Queer As Folk, USA cast
Queer As Folk, the iconic Channel 4 series about the lives of gay men by Russell T. Davies, is to be rebooted for US streaming service Peacock.
A “vibrant reimagining” of groundbreaking series has been given an eight-episode, straight-to-series order with creator Russell T. Davies returning to executive produce, according to Variety.
The Peacock series will be set in New Orleans and will follow a diverse group of friends whose lives are transformed in the aftermath of a tragedy.
The original British series was created by Russell T. Davies and starred Aidan Gillen, Craig Kelly, and Charlie Hunnam as three gay men living in Manchester, England in the late 1990s.“Queer as Folk” ran for 10 episodes between 1999 and 2000 in the UK. A North American remake was then launched in 2000 on the Canadian cable channel Showcase and the American channel Showtime. That series, set in Pittsburgh, ran for five seasons and starred Gale Harold, Randy Harrison, Hal Sparks, Peter Paige, and Scott Lowell.
“‘Queer as Folk’ was more than just a show, it was a ground-breaking and necessary voice for so many people. Stephen’s new version for Peacock arrives at yet another pivotal moment in our culture,” Lisa Katz, president of scripted content for NBC Universal Television and Streaming, said in a statement to Variety. “Alex Sepiol, EVP of drama programming, and his team have championed this project from the first moment it landed on their desks, working to ensure the script became the series we’re announcing today. The entire team is so excited to be a part of introducing a new generation to this type of authentic and affirming storytelling.”
“It is a surreal honour to adapt the notoriously groundbreaking series by Russell T. Davies. When the show originally aired, the idea of unapologetic queer stories on TV was so provocative that I felt I could only watch ‘Queer as Folk’ in secret,” Dunn added. “But so much has changed in the last 20 years and how wonderful would it be if the next generation didn’t have to watch ‘Queer as Folk’ alone in their dank basements with the sound muted, but with their family and friends and the volume cranked all the way to the max.”
