Awkward + Black = A Winning Web-Series
We're all settled into the new Fall TV season and still figuring out what we will keep watching (Up All Night) and what we won't (sorry, Free Agents). But before the new season kicked in the show that I was most highly anticipated was not on the network schedule. What show you ask?
Well one of the best discoveries of this past summer is the web-series "The Mis-Adventures of Awkward Black Girl" aka ABG. I was turned on to it by my friend Sheila and we spread it to others. When the show was in jeopardy I contributed to the kickstarter campaign. Why this devotion and need to see this show succeed?
For one it is well written and that is hard to come by in any platform. Also, as a black woman, I don't feel represented on any shows that watch and as you know I watch a lot of TV. Sure I watched "Girlfriends" but I didn't relate to any of those woman, same for "The Game". Am I missing a show that features black women? Uh, no and so see there is the problem right there. My friend that turned me on to the show is Indian and another friend we turned on to it is Puerto Rican and we all love this show, we haven't talked this much about a show since "Lost" went off the air. Issa Rae, the creator and star of the show, is not giving us a stereotypical expression of a Black female, her character J is just trying to make it through the day and has the same issues that many of us face, ridiculous co-workers, mixed signals from a guy. I applaud that she took on the issue of inter-racial dating in "The Date" so head on and to hilarious effect. This is the show I didn't know I needed.
In addition, the popularity of "Awkward Black Girl" proves that web series can find an audience and be just as engaging as what is on the tube. As Ms. Rae points out in her CNN interview (watch below) people will be watching web series on their TV's because of they already can access the internet on their TVs.
There is a new episode out today "The Happy Hour", you can watch it here.
Learn about Issa Rae and the show, here's an interview on CNN from this past weekend
Well one of the best discoveries of this past summer is the web-series "The Mis-Adventures of Awkward Black Girl" aka ABG. I was turned on to it by my friend Sheila and we spread it to others. When the show was in jeopardy I contributed to the kickstarter campaign. Why this devotion and need to see this show succeed?
For one it is well written and that is hard to come by in any platform. Also, as a black woman, I don't feel represented on any shows that watch and as you know I watch a lot of TV. Sure I watched "Girlfriends" but I didn't relate to any of those woman, same for "The Game". Am I missing a show that features black women? Uh, no and so see there is the problem right there. My friend that turned me on to the show is Indian and another friend we turned on to it is Puerto Rican and we all love this show, we haven't talked this much about a show since "Lost" went off the air. Issa Rae, the creator and star of the show, is not giving us a stereotypical expression of a Black female, her character J is just trying to make it through the day and has the same issues that many of us face, ridiculous co-workers, mixed signals from a guy. I applaud that she took on the issue of inter-racial dating in "The Date" so head on and to hilarious effect. This is the show I didn't know I needed.
In addition, the popularity of "Awkward Black Girl" proves that web series can find an audience and be just as engaging as what is on the tube. As Ms. Rae points out in her CNN interview (watch below) people will be watching web series on their TV's because of they already can access the internet on their TVs.
There is a new episode out today "The Happy Hour", you can watch it here.
Learn about Issa Rae and the show, here's an interview on CNN from this past weekend
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