The 'reimagining' of the original British series will follow a group of friends in New Orleans.
Queer as Folk is back!
A reboot of the groundbreaking British LGBTQ-focused series from creator Russell T. Davies has been given a straight-to-series order at Peacock, the NBCUniversal-owned streaming service announced Thursday.
The new Queer as Folk, from creator/executive producer Stephen Dunn, is described as a "reimagining" of Davies' series -- which ran from 1999 to 2000 -- and will explore a diverse group of friends in New Orleans whose lives are transformed in the aftermath of a tragedy.
"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,” said Lisa Katz, President of Scripted Content, NBCUniversal Television and Streaming. “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,” said Dunn. “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...”
"Queer as Folk is a transformative show, that in its past iterations, was a pioneer in representation of the LGBTQ community and we’re excited to continue that legacy. Stephen Dunn brings an energy and modern lens to the series through characters we’ve fallen in love with. We can’t wait to bring it to Peacock for viewers to enjoy this visionary and vibrant show,” said Beatrice Springborn, President of UCP.
The Queer as Folk reboot had been in development for several years, and at one point was earmarked at Bravo before making the move to Peacock in 2019.
Dunn wrote the first episode of the reboot and will also direct.
Queer as Folk premiered in the U.K. in 1999, and starred Aidan Gillen, Craig Kelly and Charlie Hunnam. The series, which ran for 10 episodes over two seasons, followed three gay men living in Manchester, England in the '90s.
It spawned a hugely successful hour-long Canadian-American adaptation on Showtime that ran for five seasons and over 80 episodes from 2000 to 2005. The ensemble included Gale Harold, Randy Harrison, Hal Sparks, Peter Paige, Scott Lowell, Thea Gill, Michelle Clunie, Robert Gant, Sharon Gless, Jack Wetherall and Chris Potter, and was set in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
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