If you exclude stuff from Amazon or Netflix or Hulu (which might only be available via online streaming, but are otherwise very traditional TV shows), we still haven’t really had a true breakout web series, a show that debuts on a YouTube or a Vimeo and makes a real pop-culture impact. “Broad City” might be the closest, but it really found its fans after the show moved to Comedy Central.
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The closest thing to a true crossover to date is “High Maintenance,” which produced 19 episodes between 2012 and 2015. Following an unnamed weed dealer (Ben Sinclair, who co-created the show with his wife, casting director Katja Blichfeld) on his journeys around New York, with each 5-12 minute episode being named after an unseen peripheral character talked about during his adventures, the show became something of a word-of-mouth hit on Vimeo, and even got a glowing write-up in The New Yorker.
And HBO were listening, because in the spirit of “Broad City,” they’ve picked it up and commissioned a six-episode season of the show, debuting in the fall. The first trailer arrived today. Fans should rest assured that this looks to have a real continuity with the earlier version, just a little nicer looking and potentially with some bigger names (we spot Amy Ryan in there). You can watch the trailer above and below.