Netflix can be a cruel mistress. Sure, there are hundreds of movies, television shows and comedy specials to watch with the click of a button, but sometimes the options can be overwhelming.
Say goodbye to that crimson temptress, and hello to a new form of entertainment taking over the Internet: serialized web series. For the past few years, more and more smaller production companies and YouTube channels have made web-only series as good as any show on Netflix. Perfect for every millennials’ attention span, these series are quick to watch and easy to fit into any study break. Here’s a handful of the brightest gems the web has to offer.
Jane Austen’s seminal novel “Pride and Prejudice” gets a modern update with “The Lizzie Bennet Diaries.” The series, developed by Hank Green (of YouTube’s “Vlogbrothers”) and Bernie Su (“Lookbook: The Series”), acts as a fictionalized video diary for Elizabeth “Lizzie” Bennet (Ashley Clements “August Falls”), the novel’s heroine. The 100 episodes, which run about 2-4 minutes each, cover the entire plot of the novel—with a few updated twists. “Lizzie Bennet” is charmingly funny, brilliantly realized and critically acclaimed—it even scored an Emmy Award in 2013 for Outstanding Creative Achievement in Interactive Media. Watch “The Lizzie Bennet Diaries” on YouTube.
This dark comedy takes the cliché of a struggling actor trying to make it in the business and turns it on its head. “It Could Be Worse” follows the ever-unlucky Jacob (Wesley Taylor, “Smash”) as he deals with the ins and outs of life in the Big Apple. Featuring an eclectic batch of characters, each crazier than the last, the series teeters the fine line between the utter absurd and superbly poignant. After the first season—comprised of four 20-minute episodes—went online a couple of years ago, Hulu bought the series and produced a stunning second season. Both are available for streaming on Hulu and Hulu Plus.
Ever wondered what the adorably creepy Wednesday Addams from “The Addams Family” would be like as an adult? Wonder no more. Thanks to budding comedian Melissa Hunter, “Adult Wednesday Addams” is exactly what the world needs. The six-episode series of 2-4 minute sketches chronicles the usual strife of a 20-something—apartment hunting, job interviews and one-night stands—with a Wednesday Addams twist.
Hunter nails it with her deadpan delivery, channeling TV’s darkest daughter. Fall in love with “Adult Wednesday Addams” on YouTube.
“Love. You’ve probably never heard of it,” reads the tagline for this awkward comedy about two hipsters living in Los Angeles who keep bumping into each other. “Hipsterhood” is told mostly through the voice-over of the two main characters, Cereal Guy (Kit Williamson, “Mad Men”) and Faux Fur Girl (Elizabeth Ferraris, “86’d”), who can never quite strike up a conversation. The cringe-worthy second-hand embarrassment experience of watching this series is weirdly satisfying and incredibly funny. There are 19 episodes, each about 3-4 minutes, over the course of two seasons. See “Hipsterhood” on YouTube.
Another literary adaptation, “Nothing Much to Do” is a “Lizzie Bennet”-inspired video diary series, this time set to the tale of William Shakespeare’s “Much Ado About Nothing.” Produced by a flock of teens in New Zealand, this 76-episode series is simple, sweet and stellar—it’s like SparkNotes turned into a group of wonderfully charming and awkward teenagers with delightful New Zealand accents. The Bard himself, ol’ Billy Shakespeare, would surely be very proud. Check out “Nothing Much To Do” on YouTube.
Netflix may be one of the greater inventions of the 21st century, but millennials everywhere should be careful not to let other great content slip through the cracks. So before pressing play on the next episode of That One Show with a Bunch of Friends in a Coffee Shop, check out some of these, and other spectacular web series.
