Web Series Wednesday: Wallflowers

Web series have this sort of interesting dynamic going on that is not really found in other mediums. There are no rules. Creators are encouraged to forge their own path, forego established formatting standards from television or film, and create something that works for them. This freedom is refreshing but it is also an extra challenge because no one has really found the go-to web format for storytelling.

This brings me to this week’s #WebSeriesWednesday show “Wallflowers.” Wallflowers is a five episode, fifteen minutes each (give or take), comedic series about a group of New Yorker’s dealing with interpersonal relationship issues in therapy, and in the wild. It might be more descriptive to simply say ‘relationship issues’ but these characters aren’t suffering from broken hearts, these characters harbor some serious self loathing that is reflected in their dealings with others.

Alas, Wallflowers is a show I felt was looking for its identity a bit. The story is most easily defined by the therapy group the show follows, and their generally pathetic misadventures. This aspect of the series has a very sitcom like feel but at the same time that description sells the story short. As the series slowly expands the characters become more than just someone for the audience to laugh at and start to become more human. This area is where the series starts to really excel as the episodes go on.

At the start of the show I was really expecting a sitcom style series, and I can’t really say if this was just something on my end or if it was something in the series. My thought is that the characters are initially shown in a stereotypical style that recalls more traditional sitcoms only to later on be given more depth. The result is a series that feels a bit uneven for awhile but leaves the viewer excited to see where the show will go from where it leaves off. While it may initially lead you to expect a more high concept style sitcom like say, ‘The Big Bang Theory,’ it ends up being much closer to something like ‘Freaks And Geeks’ – both in writing and style.

During the chat I got the impression that this perceived unevenness comes out of writing for the web for the first time, and figuring out what works and what does not as you go. This was not writing sitcom, it was not writing a feature, it was something undiscovered.

The show’s production style is much closer to a feature than a sitcom as well. The series has plenty of locations and only a couple of spots are featured prominently. Everything is lit really well and there was definitely a lot of thought put into the camera set ups. At roughly 75 minutes in total length I was surprised at just how much production value they were able to stuff into the show.

Creator Kieran Turner has plans to create more episodes and to put out content consistently throughout the year. That’s a task most shows have trouble doing, especially at such a high level. He credits that ability to his highly professional crew, and to making sure everyone got some compensation. Budgets are obviously very thin in the web world but a lot can be said for putting up some cash to make sure everyone takes your production as seriously as they would a job.

Ultimately Wallflowers is one of those rare web series that looks completely professional through and through and yet still manages to put out a full product. Most of the time shows of this length will cut corners by limiting things like actors, locations and camera set ups. Shows that look this good, with this many actors, locations and camera set ups typically struggle to tell a full, compelling story or even to get beyond the twenty minute mark.

With the first half of season one behind us, and the second half on its way I’m excited to see where Wallflowers takes us. I think the second part of the season will deliver a show that has found its rhythm story wise while simultaneously being one of the most well produced shows on the web.

You can watch Wallflowers on their official site http://wallflowers.tv