When creator, writer, and star Dewayne Perkins took the stage at a special preview screening on October 8, he didn’t hold back about the journey of bringing his new web series to life. “This was the hardest thing I ever did in my life,” he said. “It took a long time for us to get here.”

That labor of love is I Swear We’re Friends, a new six-episode digital skitcom premiering on Dewayne Perkins’ YouTube channel. The first two episodes drop on October 14, followed by two episodes a week until the full season concludes.

Hilarious, fresh, and truly unlike anything previously seen on screen, I Swear We’re Friends offers an original and relatable look at a group of Black gay men navigating everyday life, relationships, and unexpected drama. The series is a comedic love letter to television, each short episode mixing modern hilarity with classic TV nostalgia, drawing inspiration from beloved series like Girlfriends, Succession, 24, My Wife & Kids, Charmed, and Touched by an Angel.

For Perkins, making I Swear We’re Friends required betting on his vision and funding the project independently. “This was self-funded,” he said during the event. “I was told not to spend my money, and now I get why. But it was truly a worthy investment, and I’m so glad that I did it. And I’m so happy for y’all to see what we all created.”

To execute the genre-blending format, Perkins designed a loose, freeing structure for the writers’ room. “I just wanted to do something fun,” he said. “What is the best way to create a show that is not reliant on plot necessarily but can be inserted if I need it? Often I think queerness serves a purpose. And to free us of the restraints of the purpose and just be like, sometimes niggas just be doing, to show that in an industry that constantly tries to say that this is niche, it’s not. It’s universal as everything else.”

The series stars a talented ensemble led by Perkins as Billy, alongside Brian Jordan Jr. as Zeke, who currently stars as Maurice in Tyler Perry’s hit BET drama Sistas, Devere Rogers as Jacobi, Philemon Chambers as Jonathan, and Cameron Ross as Pierre, with Steven G. Norfleet, Jermelle Simon, Justen Ross, Courtney Taylor, Tracie Thoms, and Daryl Stephens rounding out the cast.

During the post-screening Q&A, the cast reflected on what drew them to the project and what it meant to be a part of it. “There’s so much dexterity in Black male queerness, but also just in Black manhood,” Jordan said, speaking to the dexterity of Black male representation in the show. “I was so excited to do this because of the belonging of masculinity inside of a feminine circle that we never see, but it exists. I think that it’s a powerful message for people who have never seen themselves before.”

Perkins opened up about what playing Billy allowed him to access as a performer. “Billy’s low-key like a secret villain,” he said. “He’s kind of the leader in a way that nobody told him to be. In creating the characters, I was able to play a character that I haven’t been able to play. I was able to be more feminine because I didn’t feel like I had to represent the identity. There were so many versions of Black queerness that I was able to make a character very specific.”

Chambers described his character Jonathan as a grounding presence in the group. “I bring a lot of balance into the group,” he said. “We touched on the Noah’s Arc of it all, but there hasn’t been a queer show since then… It’s refreshing to see gay men just be together and just to coexist and be friends.”

Beyond the character, Chambers was candid about what the experience of making the show meant to him personally. “I’ve been on so many sets where I have felt other, I’ve not felt seen, I’ve had to explain my queerness and my Blackness,” he said. “To be working with someone who I consider a really good friend and to gain really good friends throughout this process, it healed me. It renewed that idea that this actually can be the reality.”

Rogers said playing Jacobi let him explore a side of himself he doesn’t usually get to. “Jacobi is that friend that everyone has that is kind of a fuck-up, but you love them anyway,” he said. “It was good to play that friend because usually I’m the strong one or the one that takes care of everybody.”

Ross, who plays Pierre, said his character is one audiences might warm up to faster than expected. “Pierre represents just the person in the group who is always looking for attention, is probably ego-driven, and I also think he’s fab,” he said. “You might fall in love with him a bit more.”

I Swear We’re Friends is produced by Nance Messineo and Cole Santiago of Ex-Girlfriend Co. alongside producer Natasha Forouzannia, with a theme song performed by Grammy-winning artist Durand Bernarr.

The first two episodes arrive on YouTube on October 14.