Noah's Arc

set design, lighting and wardrobe are outstanding! among the best on broadcast or cable. hopefully the production will submit for awards. hair and makeup should also be noted. the casting is oh so thoughtful but what else would be expected from a native mississippian? something about that part of the south breeds thoughtfulness in artistic expression, at least to me. content, as other commentators have noted is indeed groundbreaking and this show has the potential to build bridges and tolerance. most people who are uncomfortable with gay people don't know any, at least none who live in truth. let's hope logo holds onto it and gives it solid (and thoughtful!) marketing and pr support. everybody who's a fan take note of the show's advertisers and let them know you appreciate their courage and good taste.(well, i am watching the ads now...enzyte and guys gone wild...but still the courage part can still apply...)

Noah's Arc is a show about four black gay men dealing with all sorts of human issues dealt not just within the gay community, but within every community. Noah, played by Darryl Stephens, is a wallflower, screenwriter type who is looking for the perfect love in Wade. Wade, played by Jensen Atwood, is also a screenwriter who has never been in a relationship with a man, until he met Noah. Noah has three friends. Alex, played by Rodney Chester, who runs an HIV clinic and is going through the ups and downs of being in a long term relationship. Ricky, played by Christian Vincent, is the promiscuous store owner on Melrose, who is protective over his friends and afraid of monogamy. Chance, played by Doug Spearman, is a college professor, who is adjusting to the idea of having a husband and raising a child. Each one of these actors are tailor made for their parts on this show. I know the show is not for everyone, and it's not claiming to be for everyone. But if your into watching a show dealing with human beings with human issues that remind you of yourself or someone you know, I guarantee you'll love this show. Patrik Ian Polk has done an amazing job creating a show that incorporates comedy, drama and lust in a time frame of 22 minutes. I just wish the show was longer. I really hope that this show continues to grow and stays on the air for a very long time. In 2006, its about time someone like Patrik Ian Polk had the guts to say screw the masses and create a show as groundbreaking as Noah's Arc. This is a great wake up call for all people.

It really bugs me that with all the hype surrounding BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN and the performances of Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal, very little love is being shown the landmark series that is NOAH'S ARC. Not to take anything away from the performances of the cast, Ang Lee's note-perfect direction or the milestone that this movie represents, but hey, NOAH "ain't nuthin' to sneeze at", either!

So, "what's the 'T', gurl?" as one of the livelier characters says as his trademark catchphrase. The "T" is a funny, silly, sometimes slap-sticky and very soapy, yet remarkable series for presenting something that mainstream TV (and the media in general) has yet to realize: black gay men not only do exist, (=GASP!=), but the foibles, failings, flings and frenetic friendships that they have are universal - not just to other gay men, but to everyone in general!

Presenting the lives of BGM's in a positive light NEVER seen before on television, NOAH bids us watch as the story of four friends unfolds. Noah (Darryl Stephens), is a cute screenwriter living and working in Santa Monica, CA., crushing heavily on the straight-but-curious hunk Wade (Jensen Atwood), who is also a writer. This raises the eyebrows and the concern of his three closest friends: Chance (Doug Spearman), a buttoned-down English lit professor who is just entering into a monogamous relationship (or so he thinks); Alex (Rodney Chester), the sassy, brassy, divalicious group "mother hen" who works as an AIDS counselor at a local clinic and has been in a LTR with his impossibly gorgeous bodybuilder hubby, Trey (Gregory Keith) for seven years, and finally, hard-bodied and hard-partying Ricky, (Christian Vincent), who considers the concept of monogamy about as necessary in his life as a bad case of leprosy, and sleeps with different men about as fast as Anna Nicole Smith plows through a bag of Lay's potato chips. (Think a black counterpart of Brian on QAF, but with a better body and a bigger...LIBIDO, and you're there!)

Okay, so the 411 on Season One: it has a tendency to lean towards melodramatic exaggeration, but no more or less than any prime-time soap does. The remarkable thing, besides having an all-black cast playing gay black characters as (mostly) positive role models, is that even after all these episodes, I still LIKE them all immensely, for all their faults...even Ricky, who at the end of Season One is nursing a broken heart for maybe the first time in his life, (but you'll have to watch the reruns for the "how" and "why".)

