Bottom Line: So here is the setup, a man is sent on a mission from God to collect a magical card deck — wacky antics ensue.

Here is to hoping that they finish out the season because The Last Hand is a novel look at the “mission from God” plotline.

He’s on a mission from God.

Details

Cast: Wayne Roberts, Larry Hankin
Website: The Last Hand

Ratings

Nothing spectacular in the effects department, but enough flash to keep you watching the screen. (Style 3.5)

Pacing 3.5

It’s a pretty standard story arc that has been executed well. The characters are fun to watch and the actors pull of their roles with gusto. (Storytelling 3.5)

Polish 4

Watchability 3.5

It’s not too often that God sends you out to recover his favorite poker deck. This is one of those concepts that could really go somewhere if it has time to develop. (Novelty 4)

Overall Rating: 3.66 out of 5 stars

Bottom Line: Old Friends was developed by Nick Ross and Tim Curcio as a spinoff from an original sketch show at New York’s Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre. The premise is pretty simple, Nick Ross runs into old “friend” Tim Curcio one afternoon. They get to talking about the past which happens to include that one time when Nick took Tim’s wife’s virginity.

It’s funny, it’s sharp and it explores interesting issues about sex, friendship and dwelling in the past.

Old Friends is comedy about friendship, sex, boundaries and virginity. It is the story of Tim and Nick, two 28 year- olds who, until now, haven’t seen each other since high school. Tim is married to his high school sweetheart, Andrea. Nick is dating Andrea’s best friend, Katie.

Everything would be fine if Nick hadn’t taken Andrea’s virginity back in high school. Since high school, Nick’s life has been impulsive and non-committal. He’s a bartender living in New York, enjoying the women and the lifestyle and taking it as it comes. Tim married Andrea, his high school sweetheart, shortly after graduating and they now live comfortably together in Manhattan.

Having never explored a life of sexual promiscuity, Tim is implicitly skeptical of Nick and deeply resents him for having slept with his wife. Nick, who has never had a serious relationship, now sees a chance to re-form some old bonds with Tim and his still very sexy wife. Old Friends follows the unlikely series of events that draw Tim and Nick ever closer, even though Tim would like nothing more than to see Nick die in a fire.

Details

Creators: Nick Ross, Tim Curcio
Website: Old Friends

YouTube: Watch Them On YouTube
Babelgum: Watch Them On Babelgum
Facebook: Join Them On Facebook
Vote For It: Old Friends

Ratings

Style 3.5

The episodes are quick and well paced, heavy on the awkward moments while maintaining a high enough joke ratio to keep you smiling throughout. (Pacing 4.5)

What’s great about this story is how the characters grow. At first Tim and Nick are constantly at each other’s throat, Nick did take Tim’s wife’s virginity oh so many years ago, but over time you can start to get the picture that they are beginning to understand each other a little bit. Even if it isn’t friendship, it is something and the story does a great job of exploring it. (Storytelling 4.5)

Polish 4

Watchability 5

Novelty 3

Overall Rating: 4.08 out of 5 stars

Bottom Line: Lisa Kudrow as a therapist who more or less hates all of her patients is worth the price of admission. Add to that an episode framework that allows for some really unique story premises and you have a show that keeps you looking forward to the next person on the couch.

Lisa Kudrow stars as a therapist with limited patience for other people’s problems in this original improvised Web series.

Details

Cast: Lisa Kudrow
Website: Web Therapy

Hulu: Watch Them On Hulu
YouTube: Watch Them On YouTube
Vote For It: Web Therapy

Ratings

Style 3

The story is broken into arcs, with approximately three episodes devoted to each patient. Not only does this make it easier to jump into the series at almost any point, but it also means that the “joke” very rarely gets stale. (Pacing 4)

Storytelling 4.5

Polish 4.5

Even on the rare occasions that you can tell the show is improvised, Lisa Kudrow and the patient de jour manage to take the gaffe and use it to produce something even funnier. (Watchability 4.5)

Novelty 4

Overall Rating: 4.08 out of 5 stars

Bottom Line: In the wide world of religious satire Mr. Deity stands a cut above the rest. It manages to raise some really interesting questions about the way the we look at the world beyond without devolving into a heavy-handed mess.

