Season OneThey're here, they're queer, and they makeSex and the Citylook like a demure tea party. Showtime's quintessentially AmericanQueer As Folk--based   on the British miniseries--pours on copious amounts of hot and steamy   sex. This slick (and slickly entertaining) series shares the same basic   concept as its British counterpart--centering on a group of gay  friends  living in a primarily industrial city--but after that, all bets  are off.  Whereas the British version focused on the gritty, realistic  drama of  its characters, the AmericanQAFis a glossy, fun soap  opera that  occasionally tackles big issues but never lets you forget  that life at  times can be a party, and you shouldn't be one of those  poor suckers  starving to death. A good part of the show's charm lies in  its  cast--boy-next-door Michael (Hal Sparks), ruthlessly seductive  rake  Brian (Gale Harold), out-and-proud Emmett (Peter Paige),  wallflower Ted  (Scott Lowell), and nubile teen Justin (Randy  Harrison)--who grew from  standard gay prototypes to intriguing  characters by the first season's  end. And while some subplots didn't  work (such as Emmett's farfetched  foray into gay-conversion therapy),  others were quietly affecting,  including Brian's coping with his  father's death. Some may object to the  show's relentless fixation on  sex (and gay men--there are just two  lesbian characters), but this is a  series that in its own polished way  is both engrossingly fun and truly  groundbreaking. It's liberating to  watch an American TV series in  which the straight world is only  peripheral. Let's hear it for the  boys!--Mark EnglehartSeason TwoThey're still out and proud, and in their second season the boys (and girls) ofQueer as Folkcontinued to break ground as the most gay-friendly show on television (sorry,Will and Grace).   Some plot lines were a little over the top, others truly heartfelt,  but  they were never less than entertaining, even during theirAll My Childrenmoments. Season two opened in the aftermath of the gay-bashing of   Justin (Randy Harrison), the young artist who wondered if he'd ever be   able to paint or draw again, and went on to face a variety of issues and   plotlines as diverse as its characters. Some were timely (Michael   negotiating a relationship with new HIV-positive boyfriend Ben), some   romantic (lesbians Lindsay and Melanie tying the knot), some new to the   show (Emmett embarks on a relationship with a--gasp!--older gentleman),   and some, well, far-fetched (how many of you had to wrestle, like Ted   did, with starting your own pornographic web site?).While the  writing tended to flail about a bit, thankfully coalescing  by the  season's end, the show continued to be anchored by stellar  actors,  especially Peter Paige's Emmett, who grew the most during the  second  season; Michelle Clunie's Melanie, the alternately wry and sweet  lesbian  who became the show's secret weapon; and, as always, Gale  Harold's  Brian, the lothario with a heart of tarnished gold.  Frustrating,  fascinating, exasperating one moment and charming the  next, Brian  perfectly summed up the guilty pleasures ofQueer as Folk, where humanity peeks out every now and then from behind the curtain of fabulous comedy and drama.--Mark EnglehartSeason ThreeDrama ruled in a big way on the third season ofQueer as Folk, as   the gay men and women of Pittsburgh rode a roller coaster of emotional   and personal upheavals that would make a regular soap-opera cast  blanch.  Budding comic book artist Justin (Randy Harrison) finally left  longtime  lover Brian for a chance at ecstasy--and not a bit of  agony-–with a  charming violin player. Emmett (Peter Paige) finally came  face-to-face  with his affection for friend Ted (Scott Lowell), only to  have Ted's  growing drug habit get in the way of their happiness.  Lesbians Melanie  (Michelle Clunie) and Lindsay (Thea Gill) decided to  have another baby,  whose father would be... Michael (Hal Sparks), whose  nesting with hunky  Ben (Robert Gant) is rudely interrupted by runaway  Hunter (Harris  Allan). And as for Brian (Gale Harold), the man  everybody wants but  can't ever have? Just when it seems he's gone to  work for the enemy--a  homophobic mayoral candidate-–it turns out he  might be the savior the  Pittsburgh gay community never knew it needed.Snaps to the makers ofQAFfor trying to bring their  characters into the grown-up world – Michael,  Emmett, and Ted started  their own businesses; Justin finally cut loose  from Brian-–but too many  melodramatic plot twists and turns impeded a  lot of the character  development this show worked hard at during its  first two seasons.  Still, most of the cast was topnotch, including  Harrison, whose Justin  finally came into his own, and the always  dependable Harold, who made  Brian a fascinating creature through all his  steamy travails and  over-the-top encounters.--Mark EnglehartSeason FiveGay has rarely been so glamorous as in the American version ofQueer 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 likeSix Feet UnderorThe Sopranos,   while tackling an impressive breadth of social and political issues   without ever (well, almost never) feeling preachy. The fifth and final   season lays out its themes with authority: Alpha-gay Brian (Gale Howard)   buys and revamps the sex club Babylon, declaring promiscuity and   independence as a gay birthright, while Brian's oldest friend Michael   (Hal Sparks,Talk Soup) embraces domesticity with his partner Ben   (Robert Gant); the flamboyant Emmett (Peter Paige) finds success as a   tv personality, only to find his persona may trap him in a stereotype;   and Ted (Scott Lowell) grapples with body prejudices within the gay   community.  Meanwhile, the crumbling relationship of Mel (Michelle   Clunie) and Lindsay (Thea Gill) takes a more troubling turn when Michael   demands more rights as the father of their daughter.Most tv series would take a topic like this last legal wrangle and stretch it over an entire season, butQueer as Folkis more ambitious; the writers recognize 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, butQueer 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. Rosie O'Donnell and Cyndi Lauper make guest   appearances, and Sharon Gless (Cagney & Lacey) continues her much-loved performance as Michael's mother, Debbie.--Bret Fetzer