And just getting back to the BROKEBACK accolades for a moment...where's the back-slapping and congrats for THIS cast? True, most of these actors have limited credits, though are definitely not limited in the talent department, and most of them are STRAIGHT! So why aren't they being lauded for their "bravery," for keeping it real in every scene they play, ESPECIALLY the love scenes? It could be said that because NOAH is the first major project for many of them, that they have nothing to lose in giving it their all for these characters. So, what was the excuse for the actors on QAF? For me, the thrill was gone when I reached the end of Season Two for that show. Not only could I not get enough of spending time with Noah and his friends, but I can't WAIT to see what will happen to them next! Being a GBM myself, I have to admit to some bias, but I still think that no one has achieved what writer/director/creator/producer Patrik-Ian Polk has here, and that's even with a non-black cast!

In other words, if you've been waiting for the "black" QUEER AS FOLK, it's here, it's most definitely queer, but you won't mind "getting used to it." Because in a lot of aspects where QAF failed, NOAH succeeds with flying colors. Now I hope that the cast, crew and creator can take the surplus of goodwill and the rep they've built, and run with it right into Season Two!

This show is a great show for not only the black gay community but the gay community. I have never seen such a positive depiction of black gay men EVER!!!! The only thing you here about black gay men is the two letters DL. In this diverse sexually alternative saga, we meet Noah (Darryl Stephens), the main character, is a struggling screenwriter who resides in lovely Santa Monica, CA and acquires a crush on another screenwriter Wade(Jensen Atwood). Wade is a newly out man who appears to be heterosexual.

Noah has four friends: Alex (Rodney Chester), an AIDS educator, who Noah met during his first HIV test. Alex is a sassy divo who you can say is the matriarch of the group. He has been in a seven year relationship with Trey(Gregory Keith). Around his friends he masquerades a sense of confidence but inside feels distrust and low self esteem. Chance (Doug Spearman) is the Ivy Leaguer of the group who is a college professor at UCLA. He is moving into a new house with his husband Eddie (Johnathan Julian) and step-daugther Kenya. He struggles to commit to his marriage because of his rapid courtship but learns to live with it because of Eddie's charm and sensitivity.

Lastly, we have Ricky (Christian Vincent), the playa of the group who believes commitment is about as useful as chewed up flavorless gum. He shuns his confidantes for seeking commitment as he changes men like changing clothes. He is a successful owner of a clothing boutique on historical Melrose Avenue.

Sassy, Funny, Fabulous, Fierce, Noah's Arc has already made history as the first black gay series on television. Patrik Ian Polk, the creator, director, writer, producer of this groundbreaking pot-boiler, gives a unique and wonderful visionary of four fashionable and fabulous black friends who go through the ups and downs of the gay community. In Conclusion, you should watch this

Situational comedy involving gay African-American men in Southern California...and it's a hugely enjoyable, happy surprise. Having fun with stereotypes, and thankfully ignoring political issues, "Noah's Arc" just wants to tease and have fun, and the results are sweetly giddy. A subplot about a cheating lover (handled with surprising skill and taste) is about as serious as it gets. The show, running on the Logo Network, has enough heart to change perceptions and enough wit to make each new episode worth finding. The cast is uniformly excellent; it's probably always the case with a show like this to wonder if these talented men are, in fact, homosexual (and if not, how much training does it take for straight actors to fit so comfortably into this no-holds-barred gay atmosphere?). The scenario doesn't dwell much in their work-a-day lives (husky Trey, played by Gregory Kieth, is the only one who seems to work on a regular basis), so there's more than an element of fantasy here, with plush digs and lots of money going around. Yet, if "Noah's Arc" isn't exactly a gritty or realistic show about the gay black man's struggle in today's world, it is a pleasurable outing that treats its characters with heart, smarts, comic sensitivity, and courage.