Ahem.
So, allow me to suggest some fun free web series for your geeky enjoyment:
- The Guild
This is the gold standard for online shows, and at only a few minutes per episode, you have no excuse not to watch one or two or seventeen. I held off for a few years because I thought I wouldn't "get it" unless I was a WoW player. I was wrong; it's funny and quirky and charming regardless of any online gamer experience. Besides, Felicia Day is kind of the patron saint of geek girls - I <3 her muchly - and the series just keeps getting better. In fact, the latest few episodes have had so many squee-inducing cameos by sci-fi celebs that you're robbing yourself by not checking 'em out.
You can watch every episode of all five series (so far!) for free at their website here. (NSFW due to language, although there's barely any in season one.)
- My Drunk Kitchen
Less geeky and more bust-a-gut LOLing, this Youtube series features the oh-so-adorable Hannah getting drunk and attempting to cook things. It is hysterical. In fact, here's the episode that got me hooked:
Again, NSFW due to language. (Sorry.) You can see all of the episodes on her Youtube channel.
- Ctrl
Hey, this one's on Netflix streaming! Sweet!
This mini web series is from 2009, but John and I just discovered it a few months ago. It stars Tony Hale, aka the brother from Arrested Development, as a cubicle drone who learns his keyboard can alter time and reality. It's FANTASTIC. There are ten episodes at around 5 minutes each, so you can watch the whole season in about an hour.
- For the Win
And finally, here's a small local series I discovered when Kelsey (who plays Tevin) e-mailed me about it. Considering the first episode has less than 1,200 views, I'm guessing you haven't seen it - but you should. In a nutshell: Elephant is an endearingly awkward comic book store manager who falls for a girl. There's also a snarky sidekick/employee, a jealous boyfriend, and geek-themed parody openers for each episode. It's adorable and funny and yes, a little cheesy, but that's part of its charm:
This one's safe for work - click away! And you can see the rest of the episodes (only six total so far) on their Youtube channel.
Oh, and the best part? Tevon and Elephant - or rather, the people who play them - are married in real life. No wonder they're so good together onscreen! Can I get an "Awwww"?
So tell me guys, what'd I miss? What web series do you watch? Share your recommendations in the comments!
The IT Crowd (a UK show) is available on Netflix Streaming. Really funny, and now anytime we have a computer problem I have a go-to Irish-accent solution. 'Have yeu tried turning it AUFF and back AUN again?'
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for drunk kitchen, I couldn't stop laughing
ReplyDeleteDead Right Hand Productions is made up of a few guys I went to school with.
ReplyDeleteFunny stuff, not so much geeky but still worth checking out. I think they just finished their second season of web shorts.
if you like the guild ... you should REALLY try this one ... a bit NSFW... the legend of neil, ala zelda http://www.effinfunny.com/legend-of-neil
ReplyDeleteand doctor horrible of course :D
Rian, I love IT Crowd! Good one! We should compile a list of just Netflix streaming recommendations.
ReplyDeleteAwkward Embraces (awkwardembraces.com)! It is really entertaining, about a geeky girl and her not-so-geeky girlfriends who are always trying to get her to date. Hilarity ensues.
ReplyDeleteI have also watched a couple episodes of Bandwagon (starring Buffy-alum Emma Caulfield as a fictional version of herself), but am not sure what I think of it so far. It is on YouTube.
I second that comment for IT Crowd. Moss is awesome :)
LOVE 'The Guild', LOVE 'My drunk kitchen'. Haven't heard of the other ones mentioned so I will definitley be checking them out.
ReplyDeleteI second 'The IT Crowd' although it's not a web series. It is hilarious!
And although it's not on Netflix, 'Fresh Hell' is pretty funny too.
I love the Guild soooo much. As a recovering WoW addict, it speaks to me. (Mostly it says "Come baaaack to RPG's, come baaaaack...") Have you seen their music videos?
ReplyDelete"Do You Wanna Date My Avatar?"
"Game On"
Amazing. I want to dress as Codex if I ever go to a con.
I could not quit laughing while watching Drunk Kitchen. New favorite youtube show!
ReplyDeleteLove My Drunk Kitchen! I wish I was that funny. Maybe some wine would help... or mimosas.
ReplyDeleteOh I thought of a web one: Mr Deity
ReplyDeletehttp://youtu.be/Qzf8q9QHfhI
warning: It's atheist-friendly.
