While FX’s smash hit Pose can safely boast of currently having one of television’s most exemplary casts, there is no presence quite like Billy Porter’s perpetually charismatic Pray Tell. The drama’s first teaser for the upcoming season centers on the vivacious ballroom emcee and looks as if it could double as a documentary clip akin to Paris Is Burning.
In a strong departure from the the Pose’s typical parade of colors, the teaser is presented entirely in black and white, matching a recent promotional photo shoot from the main cast. It doesn’t hint towards any specific drama that could be in store for us when the show returns, and it doesn’t necessarily have to. Pose is more than a source of spectacle, but a look at the LGBTQ+ scene that pioneered so much of the pop culture that remains deeply relevant today. Having Pray Tell simply talk about his philosophies on life seems like a fitting representation the show’s greatest asset: its collection of powerful characters.
Pose returns to FX on June 11.