I am a dummy. I first heard about this show when it first came to life almost a decade ago...unfashionably late again!!! I ignored this show because 1.) I was into HBO's SIX FEET UNDER, to which this show has been strangely compared and 2.) I was prejudiced...I enjoy gay-themed material and always have, but I honestly dismissed this, without watching a single frame of it, as a shallow pond full of muscular pretty boys club-hopping, having orgies and probably sitting around talking about fashion, bitching about each other, etc. In other words, I thought it was going to be sooooo stereotyped about gay life.
Such a dummy...I have fallen madly in love with this show and everything about it, especially the principal characters and their stories. This show, centered on five gay men in Pittsburg, PA and their friends and families, is fiercely frank about sexuality, not just homosexuality, but it is also so profoundly involving, so rich and complex. You may see any or all of the characters as "stereotypes" at first, but you get to know them, and before you know it, you're investing your hopes into them.
The narrator appears to be Michael Novatny (played with humour and heart by Hal Sparks), a gay man who is not that porn-star muscle-bound stereotype but rather an cute little brunette. While he'll probably never win any contests at Babylon, Pittsburg's hottest gay club, he certainly has his share of admirers. He is employed as a manager for a department store, and blessed with a wonderful mother Debbie (LOVE Sharon Gless!!!) who not only supports his life (not just his life STYLE) but is as protective over his friends (as well as her brother Vic, who is HIV positive) as a mother lioness. Her hope is that Mike will meet a wonderful man and have a fulfilling life, and she is very aware of a certain obstacle in that road.
There is also Ted Schmidt (Scott Lowell) an accountant who digs dirty porn sites as well as opera and is probably the most giving and kind of the main five men. Like Mike, Ted won't ever become a Chippendale's dancer, but his personality makes him absolutely gorgeous. During S1, Ted will go through a lot of challenges, including a near-death experience and experimentation with S&M, and the relationship he has with a young man named Blake will be a guided tour through Ted's soul.
Emmett Honeycutt (Peter Paige) is one character who may have you judging, before you know him, to be one of those "stereotypes", the overtly "gay" man, the kind that dresses in screaming colors, has a certain way of speaking, moving, etc. Not to mention he works as a window-dresser at a little boutique. Again, as you get to know Emmett, you will make wonderful discoveries as he makes an interesting journey of his own. He is deep and human...I adore him!
And then there are Justin and Brian...holy moley...
I can describe them as individuals: Justin Taylor (Randy Harrison) is a senior at a prestigious private high school. Seventeen and luscious to behold, Justin is a genius artistically as well as academically. His sexuality is not ripening, it's exploding. He's not coming out, he's just plain out. The first time he decides to explore Liberty Avenue's club scene, he meets Brian Kinney (Gale Harold), a twenty-nine year old advertising executive. Seductive, sexual and smart as a whip, Brian is another character who will give you a first impression which will change dramatically, and that impression is that he is a self-centered, greedy slut who can't get enough. Without a doubt, Justin and Brian are my favorite couple (and whether Brian knows it, wants it, or admits it or not, they ARE a couple), and in my opinion, the most complex characters on the show. From the first time they meet, there is a chemistry there that is devastating. The sex scenes between these two are the very definition of the word "delight"...I have never seen a more erotic couple (gay or hetero) in my life. Like the other characters, these two have their share of problems. Brian is Justin's first lover, and Justin unabashedly professes his love over and over, only to be dismissed and broken-hearted time and again. Brian wants to be an enigma, but actions speak louder than words. He may talk like Justin was just another in his long list of casual conquests...the words may be cold and cynical, "I don't believe in love, I believe in ____ing..." but if you watch Brian's eyes, the nonverbal communication, you're going to get another message, loud and clear, even if it takes all season, as Justin proves himself brave and brazen and full of surprises.
Then there's the love that exists between Michael and Brian, best friends since age 14. Their bond is at once touching and potentially destructive as Michael begins a relationship with a handsome chiropractor. And Brian's relationship with his estranged parents...so much material for mining.
SIX FEET UNDER was a show that had a couple of gay characters, but it really wasn't a show about being gay. It was more about a family navigating through life, learning, loving, etc. QUEER AS FOLK is also a show about human beings dealing with problems, relationships, searching for love, which of course is so much more difficult than searching for casual fun sex. I don't believe it's a show about "being gay" either, but rather a show about gay people. I love its refusal to censor or tone anything down. I love the characters. I love the brave actors who put everything on the line to make things raw and real.
