SO, YOU’RE FINISHED a series on Netflix and can’t decide what to watch next.
You’re feeling bereft, empty, bored.
Fear not! There are plenty of quality web series that you can binge.
The bar has never been higher with the likes of Vimeo, Crackle and i am OTHER all stepping up to fund and distribute web series to wider audiences. Here are some of our favourites…
1. High Maintenance
High Maintenance is arguably the breakout web series of recent years, having earned a distribution deal with Vimeo.
The comedy series follows a nameless weed dealer as he ventures from client to client and has been described by The New Yorker as “luxurious and twisty and humane”. Unlike other web series, it looks remarkably high-budget and has been praised for its production values.
Above all, its bite-sized episodes are properly funny and ripe for binge-watching. The first 13 episodes are free, but you will have to pay €6.49 if you want to watch the six episodes of the second season. (A bargain, if you ask us.)
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2. Broad City
Produced by Amy Poehler, Broad City debuted on Comedy Central earlier this year to universal acclaim. Consistently silly and entertaining, the series follows two twenty-something BFFs as they stumble through life in NYC. Think of it as a less grim Girls.
Unfortunately, it has yet to reach our shores, but did you know it began its life as a web series? It did!
There are two seasons worth of episodes on their YouTube account. The length of each episode varies. Some are brief sketches, some are elaborate musical numbers. All are totally delightful and serve as an excellent primer to the television series.
(And if you are already a fan of the TV series, it’s still definitely worth gorging on the twenty-odd webisodes on YouTube.)
3. Awkward Black Girl
Issa Rae has been hailed as “a sort of fairy godmother of web series” and considering how prolific and successful she has been, it is an apt moniker.
The creator of multiple web series, she first came to prominence with the cult web series The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl, which is pretty much exactly what it says on the tin.
Smart, witty and delightfully awkward, the show caught the attention of Pharrell Williams, who hosted the second season on his i am OTHER network.
Rae currently has several projects in development, including a book due to be released in February. Catch up with the web series and see what all the hype is about before she becomes, like, a massive deal.
4. Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee
If you have twenty minutes to kill, there are worse ways you could spend it than by watching an episode of Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee.
The title may be clunky, but the execution is anything but. Jerry Seinfeld drives around with a comedian as they sip coffee and have the chats.
Hosted by digital network Crackle, there have been 29 episodes thus far, while guests have included Louis C.K., Tina Fey, Alec Baldwin and Sarah Silverman. It’s sharp, engaging and easy to watch. Do it.
(Bonus: here is the slightly less glam British spin-off, Comedians in Buses Getting Tap Water.)
5. 7 Minutes in Heaven
Hosted by SNL cast member Mike O’Brien, 7 Minutes in Heaven is a twist on the adolescent party game during which you stand in a closet with someone for seven minutes and shift them.
In O’Brien’s series, he interviews celebrities, plays improv games with them and attempts to give them a little peck at the end, often to the chagrin of the guests. Guests have included Kristen Wiig, Christina Ricci and Elijah Wood.
If you enjoy deliberate awkwardness, you’ll like this.
6. Bestie X Bestie
You may have become acquainted with Jenny Slate and her unique comedic sensibility through Obvious Child or Marcel The Shell With Shoes On. Her Funny Or Die series Bestie X Bestie is a hilarious beast that deserves your time and attention.
Filmed with her bestie Gabe Liedman, each episode features the pair ruminate on life’s big questions like, “Who seems horny?” and “What is wrong with books?”
It’s just like eavesdropping on a nonsense conversation you and your friends might hvae, and is nothing short of hysterical.
7. Cuckoo
This Irish drama was originally commissioned by RTÉ Storyland and follows a teenager named Niamh who sees a digitally constructed image of a missing child and thinks it might be her.
The four-part series made big waves on the international circuit, winning numerous awards, and is available to view in its entirety on Vimeo.
COYBIG, etc.
