“We are the motherfuckers who are the living proof that there is a cost to being a cosmetic genetic.”
The award-winning web series Pretty Dudes produced several tropes while purposely subverting them in a series about a group of friends in the greater Los Angeles area navigating relationships both romantic and platonic from the point of view of characters from marginalized communities. Though originally an example of the Token Minority with the character of Zario being the sole queer character among his straight male friends, the main cast of characters exploded across the sexuality and gender spectrums over the course of its run.
Main Characters:
- Zario (Bryan Michael Nuñez): a photographer struggling with depression, despite good looks that get him into several romantic entanglements
- Ellington (Xavier Avila): an Afro-Latino business law major and budding entertainment agent with a high libido
- Alexander (Kyle Rezzarday): a socially awkward gamer
- Sunji (Yoshi Sudarso): an up-and-coming actor who's the landlord for all of his friends
- Marshall (Joshuah Noah Snel): Ellington's younger brother escaping a harsh past
- Kish (Tanerélle): the new housemate who desperately attempts to avoid the drama
- December (Aria Song): an art-critic turned art gallery-owner
- Boaz (Manny Shih): December's younger brother and Zario's best friend
- Cassian (Christian Olivo): a towering, buff cowboy
- Jay (Tae Song): an abrasive housemate of Sunji's who only gets along with Zario
- Eagle (Olivia Thai): neighbor to the titular Dudes who gets into romantic entanglements of her own
Tropes used in Pretty Dudes include:
- Alphabetical Theme Naming: Alexander and his older brothers Aaron, Aiden, and Archie.
- And Starring: In Season One this belongs to stars Yoshi Sudarso and Olivia Thai ("with" and "and" respectively), who were arguably the most recognizable faces in the first set of episodes.
- In Season Two, there was a sole "and" for Yoshi.
- Brainless Beauty: Sunji is the textbook definition of this.
- Breakout Character: This was Marshall in Season One, who became so popular that he was moved to a leading role in the second season.
- Butt Monkey: In the first season, Alexander is near verbally abused by Jay at every turn, as is Sunji, though Sunji's lack of intelligence causes him to miss most of these moments.
- Dream Sequence: Zario has an intense, extended one in Season One while on a date, and an even more intense one that takes the length of an episode in Season Two during complications with an endoscopy.
- Named After Somebody Famous: The Gomez brothers are all named after influential Black Americans. Duke Ellington, George Washington Carver, and Thurgood Marshall.
- Carver mentions they have a sister named Alvera, which is a play on Sojourner Truth according to Word of God .
- In the same set of episodes where we find out about the Gomez brothers, Rock and Van Diolosa reveal they're named after the Rockefeller and Vanderbilt families.
- Perverse Sexual Lust: In one episode, it is mentioned that Callie used to make Jay oink like a pig during sex, just episodes after we see Ellington wearing a pig mask while having sex with Callie.
- Sixth Ranger: Eagle is referenced as early as the second episode, but it isn't until her appearance in Episode Five as the literal sixth friend in their group that the plot takes off and the friendship dynamics become set.
- This trope becomes a bit meta considering the show features three actors who were actual Power Rangers.