Better Off Ted is a lesser-known sitcom that I fell in love with not long ago. My friends and I like to refer to it as "Aperture Science: the Sitcom"--and if you've ever played Portal, you'll probably grok why within one or two episodes.
ReplyDeleteI normally hate sitcoms with a passion, because I can't stand either laugh tracks or humor that's based around embarrassment and train wreck humiliation. BOT has no laugh track and manages to nicely thread the needle on the latter.
Best of all, it's still on Netflix Streaming. :)
Ok, I admit, the reason I watched it was because it was on Hulu for free and it had Matt Smith in it: Party Animals. And I now know more about politics in England than I ever thought I would.
ReplyDeleteAlso IT Crowd, for sure.
I don't know how much it counts, but my husband and I are BIG fans of LoadingReadyRun.com They're a sketch comedy group from Canada and they post a new video every week. They even have kind of a sitcom that they've been playing with called Commodore Hustle. Currently, they post their videos first on the Escapist magazine website. We've gone through their archives (my husband more thoroughly, I'll admit), and own several of their DVDs. Oh and in November, they have a Child's Play fundraiser called Desert Bus for Hope.
ReplyDeleteYou HAVE to watch Awkward Embraces! The humor is definitely R-rated sometimes, but it's so so funny!
ReplyDeleteIt's all on Youtube. Here's the episode that got me hooked: The Favorite Episode
I recently did the Netflix downgrade as well, so I really appreciate this list! and I love love love The Guild (by which I mostly mean I love Felicia Day!), and the first 4 seasons are available on Netflix streaming, too!
ReplyDeleteI wish I knew of something else to suggest, but all I can do is offer my support for The Guild and IT Crowd
Thank you SO much for Drunk Kitchen! That is a riot.
ReplyDeleteWV: phswvkie - something Hannah would add to her pasta sauce.
I just watched all 6 episodes of For The Win. I can't wait for Season 2 to come out!
ReplyDeleteI actually watched the entire Chad Vader series, but I'm sure you've already seen that one. (But if not, check it out!)
http://www.effinfunny.com/legend-of-neil
ReplyDeleteProduced by the guy who plays Zaboo in The Guild, and also has Felicia Day. They are done making it now, but it is still hilarious and awesome.
Ok, Jen, you are NOT going to believe this, but one of my geek guy friends suggested I watch My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, and now I'm totally hooked. It's not strictly a web show, but you can watch all the full episodes on YouTube. The animation is delightful, the characters are flawed but lovable, and undergo real growth, and the plotlines are surprisingly relevant and entertaining to adults. And there are some really strong portrayals of female characters, of course for kids, but also for grown geek girls like me who tire of the stereotypes we have presented to us. And, of course, there's squee-worthy cuteness, once you get past all the pink. I'm really not big on pink.
ReplyDeleteThe media pretends that women never go to comic book stores, but it's just not true. I go, and I see women there all the time.
ReplyDeleteYesss! How excellent of you to provide these just when my husband is out of town and I'm complaining about the dearth of good stuff on the streaming. And now I can keep checking back for recommendations in the comments, too.
ReplyDeleteAs for my own recommendations, I'm useless, because everyone has already seen Dr. Horrible. Right?! If not, do it. I mean, c'mon, Nathan Fillion and his... hammer, amiright?
Is Breaking-In on Netflix? It's a Fox show that almost got the axe but it survived to come back for more. I thought it was pretty funny though I started with trepidation.
ReplyDeleteAnd, of course, Warehouse 13 is almost a must if you haven't already discovered it.
If you like Muppets, or rather puppets in this case. Check out http://www.transylvania-tv.com/episodes/
ReplyDeleteIt's amusing, and a few of my friends are a part of the show.
Also, not so much a web series but amusing if not disturbing is Epic Meal Time on YouTube.
ReplyDeletepsst- the brother from arrested development's name is Tony Hale
ReplyDeleteFor those who are (like me) absolutely behind on their scifi tv shows there are a few good things on netflix streaming. There are also a lot of good, or just plain fun, older tv shows.
