"Queer as Folk" and "Six Feet Under": required watching for gays?

[operafan]

The American Queer As Folk was so insipid it would have scared me back into the closet.

Um....I can't imagine anything scaring you back into the closet. Wow.

 

[Centexfarmer]

I've wondered that myself.

And they'll take the advertising revenue generated from right-wing crazies and the revenue generated from all the gays who watch Glee. Genius or evil? I'm not sure.

Really?

REALLY?






To be fair that's an interesting concept.

We watch these shows to be entertained.

We pay a few extra bucks on our "cable/satellite" bill to view "dramatic" programing on HBO blah, blah, blah.

Only to watch them show up as "filler" programming on TLC, or other "networks" a few months later.



Yep!

We're all a bunch of fucking idiots!

Arguing with each other about who BEST presents the "truth"...whatever the fuck that is.

 

[FirePhoenix]

Oh hell ya.. when you come out I think there should be a gay camp where you have to go and study on queer as folk and golden girls and everything else gay related....

If you are going to be gay you best do it right baby! *snaps fingers*

 

[JasunStrikesBack]

As I said in my first post, it's totally fake and unbelievable that 5 gay friends would have such a dramatic and fabulous life--especially in Pittsburgh! LOL

Oh make no mistake... there are thousands of men like that in West Hollywood. But that's a pretty small sliver of the gay community.

Did you not see any of that?

I only saw a few episodes (I'm an extra in a couple of the very early ones). So no.. missed that.

 

[JakeBequette]

Since all of us are mentally women trapped inside the bodies of males anyway.

I love me some Golden Girls... And QAF and SFU lol, but I never watche SFU because it was a "gay" show, I watched it because it was amazinggggg lol​

 

[CowboyBob]

I've never seen an episode of the Golden Girls. Does that make me a heterosexual?

 

[altlover85]

I made a mistake and answered my own question. Everyone can ignore this post.

 

[Centipede]

six feet under is one of my favorite shows of all time.

all time.

 

[strangepoetry]

Six Feet Under was just so fucking well-written. That show made me cry (embarrassing).

And it had THE best final episode of ANY series I've EVER EVER seen. The last episode was fucking BRILLIANT!

 

[The_Reaper]

I don't know about Queer As Folk, given that I watched it intermittently and only really saw all of the last season...

But I can give a strong vote to Six Feet Under. I own all the seasons, and usually have a yearly viewing of the show from Season 1 through to Season 5. I also sat down with the boyfriend near the beginning of our relationship and watched the entire series with him as well. (Luckily for him, he liked it.)

Six Feet Under is about more than just 'gay life' though; although David and his relationship with Keith is probably one of the most realistic portrayals of a gay couple I've ever seen.

Life isn't always good, there's sometimes a lot of downs, and that was something Six Feet Under didn't stray away from. It showed the good and it showed the bad; and occasionally, showed the bad with a twisted sense of humour.

In the long run, I think Six Feet Under can help people deal with a myriad of issues and ideas; from coming out, to learning to accept the random nature of life...

 

[Joshua_me]

Well, I don't know about "required viewing", but I can only give my personal opinion about both shows.

"Six Feet Under", IMO, is one of the greatest TV series ever made. And not just because of the gay aspect of it, (which is only one part of the show) but rather because of the quality of the writing and the acting, and the "spell" that the better episodes seem to cast over this viewer.

Life, death, sex, drugs, relationships, the "meaning of life" in general were often presented in an incredibly unique manor, with a healthy dose of really dark humor and sarcasm thrown in for good measure. I was hooked from the the very first episode. They lost their way briefly in the fifth season, but brought it all together in a stunning conclusion by the series end. It is a *brilliant* show, and I'm happy tp own the boxed set of every minute of it.

"QAF" was a mixed bag. It was a frustrating experience to watch at times. One scene would be incredibly well done, only to be followed by something so totally ridiculous that it made the show hard to take seriously at times.

I remember a great scene between Brian and Micheal (and there were many) when Brian had just returned from a not so great visit with his Dad. The two climbed into bed together as Brian told the story of the night and bared his soul while "Mikey" held him and comforted him. I had tears streaming down my face.

But then, they'd mix it up with such silly things as Ted's "Jerk as Work" plot line and the whole "Shickle's Pickle's thing with Emmit.

Is was a great show, it was an awful show.

Are they both worth watching ? Absolutely.

Six Feet Under: A+++

QAF: B/D-

 

[Corny]

so you fear for guys that feel stereotyped because of pride parades and you suggest them to watch QAF to feel better wtf? this is one of the most stereotypical shows ever. let's all inject ourselves with steroids and adopt a 16 y-o hiv+ boy-toy later. 'cause that's "real gay life".
this is not a bit better than any gay character in a soap opera, just that it is all gay characters.
yes it is entertaining. but that's about it.

 

[Lube]

so you fear for guys that feel stereotyped because of pride parades and you suggest them to watch QAF to feel better wtf? this is one of the most stereotypical shows ever. let's all inject ourselves with steroids and adopt a 16 y-o hiv+ boy-toy later. 'cause that's "real gay life".
this is not a bit better than any gay character in a soap opera, just that it is all gay characters.
yes it is entertaining. but that's about it.

