5 Web Series That Should Be on Your Radar

April 1, 2013— -- intro: The best part about putting together a web series round-up (other than being able to spend my work day checking out videos) was the feedback I received from people who: One, enjoyed the post, and two, were working on web-only series of their own. So why not make a round two? Huzzah! Let's kick things off with an animated series that I can only describe as completely and utterly bizarre celebrity satire. "The Nekci Menij Show" follows Neckci (a small, duck-like entity not too dissimilar from a certain pop star) as she navigates fame, fans, and her fellow divas, including Medoner, Rhenna, Gags, and Bayonse. Yuo wil luv itt.

Acquaint yourself with Nekci and friends here.

quicklist: 1title: Becoming Ricardo text: The premise of this series (which still needs your help to get its season 1 off the ground) is so crazy that I'll just share how its creators have described it: "Jesenia Cruz (Jesenia The Comedian) is a talented actress who will do anything it takes to be successful. Frustrated with the lack of 'good' parts for Latina women, her mother (Lisa Velez-Mello) tries to help and points out an open call audition for a popular TV series Crime Law and Justice, only the open call is solely looking for Latino men. So, with the help of her crazy make-up artist cousin, Sonia Cruz (Sofia Rodriguez), decides to take matters into her own hands and audition for the part as a MAN!"

YO, THAT'S INSANE. GIMME.

Watch the pilot here and follow its writer and executive producer as well as its creator, writer, and star for updates.

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quicklist: 2title: Chilltowntext: Chilltown is an absurd, deliciously awkward world where your entire day can be derailed by a Pimp in a Box. Or Scott Storch. Be warned that the show is not exactly PC and that the official language in Chilltown is "NSFW." That said, the animation is nothing short of fantastic, with every character looking like a magical melding of Bebe's Kids and Salad Fingers (higher praise than this does not exist).

Watch it right over here and follow its creator/animator on Twitter.

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quicklist: 3title: High Maintenance text: Oh my goodness, this series. So sad, so lovely, so funny. Everything that happens throughout these vignettes -- tied loosely together by a long-suffering but very sweet pot dealer -- is completely pathetic and absurd, but in a way that feels incredibly true-to-life. It's like Girls (I know, I know, but come on) if Girls was about more than not being good at jobs or relationships. From a quiet, lonely man who does all his shopping online and hangs Helen Hunt fan art all over the apartment he shares with his ailing mother, to a young woman who has her best gay friend listed as "Hunty" in her phone, to a couple struggling to humanely kill a mouse without ruining their dinner, they all seem weird and terrible and sad and lonely and hilarious. Also, one episode is totally based on the Hipster Grifter. Ripped from the headlines, like a hipster Law & Order.

Try it out here. All the cool kids are doing it. (Lol, because marijuana!)

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quicklist: 4title: 12-Steps to Recovery text: When Parrish Diaz finds himself alone after being dumped, his friends Dani and Blue attempt to make him feel better by enlisting him in a "12-step program" of sorts -- he'll be forced to date 12 different ladies to try and get over his ex. Will it work? I don't know, but it's fun to watch. To its credit, the series takes stereotypes and clichés (like a sex worker with a heart of gold, or Parrish's rude, embarrassing reaction after finding out... something about his date Chantal), then peels away the layers and tries to find the humanity beneath the preconceived notions we have about one another. That dance is admittedly a tough one, and the series doesn't always handle it with grace (despite Parrish's apology to his date, Chantal continues to be played for laughs over the next two episodes), but it tries. And it does an excellent job of showing how damn TIRING it is to date in New York City. Also, who thinks Dani and Parrish should end up together? *Raises hand!*

See for yourself over here.

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