A Deep Dive Into Peacock’s New “Queer As Folk” Reboot Trailer

Good things, bad things, and funny things… they say all come in threes. With the recent release of the trailer for the third iteration of the iconic series Queer As Folk it has yet to be determined which of those things the Peacock show will shape up to be, but my guess is a mixture of all of them. Here is my deep dive on the trailer what we’re excited for about it, and what’s giving me a bit of a pause. But first, here is the trailer in all its Queer glory:

Let's start with a quick refresh for our younger readers who may not know what QAF is and why it was so monumental to an entire generation of Queers. If you were born any time before 1990 then you’re likely familiar with the ground-breaking TV series. The show first appeared in the UK with the original Queer As Folk premiering in 1999. It was two seasons totaling 10 episodes and followed three gay men (two in their 20s and one a teenager) in the gay neighborhood of Manchester. Creator and showrunner Russel T. Davies based the show on his own experiences from living in the area after almost dying from an overdose.

The show was so successful that it was then brought to the US for a second iteration of the same title. This incarnation ran for 5 seasons totaling 83 episodes and was received with great critical acclaim. Though filmed in Canada, the second QAF was based in Pittsburgh and heavily centered around the fictional Babylon nightclub. With a new location and country came a fresh slew of sexy actors to fall in love with like Randy Harrison, Gale Harold, and Hal Sparks.

That brings us to 2022 where the new adaptation will once again be based in the US, and once again focused heavily on Babylon, although this time it's located in New Orleans (more on the Babylon factor later). In the first two versions of QAF the cast was comprised of some Queer actors and some straight actors playing Queer roles, but the 2022 version will rely heavily on actually Queer members, as well as a much broader array of skin tones than just white and whiter. Right off the bat that is already starting this revamp off very well in my book. Much like the excitement that the 2000 American version yielded for a new cast of characters, the 2022 version is equally exciting for me. Here a few I'm particularly excited for:

Johnny Sibilly

Fresh off his stints on HBO Max's Hacks, as well as FX's POSE, Johnny Sibilly is one of the leads of the new show playing successful lawyer Noah who doesn't quite have his shit together as much as his career would make us believe. Sibilly made his name for himself doing hilarious videos on YouTube, IG, and TikTok, and has solidified himself as one the actors to definitely keep your eyes on. It will be incredibly easy to keep your eyes on Sibilly's career, because it's incredibly hard to take your eyes off of him. He is absolutely holy shit gorgeous. I can't wait to see his career keep blossoming.

Devin Way

Devin Way will be starring as Brodie in QAF after most recently appearing in Station19 (which I LOVED). Way previously guest-starred as Blake Simms in 8 episodes of Grey's Anatomy, but this will decidedly be one of his major breakthrough roles as his character is one of the driving stories throughout the series. As we hear in the trailer, Brodie is, "hot, smart, and afraid of commitment; every gay man's type."

Ryan O'Connell

Ryan O'Connell is another one of those actors who you look at and think, "Why do I feel like I've seen you in everything recently?" That's because the writer, actor, director, comedian, LGBTQ activist, and disability advocate has his hand in every medium you can think of, and is incredibly successful in each. He made his name for himself when he published his 2015 memoir, I'm Special: And Other Lies We Tell Ourselves, which dives into his life as not only gay, but being born with cerebral palsy in a decidedly ableist (and straight) society. The book was then turned into an equally critically acclaimed (though unfortunately short-lived) Netflix series called Special, which ran for two seasons starting in 2019. Julian is set up to be a pop culture nerd who is ready to break out of his shell and live his queer independence. O'Connell is also one of the co-producers and writers of the reboot.

Fin Argus

I admittedly didn't know who Fin Argus was before watching this trailer, but now I'm super excited for his turn as "Mingus, a cocky high schooler whose confidence belies his lack of real world experience." In addition to being an actor, Argus is also a musician and model, as well. Argus is gay in real life, as well, tweeting "I'M CRYING GAY TEARS OF JOY." when the news broke of his casting.

Kim Cattrall

Though she had a very public fallout from Sex and the City—a show for which she received five Emmy nominations, four Golden Globe nominations, and won the Golden Globe in 2002 for Best Supporting Actress for her role as Samantha—Cattrall has not given up her roots as a Queer icon who loves a good drink. In the QAF reboot she will trade Samantha's love of cosmos for Brenda's love of martinis. Brenda is apparently a Southern debutante socialite who comes from a trailer park, and now lives within the world of the high society. I can't wait to see her in all her sarcastic glory.

Juliette Lewis

In the 2000 American version of QAF we see Debbie Jane Novotny, the wildly supportive mother of Michael (Hal Sparks) who is proud of her gay son, and an active supporter of PFLAG. In the 2022 remake, we get a new take on the "cool mom" character in the form of Judy, played by icon of the screen Juliette Lewis. Judy is a single mom to a teenage son who is often too much of a friend and not enough of a parent. In description alone I know that Lewis is going to knock this role out of the park.

The show will feature a number of other great celebrities in recurring roles like Ed Begley Jr. who will play a distant father, and Benito Skinner ("Benny Drama" on IG) who will play an insufferably self-involved influencer.

My one asterisk upon watching this trailer is that there is going to be a major plotline that is very clearly a take on the Pulse Massacre in Orlando with a gunman opening fire on the Queer patrons of Babylon. Based on the trailer, it's clear it's going to be the main driving plot point of the first season, and the reboot's creator, Stephen Dunn, has said as much in interviews. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Dunn said, "I knew what it was going to be about. I knew the story. I knew the premise. I knew I wanted it to be about a community rebuilding after a Pulse night club-like tragedy."

I'm incredibly conflicted by this. On the one hand it is a way to pay tribute to those we lost at Pulse, as well as a way to celebrate the survivors of it, but it also feels like it's capitalizing on tragedy in a way that doesn't quite sit right for me. I will say that at the very least they seem to have approached the subject from the right angle behind the scenes. Dunn assembled an entirely Queer writer's room (save for one straight writer's assistant), and had them meet with a number of survivors of the Pulse Massacre. Not only that, but some of the survivors are consultants for the show. That definitely makes me feel better, though I'm still slightly hesitant. But not hesitant enough to not give it a chance!

The new Queer As Folk series looks great over all, and the production value looks exceptional. Give the trailer a watch and let us know if you're as excited as we are to dive into the new series. It premieres on Peacock on June 9th.