Carl Horvath

Infobox character | name = Carl Horvath
portrayer = Peter MacNeill
creator = Ron Cowen
Daniel Lipman
species =
gender = Male
first = Season 2, Episode 10
last =
cause =
age =
occupation = Police detective
title = Detective Horvath
alias =
family = Celia (wife, deceased)
significantother = Debbie Novotny
children = son Carl Jr., daughter Vicki
relatives =
footnotes =

Detective Carl Horvath is a fictional character on the North American version of the TV drama "Queer as Folk". He appears in seasons 2 through 5 as a secondary character.

Carl first appears in season 2 as an investigating police officer when Debbie finds the body of a young gay hustler in a dumpster behind the Liberty Diner. He makes a homophobic comment to another officer ("Looks like we got a Jane Doe") which Debbie overhears, and she immediately berates Carl for his disrespect. Because of this, and also the slow police response to the investigation of the murder, Debbie initially dislikes Carl. With Vic and Jennifer's help, Debbie finds out the young man's name was Jason Kemp, and she gives this information to Carl. Debbie is surprised when, soon after, Carl shows up at Debbie's house and tells her the background information he was able to learn after Debbie's tip. However, it is not until season 3 that the murder of Jason Kemp is resolved, since it involved corruption within the police department and the former partner of Police Chief Jim Stockwell, who ran for Mayor during that season.

Carl asks Debbie out on a date after her assistance with the investigation in season 2, and she reluctantly agrees. While eating seafood and showing each other pictures, it is revealed that Carl is a widower and has two children, a son and a daughter. His son is in the Air Force and is stationed in Germany, and he has "a couple of little ones", making Carl a grandfather. His daughter is married to an African-American lawyer and lives in Utah, so Carl and Debbie bond a bit over the fact that they have to allow their children to be who they are. Carl's relationship with Debbie soon becomes sexual, with Emmett and Ted instructing Debbie on how to please Carl in bed. Carl mistakes Debbie for a "professional", which hurts Debbie's feelings at first, until Emmett and Ted reveal their role in assisting Debbie. Carl and Debbie's relationship becomes strained during the third season, when Carl feels he has to back Chief Stockwell in the mayoral election or risk reprisal from the police force, while Debbie strongly supports the implied Democrat, Councilman Deekins.

By the later seasons, Debbie and Carl resume their relationship, and Carl eventually asks Debbie to marry him. Although Debbie accepts his proposal, she becomes upset that her son Michael cannot marry his partner Ben, so Debbie and Carl decide to live as a common-law couple.