Mr. Deity is a webshow/podcast that looks at the every-day life of the creator and everything he must endure as he attempts to manage his creation.

Details

Cast: Brian Keith Dalton, Jimbo Marshall, Sean Douglas, Amy Rohren
Website: Mr Deity
YouTube: Watch Them On YouTube
Facebook: Join Them On Facebook
Vote For It: Mr. Deity

Ratings

Style 4

Pacing 4

For a show that could have become nothing but a series of sketches, they do a fantastic job of tying episodes together, rewarding those who have been keeping up from the beginning. That being said, the show is still enjoyable even if you only have a few episodes under your belt. (Storytelling 4.5)

Polish 3.5

This show is downright addicting. The episodes only get better once they introduce Jessie and Lucy to the cast in the middle of the first season. As always with a show that touches so prominently on religion, this it’s not for everyone, but I think they keep it light-hearted enough to keep most people coming back for more. (Watchability 5)

Novelty 4

Overall Rating: 4.16 out of 5 stars

Bottom Line: This is one of the more under-appreciated shows on our review docket. Rules of the League combines the surprisingly popular fantasy football league genre with a great cast of supporting characters that drive a fun, light-hearted comedy.

A web comedy based around the lives of fantasy football bloggers as they struggle with success.

Details

Cast: Joel Ballard, Kate Ballard, Wallace Greene, Vincent Murdoch, Teri Bradshaw
Website: Rules of the League (RSS)

Twitter: Follow Them On Twitter
Facebook: Join Them On Facebook
Vote For It: Rules of the League

Ratings

They make extremely clever use of overlays to show off their Twitter accounts and tie the show into their Social Media presence. Fantastically executed. (Style 4)

Pacing 3.5

What I like most about this show are the characters. Even though the supporting cast (except for the wacky friend Wallace) don’t get a lot of screen time, they are a fun bunch and really add color to the show. What I like least is that a lot of the early episodes seem repetitive, not that the plots are the same but the themes are and they don’t do anything to drive the story forward. (Storytelling 3)

Polish 3.5

Watchability 3.5

Novelty 3

Overall Rating: 3.41 out of 5 stars

Bottom Line: Boy is this a fun show to watch. This wins the award for shortest series that still manages to keep your attention. Even if you aren’t married (and maybe especially if you aren’t) you’ll find something to laugh at here.

Real Life With Married People is a series of very short web videos about a couch, and the two people who sit on it a lot.

The two people are married to each other, and if you happen to be married, in a relationship, or at least familiar with the general concepts, you just might find their exploits hilarious mildly amusing depressingly relatable.

People who enjoy describing things by comparing things to other things describe Real Life With Married People as “Mad About You meets Beavis and Butthead.” Not literally, of course, though such a crossover would be hilarious to watch for the obvious tension between co-stars Helen Hunt and Butthead, who are now divorced.

Details

Cast: Celia Finkelstein, Destin Berthelot
YouTube Channel: Real Life With Married People
Website: Real Life With Married People
Support the Show: Play Some Shuffle Tennis

Subscribe

Feed: Feed
Facebook Page Real Life With Married People

Ratings

No sets, no scenes no problems. Each episode is shot with the married couple sitting on or around the couch. Normally, this might get stale after a while but in this case it adds to the overall understated nature of the humor. We’re left feeling that their life is the same, humdrum back and forth day in and day out punctuated by the clever little scenes that we see every episode. (Style 3.5)

Pacing 5

Storytelling 3.5

Polish 4

Some of these come in at under 1 minute but it’s so tightly scripted that I never felt short changed. The actors really own their parts. This show is also incredibly easy to watch, and you’ll find yourself burning through the snappy episodes in no time. (Watchability 5)

Novelty 3.5

Overall Rating: 4.08 out of 5 stars

Bottom Line: Once you get past the fact that their coffee shop is very obviously a kitchen this clever, touching story of a group of emotionally damaged coffee shop employees may become one of your favorite web series of the year.