ReplyDeleteDr. Who (the current series rather than classic. Seasons 1-5 are available for streaming)
Eureka (I think Felicia Day is in later seasons)
Star Trek (Original series, Next Gen, Voyager, and Enterprise. I've heard DS9 is coming to streaming later in the year)
The Addams Family (original classic series; super fun)
The Twilight Zone (original series)
Beauty and the Beast (awesome series from the '80s)
Seaquest DSV (fun series from the '90s)
The Dresden Files (haven't seen this one yet, but have been told I'll love it)
Torchwood (seasons 1-3 I think)
Farscape (awesome show)
Inspector Gadget (the cartoon from the 80's)
Reboot (awesome cartoon from the 90's)
They are also starting to get more stuff from PBS and History channel. So if you are like me and enjoying watching those sorts of shows, then you'll enjoy this fact.
For the Halo crowd, or even the un-halo crowd, Red Vs. Blue is awesome!!! They have been going strong since Halo 1 came out and they are still hilarious!
ReplyDeleteOh how I love the Guild so! I'm also a huge fan of Awkward Embraces, and of course the holy grail of web series Dr. Horrible (he's so dreamy) ;)
ReplyDeleteHadn't seen Drunk Kitchen before and just watched 5 episodes in a row. I'm totally smitten (and thirsty now) thanks so much for sharing!
It's not a web series *but* they do put on fantastic short videos and like Felicia Day, are paving the way for hot geek girls everywhere. If you haven't already seen them you must - Team Unicorn!
http://teamunicornftw.com/
I have to third the rec for Awkward Embraces. It's hilarious!
ReplyDeleteI like Red vs Blue! It is a comedy/action series using Halo video games to produce the visuals. Sort of NSWF language, but I love it. Red vs Blue
ReplyDeleteSo, at work, I watch Netflix streaming (I'm a graphic designer and usually have something on all day while I'm drawing) and I have to say, I have actually had a decent amount of success with Netflix...Okay, some choices are ill advised, like, when I decided to watch through the whole of the 1980s Beauty & the Beast series...but I have also watched some great stuff and have my queue stuff with other stuff I'm looking forward to. Not that web shows aren't great, too, of course...and I may come back and reference this next week when I have finished the new animated Avengers series. ^_^
ReplyDeleteAny idea where a Canadian can view Ctrl (without netflix)? NBC geoblocks. (thanks a LOT nbc)
ReplyDeleteWow, My Drunk Kitchen was hilarious. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for For The Win. My husband used to work at a comic book store before our children were born and he became a full-time stay-at-home dad (because he's awesome!). Right now he is currently at his weekly D&D gaming session, which are the only 4 hours a week that he spends away from his responsibilities as a dad. This series made me laugh so much, and I can't wait to share it with him when he gets home!
ReplyDeleteHey Jen! Great post! For the exception of one thing, the star of Ctrl a.k.a the brother from Arrested Development is Tony Hale not the Stuart person you listed. I usually hate nitpickers in comments. I'm sorry! Just a loyal Arrested Development fan! And I'm psyched you mentioned The Guild! Love it! And we were just laughing at My Drunk Kitchen at my work yesterday. Fabulous!
ReplyDeleteLove, Ctrl, The Guild, IT Crowd, DW, Better Off Ted.. all excellent!
ReplyDeleteAnother great on Netflix streaming is Hyperdrive... hilarious! Space travel, aliens, robots.. watch it!
Sorry about the Tony Hale mix-up, guys! I must have grabbed the wrong name off Netflix. :/ Fixed now, though, so thanks for the heads up!
ReplyDeleteMy son LOVES The Guild, and watches the "Do You Wanna Date My Avatar?" music video over and over anytime I let him. This is especially funny, because my son is 3. LOL. The last time I bothered to check out the Netflix instant streaming, they had at least a few of their episodes.
ReplyDeleteHmm, so on Netflix I like a few already mentioned, plus Pushing Daisies (another too-quickly canceled show), Psych (still on TV, but I just think it's hilarious), and Top Gear (British car show, but you don't have to like cars to find them hilarious).
ReplyDeleteAs far as web-series... I do get a kick out of Drunk Kitchen. I also like A Very Potter Musical. Hmm... That's all I can think of for now.
:) Now I have some new ones to look up too!
Thank you, thank you! We ran out of Tiki Bar episodes and have been looking for a new, fun series or two! Sadly, Dr. Horrible was oh-so-short (but so awesome!).
ReplyDeleteYou made my day! :)
Have you seen Chad Vader? I haven't watched it in a couple seasons, but its hilarious, and on Youtube.
