Peacock's Queer As Folk has been canceled following its first season. The series, a reimagining of the Russell T Davies series of the same name from 1999, was based on the lives of a group of friends living in New Orleans following a mass shooting at a gay club. The series was in development since 2018 and was initially picked up by Bravo before making its way to Peacock. Season one featured eight episodes.
On Friday night, series creator Stephen Dunn posted a photo of the cast on Instagram and captioned it:
“It’s a rare gift in these times, and in this country, to be able to make a show as fearless and unapologetic as Queer As Folk. This experience changed our lives forever and we’re so grateful to have found this incredible new family. We know how much it’s meant to the fans and while we’re heartbroken we won’t get to make more episodes, we wanna thank everyone for watching and falling in love with Brodie, Mingus, Ruthie, Noah, Shar, Julian, Daddius, Bussey, Marvin, Judy and Brenda. We’re so grateful for the chance to honor our community and are so proud of this show.”
To acquire the rights to the series, Dunn met with Davies to pitch the series. Not only did Dunn meet his goal of acquiring the series rights, but Davies also signed on to serve as an executive producer. Other executive producers included Lee Eisenberg, Emily Brecht, Nicola Shindler, and Louise Pedersen for All3 Media International. Along with writing and creating the series, Dunn served as an executive producer and directed multiple episodes, including the series pilot. Jaclyn Moore served as co-writer and executive producer.
Queer As Folk starred Devin Way, Fin Argus, Jesse James Keitel, CG, Johnny Sibilly, and Ryan O’Connell and featured Kim Cattrall, Juliette Lewis, Ed Begley Jr., and Nyle DiMarco as guest stars.
The Queer As Folk Franchise
This was the third iteration in the Queer As Folk franchise which has continued to tell stories within the LGBTQ+ community. Davies' original series aired for two seasons beginning in 1999. Based on his circle of friends, the series centered around the lives of a group of friends in Manchester's gay quarter and starred Aiden Gillen, Craig Kelly, and Charlie Hunnam. On December 3, 2000, Showtime premiered Ron Cowan and Daniel Lipman's American reboot. This time around, the series follows the lives of five gay men living in Pittsburgh. It aired for five seasons until 2005.
Peacock's Queer As Folk was in development since 2018, but due to pandemic setbacks, the series wasn't released until this June. In preparation for the series, Dunn worked with several of the Pulse Nightclub shooting survivors, and some went on to serve as consultants for the series.