Queer As Folk USA – Season 1-5 Complete DVD – Peter Paige, Gale Harold

Please note this is a region 2 DVD and will require a region 2 (Europe) or region Free DVD Player in order to play. From creator Russell T. Davies (executive producer Doctor Who, Torchwood) comes the riveting drama Queer As Folk USA. Full of adventure, love and friendship, Queer as Folk follows the lives of five gay friends who go to work, raise children, look forward to the weekend. Based on the groundbreaking British series, this brave, funny and sometimes graphic portrayal of a world not usually seen on television provides an intimate look at a group of gay men and women unapologetically celebrating life. Relationships, careers, loves and ambitions unfold in a remarkable tapestry of everyday contemporary life set against the lively urban backdrop of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Realistic and frank, Queer As Folk, a one – hour drama, shows that, despite their differences, all people share a common bond – their humanity and that’s what really counts.

Gay has rarely been so glamorous as in the American version of Queer as Folk. But the show’s success rests on more than hard bodies and glossy, picture-perfect sex (though there’s an abundance of that); this series gave its characters a multidimensional richness that rivals more high-profile programs like Six Feet Under or The Sopranos, while tackling an impressive breadth of social and political issues without ever (well, almost never) feeling preachy. Most TV series would take a topic like this last legal wrangle and stretch it over an entire season, but Queer as Folk is more ambitious. The writers recognise that the resolution of one problem is rarely the end of the story, that muddy consequences can be as dramatically compelling as head-to-head conflict. This aggressive and effective plotting, combined with the show’s willingness to explore the complexities of every issue–be it assimilation or the coming out of a celebrity–results in an increasing emotional power as the series steamrolls towards its final episode. Some subplots can be silly (Brian has a ridiculous stud-off with a new hot guy in town), the dialogue can sometimes veer from wit to camp cliches, and the omnipresence of sculpted, muscular physiques is absurd and even a little alienating for some viewers, but Queer as Folk’s strengths–the compassion and intelligence of the writers, the commitment and nuance of the acting–make this show a true television landmark and a pleasure to watch. And then, of course, there’s all that graphic and lovingly photographed sex. –Bret Fetzer