Cleanist: n. 1. A cleaning enthusiast. 2. One who cleans professionally. 3. A way of saying “cleaner” such that it rhymes with “penis.”

This week #WebSeriesWednesday was back with another series out of Australia. “The Cleanists” follows a small start up cleaning company of the same name, bouncing from client to client, cleaning houses and generally driving each other crazy.

The crew consists of four people. First there is Philip, who makes it a habit of asking personal questions and then using the information he gains against others. He might actually be the biggest asshole ever put on screen – No joke. “What would you rather have up your ass, a dog’s paw or a man’s fist?” Then there’s Magda, who’s the boss, even if she says she isn’t. From the beginning of the first episode she seemed poised to be the douchiest of the group until quickly being overshadowed by Philip.

Then we have friends Gregg and Libby. They’re supposed to be the normal ones, but really their shortcomings are just not printed in bold like Philip and Magda. A few of the creators involved in today’s chat were amused to hear me describe Libby as a bitch – something apparently under debate among the crew. Her fate is sealed when she nonchalantly walks out on everyone in the episode “Last Day.” Meanwhile Gregg is the protagonist but he’s needy, he lacks any kind of backbone whatsoever and worst of all he’s a complete sucker for anything Libby, to the point of anger and self detriment. His infatuation with Libby is the driving force behind a plot, which is essentially a slow motion view of the train wreck that is his life.

This gets to my core issue with “The Cleanists,” none of the characters are all that likeable. They can certainly be funny, and show’s like Seinfeld and It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia have shown that characters don’t always have to be likeable to make great series. Still, I want to root for someone, I need to empathize. The characters in Seinfeld may be generally despicable but their dark side usually poked fun at thoughts it’s audience probably had themselves, but wouldn’t share with others for fear of being judged. Here Libby is just apathetic towards everything and everyone, while Gregg tends to make me shake my head and wonder just what the heck is wrong with him.

“The Cleanists” is not without merit though, as I found the formatting of their episodes to be really slick. Each episode clocks in just around five minutes and centers around one situation, one house that needs cleaning and one self contained story. Some of the more memorable ones include “The Friendship Box” where the company is tasked with cleaning a magicians house, and “CSI: Cleaning Service Incorporated” in which the group accidentally cleans up a crime scene. The later episode resulted in my absolute favorite moment in the series in which the police rule that the victim was actually “a tree man” – the only logical explanation based on the evidence found.

That five minute format helped “The Cleanists” land a run on the UK channel Showcase. The creators reached out and the network just happened to be looking to highlight some independent work. The five minute run time made the episodes great for tacking on to the open time between the end of a movie and the top of the next half hour.

Overall ‘The Cleanists’ might have the most important thing going for it, and that is a group of motivated and talented individuals dedicated to the project. This week’s twitter chat got a little hard to follow with so many tweeting in their commentary on the show. Generally speaking groups like this one tend to learn quickly and go places. If you can get around the lack of a particularly likeable main character you’ll find a show with a lot of good laughs. Keep your eyes out for this one.

“The Cleanists” can be found on YouTube at their channel https://www.youtube.com/user/TheCleanists