Noah’s Arc, which premiered this week on Logo, follows the intertwining lives of a group of four black gay friends in L.A. At the center of the show is Noah (Darryl Stephens), a young pretty-boy who dreams of making it big as a screenwriter. Noah becomes interested in Wade (Jensen Atwood), a man who has already found success in the same field. The two hang out together at a coffee house to write, and the supposedly-straight Wade flirts with Noah mercilessly.

Wade goes so far as telling Noah that he finds him “sexually enticing,” but adds that for anything to happen between them there would have to be a woman involved. Consequently, Noah and Wade’s first sexual encounter begins as a threeway with a model Wade knows, but they’ve already kicked the girl out by the time they hop into bed together.

As the series progresses, Wade proves to be the perfect boyfriend—sensitive, successful, attentive and sexy—as well as a monumental risk, someone who dips his foot in the pool but may never dive in.

In the first episode, Noah is reluctant to introduce Wade to his friends when they run into each other on the beach, because he still thinks Wade is 100% straight and Noah is somewhat ashamed of his pals’ flamboyance. Likewise, in a future episode Wade tries to get Noah to turn his flame down to a simmer when he’s about to meet Wade’s straight friends.

In the second episode, Noah brings Wade to brunch with the gang and Wade’s ignorance about gay culture makes for some awkward moments.

Future episodes promise a continued focus on the relationship evolving between Noah and Wade, as they work to negotiate its shifting terrain. Tension develops as they try emerge from their cocooning and integrate into each other's lives.

Wade is probably the best example of the show’s ability to draw complex characters. He’s butch and insists he isn’t gay, yet he is drawn to Noah and is clearly attracted to him. After they have sex he shyly admits that he liked it, but is scared. Atwood pulls off a realistic portrayal of someone who exudes confidence even as he ventures into unfamiliar territory—someone who is strong enough to make himself vulnerable.

Noah’s character is equally complex from the start.

The other main characters appear more like types than real people, but they need more than a single episode to develop.

Chance (Douglas Spearman), the uptight academic who teaches economics at UCLA, has just moved in with his new boyfriend, Eddie (Jonathan Julian) and Eddie’s young daughter (Jurnee Johnson). As the series progresses Chance discovers that Eddie is hiding something that might threaten the happy little home they’ve made together.