IMHO: The upside to the rumored cancellation of "The DL Chronicles"

While reading one of my favorite gay pop culture blogs, Living out Loud with Darian, I found out the surprising news that the here! TV network has “postponed” its popular series The DL Chronicles, with “postponed” being construed by many (and probably rightly so) as code for “canceled”, at least on that network.

The move has since inspired the ire of many in the black gay blogosphere who have taken the network to task, even going so far as to posting the name, phone number, and email address of the VP of the network so that disappointed fans can have their say. From the looks of things, the move is being taken as yet another example of a mainstream gay network ignoring the needs of its minority viewers (see: the reaction to the Noah’s Arc cancellation on Logo a few years back), but even as the news sinks in, I’m not too sure that this reaction is entirely justified...

I enjoyed the four episodes that comprised the first season of The DL Chronicles. While it was a bit clichéd at times, it was also thoughtful, sexy, and compelling, and the quality of the work and production far exceeded expectations that have been set by far too many sub par gay-themed projects. In fact, I found myself wondering if perhaps the concept was beneath the execution.

DL cast members

The DL Chronicles premiered at a time in which “the DL” (the concept of some black men living undercover gay lives) was a very hot pop culture topic. Everyone from Oprah to New York magazine got in on the phenomenon and further introduced the concept to the masses.

However, the difference between 2009 and five years ago (when this phenomenon hit the mainstream) is a substantial one. Gay visibility in the media is at a high, and we are seeing more and more gay faces of color in the mix. In the past year alone, when we’ve had gay-themed cinema like the recent Noah’s Arc movie that celebrates two black men getting married and shows like Shirts and Skins and RuPaul’s Drag Race that showcase out and proud gay men of color negotiating success on their own terms, is there still room for a series like The DL Chronicles that is built around the concept of these men cowering in the closet?

Co-creators Quincy LeNear and Deondray Gossett

I suspect that the suits at Here! thought not, and the eternal optimist in me thinks that the show’s cancellation (or “postponement”) is a reaction to the subject matter and not an implicit rejection of their LGBT viewers of color. The DL Chronicles was an entertaining snapshot in time, but the wind seems to be blowing toward a new era in which LGBT people of color are as out and proud as their white counterparts, as well as fully represented in both mainstream and alternative gay media.

I think that co-creators Quincy LeNear and Deondray Gosset have many more interesting stories to tell and the talent to do so, and while it was jarring to see the abrupt exit of a show that had such a following in the community, I can’t wait to see what they come up with next.