It is hard to believe it has been fifteen years since Patrik-Ian Polk’s “Noah’s ARC” first debuted on LOGO TV Network.

Since then Noah’s ARC has spawned two iconic seasons, an independent film, and now a reunion centered on the affects of the coronavirus pandemic on Noah, Wade, Alex, Ricky, and Chance–“Noah’s ARC: The “Rona Chronicles!”

Needless to say this reunion was right on time and just what we needed during these trying times. A true breath of fresh air! The show was preceded by a pre-show and collection of well wishes with notable Black LGBT stars and fans of the original Noah’s ARC since its early 2000’s inception. The show paved the way for a number of Black LGBT productions like Pose, About Him, Twenties, and so many others.

The show centers on our motley cast dealing with the overcast of the coronavirus pandemic. Noah tells Alex he and Wade are at odds over a “situation” between him and three friends, meanwhile he has life altering news he needs to share with his crew. Alex’s son OJ is now identifying as non-binary, while his husband Trey struggles to deal with being a medic witnessing the onslaught of the pandemic. Chance now lives in Mississippi with a new position at a new college, while his husband and stepdaughter, Eddie and Kenya (all grown up and beautiful), are in Florida caring for the other’s aging mother. Finally, Ricky is STILL Ricky, trying to find safe ways to hook up with guys during the pandemic, while possibly reconnecting with his former love, Junito.

The show’s format was based on Zoom calls, allowing them to safely film the series while being true and entertaining to the source content of the series. The guys have all aged well and you can tell they were happy to be back in the swing of things. The timing of this reunion is everything AND creative. Mainstream television had the right idea with rebooting its older series and Patrik has the right idea with bringing back this amazing cast of actors.

There is a real lack of positive and quality Black LGBT content in media nowadays and The ‘Rona Chronicles may be what we need to satiate and fill this empty space. Welcome back guys you were all missed–dearly!

Patrik-Ian Polk, write and creator of “Noah’s ARC”

What We Liked 

-Seeing the entire main cast back together, including Brandy (Jennia Fredrique) and Junito (Wilson Cruz), making this project happen.

-Wade and Noah are still together and HAPPY.

-The dynamic of Noah and his ARC are still there. The chemistry, the way they play off each other, and their sense of family and community are as strong as ever.

-The show addressed the dangers and effects of the coronavirus pandemic. It really lets audiences know we are all in this together!

What We Loved

-Wade and Noah are going to be daddies!!! It’s the natural evolution of their relationship and family. This kid is going to be an amazing mix of both his/her fathers and we cannot wait!

-Alex is truly MAMA! Everything he does is a hoot, but we love him nonetheless.

-Meeting Wade’s father and Alex’s brother! It was good to see more family in the mix. Wade’s father definitely set him straight–in a parenting sense, and the duet with Alex and his brother of “Don’t Lose This Feeling That We Have” from “The Wiz” was EVERYTHING!

-The inclusion of Black Lives Matter issues and police brutality. RIP Rayshard Brooks!

-Brandon Karson, formerly of “About Him,” making an appearance on the show! It was a shocker, but well received! Check out his involvement with the series in a brief interview below:

What We Hated

-We didn’t get to see Alex’s child, OJ!

-What happened to Brandon (Gary LeRoi Gray) from “Noah’s ARC: Jumping The Broom?” We need an update!

The sun always seems to shine on Gary Lavard. Whether he is acting, modeling, or producing; the man may very well be a living example of “Never Not Working!” In Gary’s latest venture, his production company, GLO Media, has partnered with Victory Productions Network, owned and created by Augusta filmmaker and director, Karlton T. Clay, to produce a new web series, “My Life!”

The series centers on Kevin (Gary Lavard) a 35 year old man with a wife (Kiara Bennett) and kids struggling with his sexuality. He manages to keep his secret lives apart until Troy (Marquis Woolford), the man he had an affair with unwittingly shows up at his birthday party. Kevin’s life begins to unravel as he struggles to maintain his life as is while dealing with his growing desire for other men.

The series will be released biweekly on GLO Media and Victory Production Network’s YouTube channel, but if you can’t wait (like we can’t) you can purchase the entire series by clicking here.

Grade: A-

The first episode episode, “If You Look At My Life, See What I See” can be viewed below:

review cont’d on the next page…

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While the world has been set on pause, thanks to coronavirus, Corey Knott and the boys at HD Productions Network have seemingly been working away. The indie network’s latest projects is a comedic new limited series entitled, “COVID!” The series features characters from HD’s Daytime Emmy pre-nominated series (for Outstanding Digital Drama Series), “Living 4 The Weekend,” now in its fourth season!

“COVID” really spoofs the isolation and fear we are feeling globally. In its own way, it lets us all know we are all truly in this together, dealing with a common problem. We spoke with Cory briefly for a quick Q&A on the series. Check it out below:

1. Why’d you decide to a limited series and entitle it episode entitled “COVID” and make it a comedy?

In the wake of the pandemic and social distancing precautions. I felt that it would serve purpose to loyal fans who are experiencing the same thing we all are worldwide. The series was created to make us laugh at the things we really want to scream about. Let’s face it. We all want to go back OUTSIDE! 

2. How has your production company adapted to the new restrictions since the outbreak?

Luckily for HD Productions Network, we had just wrapped filming Fallacies The Final Season and Living 4 The Weekend Season 4 the week before the shutdown. The COVID Series was created as a “stall” tactic to ensure that we wouldn’t run out of NEW episodes until the studios reopened to begin filming other series. I didn’t want to have a gap in time until the next group of series dropped on our network which realistically  would be early Fall.

3. Have you seen a positive or negative jump or slump in views on your series since the outbreak?

Well of course. Sales have doubled this month. Everyone is home. People are bored and want to watch something relatable. Living 4 The Weekend is breaking barriers while COVID is breaking the internet with views out the world. For example. I posted episode 2 of COVID at midnight. I woke up at 8am to 10k views! I say its pretty impressive.

4. What other shows can we expect?

Normally I would say expect the unexpected but lucky for you readers I have nothing but time. No pun intended. Throughout this pandemic, my team and I put in some work. HD Productions Network celebrated 6 years on 4/15/20. As part of the HD6 Upfronts, I present to you… House Boys S1 The Pier (Feature Film) Pieces S2 Ex-Hell (Limited Series) Ronnie and Klyde (Limited Series) and Living 4 The Weekend S5

COVID is seriously funny and there are now two episodes to view. The second episode has already garnered over 25K views! You’ll even catch an appearance from our very own, Michael “Hey Mikey” Fanning. We have to say we are impressed with HD’s progress and the series they are churning out. You can catch “COVID” by subscribing at www.hdproductionsnetwork.tv/!