Rating: 
Summary: Great show ... worth watching over and over again
Review: I never thought I would be so addicted to a show as I am to Queer As Folk. Showtime did a marvelous job making the British miniseries into a weekly soap opera. I think most everyone can connect with some facet of the personalities of all the characters, and can relate to the story line in one way or another. I taped the episodes as they aired, but will be thrilled when the DVDs come in the mail - I've already almost worn the tapes out replaying episodes for all my friends to see. And this price is by far the best I've seen anywhere, so congrats go to Amazon for snatching this opportunity and offering an excellent DVD set at a great price.
Rating: 
Summary: Get the UK version instead...
Review: I am sorry but I have to agree... the UK version has little to do with this one. I never understood why the really fast and extremelly videoclip-like original HAD to be stretched this way so that more episodes could be produced... boring most of the time and really lost most of its initial impact along the way. The actors are no longer "normal-looking" men who just happen to be gay but are portrayed as most str8 people see gays...and then again you HAD to have more female actors, less drugs, more of the gay & lesbian activism stuff and surely much less of the "age issue" to get away in the States! And the music... where has all the trashy dance stuff gone??? If you really want to see the first really revolutionary TV series get hold of the original!
Rating:
Summary: This is a huge step for cable Tv
Review: The DVD set is a dream come true for me. I have watched every episode of Queer As Folk and have never been disappointed. Which explains why I want the first season on DVD. I have heard that the British version is better- and it might be to some people- but I think this is such a huge step for cable Tv in America because there has never been a show about gay society that shows ALL aspects of what a group of gay friends might go through. I am not very good with words so I hope people understand that I am trying to say that this show is awesome. It keeps me watching. The actors, writers, and producers are wonderful and I thank them for bringing the characters and the show to life.
Rating:
Summary: A WONDERFUL SHOW!
Review: This is an exceptional show, and for all those gay or straight take the time to watch it, it's wonderful. I'm a heterosexual female and I LOVE the show. Granted there are some pretty intense sex scenes but the story and dialogue is unlike anything I've ever seen! The talent on the show is amazing Gale Harold is going to be famous and Hal Sparks is amazing so is Peter Paige. I can't single out certain people in the cast because everyone is so good! If you haven't seen the show see it! Set aside your petty sexual differences and watch one episode I guarantee you will enjoy what you see!
Rating:
Summary: Being Real
Review: This show is the best on television. I am not gay, but it really addresses a very wide range of social issues, while not being preachy at all. The dialogue thorughout the entire first season was incredible and consistent with the words I hear on an every day basis (odd that a typical day receives an NC-17 rating) Sure there are some graphic scenes in this show, but they are actually central to it. This beautiful piece of art is a must have that I reccomend to everyone, even homophobes.
Rating:
Summary: The question was answered
Review: Last year showtime dared to ask the question is America readdy for queer as folk and it was answered. The answer was yes it was, as a matter of fact season 2 is in production now. This show gets to show america a diffrent side a gay life a side that is very reconizable to gay people. But above the shows outragusness, it has heart and great charaters and plots. After the first 3 episodes I was hooked and will be forever a fan. I will never forget Mikey, Brian, Emmet or Debbie or the inpact that have placed on me and society. Great show and I hope it has a great run (im hoping for a 5 year run).
Rating: 
Summary: Brits Do It Better
Review: I'ts unfortunate if you've seen the original (British) version of this soap. Our cousins had cuter actors, more sex scenes, and a faster-paced script. At times in the US version I found myself looking at the clock as the melodrama dragged on. But... it's a start for more frank TV here in America. Let's see more and better follow-ups.
