Queer As Folk

Trailer.

Available Summary:

"Set in New Orleans, the series follows a diverse group of friends who find their lives transformed in the aftermath of a shooting at a queer nightclub called the Babylon. The group struggles with vulnerability, addiction, grief, and relationships." -Wikipedia.

Jack's Summary:

Shar, a non-binary person played by an American actor named CG, is a main character in this drama show. They are in a relationship with Ruthie, a trans woman played by American trans actress Jesse James Keitel, and have started a family with her via donated sperm. When they are introduced in episode one, they are heavily pregnant, and partway through the episode they go into labour. They give birth to twins during the central event of the show (a mass shooting). Themes explored throughout their storyline include the difficulties of parenthood, supporting a partner who is healing from trauma, infidelity, gender dysphoria, and having their identity affirmed. They are a drummer in a punk band, and feature in multiple sex scenes.

Unfortunately, while the show is very pretty and the acting is actually quite good, the writing is not great... and, while characters do not need to be likeable to be compelling, some of the characters in this show are so annoying that you may find yourself unwilling to continue watching. I loved quite a few scenes, particularly a wonderfully vulnerable sex scene involving a disabled gay man, but overall it's a mess.

Viewers should expect plentiful reclaimed slurs, ableism directed at a man with cerebral palsy, hard drug use, alcohol use and abuse, confronting gun violence, death, deadnaming, PTSD, infidelity, and gore. It's also very sexual, with numerous explicit sex scenes, several involving a character who is only seventeen-years-old. There is also a storyline about contracting HIV, which is handled pretty well.

I watched this show without even viewing a trailer, so I was utterly unprepared for a plot inspired by the 2016 Pulse nightclub shooting. If you have any trauma related to firearms, proceed with caution.