If the almost two-year wait between seasons of "The Sopranos" proves anything, it's that people will wait for quality television. Since most college students don't have premium cable channels, the only way to watch some of the top-rated shows is when they get released just as slowly on DVD. "Queer as Folk" ended its Showtime run in the summer of 2005, but the fifth and final season doesn't come out on DVD until May 9.

If you start now, you might get through the 22 episodes of the first season (available free at the local public library).

Like others before it, the groundbreaking show (which premiered in 2000) was given a chance because of success in the United Kingdom. It had a better transition than other shows from across the pond (like "The Office") because it dealt with relevant U.S. issues.

The first few episodes don't really deal with hard-hitting issues, mostly due to the lawlessness of main character Brian Kinney (played by Gale Harold), who acts as if he's never been told "no" in his lifetime. Nevertheless, many viewers became offended by his relations with Justin Taylor (Randy Harrison), who is still in high school at the time. After the other main characters are introduced and the audience has a feel for their personalities, then the task of untangling the weave of the storyline and messed-up relationships begin.

The show does not pander to a diverse demographic, though themes of loyalty, friendship and love are universal. The five main male characters are all gay, a lesbian couple make up two of the show's three female roles and the third female character is more politically conscious and active than all of them combined. All of the main characters are also white.

In the same breath of fresh, relatively uncensored air, the show also does not entertain the notion that a drama that focuses solely on the lives and loves of a gay community would never gain enough momentum or have enough plots to make it five seasons.

Many believed the show could have continued another season, but it seems the characters' shoulders couldn't bear any more weight of the problems that plague the community without losing their minds or becoming unrealistic.

Sex and techno music abound in almost every episode, and love is hard to come by within the bare torso-filled club, Babylon, frequented regularly by the characters. This drew criticisms from some members of the gay community that Showtime tried to appease by running a disclaimer that the show was not representative of the community. Although season five deals more with political issues, one of the reasons cited for the show's cancellation was that the cost of the Canadian dollar was rising. The show was shot in Toronto, though set in Pittsburgh.

Its lesbian counterpart, "The L Word," still plays on Showtime, which some believe absolves the network from blame about not wanting to be known as only having gay-friendly programming.

Business consternations aside, the show remains fresh by having a steady rotation of more than 10 different directors, who often employ similar techniques. Some of these techniques are ineffectual, such as the 360-degree steady camera shot that is often utilized when two characters are simply talking in a setting not deserving of such ample coverage. This technique is often paired with a quick zoom accompanied by a "whoosh" sound effect after one of the characters says something particularly revealing.

One more lesson was learned from this show's run: Pair good technique with puns worthy of laughter from pubescent boys, add some attractive actors, touch on serious issues, and you've got yourself a hit show.