"Queer as Folk" is the name of 2 TV series, one British and one American. The title refers to two references. In some parts of Northern England, there's a saying, "there's nought so queer as folk", meaning "there's nothing as strange as people". It's also a variation on "Queer as Fuck", which the UK's Channel 4 TV Corporation had originally called it, before changing it to its more polite form.
The original English TV version (1999) chronicles the lives of three gay men living in Manchester's gay village around Canal Street. The main characters are Stuart Alan Jones (Aidan Gillen), who is very sexually active; his long-time friend Vince Tyler (Craig Kelly), who has a crush on Stuart and less luck with men; and 15-year-old Nathan Maloney (Charlie Hunnam), who is new to the gay scene but is quite confident. Some of the minor supporting characters, such as Hazel Tyler (Denise Black) and Alexander Perry (Antony Cotton), are given depth as well. Part of the success of the series is due to the way the writer deliberately leaves some things unsaid, allowing the story to continue around them. In the "second series", the tone becomes more serious, with each of the main characters having to make hard choices concerning their futures. The producers said that "Queer as Folk", although a realistic depiction of gay urban life in the 1990s, is meant as a fantasy, and Stuart, Vince, and Nathan are gay male archetypes. Writer Russel T. Davies intended to write a full second series, but decided there was not much story left to tell, and finished the series with a two-part TV special, "Queer as Folk 2", screened in 2000. This time the explicit sex scenes were mostly absent. Many fans of the series criticised the ending for the unanswered questions it left and the lack of a proper conclusion. Incidental music and the theme tune were composed by Murray Gold. Both "Queer as Folk" and "Queer as Folk 2" were written by Russell T. Davies. Sarah Harding and Charles McDougall directed.
Showtime's American version follows the lives of five gay men in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: Brian Kinney (Gale Harold), Justin Taylor (Randy Harrison), Michael Novotny (Hal Sparks), Emmett Honeycutt (Peter Piage), and Ted Schmidt (Scott Lowell). A lesbian couple, Lindsay Peterson (Thea Gill) and Melanie Marcus (Michelle Clunie), and Michael's mother Debbie Novotny (Sharon Gless) are also featured. Another main character, Professor Ben Bruckner (Robert Gant), was added in the second season. The show is noted for its frank depiction of gay life, as well as its vivid sex scenes. The series is a compelling, honest look at gay life, but Lone Wolf doesn't think much of it. I have tons of it on video and only watched the first few episodes. My vague recollection is the first episode was good, but it was all down hill after that. With a collection of thousands of videos I don't waste my time on the boring or mediocre. However, many people enjoy the series. Doug Guinan and Richard Kramer wrote the scripts. Michael DeCarlo and John Fawcett directed.
