Dewayne Perkins to Premiere 'I Swear We're Friends' Series on YouTube

Dewayne Perkins will premiere his six-episode YouTube series I Swear We're Friends on Oct. 14, with episodes three and four following on Oct. 21 and the season concluding with episodes five and six on Oct. 28.

The Chicago-born comedian — a star of the 2023 horror-comedy The Blackening and Apple TV's Emmy-winning The Studio — wrote and directed all six installments. He is releasing them independently as a "skitcom" on YouTube this fall.

What is the series about?

Each episode draws on a single beloved television title: Girlfriends, Succession, 24, My Wife & Kids, Charmed and Touched By An Angel. A release describes the project as a "love letter to television" that "mixes the nostalgia of the past with the novelty of the present to create a uniquely absurd comedic experience."

Why center Black gay male friendship?

Perkins frames the show as a long-overdue corrective. "Twenty years after Noah's Arc, why are Black gay male friendships still so rarely at the center of comedy?" the release asks. "With I Swear We're Friends, Dewayne is helping fill a void that remains on-screen two decades later. The series isn't about explaining Black queerness to an outside audience; it gives Black queer men the space to simply be funny, messy, complicated friends."

Who is in the cast?

Perkins headlines alongside Devere Rogers (Abbott Elementary, Honk for Jesus. Save Your Soul), Brian Jordan Jr. (Sistas), Philemon Chambers (Beauty in Black) and Cameron J. Ross (The Summer I Turned Pretty, Boomerang).

Guest stars include Daryl Stephens (Noah's Arc), Steven G. Norfleet (Beauty in Black, Interview with the Vampire), Courtney Taylor (Abbott Elementary, Shrinking, Insecure), Tracie Thoms (Rent, The Devil Wears Prada), Justen Ross (Is God Is, Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heist) and Jermelle Simon (The Upshaws). Grammy winner Durand Bernarr performs the theme song.

Perkins directed all six episodes with Sade Ndya — an ASC Rising Star who has shot Nike x Megan Thee Stallion projects — as director of photography. He co-wrote the series with James Rogers III (The Chi) and Higher Ground's Mark Wright.

Who is producing?

Ex-Girlfriend Co. Production Company produces, with Nance Messineo and Cole Santiago leading the effort alongside Natasha Forouzannia, whose credits include Marvel's Ironheart. Skapa Films — the studio behind Beyoncé's Renaissance film and work for Victoria Monét and Megan Thee Stallion — handles post-production.

What else does Perkins have on deck?

The YouTube rollout overlaps with Perkins' return to The Studio ensemble on Apple TV. Lionsgate is developing The Blackening 2, a sequel to the 2023 film that grossed more than $18 million on a $5 million budget.

Perkins recently joined Scott "Kid Cudi" Mescudi's upcoming directorial feature, the horror-thriller Wrong Number. He is also developing an original comedy at Hulu, with Stephen Curry, Erick Peyton and Sharla Sumpter Bridgett executive producing through Unanimous Media. The series would attach Perkins as writer, executive producer and star if Hulu greenlights it.

On Nov. 9, Perkins brings his one-man show How Being Black & Gay Made Me Better Than You! to Brooklyn's Bell House as part of the New York Comedy Festival, following a sold-out set at Netflix Is a Joke Fest earlier this year.

Perkins is represented by CAA and Artists First, with attorneys Amber Payne and Isaac Dunham.