Created by Chance Calloway, Pretty Dudes is a thematic comedy series exploring queer life at the intersection of marginalization. Calloway was inspired by ensemble-led topical sitcoms such as A Different World and Living Single, plus indie digital series including Awkward Black Girl and the queer classic Noah’s Arc.

Our first season followed Zario (Bryan Michael Nuñez), a young gay Latino who shares an apartment with his straight friends in Los Angeles. After a difficult breakup, Zario's roommates make a bet to find him potential boyfriends for his next relationship. The season co-starred Xavier Avila, Kyle Rezzarday, Tae Song, Yoshi Sudarso, and Olivia Thai.

Supported by a strong ensemble cast that included appearances by Dion Basco, beau sia, and Kelsey Toussant, the first season became a critical darling, turned viewers into fans, and went on to win several awards, including "Best Music Video" at the 2018 Asians on Film Awards, as well as “Show of the Year” and “Best Performance” for Avila at the 2017 NYPS Awards.

Production began on the second season before the COVID-19 pandemic put a pause, then a definite stop on the continuation of the show as planned. In the meantime we've released How We Break (Pretty Dudes Remixes), an EP featuring remixes of our theme song; Pretty Dudes: The Novel, a novelization of the first season in print, digital, and audio; Anatomical Iconography, a photo book starring our season one Dude Kyle Rezzarday; and RAM (Like the Verb), the newest of three short films utilizing footage originally intended for the original second season. RAM is currently screening at festivals around the world after premiering this past March at the Leeds Queer Film Festival.

The next chapter of Pretty Dudes is not a conventional continuation, but an intentional restructuring of the show as a thematic anthology series: set in the same universe with a few shared characters, but focused on the evolving stories of a variety of queer lives at the intersection of all forms of identity.

The upcoming current season, subtitled The 626, focuses on a group of queer AANHPI friends in the San Gabriel Valley as they navigate cultural and societal expectations during significant celebrations throughout the year. Each episode of the season centers around one event or celebration, paired with a corresponding storytelling device—everything from a Lunar New Year farce to a Pride-set Rashomon homage. As a whole, the season takes a fresh look at chosen families and some of the more challenging aspects of gay culture, from internalized homophobia to navigating consent in safe spaces, through sincere characterizations and raucous comedy.

Same show. New area code. Call it a meat cute. PRETTY DUDES: THE 626 stars Cesar Cipriano as Shane, Wilson Lai as Dream (in the GIF above), Chris Lam as Emperor, Jerry Ng as Iggy, Matthew Solito as Kyrie, and Justin VanCho as London. Also pictured are producer Elton Keung, Calloway, and actor Tom Haggard.

Pretty Dudes: The 626

By Pretty Dudes

Pretty Dudes: The 626

producing a new season of the award-winning comedy series