Queer Eye: 5 Fab Things We Have To See In Season 2

As a gay that was raised in the South, I have a lot of feelings about the reboot’s relocation from New York City to Atlanta and its surrounding suburbs. I think it was the smartest move the show made for its return during this polarized political period, as it allowed the Fab Five to really bridge the cultural chasm and heal the country through makeovers (both internal and external). Atlanta (really, Georgia) is the sixth member of the Fab Five. And it should stay that way.

Sure, there are plenty of other cities in the middle and/or southern parts of the country that could benefit from the Fab Five’s influence, but Atlanta really is the perfect setting. For one thing, the city has emerged as a major entertainment hub; all the Marvel movies shoot there, y’all! From a practicality standpoint, that probably makes shooting Queer Eye not in NYC or LA more feasible. On top of that, Season 1 showed that Atlanta really is a microcosm of America, with towns both big and small all existing next to each other. The region allows the show to have it’s city cake and eat its country pie, too.

And as long as the show’s staying in Georgia, I think we should all learn even more about the towns the Fab Five visit. Right now we know the name of the city the team’s rolling into and, well, that’s about it. But as I learned in my interview with style expert Tan France, the surrounding city greatly influenced the show’s transformations.

Season 1 took place in cities ranging from Dallas, Georgia (pop. 12, 629) to Atlanta (pop. 472,522). As Tan told us, some of the smaller towns were limited when it came to store options, as evidenced by half of the makeover segments in episode 5 taking place in a Target. I’d love to see more talk about the cities, specifically because these are the kinds of cities that a lot of Americans live in. It not only gives us greater context for the men being made over, but it could also allow Queer Eye to bring attention to issues that affect more rural areas (like food deserts).

Obviously, right? The worst thing about Season 1 was that it only lasted eight episodes! Eight! And that’s not even a half season with the promise of more on the way, that was a full season!

Listen, Netflix, you give all your other shows 10-13 episode seasons. I get that maybe Queer Eye was a risk for y’all, since you don’t really mess with the reality genre all that often. But. The risk paid off, big time, and people are hungry for more Queer Eye. Reward this fervent fan base by giving us a minimum of 13 episodes in Season 1! Look at those population numbers above–there are so many men to make over!

Netflix’s Queer Eye did what every reboot should do: it diversified. Not only is the new Fab Five more diverse, but the show turned its queer eye towards schlubby dudes of all types! Different body types, different ethnicities, different political and religious backgrounds–they even made over a gay dude in quite possibly the best episode of the bunch!

I want to see more of this. I want to see the show continue to show people of all races and body types how to feel great about themselves. And Queer Eye making over a gay man completely blows up the previous “straight guy” constraint that was once in the title of the show. By ditching For The Straight Guy, the show can really go wherever. Let’s see the Fab Five make over more people in the LGBTQ community, and it would be fantastic to have the Fab Five connect the episode’s subject with other queer people like them in their local community. Bring in some guest experts!

It’s important to show that people of all types 1. live in the South and 2. need a little help. If Season 1 is any indication, the more diverse the client, the more illuminating and impactful the conversation (see: AJ’s episode).

Thanks to social media, it’s actually not too hard to find out if the guys kept up appearances after the Fab Five rolled out of town. They all have, BTW, and that’s something you can see on the Instas of the Fab Five or the Made Over 8. But wouldn’t it be nice to see that in the show itself? Season 2 could–and should–give us updates on the guys from Season 1. Show us what’s shaking in that firehouse! And where is Superman today?!

This would actually do more than just reconnect us with our fave makeover stories. As Tan told us, the Fab Five actually keep in touch with all eight guys. There are DMs and texts and photo updates all over the place! This tidbit actually re-contextualizes a lot of Season 1, for the better. It’s easy to assume that, like with most reality TV, the relationships end once the cameras stop rolling. But to know that the Fab Five not only made an impact in these men’s lives for a week, they continued to do so for months and months after taping, it makes the bonds formed onscreen resonate so much more. Queer Eye loves going for the tears, so why not incorporate all that into the show itself? Just wreck us, Queer Eye, wreck us with kindness!

Where to stream Queer Eye