TV

The web series you should watch based on the TV shows you love

It’s that time of year again. The leaves are changing, pumpkin is infiltrating our senses and the temperatures have dropped to a level where the body heat of the lady you dumped in a spring-fling frenzy is required, again. And lucky for you, the fall TV season is in full swing for all your cuddling needs, chalk full of new series’ and season premieres.

Except, what’s that? You live in a lesbian commune that forbids having a television? Or you’ve had it up to here with lesbian stereotypes and the lack thereof in the coming season? Never fear, seems the past few months served as the Summer of Lesbian Web Series’ so strap in and get ready for some marathoning. Primetime television still seems a smidge behind the times anyway.

If you like Will & Grace: Try Roomies

If you recall, Will and Grace were recently single best friends who moved in with each other out of convenience. Roomies, written by Julie Keck and Jessica King and directed by Christin Mell, puts a delightful twist on an age-old sitcom premise. Staring web-darlings Brandy Howard and Julie Goldman as recently-single best friends Sam and Alex as they decide to find an apartment together. The catch? After finding the perfect apartment in a “gay-only” building, they have to convince their neighbors that they’re a couple to keep it. I mean, if you squint you could almost see Will and Grace maneuvering this same storyline.

I know, I know, you’re like, what about Jack and Karen? Bringing in some of Chicago’s most talented comedians, Roomies also stars Caitlin Bergh, Abby McEnany and Kelly Beeman which along side Julie and Brandy’s notorious chemistry, makes this series a must watch. Roomies is a premium show on Tello so you need a subscription to see all the episodes. With the subscription you’ll also be treated to The Neighbors, an accompanying series about Alex and Sam’s amorous lesbian neighbors.

If you like Girls: Little Horribles

Like most people, I assume you’ve been dying for a lesbian character to appear on Girls. Instead, how about a lesbian version of the awkward, post-college narrative instead? If you like Girls then you will definitely take a liking to Little Horribles.

Created by and starring Amy York Rubin, the premise of Little Horribles is simple: Follow the bad life choices of a “self-indulgent lesbian.” Most episodes make you want to cover your eyes and shake your head in OHNOSHEDIDNT horror so I’d say Rubin is successful. If that isn’t convincing enough, the show is so good that it’s managed to attract an array of talent, including Cynthia Stevenson (The Player, Dead Like Me, Happiness), Issa Rae (hit web series Awkward Black Girl), Ilana Glazer, Echo Kellum, Ann Carr and Asif Ali.

If you like Mad About You: Try The Better Half

It’s a premise seems simple, following the ordinary adventures of a couple who’ve been together awhile, but The Better Half is some of the best viewing time I’ve spent in a long time. You can love it, like I did, or hate watch it in all of it’s truth serum glory but either way you’ll feel uncomfortable in how closely it hits home.

The series, created by Leyla Perez and her girlfriend Christine Ng and starring real-life girlfriends Lindsay Hicks and Amy Jackson, is quick-witted with the perfect comedic timing and chemistry. Tackling the topics of going out, breakfast and over sharing, The Better Half shines a light on just how hilarious your own monotony can be.

If you like Skins: Watch The 3 Bits

Another series about aimless millennials finding themselves in New York? Relax! The 3 Bits, from creators Margaret Singer and Max Freeman, is definitely not another self-indulgent, life is hard, romp through the lives of the young and privileged in Brooklyn. Instead, it is a darkly funny series has been described as “a queer show about sex, love, booze, drugs, friendship, family, and amazing acts of stupidity. But mostly sex.”

What makes it unique is that the episodes follow the siblings through three separate but loosely linked storylines. Roman is a lesbian drug dealer, Henry is a gay man experimenting with hookups, and Madison is a Park Slope mom. Like Skins, The 3 Bits is a refreshing departure from the cliché gay storylines populating most of television and offers an often times hilarious, unpredictable and queer point of view on sex in the city.

If you like Rizzoli & Isles: Try Nikki & Nora: The N&N Files

The N&N Files is a New Orleans based detective series follows NOPD cops turned private investigators Nikki Beaumont (Liz Vassey) and Nora Delaney (Christina Cox) as they navigate both their jobs and their personal lives. I’ll stop you right there, yes that is the girl from quintessential lesbian chick flick, Better Than Chocolate. Just when you thought your Rizzoli and Isles fan fiction blog wasn’t being read.

If you’ve found yourself hoping that Rizzoli and Isles would finally settle down with one another, or cheering for Detective Benson to make a pass at Alex Cabot, this is your show.

If you like Saturday Night Live: Try Kelsey

In the semi-autobiographical web series, Kelsey is just as funny as anything currently on the primetime sitcom roster. With the acting chops of a Tina Fey, Amy Poehler and dopplegangner Maya Rudolph, star Nichole Yannetty makes the art of getting dumped hilarious.

The pilot episode plays like any sort of romantic comedy, showing Kelsey losing herself and her mind after a painful breakup while her friends scramble to get her back out into the dating world. The best part of the show is that Kelsey’s being a lesbian has very little to do with the story. What’s most notable is her comedic timing and ability to naturally tackle the ridiculous parts of breaking up. It’s almost like she lived them.

If you like Friends: Try Dyke Central

Much like the thirtysomethings of the late-’90s relating to the regulars at Central Perk, so will the thirtysomething queers find in the diverse cast of characters on Dyke Central.

Created, written and directed by Florencia Manovil, the new series, set in Oakland, features a relatable cast of characters including a productive pothead, a lesbian bartender and an introverted butch, and centers around roommates Alex and Gin (Tai Rockett and Giovannie Espiritu). When they’re not hanging around Dyke Central, the apartment in which they live, they’re out navigating the inevitable ups and downs of adulthood. The show does an amazing job of representing the queer community and nailing the nuances of the ways in which we relate to each other, and has been lauded for their diverse cast and representation of the Bay Area. If its drama-induced hilarity that you crave, the show also includes all the uncomfortable and awkward love triangles, pentagons and parallelogram you can handle.

Get to watching!

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