Queer as Folk (2000)

Network: Showtime
Episodes: 83 (hour)
Seasons: Five

TV show dates: December 3, 2000 — August 7, 2005
Series status: Cancelled/ended

Performers include: Gale Harold, Randy Harrison, Hal Sparks, Scott Lowell, Peter Paige, Sharon Gless, Thea Gill, Michelle Clunie, Robert Gant, Jack Wetherall, Sherry Miller, Makyla Smith, Harris Allan, Stephanie Moore, Peter MacNeill, Chris Potter, Dean Armstrong, Fab Filippo, Lindsey Connell, Alec McClure, Carlo Rota, Gary Brennan, Matt Battaglia, and David Gianopoulos.

TV show description:
This drama follows the lives of a group of young gay men and women living in the Philadelphia area.

Brian Kinney (Gale Harold) is a veritable sex machine who’s living only for the here and now. He’s self-centered, young and handsome, and doesn’t care about what others think of him or his sexual orientation. Though he’d never admit it, Brian’s also willing to stand up for what’s right when it counts, no matter what the personal cost.

Brian’s best friend since childhood is Michael Novtny (Hal Sparks). He idolizes Brian and secretly harbors feelings for him, something that Brian is aware of. Michael loves comic books and, as the story begins, works as a manager for a K-Mart-like store where no one knows that he’s gay. Later in the series, he has a long-term relationship with Ben Brucker (Robert Gant), a college professor who’s HIV positive.

Michael grew up without a father but his mother, Debbie (Sharon Gless) is fiercely proud of her son and an active member of PFLAG. She’s a mother figure to all of the boys and works at the Liberty Diner, a regular gay hangout. Debbie’s very close with her gay brother, Vic Grassi (Jack Wetherall) who is HIV positive. He has lived with her for many years and they support one another.

Ted Schmidt (Scott Lowell) is an accountant with low self-esteem who has a secret crush on Michael. His best friend is Emmett Honeycutt (Peter Paige), the most flamboyant of the group and who initially works at a clothing store called Torso.

Melanie Marcus (Michelle Clunie) is a hard-working Jewish lawyer and is the long-term partner of Lindsay Peterson (Thea Gill), an art teacher. They are the most stable couple of the group. As the series begins, Lindsay gives birth to Gus via artificial insemination with her longtime friend, Brian. Later on, Melanie has a daughter named Jenny with Michael as the donor.

At the start of the series, Brian meets Justin Taylor (Randy Harrison), a talented artist and high school student. Justin loses his virginity with Brian and falls in love with him. They share an on-again off-again relationship despite Brian’s maintaining that he doesn’t believe in them.