Netflix’s Queer Eye began in 2018, as a reboot of the original series, Queer Eye for the Straight Guy. Queer Eye follows the same premise, where the Fab Five – a team of five experts in various areas – who help give someone a makeover to their look and their life. Led by design expert Bobby Berk, grooming expert Jonathan van Ness, culture expert Karamo Brown, fashion expert Tan France, and cooking expert Antoni Porowski, the new version sees them help people of all ages and demographics. Since its debut, it has delivered many memorable and emotional episodes. Here are the most heartwarming ones, ranked.
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10 Sky’s the Limit (S02 E05)
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“Sky’s the Limit” opens with footage of Skylar, a trans man waking up after top surgery, in an emotional moment that sets the tone for the episode. As a young man navigating his transition and the challenges that come with being out, Skylar has many emotional moments discussing his journey, and heartwarming interactions with Tan, who helps him feel confident in a suit, and Jonathan, who helps him feel more confident in his look. It’s a tearjerker episode, but a happy one, especially when Skylar gets to meet his idol, Todrick Hall.
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9 Angel Gets Her Wings (S06 E02)
This episode centers around Angel, a trans woman who is starting to build her own life. Angel being a strong power lifter leads into great discussions about masculinity and femininity. However, the biggest and most heartwarming moment comes in a talk between Angel and her father, who hasn’t been accepting of her transition. Watching their talk and seeing him truly begin to accept her is a powerful and uplifting moment.
8 Snow White of Central Texas (S06 E07)
This episode brings the group to a farm in Texas, where Jamie runs an animal sanctuary that she invites special-needs children to. There’s plenty of animal cuteness, but there are also deep moments where Karamo helps Jamie learn to take time for herself amid all her work, or the teary reveal of the barn everyone made for Jamie’s sanctuary. It celebrates Jamie and all she’s done while reminding her to take care of herself, too.
7 On Golden Kenny (S04 E05)
This episode focuses on Kenny, an older man who is struggling after the death of his parents and dog. He feels isolated from his family and the world, but the Fab Five helps him get back into the world and share more of himself with his family. The best scene comes when Kenny goes to a shelter and adopts a new dog in one of the show’s most touching moments. It shows him beginning to embrace the new and try to make a better life for himself, a message anyone can relate to.
6 God Bless Gay (S02 E01)
In Georgia, the Fab Five meets Mama Tammye, a kind woman who cares so much for her church community that she has the church remodeled, instead of her house. She also has a gay son, Miles, who feels uncertain about church. The show does an excellent job at showing all the nuances of sexuality and religion. Bobby is able to share his similar experience, while Karamo bonds with Miles. Tammye is fully celebrated, and shows the power of her love and acceptance in this emotional episode
5 Black Girl Magic (S03 E05)
This episode’s hero is Jess, a young lesbian who was kicked out of her adoptive family at 16. The episode succeeds in showing her rough past, but really letting Jess shine and enjoy her life. She has a strong bonding moment with Bobby, where he talks about family with her, and another with Karamo, where he helps find her birth family and helps her gain confidence in who she is. It’s a strong episode about a young woman coming into her own and embracing her identity, and it emphasizes why the show is such a feel-good watch.
4 Elrod and Sons (S03 E06)
In this episode, Rob is preparing to move his sons into a new house after the death of his wife. While still grieving his wife, he also wants to fulfill her wish of moving on and making a good life for himself and their sons. Each of the Fab Five help him find ways to honor his wife and talk openly about the loss and how it’s impacted him. It makes for a moving episode about grief and the challenges of moving on, along with the hope that moving on can bring.
3 Disabled But Not Really (S04 E02)
This intense episode features Wesley, who was shot and paralyzed years before, and now works as an activist who helps other disabled people. The Fab Five are able to help him improve his life by altering his house to better accommodate his needs, and Karamo even guides him through meeting with the man who shot him. Yahoo reported that the show’s treatment of disability was divisive, as it focused more on overcoming disability and being inspirational than the reality of disability. However, it does still make for a powerful and emotional episode.
2 Jones Bar-B-Q (S03 E03)
Sisters Little and Shorty run the famous Jones Bar-B-Q restaurant, and have put so much into the business that they haven’t taken care of themselves. The Fab Five helps them focus on themselves while still honoring and preserving their father’s restaurant. They help the sisters expand the business and sell their sauces, and also enjoy time to themselves. Little and Shorty are two wonderful women, and it’s incredibly heartwarming to see their love for each other, their community, and their family.
1 To Gay or Not Too Gay (S01 E04)
“To Gay or Not Too Gay” is one of the show’s first episodes, and one of the first to show its emotional power for viewers, and the LGBTQ+ community in particular. The hero, A.J., is a gay man who feels the need to hide it at times, and is trying to build confidence. He is also torn between whether he might look either too gay, or not gay enough. It opens up a deep conversation with Antoni, where they discuss the many sides of coming out, and how there is no one right way to embody an identity. It’s a comforting message of being yourself without worrying about how you’re perceived, and featuring this so openly is one of the ways the reboot surpasses the original, per Collider
