Queer as Folk reboot in development with Russell T. Davies on board
Queer as Folk ran for two seasons, the first episode airing on February 23, 1999. (Channel 4)
Almost 20 years since the original British series, plans have been announced for an American reboot of Queer as Folk.
A reboot of the gay TV show, which ran from 1999 to 2000 in Britain, is in the works at Bravo. Original series creator Russell T. Davies will executive-produce alongside Stephen Dunn, who will also write. Universal Cable Productions will produce the show.
The rebooted Queer as Folk will follow new characters in a unique setting, according to Variety, which first broke the news. The reboot will be a “modern take on the original British series that centres on a group of club-going friends who find support in the gay community following a tragedy.”
The original British series starred Aidan Gillen, Craig Kelly and Charlie Hunnam as three gay men living in Manchester. Throughout the series, the show featured storylines involving recreational drug use, gay adoption, HIV/Aids, and cruising.
In 2000, Queer as Folk spawned an American version which ran on Showtime until 2005. The series, starring Gale Harold, Randy Harrison, Hal Sparks, Peter Paige and Scott Lowell, followed the lives of five gay men living in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and ultimately ran for 83 episodes.
CREATORS OF THE AMERICAN VERSION SAID THE SHOW DEPICTED “A TRUE REFLECTION OF OURSELVES ON TV”
The cast and creators of the American version reunited earlier this year for a feature with Entertainment Weekly. Executive producer Ron Cowen said: “We saw it as an opportunity to address a lot of issues that had never been shown on American TV before.”
“We, gay people, didn’t really see a true reflection of ourselves on TV very often. Back then, you couldn’t get married. There was Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell in the Army. In 14 states, there were still sodomy laws on the books. It was a very hostile atmosphere,” Cowen added.
Fellow executive producer Daniel Lipman added that a potential revival could change the energy of the original series as “with Tinder and Grindr, it’s a very, very different world than it used to be.”
