5 Best Web Series To Watch by Georgina Rowe
Web series are a fairly new format which have been developing online on sites like YouTube. There are many of them, ranging from comedy sketch shows to book adaptations. In this article, we’ll aim to summarise the very best web series available on YouTube.
1. The Lizzie Bennet Diaries
This web series is an adaptation of Jane Austen’s 1814 novel ‘Pride and Prejudice’, in which Lizzie vlogs about her daily life with the help of her best friend Charlotte Lu. The series lasted for 100 episodes, averaging at about 5 minutes each, and tells Lizzie’s story in a modern setting (taking a few liberties here and there).
Whether you watch them to remind yourself of the plot of the book or just for fun, we at The Student Pocket Guide would highly recommend The Lizzie Bennet Diaries for its top quality script and acting.
Find The Lizzie Bennet Diaries on YouTube here.
2. Emma Approved
This is another Jane Austen modern-day adaptation, though this time the team that produced The Lizzie Bennet Diaries adapted ‘Emma’. While in the books Emma merely considers herself a bit of a matchmaker, in this web series she has her own start-up business to do just that. With the help of childhood friend Alex and assistant Harriet, Emma attempts to improve the lives of those around her.
Although this web series isn’t considered to be as strong as its predecessor it is still managed well, using a trans-media format by having social media accounts for each character to continue the story between episodes. Though The Lizzie Bennet Diaries have finished, Emma Approved is still publishing episodes, so keep an eye out for them on YouTube!
Find Emma Approved on YouTube here.
3. Kissing in the Rain
Whilst Yulin Kuang (the creator of KitR) used a book as the inspiration for the series, Kissing in the Rain isn’t strictly a book adaptation in the conventional sense. James and Lily are two actors who always seem to end up starring opposite each other in the film jobs they take. Half of each episode depicts them filming the films, each closing with them kissing in the rain (as the name suggests). However the scene abruptly cuts and the two are left standing awkwardly next to each other, dripping wet. The conversations which follow between them are what makes the show, and the overarching drama is led by it.
Fans actually had a large part to play in the production of this web series, as any stories which were reblogged by the official Tumblr account were considered to be part of the plot of Kissing in the Rain. Although ‘season 1’ of the series is over, there may be more episodes posted in the future once Shipwrecked Comedy (the production company) have pursued other endeavouurs.
Find Kissing in the Rain on YouTube here.
4. Jules and Monty
This web series is the least professional of this list as it was made by a group of students who produce, star in and edit the show. But is still worth checking out! In case you couldn’t tell, Jules and Monty is a modern-day retelling of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. It follows University students Jules and Monty as they vlog about their daily life, following their relationship as it progresses. It is fairly faithful to the play, using a bit of artistic license with characters like the Nurse, who becomes Jules’ friend Nancy.
Both this web series and Kissing in the Rain are very short as they were originally posted with lengths of time in between, so it will take very little time to watch if you choose to do so.
Find Jules and Monty on YouTube here.
5. The Autobiography of Jane Eyre
As the title suggests, this last web series is based on the novel Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte. The series is a little slower paced than the others, with a total of 95 episodes to watch. But once you get into it, The AoJE is very addictive. Within the first few episodes Jane has applied for and been accepted for a new job as nanny to 8 year old Adele. To avoid spoiling the plot for you no more details will be revealed, but we’ll just say that it is probably one of the most faithful adaptations around.
Whilst the filming quality isn’t HD, this is still a pretty good web series (especially for fans of the book). Find The Autobiography of Jane Eyre on YouTube here.
Let us know what you think about web series on Facebook or in the comments below.
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