In the premiere episode, Mitch (Morgan Lee) starts his job at the Rose City Coffeehouse, where the pay is meager, the humiliation plentiful, and the customers are always wrong.

Details

Cast: Morgan Lee, Lara Kobrin, Leif Norby, Melissa Kaiser, Jessica Zodrow, Ehren Ebbage, Chris Bolton
Vimeo Channel: Wage Slaves
Website: Wage Slaves
Support the Show: Review The Show

Subscribe

RSS Feed: Feed
Facebook Page Wage Slaves

Ratings

Style 3

Pacing 4

Drama is hard with web series. Drama is really hard, so when someone makes the attempt I have to give them credit, when someone does it well it deserves a mention. Wage Slaves does it well. The story is not without its flaws, the supporting cast feels a little coarsely written and some of the jokes don’t work but the overall story arc is catchy and watching the main character develop is strangely compelling. It’s one of those shows you’ll need to get through a few episodes before it grows on you, but once it does you’ll find yourself watching the entire run. (Storytelling 4)

I am all for low budget productions, and honestly I like this show a lot but you can really, really tell that its being shot out of a kitchen. I wish that somewhere in the pilot they would have explained why that is, or told us it was a quaint bed and breakfast place that sold coffee or something. Without that, I found myself spending far too much time looking at kitchen fixtures and wondering why no one else seemed to notice how weird that was. (Polish 3)

It runs a little on the long side with episodes typically breaking the ten minute mark, but the upside is that you get to see a plot fully develop. What I like about this show as compared to shorter web series is that it doesn’t feel as clipped. It gives you room to start to feel something for the characters and get inside their head a little. (Watchability 3.5)

Novelty 3

Overall Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Bottom Line: The first episode is the best by far, but the series manages to stay entertaining enough throughout its short run (4 episodes) to keep you coming back.

It’s the first day at school and Jude wants to get his homosexuality off his chest. Meanwhile his ex-girlfriend Christa tries to get revenge on him, and the new kid Ben is getting used to the jocks bullying him.

Details

Cast: Tyler Mann, Itay Gofman, Rachel Lenchner, Eden Mader, Lauren Soul, Riven Uchiwa, Adina Yoselevsky
Deviant Art Channel: First Period
Website: Tyler Mann – Deviant Art
Support the Show: Watch More Of Tyler’s Films

Ratings

Sometimes the sheer number of cuts distracts from the scene. (Style 2.5)

Pacing 3.5

The script is solid but there are some points where you can tell that the actors can “see” the camera. It adds to the quirkiness of the entire enterprise but it can distract from the immersion. (Storytelling 3)

Polish 3.5

Viewer discretion is advised, there are a lot of sexual references and a lot of vulgarity, if you are particularly sensitive to either you might want to take a pass on this one. However, if you can get past that you are in for a thoroughly entertaining series. (Watchability 3)

Novelty 3.5

Overall Rating: 3.16 out of 5 stars

Bottom Line: Michael is a fantastic voice actor and he brings more life to these iconic characters than you’ll see outside of the pages of the comics.

ItsJustSomeRandomGuy is the alias of Michael Agrusso, an American voice acting teacher, writer, and performer working and living in Los Angeles, California. He currently hosts the channel of the same name with Brinna Li. The channel is the source of the YouTube video parody series “Hi, I’m a Marvel…and I’m a DC”, which spoofs the Macintosh “Hi, I’m a Mac…and I’m a PC” Get a Mac television commercials.

Details

Creators: Michael Agrusso, Brinna Li
YouTube Channel: Marvel / DC
Website: Marvel / DC
Support the Show: Buy Audio Commentaries From The Store

Subscribe

Twitter Feed: Feed
Watch Them Live: BlogTV

Ratings

The things they do with action figures. This is one of the most entertaining films shot entirely with toys I’ve ever seen. (Style 4.5)

Pacing 4

For what amounts to a sketch show they have developed a really solid world for the characters to exist in. Whether it’s Spiderman and Batman chatting at the bar, or Deadpool serving up the snark the characters really start to grow on you. (Storytelling 3.5)

Polish 4

Even if you aren’t a comic book fan, after a few episodes you will “get” most of the characters. That being said, there are still some times when it feels a little bit too “insidery.” (Watchability 4)

Novelty 4.5

Overall Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Bottom Line: Jed and Mona pull off something that is nearly impossible in Internet land, they combine sex and comedy without either being too lurid or too prudish. Add to that Mona’s acting chops and Jed’s writing talent and what you end up with is a funny, sexy romp through sketch comedy.

