| Queer Eye | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Also known as | Queer Eye for the Straight Guy(seasons 1–2) |
| Genre | Reality television |
| Created by | |
| Starring | |
| Theme music composer | Widelife |
| Opening theme | "All Things (Just Keep Getting Better)" by Widelife featuringSimone Denny |
| Country of origin | United States |
| No. of seasons | 5 |
| No. of episodes | 100(list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Running time | 43–54 minutes |
| Original release | |
| Network | Bravo |
| Release | July 15, 2003 (2003-07-15) – October 30, 2007 (2007-10-30) |
Queer Eye is an Americanreality television series that premiered on theBravo network in July 2003, initially broadcast asQueer Eye for the Straight Guy. The series was created by executive producersDavid Collins andMichael 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 amakeover (in the parlance of the show, a "make-better"): revamping wardrobe, redecorating, and offering lifestyle advice.
Queer Eye for the Straight Guy quickly became a surprise success, winning anEmmy Award for Outstanding Reality Program in 2004, with subsequent merchandising, international franchising of the concept, and a woman-orientedspin-off,Queer Eye for the Straight Girl. The series name was abbreviated toQueer 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, theFine Living Network briefly airedQueer Eye in syndication.[4] The series was also run again by the CBS-affiliated Twist network in 2023.
Netflixrevived the series in 2018 with a new Fab Five.[5]
The majority ofQueer Eye episodes use the same basic format. The episode begins with the Fab Five in anSUV (usually inNew York City, where the series was based) discussing their heterosexual client. The Five review details of the subject's personal life and note problems in their various areas of expertise. The Five usually have a specific event for which they plan to prepare the client. These included everything from throwing a backyard barbecue for friends to preparing to ask for a salary increase to proposing marriage.
Upon arriving at the subject's home, the Fab Five go through his belongings, performing a running commentary of catty remarks about the state of his wardrobe, home decor, cleanliness, and grooming. They also speak with the subject and family members to get an idea of the sort of style they like and their goals for the experience and to discuss the planned event.
The remainder of the first half of the episode follows the Fab Five as they escort the subject to various locales to select new furniture and clothes. Often, Ted demonstrates how to select and prepare food for a particular dish that the subject will prepare for the special event, and Kyan takes him for spa treatments and a new haircut. Each such segment includes a style tip superimposed on the screen, summarizing the style issues addressed in the segment. Interspersed with this are interview segments in which friends and family members of the subject discuss his style issues.
In the next section, the subject returns to a completely redecorated home and models articles of his new wardrobe for the Fab Five. Each of the Five offer final words of advice and encouragement, accompanied by supplies of grooming products, food and kitchenware, and in some cases expensive electronics items such as entertainment centers and computers.
The final section follows the subject as he prepares for the special event, with the Fab Five watching edited footage of his preparations and critiquing how well or how poorly he followed their advice. Finally, the subject is followed through the event itself, with the Five again performing a running commentary and the subject often expressing his deep gratitude to the Fab Five for their counsel. A final tip from each of the Fab Five, usually relating to one of the topics covered in the episode, plays just before the credits.
Special episodes ofQueer Eye that deviated from this formula included episodes in which the Fab Five journeyed outside the greater New York area, including shows filmed inEngland,Texas, andLas Vegas. In two episodes, the Fab Five made over homosexual men (both of which aired during June, Gay Pride Month, during 2004 and 2006), and in one episode made over a transgender man. The show also featured makeovers of members of theBoston Red Sox after their 2004World Series victory, several holiday specials, and, in the final season, a "Mister Straight Guy"pageant featuring subjects from the series' history.
Producers Collins and Metzler were given approval by Bravo to developQueer Eye after the ratings success the network experienced when itcounterprogrammed a marathon of its 2002 seriesGay Weddings at the same time asSuper Bowl XXXVII during 2003 January.[6] Thepilot episode was filmed inBoston, Massachusetts during June 2002. Of the eventual Fab Five, only Kressley and Allen appeared. The culture, design, and grooming roles were filled byJames Hannaham, Charles Daboub Jr., and Sam Spector, respectively.
