‘Queer Eye’ Is Back, But What Does That Mean 15 Years Later?

Fifteen years since Queer Eye for the Straight Guy first debuted on television, the show is back with a new set of five guys. A lot more about the show is new, as well. When the new installment debuts in 2018, it will play on Netflix and will take place in and around Atlanta, Georgia, not New York City.

It will also feature a brand-new fab five: Antoni Porowski (Food & Wine),Bobby Berk (Interior Design), Karamo Brown (Culture), Jonathan Van Ness (Grooming) and Tan France (Fashion).

The re-vamped roster and prestige Netflix placement raises a few questions. Whereas Queer Eye for the Straight Guy was a revolutionary force a decade ago when it regularly brought five gay men into America’s living rooms, will having five cisgender, mostly masc-presenting guys mean the same thing 15 years later?

What may have read as queer fifteen years ago looks almost regressive in 2017. In the age of Pose and an asexual character on BoJack Horseman, there is room for a larger spectrum of gender expression on the queer roster.

We’ll see what the show has to offer when it debuts on Netflix in 2018.