” queer characters have.
Keitel stated, “I have created my own community that lifts me up and supports me, just as Ruthie and all these characters have,” “You share the joy and moments for celebration with one another.”
The two first versions of “Queer as Folk”, were groundbreaking in how they depicted queer friendships, chosen families, and gay sex. Dunn also wanted to continue that legacy.
Dunn stated, “Ofcourse it’s going be complicated and messy. But I’m really proud. Because it’s hot. Liberating. Fun. Emotional. But there’s also often a purpose behind many of our sex scenes. That I think runs even deeper.” and drives the plot forward.
The second episode is titled “Blocked” and Ruthie talks about feeling disconnected with her body. This leads to a liberating scene with her partner. Keitel is “endlessly proud” because it allows her to show “a trans woman’s relationship with her body in an honest way.”
Keitel stated, “I have already had trans people come to me and say, ‘I’ve never seen a Trans body on TV as that and felt so celebrated, and so beautiful.'”
Ryan O’Connell wrote the fourth episode of “#F— Disability People” and it centers on a “crip party” for disabled people that Dunn’s friend Andrew Gurza (a Toronto-based disability advocate) inspired. Dunn stated that he created Julian initially to “empower members” of the disabled community and to “remind them that we’re not forgotten.”
Dunn stated that one of my goals with the show was to shed light on people in our community who don’t get seen often. “My hope is that there is one person who feels seen or less alone after watching the show, just like I did when I first saw ‘Queer as Folk. Then our job is done.”
Peacock is streaming “Queer as Folk”, now streaming.