The pilot was delivered to Bravo in September 2002 and was well received in audience testing. Soon thereafter,NBC purchased Bravo and ordered 12 episodes of the series. NBC promoted the show extensively, includingbillboard campaigns and print advertisements in national magazines.[1]
Kyan Douglas andThom Filicia joined the show for these episodes, along with Blair Boone in the role of "culture guy". Boone filmed two episodes (which were broadcast as the second and third episodes and for which he was credited as a "guest culture expert") but was replaced by Rodriguez beginning with production of the third episode.[7] Each episode was shot over a span of four days and edited to create the perception that the events of the episode took place in a single day.[1]
| Season | Episodes | Originally released | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First released | Last released | |||
| 1 | 25 | July 15, 2003 (2003-07-15) | April 20, 2004 (2004-04-20) | |
| 2 | 30 | June 1, 2004 (2004-06-01) | April 12, 2005 (2005-04-12) | |
| 3 | 19 | June 7, 2005 (2005-06-07) | February 7, 2006 (2006-02-07) | |
| 4 | 16 | June 6, 2006 (2006-06-06) | September 19, 2006 (2006-09-19) | |
| 5 | 10 | October 2, 2007 (2007-10-02) | October 30, 2007 (2007-10-30) | |
The series aired alongsideBoy Meets Boy as part of Bravo's gay programming block.[8]
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.[9] The popularity of the series established the Fab Five as media celebrities, with high-profile appearances at theEmmys and a "make-better" ofJay Leno and hisThe Tonight Show set in August of that year.[10] The members parlayed their statuses into endorsement deals, most notably when Thom Filicia became the spokesperson forPier 1 Imports.[11][12]
American press reviews were largely positive.Out magazine listed the Fab Five in its "OUT 100", the "greatest gay success stories" of 2003.[13]Instinct magazine declared Kressley one of the "Leading Men" of 2004.[14]
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.[15] Among those making this critique wereTom Shales inThe Washington Post ("stereotypes on parade"), Richard Goldstein inVillage Voice ("Haven't fags always been consigned to the role of body servant?") and United States CongressmanBarney Frank speaking to theNew York Post. Author Gustavus Stadler presents similar critiques ofQueer 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 watchingQueer Eye, as they envy the "simple" imaginary gay lifestyle held by queer men; a life free from divorce rates, children, and demanding jobs.[16] AnthropologistLionel 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 onQueer 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".[17]
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".[18] WhileQueer 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 forbreach of contract, claiming he should be paid not just for two episodes but for the season that he had been contracted to film.[19]
The popularity of the series inspired a number of parodies.Comedy Central hosted asatirical television series namedStraight 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 intometrosexuals.
Queer Eye won anEmmy Award for Outstanding Reality Program during 2004 and was nominated for another Emmy in the same category during 2005. The series also receivedGLAAD 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.[9][20] Despite this, new episodes continued to be broadcast for two more seasons. After Bravo confirmed in early 2007 thatQueer Eye had been cancelled, the remaining fifth-season episodes were billed asQueer Eye: The Final Season[21] and aired twice weekly beginning October 2, 2007.[22]
The show attracted more criticism than other similar television series from the same time period.[23] James Keller asserts that the title itself seems to cross a boundary;gay men objectifying straight men.[23] 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.[23]
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.[24]
Creators David Collins and Michael Williams joined Vice PresidentKamala Harris in June 2024, alongside original and revival cast members, to discuss the series and franchise influence over two decades.[25][26]
During January 2005, Scout Productions premiered the spin-off seriesQueer 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's American success caused television networks in several countries to syndicate the American episodes, with a number of countries creating their own local versions ofQueer Eye for broadcast in their countries. However, few of these homegrown versions have proven as successful as the original, and most did not last long before cancellation. Licensing of the format is managed by NBCUniversal.
