Nathan, Soiree and Sky, the three gay roommates featured in the comic strip "Chelsea Boys," are certainly colorful characters. So it's no surprise to hear that they may soon be strutting their stuff on the small screen. "Chelsea Boys" creators Glen Hanson and Allan Neuwirth report that they've just inked a deal with television production company Film Roman Inc. to develop the comic strip into a half-hour animated series.

Hanson and Neuwirth aimed to take "Chelsea Boys" to television all along. "We were trying to build a fan base first with the comic strip," Neuwirth says. Both he and Hanson have extensive backgrounds in TV. Hanson art-directed and designed the animated series "Spy Groove" and created character designs for other TV shows, including "Beetlejuice" and "Daria." And Neuwirth recently produced and head-wrote the BBC animated series "Fix and Foxi." Neuwirth's credits also include Jim Henson Productions' "Wubbulous World of Dr. Seuss," Steven Spielberg's "Toonsylvania" and "Courage the Cowardly Dog."

"Chelsea Boys" launched in 1998, in New York City's NEXT magazine. Now the comic strip is syndicated in dozens of publications worldwide.

Hanson, also famous for creating erotic beefcake illustrations under the pseudonym G-Man, came up with the idea for "Chelsea Boys," then sought a partner to bring it to life. "I was looking for an experienced animation producer/director to develop it with and take it to the screen, and I really hoped I would find someone gay," Hanson recalls. He found Neuwirth through an ad in MetroSource magazine.

"It was the first gay project I ever worked on," Neuwirth says. Hanson says both he and Neuwirth were glad to have the opportunity to "take the abilities we'd honed in the mainstream world professionally and use them to tell stories that were much closer to our own lives and our own hearts."

Each of the characters featured in "Chelsea Boys" incorporates elements of Neuwirth and Hanson's personalities. "Nathan is the Everyman, and probably the most realistic character, the one that reflects most often our truest thoughts and feelings. He's also a bit of an underdog," Hanson says. "Sky is the idealist, and Soiree is the performer."

While the main characters are gay, Hanson says both the "Chelsea Boys" comic strip and impending TV series offer something for everyone. "It's frustrating to me that oftentimes "Chelsea Boys" is dismissed because it's gay-themed. A lot of my straight friends are like, 'Well, it's gay, so there's nothing for me in there,' like there's nothing human they could get out of it. I don't know if they think it's about sex all the time -- which it's not -- but the experiences of the characters are pretty universal," Hanson says.

The plan is to shoot a pilot for the series, then pitch the show to various networks. Over the last few years, many animated TV series ("Clerks," "Sammy," "God, the Devil and Bob") have debuted only to be almost immediately cancelled. But that doesn't faze Neuwirth and Hanson.

"There was a wave of companies trying to capitalize on the success of a couple of shows that are still on the air, like "The Simpsons" and "King of the Hill." But -- without putting down the people who worked on those shows, because there were some talented people -- the writing wasn't up to snuff." Neuwirth notes there are many other reasons why an animated show may not make it: for example, a bad time slot or lack of promotion.

Both Neuwirth and Hanson are confident that Film Roman Inc. will work hard to help ensure the success of "Chelsea Boys." The two will create, produce, head write and design the show. "We'll be in on the casting, and we even have a stipulation that allows us to do voices on the show if we choose to," Neuwirth says. "So we will be very involved."

Over the last few years, Neuwirth and Hanson have become close collaborators. They write the "Chelsea Boys" comic strips and lay them out together. Then Hanson draws them. They can't imagine doing the comic strip -- not to mention the TV show -- without each other. "The great thing about a partnership is that sometimes you kick each other's butt. If something isn't working writingwise, I can say, 'It's not working.' Or sometimes Allan will say, 'Maybe you can change the angle, and that'll read a little bit better.' That's the great thing. You find very rarely in life an amazing creative partnership, and when you do, they're gold."

Neuwirth interjects. "I think what Glen is trying to say is, he's a helpless, drooling idiot without me."

As for when we may see "Chelsea Boys" on TV, Hanson says it could be as early as next fall, but admits it's hard to say, given the time needed to produce an animated series.

Both men tell fans of the comic strip that the TV version of "Chelsea Boys" will be worth waiting for. "There will be nothing else like it on the air," Neuwirth promises.