Indie Spotlight: In ‘Apt 8 News’, Crazy People Read The Stories

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.

Newsflash: Channel 101 debuts some very funny web series. The latest hit to come out of Dan Harmon’s crowdsourced filmmaking competition is Apt 8 News, which chronicles the unbelievably dysfunctional relationship of two roommates.

Did you feel Passive Aggressive Friends wasn’t quite passive-aggressive enough? If so, you’re in luck, because Apt 8 News features the most passive-aggressive protagonists imaginable. Under the guise of ‘reading the news’, roommates Alex and Jackie trade the meanest, most aggressive barbs imaginable. By going completely off the deep end, Apt 8 News manages to create some pretty funny situations, especially when the duo’s beleaguered third roommate enters the fold.

Creator Kristofer Wellman told The Daily Dot that the series’ unique format was inspired by ill-fitting Craigslist roommates who would describe “small and petty” problems “as if they were devastating war crimes.” Wellman has turned that idea into some brilliant fake news segments.The weather report on ‘Hurricane Messybitch’ is the best part of the debut episode, but nothing tops episode 3’s Chris Hansen-inspired segment, To Catch A Fatass

After beginning its run with Channel 101, Apt 8 News has since moved to Slacktory and replaced Jackie with a new roommate named Erin. We haven’t seen much of Erin yet, but here’s hoping she’s just as much of a psycho as her predecessor.

OTHER UNDER-THE-RADAR SERIES TO CHECK OUT:

• Humor Me. A sketch comedy series featuring talented LA performers. The most recent sketch features a pair of guido doctors.
• Loves Labor’s…Pending. This web series spins the classic ‘young person searching for love’ formula by adding in an interactive element through which fans will help decide the protagonist’s fate.
• Sweethearts of the Galaxy. A vlog-style web series about a cosplayer who gets a little too into her character to the point that she thinks she is her character.
• Liberation Living Room. An online concert series aimed at kids. Norah Jones recently provided a performance.

Got a series you’d like to see featured in the Indie Spotlight? Be sure to contact us here. For best coverage, please include a full episode in your e-mail.