Patrik-Ian Polk has something to say.
That will not surprise anyone familiar with the writer/director’s signature work, Noah’s Arc. The groundbreaking TV series aired for two seasons on Logo beginning in 2004, and holds a special place in television history as the first series to center on a group of queer African-American men living in Los Angeles. The show also helped launch the careers of stars Darryl Stephens, Doug Spearman and Jensen Atwood.
In addition to Noah’s Arc, Polk made a name for himself as a writer/director with the indie film Punks, which played the Sundance Film Festival back in 2000. His subsequent outings, The Skinny and Blackbird also dealt with the intersectionality of life as an LGBTQ African-American man.
Related: ‘Noah’s Arc’ set to return for a live reunion special
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We last saw the crew of Noah’s Arc back in 2008 in Noah’s Arc: Jumping the Broom, a feature-film to cap off the series, and the story of aspiring writer Noah Nicholson. Now, this July 5, Polk and the cast of Noah’s Arc return for a special 15-year anniversary special. Performed as a live reading, Noah’s Arc: The ‘Rona Chronicles catches up with Noah & friends more than a decade later, and taking part in the Black Lives Matter protests as well as reeling from the COVID-19 pandemic. Viewers can also donate to the reunion charity fund, the proceeds of which will go to benefit a series of black LGBTQ non-profit organizations.
We snagged some time to chat with Polk just ahead of the reunion to talk about the state of his own life, finding his beloved characters again, and how the state of the world has changed since the show’s premiere. Noah’s Arc: The ‘Rona Chronicles streams on YouTube and Facebook Sunday, July 5, 2020 at 8:00PM EDT / 5:00PM PDT.
Zambos271
I loved Noah’s Arc! I would also love a revival. There need to be more shows focused on gay black men and their experiences.
sfhairy
I remember accidentally catching this show (I think streaming) and binged it. Loved how it showcased black gay men and their lives. Definitely the first show to do this, at least from an authentic point of view. Please do a revival, I would love to see where these characters have ended up.
Kangol2
The Noah’s Arc revival last night was a lot of fun to watch and brought back great memories of the show. I wish it were possible for them to do another limited run series. All the actors save one seem not to have aged at all since the early 2000s. It would also be pioneering to have a series about Black gay & Latinx (sorry, Wilson Cruz haters) men. One of my favorite newest additions was Tituss Burgess as Rodney Chester’s little brother. If the series does come back or there’s a film, please keep his character as part of it.
stanhope
You can best believe if the cast were white the series would have aired much longer
justgeo
Tried to watch just got too bored. Was a teacher in a NYC school.
Sorry lot say overly entitled demanding black kids.
Blackceo
I loved Noah’s Arc. I related so much to this show. I also have 3 great gay friends. They are really the only gay friends that I have. I have a bunch of other associates, but my core group of gays are the 3 I have. We are all quite different in personality like the characters on Noah’s Arc, but very like minded in terms of politics and social justice issues. This was the first show where I felt seen and could related to other characters. That representation is important for all Black LGBTQ youth, but especially young Black LGBTQ youth who look at all forms of print and digital media and see mostly gay faces who don’t look like theirs. The ‘Rona Chronicles took me down memory lane and now I really want this show to come back, or at least another one like it.