Pretty Dudes
Pretty Dudes is an American LGBTQ digital dramedy created by Chance Calloway that tells the story of a group of friends in Southern California who navigate in and out of platonic and romantic relationships. Predominantly featuring an inclusive and intersectional cast and crew, the series stars an ensemble that includes Xavier Avila, Tiffany Commons, Bryan Michael Nuñez, Kyle Rezzarday, Manny Shih, Joshuah Noah Snel, Aria Song, Tae Song, Yoshi Sudarso, and Olivia Thai. "Pretty Dudes" aired initially on YouTube and streams on Amazon Prime Video and VOD service Stoopid Ambitious as of 2019. Premise. Set in the greater  Los Angeles area, the series follows a group of millennial friends of varying races, genders, and backgrounds as they navigate platonic and romantic relationships. Photographer Zario (Bryan Michael Nuñez), business law student Ellington (Xavier Avila), gamer Alexander (Kyle Rezzarday), and doumi Jay (Tae Song) live with model Sunji (Yoshi Sudarso), where they are frequently visited by hard-drinking neighbor Eagle (Olivia Thai). After entering a bet to get Zario a new boyfriend, resentments and betrayals cause friction in the group. The second season expands the main group to include painter Kish (Tiffany Commons), art gallery owner December (Aria Song), Ellington 's younger brother Marshall (Joshuah Noah Snel), and December's younger brother Boaz (Manny Shih). Short films and other media. Section::::"Pretty Dudes: Caught Gay-Handed". "Caught Gay-Handed" was the very first "Pretty Dudes"-related project, released April 30, 2017. Section::::"How We Break ("Pretty Dudes" Anthem)". Chance Calloway and Gerry Maravilla co-directed the Malibu-set music video for the series anthem. Featuring Nuñez in an unnamed role implied to be Zario, other cast members also appear in the video alongside the song's singers Matt Almodiel, Calloway and Peter Su. The song and several remixes were released as an EP  compilation. Section::::"Pretty Dudes: The Double Entendre". Containing two episodes, "Bravo Double Delta" and "Brother's Keeper," this short was co-written by all of the season 2 writers, Chance Calloway, Christopher Edelen, and Andrea Lee. This short doesn't seem to be in canon with the actual plot of season 2. Among other things, The Dude House is a different location, singer Tanerélle plays Kish (actress Tiffany Commons has been cast in the same role for season two), and Sammy Cantu plays a character named Aza Keeper, where his season two character is named Ken Dahl. Section::::"Pretty Dudes: The Novel . A novelization of the first season was released on July 7, 2020. Reception. Critical reception. The show's first season received a positive response from critics who mostly praised its diversity and inclusive storylines. Philip Hernandez of Black Talent TV" called "Pretty Dudes" "a one a kind web series." Asyiqin Haron of "Geeks of Color" called the show "incredibly diverse," highlighting the "great storytelling." It was listed as one of "9 Dope, Black Web Series To Dive into for the Summer" by "Shadow and Act", called "extraordinary" and "the rare series that showcases nuanced friendship between gay and straight men  by Jordan Simon who went on to add, If you love "Noah's Arc", you will enjoy this.". While noting that "Pretty Dudes" seemed "created for the gay male and female gaze," Devin Randall complimented the "truly fleshed out story" in a review for "Instinct Magazine". "RIZEup Magazine" called the series "trendsetting." In a negative review, "queerguru" said the series has a "lightweight plot" "intended to be watched only by other millenials."