This show is not for anyone who is in the least closed. If you're not wide open, just stay away from it. You have to be open, accepting and loving and if you are, you'll love this experience.
Such a dummy...I have fallen madly in love with this show and everything about it, especially the principal characters and their stories. This show, centered on five gay men in Pittsburg, PA and their friends and families, is fiercely frank about sexuality, not just homosexuality, but it is also so profoundly involving, so rich and complex. You may see any or all of the characters as "stereotypes" at first, but you get to know them, and before you know it, you're investing your hopes into them.
The narrator appears to be Michael Novatny (played with humour and heart by Hal Sparks), a gay man who is not that porn-star muscle-bound stereotype but rather an cute little brunette. While he'll probably never win any contests at Babylon, Pittsburg's hottest gay club, he certainly has his share of admirers. He is employed as a manager for a department store, and blessed with a wonderful mother Debbie (LOVE Sharon Gless!!!) who not only supports his life (not just his life STYLE) but is as protective over his friends (as well as her brother Vic, who is HIV positive) as a mother lioness. Her hope is that Mike will meet a wonderful man and have a fulfilling life, and she is very aware of a certain obstacle in that road.
There is also Ted Schmidt (Scott Lowell) an accountant who digs dirty porn sites as well as opera and is probably the most giving and kind of the main five men. Like Mike, Ted won't ever become a Chippendale's dancer, but his personality makes him absolutely gorgeous. During S1, Ted will go through a lot of challenges, including a near-death experience and experimentation with S&M, and the relationship he has with a young man named Blake will be a guided tour through Ted's soul.
Emmett Honeycutt (Peter Paige) is one character who may have you judging, before you know him, to be one of those "stereotypes", the overtly "gay" man, the kind that dresses in screaming colors, has a certain way of speaking, moving, etc. Not to mention he works as a window-dresser at a little boutique. Again, as you get to know Emmett, you will make wonderful discoveries as he makes an interesting journey of his own. He is deep and human...I adore him!
And then there are Justin and Brian...holy moley...
I can describe them as individuals: Justin Taylor (Randy Harrison) is a senior at a prestigious private high school. Seventeen and luscious to behold, Justin is a genius artistically as well as academically. His sexuality is not ripening, it's exploding. He's not coming out, he's just plain out. The first time he decides to explore Liberty Avenue's club scene, he meets Brian Kinney (Gale Harold), a twenty-nine year old advertising executive. Seductive, sexual and smart as a whip, Brian is another character who will give you a first impression which will change dramatically, and that impression is that he is a self-centered, greedy slut who can't get enough. Without a doubt, Justin and Brian are my favorite couple (and whether Brian knows it, wants it, or admits it or not, they ARE a couple), and in my opinion, the most complex characters on the show. From the first time they meet, there is a chemistry there that is devastating. The sex scenes between these two are the very definition of the word "delight"...I have never seen a more erotic couple (gay or hetero) in my life. Like the other characters, these two have their share of problems. Brian is Justin's first lover, and Justin unabashedly professes his love over and over, only to be dismissed and broken-hearted time and again. Brian wants to be an enigma, but actions speak louder than words. He may talk like Justin was just another in his long list of casual conquests...the words may be cold and cynical, "I don't believe in love, I believe in ____ing..." but if you watch Brian's eyes, the nonverbal communication, you're going to get another message, loud and clear, even if it takes all season, as Justin proves himself brave and brazen and full of surprises.
Then there's the love that exists between Michael and Brian, best friends since age 14. Their bond is at once touching and potentially destructive as Michael begins a relationship with a handsome chiropractor. And Brian's relationship with his estranged parents...so much material for mining.
SIX FEET UNDER was a show that had a couple of gay characters, but it really wasn't a show about being gay. It was more about a family navigating through life, learning, loving, etc. QUEER AS FOLK is also a show about human beings dealing with problems, relationships, searching for love, which of course is so much more difficult than searching for casual fun sex. I don't believe it's a show about "being gay" either, but rather a show about gay people. I love its refusal to censor or tone anything down. I love the characters. I love the brave actors who put everything on the line to make things raw and real.
This show is not for anyone who is in the least closed. If you're not wide open, just stay away from it. You have to be open, accepting and loving and if you are, you'll love this experience.