NBCU licensed British television production house vialondon.tv[27] to produce local versions for Europe, withFlextech'sLiving channel doing the same to produce the United Kingdom's version after a first attempt at a British production byMaking Time was abandoned.[28]
The first episode of theFinnish version,Sillä silmällä, created controversy for the blatantproduct placement considered to be a transgression of a Finnish law againstsurreptitious advertising.
| Country | Channel | Program name | Seasons | Episodes | First aired |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Australia[29] | Network Ten | Aussie Queer Eye for the Straight Guy | 1 | 6 | 9 February 2005—23 February 2005 NB: Three episodes were broadcast later in the year. |
 Belgium[30] | KanaalTwee | De heren maken de man | 2 | 2005 | |
 Brazil[31] | Netflix | Queer Eye Brasil | 2021 | ||
 Chile | Mega | Ojo con Clase (Classy Eye) | 1 | April 5, 2013 | |
 Finland | Nelonen | Sillä silmällä | 2 | 24 | March 30, 2005 |
 France | TF1 | Queer, Cinq Experts dans le Vent | 1 | 8 | 2004 |
 Germany | RTL 2 | Schwul macht cool (Gay makes you cool) | 1 | 8 | November 10, 2003 |
 Greece | Antenna 1 (ANT1) | Fab 5 | 1 | 10 | 2011 |
 Italy[32] | La7 | I Fantastici Cinque | 2 | 22 | 2004 |
 Norway | TV3 | Homsepatruljen (The Gay Patrol) | 3 | 36 | 2004 & 2012 |
 Portugal | SIC | Esquadrão G | 1 | 8 | September 11, 2005 |
 Spain | Antena 3 | El Equipo G | 1 | 10 | 2005 |
 Sweden | TV3 | Fab 5 Sverige | 1 | 12 | 2003 |
 UK | Living | Queer Eye for the Straight Guy | 2 | 14 | 2004 |
| Queer Eye for the Straight Guy | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Soundtrack album by various artists | |
| Released | 2004 |
| Genre | Pop,dance |
| Label | Capitol Records |
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   [33] |
The soundtrack forQueer Eye for the Straight Guy was released February 10, 2004, in the USA. It reached number one on theelectronic music chart, number two on the soundtrack charts and the top 40 in theBillboard 200 album chart.[34] In Australia, the soundtrack was released for theSydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras, and the popularity of the series in Australia resulted in the soundtrack scoring in the top 10 of the Australian album chart on March 8, 2004. It was certified gold in Australia in March 2004. The song "Superstar" byJamelia from the soundtrack also went to number one on the Australian singles charts in the same week, and the theme song of the show, "All Things (Just Keep Getting Better)" byWidelife, went to the top 20 that month. "All Things" scored a2005 Juno Award for "Dance Recording of the Year" forWidelife (Rachid Wehbi & Ian Nieman). Rob Eric was the executive producer for the album.
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA)[35] | Gold | 35,000^ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
The book tie-inQueer Eye for the Straight Guy: The Fab 5's Guide to Looking Better, Cooking Better, Dressing Better, Behaving Better and Living Better was published in 2004 byClarkson Potter/Publishers, an imprint ofRandom House.[36]
Several DVDs were released in conjunction with the series. Kressley, Filicia and Allen each had individual releases emphasizing their topics of expertise. Douglas and Rodriguez were featured together in a single DVD focused on grooming. Additional DVD releases includeQueer Eye for the Red Sox (featuring the team makeover episode) and a multi-disc box set.[37]
Netflix ordered eight new episodes ofQueer Eye in January 2017, to feature a new Fab Five.[38] Scout Productions has contributed involvement with the revival, which trades the original New York setting forGeorgia in the first two seasons, andMissouri in the third and fourth.[39][40] The revival Fab Five areBobby Berk (design),Karamo Brown (culture),Tan France (fashion),Antoni Porowski (food and wine), andJonathan Van Ness (grooming).[41]
Onreview aggregator websiteRotten 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."[42] OnMetacritic, the season has a weighted average score of 73 out of 100, based on 7 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[43] Following its success, Netflix has subsequently renewed it for seven seasons.[44]
