Netflix has been touting a huge ramp-up of reality series in 2017. One of the first shows announced as part of that is a new version of Bravo’s 2003 makeover series Queer Eye For the Straight Guy.
Netflix has ordered eight episodes of the reboot, to begin production in the spring, Netflix said on Tuesday. Back are Queer Eye For the Straight Guy co-creators, Scout Productions’ David Collins and Michael Williams, who will executive produce with the company’s Rob Eric.
There is no casting information but the “reimagining” will feature a new quintet of stylists. Per Netflix, “in a time when America stands divided and the future seems uncertain, a team of five brave men will try to bring us closer together with laughter, heart, and just the right amount of moisturizer. The Emmy Award-winning Queer Eye is back and ready to Make America Fabulous Again. With a new Fab 5 and the show’s toughest missions to date, Queer Eye moves from the Big Apple to turn the red states pink… one makeover at a time.”
ITV Entertainment is producing, with David Eilenberg serving as an executive producer.
Queer Eye was an overnight sensation when it launched in 2003, making its stars, Carson Kressley, Ted Allen, Jai Rodriguez, Thom Filicia and Kyan Douglas household names. The series, an instant pop culture phenomenon, helped usher in the new wave of primetime reality series, and it even got to air a few episodes on Bravo’s broadcast sister network NBC. In 2004, Queer Eye won an Emmy for Outstanding Reality Program. But the show burnt bright and fast and ended its run in 2007 after 100 episodes and a spin-off.
Netflix said late last year that it plans to launch 20 unscripted series in 2017, with a focus on shows that can travel internationally. The only unscripted series Netflix had announced prior to the Queer Eye reboot was the upcoming Ultimate Beastmaster, which will feature six different versions for the U.S., Brazil, South Korea, Mexico, Germany and Japan. It is executive produced by Sylvester Stallone. Queer Eye is the first unscripted series greenlight announced by Netflix since the company brought in former Universal TV president Bela Bajaria to oversee reality development as well as licensing of TV and film content from major U.S. studios.
