Queer Eye (2003 TV series)
Queer Eye is an American reality television series that premiered on the Bravo network in July 2003, initially broadcast as Queer Eye for the Straight Guy. The series was created by executive producers David Collins and Michael Williams along with David Metzler through their company, Scout Productions.[1] Each episode features a team of gay professionals in the fields of fashion, personal grooming, interior design, entertaining, and culture collectively known as the "Fab Five" performing a makeover (in the parlance of the show, a "make-better"): revamping wardrobe, redecorating, and offering lifestyle advice.
Queer Eye
"All Things (Just Keep Getting Better)" by Widelife featuring Simone Denny
United States
5
100 (list of episodes)
43–54 minutes
July 15, 2003 –
October 30, 2007
Queer Eye for the Straight Guy quickly became a surprise success, winning an Emmy Award for Outstanding Reality Program in 2004, with subsequent merchandising, international franchising of the concept, and a woman-oriented spin-off, Queer Eye for the Straight Girl. The series name was abbreviated to Queer Eye at the beginning of its third season to include making over individuals regardless of gender or sexual orientation.[2]
Queer Eye ended production in June 2006 and the final episode aired October 30, 2007.[3] During September 2008, the Fine Living Network briefly aired Queer Eye in syndication.[4] The series was also run again by the CBS-affiliated Twist network in 2023.
Netflix revived the series in 2018 with a new Fab Five.[5]
Popular and critical response[edit]
Queer Eye for the Straight Guy debuted on July 15, 2003 and the series quickly attained high ratings, peaking during September of that year with 3.34 million viewers per episode.[8] The popularity of the series established the Fab Five as media celebrities, with high-profile appearances at the Emmys and a "make-better" of Jay Leno and his The Tonight Show set in August of that year.[9] The members parlayed their statuses into endorsement deals, most notably when Thom Filicia became the spokesperson for Pier 1 Imports.[10][11]
American press reviews were largely positive. Out magazine listed the Fab Five in its "OUT 100", the "greatest gay success stories" of 2003.[12] Instinct magazine declared Kressley one of the "Leading Men" of 2004.[13]
The series attracted criticism for making generalizations about sexual identity, often objecting to ideas that homosexual men are inherently more fashionable and stylish than heterosexuals.[14] Among those making this critique were Tom Shales in The Washington Post ("stereotypes on parade"), Richard Goldstein in Village Voice ("Haven't fags always been consigned to the role of body servant?") and United States Congressman Barney Frank speaking to the New York Post. Author Gustavus Stadler presents similar critiques of Queer Eye emphasizing the expectation placed on homosexual men by society. Queer Eye, Stadler claims, is an example of an unrealistic world in which all queer men are fashionable, hip, witty, and very much enjoy helping a straight man to reach their straight potential. Similarly, Stadler claims this is why heterosexual men find enjoyment in watching Queer Eye, as they envy the "simple" imaginary gay lifestyle held by queer men; a life free from divorce rates, children, and demanding jobs.[15] Anthropologist Lionel Tiger criticized the show's portrayal of heterosexual men: "Heteromales are the last group it is acceptable to bash as a class. The homosexual fellows on Queer Eye seem to provide riveting hilarity to especially female viewers. What if there were 5 Swedes telling Kenyans how to live elegantly and fashionably? What if 5 Catholics told Jews how to dress, decorate, and court? The program is degraded and degrading".[16]
Before same-sex marriage was legalized throughout the United States, there was a study on the distribution of attitudes about gay marriage from residents in Louisiana, Arizona, and Minnesota. Reportedly in this study, 60.9% disagreed with gay marriage with the "intensity of disagreement also stronger for those who disagree compared to those who agree".[17] While Queer Eye for the Straight Guy did last from 2003 to 2007, the attitudes of the U.S audience during these years might have had an effect on the show's popularity during their airing.
With the success of the first season, original "culture guy" Blair Boone sued the show for breach of contract, claiming he should be paid not just for two episodes but for the season that he had been contracted to film.[18]
The popularity of the series inspired a number of parodies. Comedy Central hosted a satirical television series named Straight Plan for the Gay Man, which featured four heterosexual men teaching homosexual men how to be more stereotypically straight, redecorating their homes with neon beer signs and teaching them about sports. South Park spoofed the show and its hosts in the episode "South Park Is Gay!", in which the protagonists learn that the Fab Five are actually the disguises of evil Crab People aiming for world domination by converting heterosexual men into metrosexuals.
Queer Eye won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Reality Program during 2004 and was nominated for another Emmy in the same category during 2005. The series also received GLAAD Media Awards for Outstanding Reality Program during 2004 and 2005, and was nominated for a third during 2006.
In the second season, ratings decreased, averaging about 1.8 million viewers per episode with an average of 804,000 viewers in the important 18-40 demographic.[8][19] Despite this, new episodes continued to be broadcast for two more seasons. After Bravo confirmed in early 2007 that Queer Eye had been cancelled, the remaining fifth-season episodes were billed as Queer Eye: The Final Season[20] and aired twice weekly beginning October 2, 2007.[21]
The show attracted more criticism than other similar television series from the same time period.[22] James Keller asserts that the title itself seems to cross a boundary; gay men objectifying straight men.[22] Keller also criticizes the exemplification of stereotypes on both sides; gay men who are effeminate, only pursuing artistic careers, while straight men are rude, uncultured and uncivilized. The largest criticism from Keller to be that even if the stereotypes are correct, the show tended to take too simplistic of a view, relying on a sophisticated audience.[22]
Joshua Gamson praised the series and its portrayal of gay men on television saying that it has "produced a fascinating reversal of fortune" where gay men are admired, and straight men are praised for being more like gay men.[23]
Spin-off series[edit]
During January 2005, Scout Productions premiered the spin-off series Queer Eye for the Straight Girl, set in Los Angeles. It featured a cast of four lifestyle experts (three men and a woman, known as the "Gal Pals") who performed makeovers for women. The show was cancelled after one season.
Queer Eye for the Straight Guy
Netflix ordered eight new episodes of Queer Eye in January 2017, to feature a new Fab Five.[35] Scout Productions has contributed involvement with the revival, which trades the original New York setting for Georgia in the first two seasons, and Missouri in the third and fourth.[36][37]
The new Fab Five consists of:
On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the season holds an approval rating of 100% based on 13 reviews, and an average rating of 7.35/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "Queer Eye adapts for a different era without losing its style, charm, or sense of fun, proving that the show's formula remains just as sweetly addictive even after a change in location and a new group of hosts."[39] On Metacritic, the season has a weighted average score of 73 out of 100, based on 7 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[40] Following its success, Netflix has subsequently renewed it for seven seasons.[41]