Over 20 years after first landing on our TV screens, the beloved show is now getting a new lease of life with a modern reboot on Peacock – and its UK release date has now finally been confirmed.

The new show will premiere on Starzplay on 1 July, with two new episodes airing each week. Along with the date announcement, a new trailer has just landed and when we tell you it’s an emotional one, we mean it.

In it, life seems care-free and wonderful for the group of friends in this series. But what quickly unfolds is a shooting at Babylon which sends shockwaves through everyone. It’s based on the real-life nightclub shooting that took place at Pulse, a gay bar in California, in 2016 but it’s a jumping off point for Queer As Folk, focusing more on how the city’s LGBTQ+ community rebuilt itself.

“Since that night, this entire part of myself that made me feel okay is gone,” Jesse James Keitel says in the trailer. 

But in among the sadness, lighthearted scoffing at the term “survivor” and the joyful sense of community of this trailer, we finally get our first glimpse of Kim Cattrall and Juliette Lewis in the series also. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the new series is “taking a page out of the British original and Showtime update and [they] play parents to LGBTQ kids”.

Watch the trailer for yourself here:

Created by executive producer, writer and director Stephen Dunn, the new Queer As Folk is described as “a vibrant reimagining of the groundbreaking British series”, which will once again revolve around a club called Babylon. Only this time around, we’ll be introduced to a diverse group of friends in New Orleans, “whose lives are transformed in the aftermath of a tragedy”.

“Like most queer 90s kids, I had a unique relationship with the original Queer As Folk,” Dunn said in a statement. “Growing up, I was desperate for any sort of connection with people like me. It was the first time I really felt seen… It was truly iconic.”

“I wanted to create a new groundbreaking version of this show for this moment. Our new Queer As Folk is set in New Orleans – one of the most unique queer communities in North America – and I am immensely proud that the new series is comprised of an electric ensemble of fresh characters that mirror the modern global audience. If there’s one person who is able to see Queer As Folk and feel less alone or who now feels more supported and seen, our job is done.”

Excitingly, the eight-episode remake also sees the return of the Emmy-nominated Russell T Davies as an executive producer.

“I’m very proud of what we achieved in 1999, but in queer years, that was a millennium ago!” he said in a statement.

“As a community, we’ve radicalised, explored, opened up, and found new worlds – with new enemies and new allies – and there was so much to be said. I thought it was about time the title belonged to a whole new generation. The 2022 show is more diverse, more wild, more free, more angry – everything a queer show should be.”

Judging from the first-look images of the cast, it certainly seems as though the reboot will delivers on all those points.

The series regulars for the new Queer As Folk include Grey’s Anatomy’s Devin Way as Brodie (he/him), a charming and sometimes chaotic commitment-phobe who finds a reason to stay in New Orleans after tragedy rocks his community.

Acts Of Crime’s CG plays Shar (they/them), a non-binary professor navigating the rocky transition from punk to parenthood, while Big Sky’s Jesse James Keitel is Ruthie (she/her), a trans, semi-reformed party girl who is struggling to grow up.

Hacks’ Johnny Sibilly will appear as Noah (he/him), a successful lawyer who is not as put together as he seems, and Total Eclipse’s Fin Argus stars as Mingus (he/him/they/them), a cocky high schooler whose confidence belies their lack of real world experience.

Two-time Emmy nominee Ryan O’Connell (Special), who also serves as an executive producer and writer, will play Julian (he/him), a pop culture nerd with cerebral palsy who is more than ready for some independence.

Guest stars also include Work In Progress’ Armand Fields as Bussey (she/her in drag, he/him out of drag), the reigning drag queen and matriarch of the local scene, and Teenage Bounty Hunters’ Eric Graise as Marvin (he/him), a jaded barfly who DNGAF about your problems.

While there’s no sign of her in the first-look images, viewers can also expect to see five-time Emmy nominee Kim Cattrall in the series, who portrays Brenda (she/her), a martini-soaked Southern debutante with trailer park roots.

Oscar nominee Juliette Lewis will also appear as Judy (she/her), a single mother who is more of a friend than a parent to her teen, while Ed Begley Jr plays Winston (he/him), an emotionally distant father.

Other cast members include The White Lotus’ Lukas Gage as Eric (he/him), a personal trainer, Hacks star Megan Stalter as aspiring singer Meg (she/her), Nyle DiMarco as charming grad student Leo (he/him), and Chris Renfro as Daddius (he/they), a fun-loving hedonist.

The ensemble also includes Sachin Bhatt as Ali (he/him), an empathetic sex worker, Benito Skinner (he/him) as Jack Cole Jordan, a self-aggrandising influencer; Olli Haaskivi as George (he/him), “a friend from the mall”; and Calvin Seabrooks as Taylor (he/him), a reluctant dinner party guest.

“I believe deeply in the power of storytelling to make people feel seen, but all too often I feel as though queer and trans representation in art is limited to extremes,” writer and executive producer Jaclyn Moore added in a statement. 

“We are either shown as saintly heroes bravely surviving a bigoted society or two-dimensional queer-coded villains that feel airdropped in from some previous era. With Queer As Folk, we aimed to depict queer characters who live in the messy middle. People who are complicated. Who are funny and caring and flawed and sometimes selfish, but still worthy of love. Still worthy of narrative. As a trans woman, I’m excited to take steps to move past telling stories that seem to just be arguing for our basic humanity. My hope is that Queer As Folk is one such step.”

Queer As Folk premieres on Peacock on 9 June, with a UK release date set for 1 July via Starzplay. In the meantime, check out the announcement vide below:

Images: Peacock