TV Review - Noah's Arc: The 'Rona Chronicles (Outfest)

This special episode of Noah's Arc (2005) was aired in 2020 to coincide with the 15th anniversary of the TV series that has been one of the most preeminent programs about the gay Black male experience in the modern era. The series lasted for two seasons and even spawned a feature film called Noah's Arc: Jumping the Broom (2008). Writer-director Patrik-Ian Polk created the series because of the lack of representation of gay Black men in the media. Since his series, there has been numerous examples of gay Black men sprinkled here and there about the media landscape, but there has never been a series like Polk's in the 15 years since. That's why the series has been so important to so many in the Black LGBTQ community and for so long. To go along with the 15th anniversary, Polk posted on YouTube the short film and promotional videos that inspired the series.

If you watched that short film, it really did set the template for the series. It involved a young Black man named Noah who was having a relationship issue with another young Black man, so Noah decides to call his three friends, all of whom are gay and men of color. Noah talks to all three at once on a four-way call and they give him their opinions, a range of them, as well as conflicting advice. This special episode basically duplicates that idea, but instead of being over the telephone, the four-way call is over Zoom or video-chat, due to the fact that this entire episode is set during the COVID-19 pandemic. Polk crafts this episode as how the four friends are handling being quarantined through 2020.

Darryl Stephens (From Zero to I Love You and Boy Culture) stars as Noah, a Hollywood screenwriter who has written movies. When the series first started, he was trying to make it big. 15 years later, he seems to have made it big, living in what looks like a huge and luxurious house. He also has an incredible and fabulous, if not opulent wardrobe. In the series, Noah was concerned about building his relationship with his boyfriend. In the film, Noah was concerned with getting married to said boyfriend. Now, he's concerned with taking the next step with that same guy, but the coronavirus pandemic has put a damper on a lot of things.

As with a few things early in the pandemic, this episode is done as if over Zoom. It doesn't seem as if the episode was actually shot over Zoom. Polk produces it better, but with some VFX to make it appear as such. Given the whole thing seemingly is a Zoom call, it's really all about the performances and the conversations. If one is familiar with the original series, the conflict between Noah and his husband, Wade, played by Jensen Atwood (Dante's Cove and Their Eyes Were Watching God), centers on them struggling with their gender roles.

Polk also takes the opportunity to address current, topical issues. In addition to COVID-19 and how it has affected the Black community and the gay community, Polk has his characters wrestle with other things. Alex, played by Rodney Chester, is dealing with his child being nonbinary and Alex struggling to get his child's pronouns correct, which even people in the LGBTQ community can struggle. Ricky, played by Christian Vincent, is dealing with being single and having to cut off his promiscuity because he fears catching the coronavirus, which is a throwback to the series and Ricky's relationship with HIV-positive doctor, Junito, played by Wilson Cruz. Chance, played by Doug Spearman, is dealing with protests over Confederate monuments and Black Lives Matter. So, Polk is being very fresh and topical here.

In addition to the main cast, there are a lot of interesting guest stars. Lena Waithe introduces the episode where she talks about how revolutionary the original series was. Polk even incorporates music from Janet Jackson who is a straight ally and a bit of an icon for gay men of color. We hear Jackson's "Gon' B Alright" song. However, in the narrative, we get other notable people. One of which is Wanda Sykes who brings her usual comedic sassy nature to this episode. Another is probably my favorite and it's Tituss Burgess (Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt) who plays Alex's brother but has a meta-moment where he basically expresses what a lot of people who watch this feel about Alex and the actor playing him. It was sentimental but perfectly put.

Not Rated but contains nudity and language.
Running Time: 40 mins.

Playing at Outfest Los Angeles, in-person and virtually.