Web Video / Pretty Dudes

Season two cast from left to right: (top) Zario, Sunji; (middle) Cassian, Ellington, Kish; (bottom) Marshall, Alexander, Boaz, December

"We are the motherfuckers who are the living proof that there is a cost to being a cosmetic genetic."

— Jericho 'Jay' Kim, "The Curse"

A digital Roommate Com about a group of good-looking friends in Los Angeles, who feel like their looks cause them all the problems they have. As the series continues, it becomes clear that there are plenty of other reasons the titular Dudes have problems.

The series has a truly inclusive cast, with performers of all races, genders and abilities making up the large extended cast. The inclusion spreads to the crew as well, with artists of different backgrounds producing, writing and directing, headed by showrunner Chance Calloway.

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Tropes associated with Pretty Dudes include:

• And Starring: Olivia Thai in season one and Yoshi Sudarso in the second.
• The Bet: In the second episode, titled "The Dudes Make a Bet," the characters all enter a bet that is not resolved until the penultimate episode of that season. It's such a driving plot point that Eagle, a character who won't appear onscreen for several more episodes, is explicitly involved.
• Big Eater: Jay is constantly eating.
• Butt-Monkey: Jay is positively brutal to Alexander, ridiculing him relentlessly in almost every episode.
• Cain and Abel and Seth: Ellington's younger brother Marshall is introduced early in the series, and their middle brother Carver shows up halfway through the second season, exposing all the family drama the other brothers have done their best to avoid.
• Cast Full of Pretty Boys: This is one of the main tropes the series is built on, with Jay referring to the Dudes as "the cosmetic genetics" in the first episode.
• Coordinated Clothes: Even though it's never brought up in the actual episodes, each of the six main characters wear matching necklaces that symbolize their friendship. No other characters are ever seen wearing one, and the main Dudes wear them even when they're shirtless or nude.
• "Do It Yourself" Theme Tune: Showrunner Chance Calloway is one of the songwriters and vocalists on the "Pretty Dudes Anthem," which also features guest actor Michael Bow.
• Drop-In Character: Eagle is this in the first season, though she's seen bringing alcohol over (or offering Thanksgiving dinner) and rarely seen taking anything.
• Even the Guys Want Him: Definitely Ellington. Not only do the characters frequently marvel over his body and attitude, but the real-life co-stars (of all sexualities) have also publically drooled over Xavier Avila, the actor who plays him.
• Family Theme Naming:
  • The Gomez brothers' first names are the last names of influential Black Americans - (Duke) Ellington, (George Washington) Carver, and (Thurgood) Marshall. This means they're each also Named After Somebody Famous.
    • They mention a sister named Alvera, which might be a riff on Sojourner Truth.
  • Similarly, the Diolosa brothers are named after two rich American families - Rockefeller and Vanderbilt.
  • Alexander and his brothers have Alphabetical Theme Naming with first and last names that start with the same letter - Archer "Archie" Carson, Aaron Christopher, Aiden Connor, and Alexander Cole Erzähler.
  • Interestingly, the only other important set of siblings on the show, sister and brother December and Boaz, have no theme to their names and are also the only set of onscreen siblings to not be the same gender.

• Four-Girl Ensemble: In the Heather Matarazzo-directed episode "Present Tense," this trope solidifies with Kish as the Deadpan Snarker, December as the naive and hopeful one, Armoni Chantal as the free-spirited one, and Fable as the level-headed Team Mom.

• Gender-Concealing Writing: Before Eagle shows up, it's generally implied that she's male like all of the characters so far introduced in the friend group.
• The Heart: At first Zario is presented as this, but as the series continues, Zario starts to seem more selfish in comparison to Sunji, who really cares about the Dudes and their lives to the point of not even charging them rent.
• Holiday Episode: The second season series is peppered with several, as the episodes all fall during the colder months:
  • Halloween Episode: "The Trent Kent Event," where the Dudes prep last-minute costumes for an annual low-budget party.
  • Thanksgiving Episode: A Multi-Part Episode, "Gobble Gobble/Cake Responsibly," where the Dudes have several guests - including an uninvited family member. There's a lot of drinking, dueling turkeys, the works.
  • Christmas Episode: The season finale begins at Christmas and everything that follows is because of what happens on Christmas morning.
  • New Year Has Come: The season finale also features a New Year countdown.
• In-Series Nickname
  • Jay is the only character to call Zario "Zee" and he's also seen calling Marshall "Marshmallow" and "Marsh-swallows" much to the chagrin of Marshall's brother.
  • Jay has an entire thing about nicknames it seems, as he calls his cousin Eugene "Genie" and has nicknames for all of his former girlfriends. Folks he doesn't have name for? The folks he's not close to, like all of the heterosexual Dudes.
  • Carver has nicknames for his brothers, calling Ellington "Elías" and Marshall "Mars." They call him "Caví."
• Novelization: The inventively titled Pretty Dudes: The Novel, which takes all of the characters from the show, adds a few more, and recounts the adventures of the first season in greater detail, specifically with Zario's romantic and family histories.
• Only Known by Their Nickname:
  • Zario reveals his name is Hector to both Eagle and Iggy, but no one ever calls him that.
  • Eagle never reveals her real name. She's so accustomed to this, it takes her a minute to realize that December's real name is December.
  • Only Jay's cousin Genie calls him by his first name, Jericho.
  • Jay has a plethora of alleged ex-girlfriends with ridiculous names who he had nicknames for: Connie (Constellation), Ricki (Hurricane), Dee Dee (Chandelier), and Tabby (Tabernacle). Though his roommates don't believe him initially, it's hinted they might all exist when his only onscreen ex-girlfriend Callie reveals her first name is actually Calligraphy.
• Pretty Boy: All of the main characters, though who's the prettiest is left for the viewer to decide.
• Put on a Bus: Jay and Zario literally drive off into the night in the season one finale, so Jay's absence in the second season is inferred long before it's explained. Similarly, in the same finale, the last shot of Eagle shows her coming down the stairs with a packed bag - after coming out to her husband as a lesbian - and she is never seen again.
• Shout-Out: In the screen life episode Zario's music library contains tracks by fictional soul divas Drinka Champagne (The Cheetah Girls) and Jackie Washington (Jackies Back) alongside real artists like Whitney Houston and Patti LaBelle.
• Show Within a Show: Hall Pass, the Peter Engel-style series starring Elijah and Cassian.
• So Beautiful, It's a Curse: The entire first season revolves around this trope, and the characters frequently refer to the "Pretty Boy Curse."
• Title Drop: "We're pretty, dudes!"
• Token White: In the first season, this is Alexander. Then, after a brief respite in season two, he's solo again.
• Wall Bang Her: Ram and Alexander have an intense argument that leads to this.
• Why Did It Have to Be Snakes?: Jay has a never-explained worry about earthquakes.
• With Friends Like These...: Nobody outside of Zario gets along with Jay.