Queer As Folk

QAF stands for Queer as Folk, a series that ran five seasons (83 episodes) on Showtime in the United States and Showcase in Canada. There were 2 versions, QAF (UK) which began in the United Kingdom in 1999, and QAF (USA) which aired in the United States from 2000 to 2005. The USA version of the show revolved around the life of gay men (and a few women) in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, but was actually filmed mostly in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The show was hailed as groundbreaking and daring, and crossed many lines that hadn't yet been approached. It quickly drew an audience not only of gay and lesbian fans, but also many straight women.

Ironically, the show was criticized by some members of the GLBT community as an unrealistic portrayal of gay life, with its overuse of hard bodied Caucasian men as regulars and extras, its overabundance of drug use, casual sex, and infidelity, and its lack of realism.

The show's regular cast members included:

Gale Harold as Brian Kinney
Hal Sparks as Michael Novotny
Randy Harrison as Justin Taylor
Peter Paige as Emmett Honeycutt
Scott Lowell as Ted Schmidt
Thea Gill as Lindsay Peterson
Michelle Clunie as Melanie Marcus
Sharon Gless as Debbie Grassi Novotny
Jack Weatherall as Vic Grassi (Seasons 1-4)
Chris Potter as Dr. David Cameron (Season 1)
Dean Armstrong as Blake Wyzecki (Seasons 1, 4, and 5)
Robert Gant as Professor Ben Bruckner (Seasons 2-5)
Fabrizio Filippo as Ethan Gold (Seasons 2-3)
David Gianopoulos as Pittsburgh Police Chief Jim Stockwell (Season 3)
Harris Allen as James "Hunter" Montgomery (Seasons 3-5)
Sherry Miller as Jennifer Taylor
Makayla Smith as Daphne Chanders
Peter MacNeill as Detective Carl Horvath (Seasons 2-5)
Matt Battaglia as Drew Boyd (Seasons 4-5)