ReplyDeleteHave you seen "Spaced"? It stars Simon Pegg (Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz). It doesn't stream on Netflix, but you can get the discs. Brilliant stuff--I loved it even though I didn't get about 90% of the scifi/nerdy references. My nerdness is more literary than scifi, but again, I adored it. Hilarious stuff!!
ReplyDeletehttp://unemployedsidekick.com/page/3
ReplyDeleteUnemployed Sidekick. 'Raven' is on his own for the first time, after being kicked out by the superhero he worked for.
Web series are awesome! Thanks for your recommendations. If you haven't, check out Web Therapy starring Lisa Kudrow as the world's worst therapist. It's on Hulu.
ReplyDeleteMust...stop...watching...
ReplyDeleteThis must be part of your nefarious plot to make me flunk out of college.
Jen, how can you say that Netflix is lacking when they have both Next Gen AND Voyager available to watch instantly?! There have been very few times I have turned to Netflix in the last 2 months or so without geeking out to some wonderful, wonderful Trek. If you somehow didn't know this... well, merry christmas. ;)
ReplyDeleteRed Vs. Blue!! Even if you're not a Halo fan its still pretty easy to follow the plot and get the jokes. REALLY not safe for work though because of language. I HIGHLY recommend giving it a shot. The series gets better and better and just gets AWESOMELY EPIC after season 6. There are nine seasons and a bunch of mini-series so there is a LOT to catch up on. Between Season 5 and 6 there is a mini-series called "Recovery One" that doesn't show up on this play list, so make sure to look for that...Season six makes a lot more sense once you've seen it. http://www.youtube.com/show/redvsblue?s=1
ReplyDeleteI can't believe nobody's mentioned JourneyQuest yet! http://www.journey-quest.com/
ReplyDeleteAlso, "My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic" seconded here!
The Avengers Assemble web series is a MUST for comic geeks. They are into their second season, and they keep getting better and better -- even Roger Ebert has given it a thumbs up!
ReplyDeleteI'm also going to second Better Off Ted and Breaking In for catch-up watching. And BOT fans who haven't seen this clip of the out-takes from the swearing episode will be rolling....very NSFW due to language but side-hurtingly funny.
While not really geek themed I love The Booth At The End on hulu.
ReplyDeleteI love that my favorite blogger loves to watch my favorite drunk YouTube sensation. It pretty much made my day.
ReplyDeleteI surprised no one has mentioned the LXD, but then, it isn't really a comedy. The Legion of Extraordinary Dancers is a great web series that has a superhero comic book sort of plot, but all the superheroes are dancers. Their powers are their amazing dance abilities. And their dancing is really very amazing. All the episodes are available for free on Hulu. They are in the third season, I think. Though it should be pretty easy to catch up. The episodes are usually about 5 - 10 minutes long.
ReplyDeleteOh, and I'm also really enjoying all the Star Trek on Netflix. Hubby and I have been watching Voyage and I'm really enjoying introducing him to the series and seeing him get into it.
My favorite is Dorm Life! There's only 2 Semesters/Season, 46 episodes. There's continually rumors of an eventual 3rd semester, but it's been since '09.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.dorm-life.com/
There's a group on Youtube called Megasteakman that's from my hometown (Vancouver!). They don't do a series, but each new video tends to tackle a new geek-tastic topic. They did the "real-life" Pokeman trailer, a nerd sex-tape, and one about Zombie stereotyping. It's worth a look!
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/user/Megasteakman?blend=1&ob=5
If you think Netflix streaming is lacking, you're not watching enough anime! Check out these series for some great entertainment:
ReplyDeleteBirdy the Mighty
Clannad
Ouran High School Host Club
Eden of the East
Popotan
Fruits Basket (my personal favorite)
Fullmetal Alchemist
Princess Tutu
School Rumble
the list goes on and on. They are all just 1/2 hour episodes and have been dubbed over in English. Most have some seriously rocking theme songs (I'm looking at you School Rumble and Clannad!)and are really humorous. Enjoy!
Yay Farscape! And thanks for the reminder about Beauty and the Beast - I can't believe I'd forgotten that one! Looking forward to exploring some of these.
ReplyDeleteDoes "Drunk History" count as a web series? It's bigger budget and has lots of stars but you learn something while laughing hysterically. My favourite is the one where the girl has hiccups.
ReplyDelete"Warehouse 13" is NOT a web series but it is geeky and steampunky. Light and fun with a bit mystery.