On the strength of such international hits as “The Miracle Beer Diet”, Liv Films– founded by writer/director Jed Gillen and actress/editor Mona Gillen in the summer of 2007– has rapidly become one of the most popular producers of short, scripted entertainment in the world. Recognized for their unique brand of sexy– often politically-incorrect– comedy, Liv Films videos attract approximately 100,000 online viewers each day. With the release of their Brushing Teeth in Undies DVD in 2008, Liv Films has staked its claim as one of the very first Internet sensations to successfully transition to the mainstream.

Details

Cast: Jed Gillen, Mona Gillen
YouTube Channel: Liv Films
Website: Liv Films
Support the Show: Buy Their Uncensored DVD

Subscribe

Twitter Feed: Jed’s Feed

Twitter Feed: Mona’s Feed

Ratings

Style 4

Pacing 4

For a sketch show that comes in at under 4 minutes in length the writing is stellar. It’s fun to watch and once you start watching you want to see more. Jed and Mona know how to play their characters and once you get sucked into their world you won’t want to leave. (Storytelling 4.5)

Solid cuts, convincing acting and appropriately ironic use of effects make this a really well put together show for the low to no budget sketch genre. (Polish 4)

The only thing that would make this better is if they came out with videos more than once a month. (Watchability 5)

Novelty 4

Overall Rating: 4.25 out of 5 stars

Bottom Line: Although I would have loved if the film makers had spent more time with each of the people highlighted in these videos, it doesn’t take away from the fact that this is a clever, fun and strangely sentimental web project. I only wish others would take time to understand culture in such a creative way.

GOLD is a comedy series about Professional Role Playing Gamers, written and produced for the web.

The World Goblins & Gold Role Playing Game Championship is only a few short weeks away. The perennial second-place American team has undergone an upheaval: their longtime team leader, Jonathan Drake, has suffered a tragic gaming-related accident. Maverick player and loose cannon Richard Wright takes the reigns and tries to wrestle his new team into shape before the competition, while despondent Jonathan battles his personal demons. Meanwhile, the World Champion British team, led by the crafty Oliver Crane and sultry Martha Thistlethwait, prepare for the Championship by enlisting a gaming legend as their new coach.

As the two factions battle internal and external strife, another threat rears its head: despite a fervent European following, in the U.S., Goblins & Gold is on the decline. Fewer and fewer players are picking up the dice in pursuit of this proud but aging sport, opting instead for Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games and the seductive simplicity of console gaming.

Can Richard whip his new team into shape in time for the championships? Will Crane’s Britons continue to dominate? And, if G&G loses its audience, will it all even matter in the end?

Join us for the web series that dares to ask the question, “Can you take the hits?”

Details

Cast: Rick Robinson,David Nett,Nathan Mobley,James Paul,Xavier,Gary Karp,Robert Brewer,Alan Loayza,Shannon Nelson,Jeremy Guskin,Shannon Ivey,Angela Schnaible,Chuck Raucci,Frederick Snyder,Jessica Pennington,Justin Waggle,Sasha Harris,James Ellis Lane,Brett Nichols,Jeanette Scherrer,Andrew R. Deutsch,JoAnna Senatore,Michael Miranda,Torrance Jordan
Blip.tv Channel: GOLD: The Series
Website: GOLD: The Series
Support the Show: Make A Donation

Subscribe

RSS Feed: Feed
iTunes Feed: GOLD: The Series

Ratings

It feels like a television sitcom without too many stylistic flourishes thrown in to distract from the overall story (Style 2.5)

Pacing 4

Good characterization, solid directing and a storyline that takes you along for a ride. Of course there are a few bits of overacting in there but not enough to detract from a stellar overall performance. (Storytelling 4.5)

Polish 4.5

At about ten minutes per episode it’s long enough to introduce a story arc without being so long that you have a hard time getting through it. (Watchability 4)

It’s a story about a group of table top RPG players that actually tugs at your heart strings. I don’t know how they did it, but I am happy that they did. (Novelty 4.5)

Overall Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Bottom Line: Doug’s commentary is often more entertaining than watching the films he is reviewing.

