Entertainment

The Reason Why 'Queer Eye' Season 2 Might Film In Georgia Again Is SO Important

by Danielle Jackson
Netflix

Netflix's Queer Eye reboot made its debut back in February, and has received the utmost amount of praise all across the web ever since. But you may or may not you wondering if Queer Eye is only in Georgia. You may have noticed while marathoning through the show's first season: All of the men that the Fab Five provide makeovers for live in Georgia. It doesn't appear to be much of a coincidence that everyone featured on the show this season was a resident of the same state, and it may leave If that's the case, there's already been confirmation of a second season for the show, and it looks like the Fab Five is set to return to the Peach State.

Bobby Berk, the Fab Five's resident interior designer, recently sat down with Variety, along with the show's creator David Collins, to discuss what fans can expect from Season 2. During the interview, Collins told Variety that the cast of the show will indeed return to Georgia for the upcoming second season "to explore the unchartered territory of the south." Queer Eye follows five gay men — Berk, Jonathan Van Ness, Antoni Porowski, Karamo Brown, and Tan France — as they travel around the country (or, in this case, the state) infiltrating the lives of straight men and providing them with makeovers. And these aren't just any makeovers. The crew advises the men on food, culture, fashion, design, and grooming. One could only imagine that there are straight men in need of these kinds makeovers all over America, not just in the south. But Collins' brief comment on the show's setting is a not-so-subtle hint that his decision to keep the show in Georgia is more deliberate than it is a coincidence.

Collins didn't go into detail about the reasoning behind his decision, though there are a number of reasons why he could be choosing to keep the show set in Georgia. For starters, Atlanta, where the Fab Five's headquarters is stationed, is already dominating the film and TV business.

The city has been having a major on-screen moment in recent years, being the filming location for popular television and movie franchises like Stranger Things, The Hunger Games, and Donald Glover's Emmy Award-winning series of the same name. Not to mention that Atlanta is also home to the cast members featured on dozens of popular reality shows like The Real Housewives of Atlanta, Married to Medicine, and Love and Hip Hop: Atlanta. It's possible that Collins' decision to keep the show based in Atlanta has a bit to do with showcasing the fact that Hollywood isn't the only acceptable backdrop for acclaimed television shows. According to Southern Living, filming in Atlanta is also a lot less expensive than filming in other major cities. The state of Georgia provides up to 30 percent of a production’s expenses in transferable tax credits.

Aside from all of that though, it's also worth noting that life for members of the LGBTQ+ community living in the south is less than perfect. According to GLAAD, LGBTQ+ people in the South are discriminated against at higher rates than those living in other parts of the country. Data from the organization shows that people in the south show more discomfort with LGBTQ+ people than those do in the U.S. as a whole. So, with Collins' "uncharted territory of the south" comment still in mind, it might be safe to say that one of the more obvious reasons the show is staying based in the region is that he and the Fab Five hope to use Queer Eye as a way to open viewers' minds and prove that people with different backgrounds and life experiences can interact with each other in positive ways.

No matter where the show films though, fans are already counting down the days until you're officially able to stream new episodes of Queer Eye again on Netflix.