There are many formulas that I like, mostly because they work. The formula for original Coke is perfect and irreplaceable. New Coke be damned. One of my favorites, is what I call the Golden Girls formula for the perfect sitcom. I believe that any successful foursome will have the smart one, the slut, the dumb/ditzy/innocent one, and the wild card. Take a moment, and think about Dorothy, Blanche, Rose and Sophia respectively. Now think of Sex and the City‘s Miranda, Samantha, Charlotte and Carrie. How about the Facts of Life girls, or the Queer as Folk guys? It works, right?
A few years ago, I stumbled on a Logo network show called Noah’s Arc. It chronicles the lives a four gay black men who are best friends and confidantes. Much like their Sex and The City counterparts, their love lives, careers and daily dramas play the central role. Noah (Darryl Stephens) is the main character, the Carrie Bradshaw of the group. In fact, like Carrie, he is a writer, albeit a screenwriter versus her columnist. Noah’s friends, Ricky (Christian VIncent), a boutique owner and man-whore, Alex (Rodney Chester) an HIV clinic owner and Chance (Douglas Spearman) the college professor, make up the Arc and bring their own boyfriends, spouses and lovers into the mix. Wade (Jensen Atwood) is Noah’s “Mr. Big,” and before things get good, they get bad and then worse.
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