The New Orleans incarnation of Russell T Davies’ seminal drama is confident, intricate and humane – not least due to fabulous performances from Kim Cattrall and Juliette Lewis
The new Queer As Folk is a “reimagining” of the early-2000s Showtime remake of the groundbreaking and glorious 1999 UK original by Russell T Davies. If that is already too much for you to follow, you’re going to have to muster all your energy before sitting down to watch this fun but frenzied new show (on Amazon Prime).
The basic premise is the same. We follow a group of queer twentysomething friends as they embrace life, love, drugs and sex; make good, bad and bizarre choices; and negotiate the pleasurable (and painful) vicissitudes of existence generally – and within the gay community specifically. This time round, the drama is set in New Orleans – a fascinating mixture of liberal acceptance and deep-south propriety – rather than Pittsburgh or Manchester. The cast and characters are much more diverse than previous versions in terms of race, gender identity, sexuality and levels of physical ability.