Rating:
Summary: Realistic to the Third Power
Review: When it comes to their slogan, cable television's Showtime network definitely has "no limits." "Queer as Folk" (or "QAF" for short) was introduced into the network's lineup in January 2001. Following their first community-oriented series, "Soul Food" (aimed for African-Americans) and "Resurrection Boulevard" (Latinos), QAF was the first gay serial to debut on American television.Based on the popular, yet controversial British series of the same name, QAF is a pioneering achievement for network programming. Before the rise of the gay rights movement in the 1990s, a gay-themed series would been unheard of in the United States. Unlike their European and Australian/New Zealander counterparts, American audiences tended to remain very closed to depictions of gay subculture for decades. However, with the emergence of gay culture and its' promotion in the media (e.g., Madonna, Margaret Cho, etc.) QAF debuted at a time that tolerance was becoming part of mainstream culture. The show, which takes place in Pittsburgh (but actually filmed in Toronto, Canada) QAF revolves around four gay friends. Michael (Hal Sparks) is a manager at a local department store; Brian (played excellently by newcomer Gale Harold) is a heartless, nymphomaniac, yet very misunderstood advertisement executive; Ted (played by the adorable Scott Lowell) is a businessman who is the hopeless romantic; and finally Emmett (Peter Paige) a flamboyant retail worker with some of the funniest lines ever heard. After a series of events at the local gay club, Babylon, Justin (Randy Harrison) a 17 year old student who is starting to debut in Pittsburgh's gay scene, becomes the fifth member of the quartet, pouring his affection and devotion to an unwanting, selfish Brian. Ted, who secretly is in love with Michael faces a near death experience after an accidental overdose. Emmett provides both hysterical and inspirational output in balancing the events in his friend's lives, and Michael deals with homophobia at work and meeting a new love. Rounding out the cast are a handful of women who provide their support to their male counterparts. Sharon Gless, or television's "Cagney and Lacey" plays Debbie Novotny, Michael's mother with humor and grace. The show's lesbian couple (Melanie Clunie and Thea Gill) face trials and tribulations in raising a newborn son and the distance caused by Brian's (the baby's biological father) interference in raising their son. Others such as Makyla Smith (Daphne) and Jack Wetherall (Uncle Vic) add plenty of charm to a storyline that many might find hard to accept, especially when it deals with the show's soft-core depictions of gay sex. Regardless of your tolerance level, QAF is as enjoyable and enthralling as many of today's cable series. Similar to a gay version of "Sex and the City," QAF has plenty of quality material not to only open eyes, but to stir mouths. For conservatives out there, I recommend them watching QAF as folk to have a comprehension of what gay culture and drug use are really like in today's America. For parents dealing with the coming out of their children, I recommend it due to storyline revolving around Justin's coming out to his parents (Sherry Miller does an excellent job of playing Justin's understanding mother) and their reaction to accepting it. Maybe by doing so, they will have a better view on the subject before casting judgment on those who are involved in it. Once again, this show is not recommended for those who cannot stomach graphic depictions of gay sex and full frontal nudity.
Rating: 
Summary: Immensely Watchable and Addictive!
Review: QAF (as it is also known) is a fun little Showtime series based on a BBC television series of the same name. This compilation of the first season of Showtime's version follows the BBC's plotline almost word for word, with a few exceptions. Queer as Folk follows the lives of a group of men and women who just happen to be gay and living in Philadelphia (although the series is filmed in Canada). Without intending to pigeonhole any of the characters into two dimensional formats (because they are not portrayed as such), you have: Brian (self centered beautiful man-boy, who is completely without emotion); Michael (Brian's childhood friend, who has pined after Brian for his whole life to no avail. He is a comic book nerd who works in a discount department store); Emmett (out and proud, but not in your face gay man, who lives his life to suit himself, not answering to anyone); Ted (plain jane accountant who would love to be hot and sexy, but isn't); Justin (17 year old who sneaks out into the gay world to experience what he knows is his true self; he falls in love with Brian); Debbie (Michael's heterosexual mother - played brilliantly by Sharon Gless - who is proud and loving of her gay son); Lindsay (chilhood friend of Brian's and mother to his son. She is a lesbian who is an art teacher); Melanie (Lindsay's lover of 6 years and a very forceful and smart attorney). While the first season of QAF was dictated by the script of the BBC's version the producers did take some liberties. The show is a straight forward look at gay life from the perspective of these characters. It makes no apologies to anyone for the reality of their lives. This includes drug use, nudity, sex, language, amongst others. The first season is quite excellent because it follows the formula laid down by the British series. However, in the second season, QAF has begun to get a bit too "in your face" even for some serious hard core homosexuals. Rent or buy this first season and you will see some really dynamite acting and scripting that will keep you involved from beginning to end.
Rating: 
Summary: Ridiculously Bad
Review: The most ridiculously bad aspect of this show is the acting. Hal Sparks and his entourage are absolutely painful to watch. Most of the characters are less unbelievable than Saturday morning cartoon characters, as well as less enetertaining. QAF is closer to choreography than it is to acting.
Equally as horrible is the writing. The characters of this series are tiresomely one-dimensional; the dialogue is sickeningly unrealistic. I was amazed at how such smart, relevant, interesting story lines could be made so horribly uninteresting.
Even with much discipline, I could only manage to get through 9 episodes of this garbage, each episode worse than the next. Definitely not for viewers with any kind of discerning taste. Could easily fit right in to daytime television if America were less Puritanical. This, to me, is not something to aspire towards.
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