It seems as if Netflix has taken over the online entertainment world, thanks to the popularity of its original series, Orange is the New Black. Where else but Netflix can you stream seasons of seemingly any television series while also watching fresh, creative content? I’m here to tell you that you can find well-produced shows outside of your television and Netflix queue, because quality creative content can also be found on YouTube.
Forget what you may think about YouTube; it’s not just full of viral videos about cats captured on iPhones or bad covers of popular songs by lonely teenagers. Independent creators have dedicated a lot of their time and effort to create web series free for anybody to watch. The production values of some of these web series even rival those of “professional” television shows. Below I have listed my favorite scripted web series that have all been posted on YouTube:
1. Emma Approved
Following the unprecedented success of The Lizzie Bennet Diaries, producers Hank Green and Bernie Su decided to modernize another one of Jane Austen’s classic novels: Emma. This web series is set in the same world as The Lizzie Bennet Diaries is and features the same video blog mechanic. With that said, Emma Woodhouse, played by Joanna Sotomura, is much harder to relate to than Lizzie Bennet is, making getting in to the series a bit more difficult. This, however, should not deter anybody from watching the hilarious well-produced web series, housed on the channel PemberleyDigital.
2. Squaresville
Speaking of The Lizzie Bennet Diaries, did you know that the actress who plays Lizzie’s spunky sister Lydia stars in another YouTube series? Mary Kate Wiles stars alongside Kylie Sparks in Squaresville, an incredibly honest and touching show that can be found on the YouTube channel of the same name. The two actresses play Zelda and Esther, two quirky best friends trying to find their place in the world and survive high school as outcasts. While there is a continuous narrative, many episodes are vignettes, which show only a brief snapshot of the characters’ lives together and do not develop the plot. Without giving away any spoilers, I do have to say that the finale of season 1 is probably my favorite episode of the 2-season series. The second episode of season 1, entitled “Let’s Hang Out in the Treehouse,” comes in at a close second.
3. Lauren
I am a huge fan of Pretty Little Liars, and Spencer Hastings has been my favorite character ever since the first episode. When I found out that the actress Troian Bellisario would be playing the title character in a YouTube series, I was ecstatic. The finished product does not disappoint. Lauren Weil, a single mother in the military, fights for her rights after she is raped by a fellow soldier. This role is much more mature than the role of Spencer is, and it is interesting seeing Bellisario finally act her age: did you know that she’s currently 28? I thoroughly enjoyed this series and appreciate the issues that it discusses during its two-season run. You can watch Lauren and other series like it on the channel WIGS, which is currently the number 1 YouTube channel for scripted drama.
4. MyMusic
Directed by Benny and Rafi Fine, MyMusic is a “mockumentary”, similar to The Office or Modern Family. MyMusic follows the lives of eight distinct main characters that work for an on-the-rise music production company of the same name. These characters are all named after the type of music that they listen to. They most fear being called a “poser”, so they embrace the stereotypes associated with their genres; Hip Hop carries a gun to work and wears bling, for instance, while Idol only listens to mainstream music and tries incessantly to be a contestant on a reality show. My favorite character by far is Dubstep, a talent booker for MyMusic. Dubstep can only speak in his own beat box language and he has to rely on his friend and coworker, Techno, to translate for him. MyMusic is incredibly outlandish and hilarious, and I would recommend it to anyone.
So, turn off the TV, minimize that Netflix screen and check out YouTube for some great new shows!
[Photo Sources: YouTube, Oldaintdead.com; IB Times, webserieschannel.com]