Indie Spotlight: ‘Sunken City’ Brings Big Characters To The Big Easy

We receive a ton of tips every day from independent creators, unaffiliated with any major motion picture studios, television networks, new media studios, or other well-funded online video entities. The Indie Spotlight is where we’ll write about and shout out to a select few of them and bring you up to speed on the great (and sometimes not-so-great) attention-grabbing series you probably haven’t heard about until now.  Read previous installments here.

When Sunken City‘s pilot begins, it seems like a phony panegyric to New Orleans. A few comedic swerves later, the truth becomes clear: The series is a savvy mix of Portlandia‘s vignette-fueled style and the crazy characters of Louisiana’s largest city.

Sunken City follows the lives of three separate couples, but, as in Portlandia, there are just two principle actors: CJ Hunt portrays the three male leads while Kyle June Williams portrays the three female ones. “New Orleans is inspirational because of the wide variety of people who live here, and its every-day-deserves-a-costume lifestyle is the perfect backdrop for them,” explained Williams.

The couples range from an old husband and wife who talk like they just stepped out of The Help to a kooky duo in charge of a tacky tourist attraction to a deluded pair looking to launch an utterly useless startup. Some couples are better than others (the entrepreneurs deliver the pilot’s best lines), but all three have their moments in the debut episode.

Sunken City recently completed a Kickstarter campaign, so we’ll see more episodes in the fall, all while its creators stay true to their hometown. City’s supporting roles with its actors. “We wanted to show that you don’t have to move to New York or L.A. in order to be successful in comedy,” said Hunt. “You can stay and make something truly great right here in New Orleans.” Hunt and Williams’ strong values and creative talent makes me glad to see Sunken City reach its fundraising goal.

OTHER UNDER-THE-RADAR SERIES TO CHECK OUT:

• Dates Like This. Two roommates, a straight woman and a lesbian, each bounce around from one unusual date to the next.
• Look No Further. Two hapless journalists attempt to start a hard-hitting news program from their basement.
• The Funny Man. A gory Dailymotion series inspired by classic horror films.
• Hacker Girlfriend. A female gamer flirts with her biggest rival in an effort to throw him off his game.

Got a series you’d like to see featured in the Indie Spotlight? Be sure to contact us here.