Queer As Folk
- Thread starter Blayke
- Start date
Re: Queer As Folk (U.S Version)
I liked it a lot. And not just because of the heavy amounts of sex in it, the stories were very heavy.
I love Debbie, i wish she was my mother.
I've never seen the British one though, apart from the first episode.
I liked it a lot. And not just because of the heavy amounts of sex in it, the stories were very heavy.
I love Debbie, i wish she was my mother.
I've never seen the British one though, apart from the first episode.
Re: Queer As Folk (U.S Version)
I've only watched the first two seasons but I really got into them when I did watch them. It's easy to compare them to the brilliant UK versions but they're not worse, they're just different. I can't put my finger on why I do enjoy them so much especially as my life is nothing like any of the characters (although I'm not unlike Michael I suppose), but I can still relate to the issues in a funny way. Didn't Russell T Davies call them all 'sluts'? Hah.
Oh, and Debbie is amazing obviously.
I've only watched the first two seasons but I really got into them when I did watch them. It's easy to compare them to the brilliant UK versions but they're not worse, they're just different. I can't put my finger on why I do enjoy them so much especially as my life is nothing like any of the characters (although I'm not unlike Michael I suppose), but I can still relate to the issues in a funny way. Didn't Russell T Davies call them all 'sluts'? Hah.
Oh, and Debbie is amazing obviously.
The UK version was kinda rubbish tho - I mean I watched it religiously because of what it was, but I'd never go back to it. The acting was totally crappy (I mean, Vince, give me strength) and the characters were all desperately unlikeable. And there wasn't even that much sex after the first episode. These days you'd be better off watching Dante's Cove.
Oh yeah, and the guy I liked the most died in the first episode.
Oh yeah, and the guy I liked the most died in the first episode.
gingermanchild said:
WRONG!!!
Series One of the UK version was ground-breaking stuff and broke down about 50 TV taboos during it's run. As for unlikeable characters, well I think you could say it portrayed late 90s gaydom very well if everyone was a bit bitter.
Series Two was crap though.
swinginglondontown said:
I agree with gingermanchild - it was pretty shit. It was groundbreaking stuff, yes, but the acting was dreadful. I always thought Nathan was the worst followed by Vince. It was enjoyable stuff at the time but quite cringey too. The second series (which wasn't really a series, more of a special) was terrible. I was living in france at the time and got friends back in the UK to video it for me and I remember being so disappointed by it. I never got the love for Stuart either. he was a smarmy, unlikeable bastard - Vince could have done so much better (i.e. me! although now he's in Corrie I wonder what I ever saw in him, not my type at all any more - funny waht 10 years can do!)
Booers said:
He dances now of course. That's got to go in the plus column right?
magictreehouse said:
"Dances". And for how long? I fancied him at the time actually, that's how poor the talent was in that show.
I agree that it was groundbreaking, and very pleased it attracted numerous complaints, but I thought the series was a bit shallow, if true to life for a certain segment of the gay population.
gingermanchild said:
Haha, yes. I forgot the inverted commas.
I do like it though, faults and all. There's something quite 90s about it, and of course, I was 15 when it came out so it was a big eye-opener for me!
I can't say that I'm that au fait with 'gay' shows as such but it's got to be hard to represent all kinds of gay person. I can forgive them for concentrating on the sex and 'fun' stuff. Hell, if anyone based a TV show on my gay life even I would have fallen asleep during it, with my dull full-time job and (very happy) long-term relationship.
I watched the UK version religiously before I came to university in Manchester, and once I came there found myself unable to watch it!
While I did enjoy it, Nathan's acting I found to be wooden beyond belief.
While I did enjoy it, Nathan's acting I found to be wooden beyond belief.
blaketat said:
Do it out of curiousity if you want, but it's a bit 'eh' ish. A lot of people on YouTube disparage the UK original.
D
Deleted member 2720
Manila Chinchila said:
Why are people so critical of the original? I thought it was spot on and showed the Superficial Gay scene exactly how it is. I thought the main characters were a good representation of 'Scene Queens' and their shallow lives. I was never sure whether I should laugh or cringe at some of the goings on. I am sure most people who watched the show had met similar characters at some point in their lives, I know I did when I was in my teens...... It's no wonder I couldn't wait to meet someone and get away from it all as soon as possible.
Vince's Fag Hag( I hate that word) mother was spot on and very well played by Denise Black.
I don't know if it's just me but I hate American adaptions of UK TV shows and films.
Melancholy Rose said:
This is exactly what I wanted to say. I don't get why people are so critical of the original (and I didn't realise they were until I read this thread) especially as it represents Canal Street pretty well in my eyes.
The only bad thing about it was that it was terrifying to watch as a 15 year old with no experience of gay life. All I wanted was a boyfriend and it made me think that all I had to look forward to was a rimjob from a predatory 30 year old (ok maybe not but it was scary)!
Melancholy Rose said:
Well now, this is only my opinion, but I've a feeling age might play a factor here. Or atleast, the average age of posters here.
I know, for me, I was just coming into my sexuality when the UK Queer as Folk was on, and i haaaaaaated it. It represented everything I hated about my sexuality; the segregation, the shallowness, the superficiality. It was not a world I wanted to be a part of, because, when you're a teenager you just want to be 'normal', don't you?
I loved the US series when I started watching it, and by then I was 18 and experienced and comfortable with my sexuality. It seemed far more rounded (although far less shocking). I found Hal Sparks' character adorable - it was nice to have a representation of a gay character I could actually imagine, you know, being with.
I went back and watched the UK version for the queer season on More 4, and I have to say I loved it. But then, I'd lived it. Or atleast, had lived near it and found my own path. None of the characters represent me or my life, but I can see elements of myself throughout the storylines and I certainly know of people like Vince and Nathan.
Perspectives, and all that.
multimediac17
Moderator
I've never seen an episode of this show - is it actually good or is it just good because it's about gay people and we don't see that much in the media? Does that make sense? Like, will I want to watch it because it's well acted and the storylines are engaging and I care about the characters, or is the appeal more "Look! Gays! On TV! How unusual."
To put it another way: does it have a big fanbase because it's about gays or because it's actually a good show?
To put it another way: does it have a big fanbase because it's about gays or because it's actually a good show?
D
Deleted member 2720
magictreehouse said:
Yes, I can totally understand that , I was the same at that age. Unfortunately there are many young men out there that are looking for exactly that and Queer as Folk represented that group of people who frequented the clubs and bars on a nightly basis trying to pick up men and have sexual experiences. I don't think Russel T Davis was trying to say all gay men are like this, what he was showing was what goes on in the 'Scene Queens' lives. I don't think people would want to watch a drama based on the life of your average gay couple living in suburbia with regular jobs who sit down most nights to watch Corrie they would rather see something a bit controversial.
S
SockMonkey
multimediac17 said:
I wonder the same thing. I've had friends in the past who would start to watch a soap if a gay character came into it, or there was a gay storyline, and then stop once they'd left/the storyline was over. They'd only read books by gay authors or with gay characters in them, and only watch films with gay storylines/characters. The quality never seemed to matter, it was just "It's got gays in it!"