Queer as Folk

There are limits in good drama, and there's not enough restraint in Queer as Folk...The series' bigger problem, though, is the three main characters fall short of dynamic. The British original of Queer as Folk featured three riveting actors...The American version, which is set in Pittsburgh, offers three handsome actors of lesser skill and versatility. [3 Dec 2000, p.F5]

Queer as Folk obviously has a healthy libido. It'd sure be nice to discover it has a heart, too. [2 Dec 2000, p.E5]

Showtime's "Folk" relies too much on sitcom-like one-liners and double-entendres -- and the sex -- to carry it, instead of its interesting characters and universal themes of relationship woes, acceptance, and the fear of loneliness. [3 Dec 2000, p.5C]

In contrast, the British original, while just as explicit, is also funny and warm, with a Trainspotting zip. You'll be happier renting videotapes of that.

If Queer as Folk worked better as drama, its characters would be more fully defined and would speak to both straight and gay viewers more easily. The series is not harmed by its gay perspective but by its limited aesthetic reach.

It will leave viewers alternately amazed at being allowed into the private universe of uncommitted male sex and disappointed from a dramatic standpoint. Handsome flesh and cinematography, but is that all there is? [3 Dec 2000, p.I-01]