Believe me, as a bear, I have many beefs with the show. I only remember 2 or 3 episodes where gay bears are even hinted at (including one in the first season, where we're portrayed as food obsessed crazies).

The show was far from perfect. But does that mean I throw the baby out with the bathwater?

A well written TV show, book, or movie, is more than about what the characters look like or how real or fake their lives are.

In good writing, you are encouraged to think about the situations the characters are put in, how they react, how you might react, and what we can learn from that.

Just last night we were watching the penultimate episode of the first season of QAF. One of the characters is falsely accused of exhibiting himself in public. Is he lying? Is it a bad cop? He's afraid of the system and just wants to give up. Do you try to fight a system you think is corrupt? Do you find homophobia in the systems that are there ostensibly to protect you? Will neighbors think you're a gay sexual predator? Is that how they'll think of all gays?

Other threads in that episode weren't even necessarily gay related. What's more important to you--a career or family & friends or your lover? Or a mixture. Whom do you follow or stay with?

So the stereotyped characters are nothing but a substrate upon which you weave these important questions about life, being a human being, and being gay.

Do you not get any of that when you watch a well-written show?

Yes, QAF was designed to titillate with it's in-your-face gay sex, but that was simply an excuse to get good ratings to show the complexities of gay life.

 

[Lube]

I don't know about Queer As Folk, given that I watched it intermittently and only really saw all of the last season...

But I can give a strong vote to Six Feet Under. I own all the seasons, and usually have a yearly viewing of the show from Season 1 through to Season 5. I also sat down with the boyfriend near the beginning of our relationship and watched the entire series with him as well. (Luckily for him, he liked it.)

Six Feet Under is about more than just 'gay life' though; although David and his relationship with Keith is probably one of the most realistic portrayals of a gay couple I've ever seen.

Life isn't always good, there's sometimes a lot of downs, and that was something Six Feet Under didn't stray away from. It showed the good and it showed the bad; and occasionally, showed the bad with a twisted sense of humour.

In the long run, I think Six Feet Under can help people deal with a myriad of issues and ideas; from coming out, to learning to accept the random nature of life...

You put that very very well.

 

[Lube]

"Six Feet Under", IMO, is one of the greatest TV series ever made. And not just because of the gay aspect of it, (which is only one part of the show) but rather because of the quality of the writing and the acting, and the "spell" that the better episodes seem to cast over this viewer.

Life, death, sex, drugs, relationships, the "meaning of life" in general were often presented in an incredibly unique manor, with a healthy dose of really dark humor and sarcasm thrown in for good measure. I was hooked from the the very first episode. They lost their way briefly in the fifth season, but brought it all together in a stunning conclusion by the series end. It is a *brilliant* show, and I'm happy tp own the boxed set of every minute of it.

"QAF" was a mixed bag. It was a frustrating experience to watch at times. One scene would be incredibly well done, only to be followed by something so totally ridiculous that it made the show hard to take seriously at times.

I remember a great scene between Brian and Micheal (and there were many) when Brian had just returned from a not so great visit with his Dad. The two climbed into bed together as Brian told the story of the night and bared his soul while "Mikey" held him and comforted him. I had tears streaming down my face.

But then, they'd mix it up with such silly things as Ted's "Jerk as Work" plot line and the whole "Shickle's Pickle's thing with Emmit.

Is was a great show, it was an awful show.

Are they both worth watching ? Absolutely.

Six Feet Under: A+++

QAF: B/D-

I agree with everything you said, even your ratings.

 

[Lube]

Eh, I wouldn't say 'required' viewing...but I think Queer as Folk could be entertaining, enjoyable, and allow gays to relate to many things addressed.

Like many, I was a bit thrown off during the first two seasons because of the stereotypical, shallow depictions of the characters...but as was said earlier, once it moved into the later seasons things took a turn. The show addressed many issues one faces with being gay. Yes, it did become somewhat of a 'soap opera' during the later half, but it worked well for it IMO. It became almost entirely a drama, with a lot of realistic elements thrown in. It was seasons 3 onward that made me a fan. I think people who only see the first two seasons (esp. the first) would probably not be sold on the series.

I know I squirmed when Michael had to deal with his straight coworkers trying to set him up with the single girl at work. I mean, who hasn't had friends, relatives, coworkers, or fellow students try to set you up with a girl before you came out? How uncomfortable is that, trying To act all straight and interested? I'm so glad that's all behind me.

 

[CowboyBob]

^ We really don't need to watch a DVD because there's a Hell of a lot of drama in this thread. What started out as a light hearted question by the OP has turned into a melodramatic critique on television series with a gay theme and characters.

Take QAF and SFU as they are ....... filmed works of fiction.

 

[BFizzle]

Queer as Folk didn't teach me anything other than the fact that Brian Kinney was an incredibly salty morsel.

 

[Joshua_me]

...I know nothing about SFU)

Not knowing anything about something has never stopped you from forming an opinion about it in the past. Why start now ?

 

[Nomenclature]

I actually prefer the British version of QAF; the acting was better, the storyline is semi-believable and it only lasted one season. The American one focuses way too much on these completely ridiculous, coked-out fantasy sex scenes.


Boo.