Dewayne Perkins is bypassing the traditional pilot route for his next comedy. I Swear We’re Friends, a six-episode digital “skitcom,” will roll out on YouTube this month, with each instalment built around a different television classic: Girlfriends, Succession, 24, My Wife & Kids, Charmed and Touched By An Angel.
The release is independent, with Perkins directing all six episodes. He shares the screen with Devere Rogers, Brian Jordan Jr., Philemon Chambers and Cameron J. Ross. Guest performers include Daryl Stephens, Steven G. Norfleet, Courtney Taylor, Tracie Thoms, Justen Ross and Jermelle Simon; Grammy winner Durand Bernarr handles the theme song.
Release schedule
The series is dropping two episodes at a time:
- Episodes 1 and 2: Oct. 14
- Episodes 3 and 4: Oct. 21
- Episodes 5 and 6: Oct. 28
That cadence stretches the season across three weeks instead of one binge window, a pattern that helps a small digital release stay in discovery and recommendation feeds for longer.
What the bet is
The show leans on two things YouTube rewards: familiarity and community. Each episode borrows the shape and tone of a show audiences already know, while the series puts Black queer male friendship at the centre rather than the edges. The official release framing argues that this dynamic remains underrepresented in mainstream comedy two decades after Noah’s Arc.
The release says the show is about letting its characters be “funny, messy, complicated friends” rather than explaining themselves to an outside audience. That is a community-first pitch, not a broad-market explainer.
Perkins has the profile to get attention without a platform commission. His 2023 horror-comedy The Blackening, co-written with Tracy Oliver, grossed more than $18 million against a $5 million budget. He is also returning to Apple TV’s The Studio, developing The Blackening 2, and has a Hulu comedy in development.
Why it matters for the trade
For streaming and content teams, this is a useful test of a creator-led indie model: known talent, a nostalgia-forward premise, a short season and a distribution culture already built into YouTube. The production team adds music-video and live-performance polish: DP Sade Ndya, Ex-Girlfriend Co. and post house Skapa Films.
The immediate question is whether the format travels beyond its first audience. If the show works, it could become a blueprint for actors and writers who want to test concepts before taking them to a studio or streamer; if it doesn’t, the low-cost digital window limits the downside.
Source: Variety