The guild
ReplyDeleteDrunk kitchen
Vegan Black Metal Chef (to DIE for!)
My favorite youtube web series is "Kid History" its a spin off of Drunk History but sooooo much more funny, IMO. Seriously check it out though, I think you'd love it. :)
ReplyDeleteOmg, I cannot stop watching Drunk Kitchen. I even got a whole bunch of my friends watching it. I love how she poured the beer into the macaroni water...now I'm curious. And I have Guinness...this might not be a good combo...
ReplyDeleteThis isn't fiction, but it's a favorite series of mine: http://youtu.be/IdaGVEf0M3c
ReplyDeleteThat's the link to my favorite episode (The Beauty and the Beast one)
Sorry, here's the Link.
ReplyDeleteMy new favorite web series is the Platoon of Power Squadron aka PoPs. It is about four people with super powers all living together and it is just super fun! Go to pineappleboyfilms channel on Youtube to check it out.
ReplyDeleteMy Drunk Kitchen is definitely one of my favorites! She has two new ones coming out soon!! (PS - in addition to youtube, My Drunk Kitchen is also a Tumblr account...)
ReplyDeleteMy favorites of MDK are the ones about Grilled Cheese, Omelet, and Cookies... Fantastic.
I want to take her with me everywhere and be her best friend... You should come too!
The Guild and My Drunken Kitchen literally make me Laugh Out Loud, every time!
ReplyDeleteI loves loves loves Awkward Black Girl and 664 The Neighbor Of the Beast (even though they haven't updated in over a year).
ReplyDeleteSaw Cntrl. Totally fun!
ReplyDeleteADORE The Guild. Felicia ROCKS!
God inc! It's a comedy about how when people die they go to heaven and work in an office that affects the goings-on on earth. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b2f4heaG288
ReplyDeleteI love those!! Thanks for introducing me to them!! :-D
ReplyDeleteIt's not geek-oriented per se, but I've always loved Mr. Deity: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qzf8q9QHfhI
Husbands is a brand new web series (only two episodes so far, each less than two minutes) that looks promising. It's by Jane Espenson, who has written for such notable geeky shows as Buffy and Battlestar Galactica. The premise is that a national law for marriage equality has just passed. An actor and a famous out baseball player, who have just started dating, wake up in Vegas and discover that in the celebrations they ended up drunk married. Not wanting to make the cause look bad, they decide to try to make the surprise marriage work. So far it's very funny, and with Espenson in charge I expect good things to come.
ReplyDeleteThank you for My Drunk Kitchen - I laughed like a drain!
ReplyDeleteIf you like quirky British sitcoms (which it seems you do) keep an eye out for Friday Night Dinner which I think is on BBC America.
I'm currently waiting with bated breath for the new (and final I believe) series of IT Crowd..
not sure if anyone else recommended it- but i have fallen hard for "Clark Kent has Dream"-
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eMqoaAznbHc
but it goes a long way in my house with me and my kidlits to sit for hours and watch bamman and piderman....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F7-TQdN40Dk&feature=sh_e_top&list=SL
you can also watch the "being human" spin off "becoming human on youtube..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WoXdNA70ao0
How has no one said LXD yet? It's on Hulu, and it's amazing! The dialogue is cheesy, but it's mostly a mythical storyline told through unbelievable dancing.
ReplyDeleteHave you ever watch the Nostalgia Chick? I've always found her reviews entertaining (and geeky, of course!) http://thatguywiththeglasses.com/videolinks/team-nchick/nostalgia-chick
ReplyDeleteCTRL sounds interesting but it doesn't seem we can get Netflix in Ireland. Is it anywhere else?
Man, I wish we were friends IRL: Cake, Nerdi-ness, AND My Drunk Kitchen? You're, like, my soul mate.
ReplyDeleteMercury Men on SyFy is supposed to be pretty good retro-futurism
ReplyDeletehttp://www.syfy.com/mercurymen/
aaah, i just marathoned arrested development over the best few days. it is The Best Show. seriously.
ReplyDeletealso, while it's more just a random youtube series and not terribly nerdy (well, food-nerdy, i guess), there's Regular Ordinary Swedish Meal Time , basically angry Swedish guys making food. Angrily.
Omigod! The funniest cooking show I've ever seen! I love reading your site Jen. Keep it up!
ReplyDelete