That Guy with the Glasses is a website that showcases original entertainment for an audience including video game enthusiasts and movie buffs. It primarily stars Chicago native Douglas Walker aka “That Guy with the Glasses.” The founder and administrator of the site is Michael Michaud, in addition to being the CEO of the parent company Channel Awesome.

The Nostalgia Critic reviews 1980-90s films and television

Details

Cast: Doug Walker
Blip.tv Channel: The Nostalgia Critic
Website: The Nostalgia Critic
Support the Show: Watch Other Shows On The Site

Subscribe

RSS Feed: Feed
iTunes Feed: The Nostalgia Critic

Ratings

Style 3.5

At almost 20 minutes in length per episode, this one falls outside of normal “Internet video” range. Even so, Doug gives you enough shlock to make it worth it most of the time. (Pacing 3)

Most of the time watching these reviews is an order of magnitude better than watching the movie it’s based on. I only wish DVD Extras were this good. (Storytelling 4.5)

Polish 4

I’m beating a dead horse here but you really need to be invested to set aside 20 minutes for something on the web. This is for movie lovers only. (Watchability 3.5)

Novelty 3

Overall Rating: 3.58 out of 5 stars

Bottom Line: There are a lot of film critic shows out there today, a lot of them are good but Brad wins the dark horse competition hands down. He has a near encyclopedic knowledge of exploitation film culture and manages to convey it with enough bite to be funny without so much bile that he alienates his audience.

The Cinema Snob LOVES himself some classics of arthouse cinema and goes to sleep at night dreaming of the films of Fellini, Kurosawa, Godard, and Bergman. But what happens when this pretentious snob is given the task of reviewing low budget exploitation flicks of the past?

Details

Cast: Brad Jones
Blip.tv Channel: The Cinema Snob
Website: The Cinema Snob
Support the Show: Support Brad’s Feature Films

Subscribe

RSS Feed: Feed
iTunes Feed: The Cinema Snob

Ratings

Style 2.5

When you’re doing movie reviews your gut often tells you to make them way, way too long. Brad manages to edit himself really well, cutting the videos down to “Internet length” without losing any of the wit. (Pacing 4)

Exploitation films make great source material, and the snob makes good use of it. Even when he covers modern films as he started to do recently, he does so with a strong flair for storytelling. (Storytelling 4.5)

All the polish a camcorder and some solid editing skills can buy (Polish 3)

Almost every movie Brad reviews I want to go out and see. He always gets the highest honor I can bestow, I’ve watched every single one of his videos. (Watchability 5)

Novelty 3

Overall Rating: 3.66 out of 5 stars

Bottom Line: Keeping up on the wonderful world of web series is hard and sifting through the muck to find the good ones is even harder, The Clip Show does a lot of that heavy lifting for you and does it with wit and style.

The Clip Show is a once a week video podcast reviewing an assortment of Cast and Casters, some of which are entertaining, inventive, funny, nasty, terrible, boring however all of which leave us wondering why we are still watching. Watch The Clip show every Tuesday as host Jim Kirks reviews and rates new shows using the patented cogdn system to guide your way.

Details

Creators: Jim Kirks, Charlie Baker
Blip.tv Channel: The Clip Show
Website: The Clip Show
Support the Show: Make a Donation

Subscribe

RSS Feed: Feed
iTunes: The Clip Show

Ratings

They “patented” their own rating system, that alone earns you some style points in my book. (Style 4)

Pacing 3

It’s a clip show, they show clips and make funny. This is not Citizen Kane by a stretch. (Storytelling 2.5)

Polish 4

This is incredibly fun to watch of you like the Internet and the wonderful, wonderful videos it produces. (Watchability 4.5)

Did I mention it’s a clip show? (Novelty 3)

Overall Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars