here! Announces Second Season of 'The DL Chronicles'

By 5/12/2008

here!, America's premium gay television network, is pleased to announce that it will bring back the critically-acclaimed anthology series The DL Chronicles for a second season. It will premiere on the network in late 2008 and feature 5 new episodes.

The DL Chronicles was recently nominated for a GLAAD Media Award in the category of "Outstanding Television Movie or Mini-Series." The anthology series is the first television show to center on the "DL" phenomenon in the gay community. The DL (short for "down-low") refers to straight men of color who live their everyday lives as heterosexuals, often married to women, but engage in discreet gay sex and gay relationships on the periphery.

The down-low however, is not specific only to men of color.

The show, created by Quincy Lenear and Deondray Gossett (2 Cents Productions), is not only sexy and provocative, but also offers a socially-conscious insight into the lines between sexuality and perceived socially acceptable behavior within the African-American community. It provides an unapologetic view of intimacy between men of color and explores these scintillating stories with honesty and integrity.

Cast in the role as narrator of The DL Chronicles, actor Damian T. Raven is Chadwick Williams, an aspiring journalist who pursues research while writing a book about 'men who sleep with men' (in contrast to those men who would classify themselves as gay). As Chadwick begins his research we are led into a seductively taboo world of carnal desires, conscience and consequence. The DL Chronicles features several different character-driven stories that lend perspective to the factors that influence the down-low lifestyle.

Among the stories told in the upcoming season are that which involve a high school student's newfound gay relationship and its effects on his homophobic father, a reverend who questions his sexual identity and religious beliefs upon meeting a handsome stranger, and an interracial love story about two guys from different sides of the tracks.

"We are thrilled to continue our relationship with these incredibly talented and brave writer-directors. Quincy and Deondray's stories offer important insight into an aspect of our community that has been little explored until now," said Meredith Kadlec, Senior Vice President of Original Programming.

here!, in an effort to provide both intelligent and provocative programming to its viewers, sees The DL Chronicles as one of its cornerstones. As witnessed by recognition from GLAAD, The DL Chronicles gives its audience insight into a topic rarely discussed in mainstream society. However, in doing this it also offers us stories of human depth and development that we can all recognize, relate to and enjoy on many levels, regardless of lifestyle.