Indie Spotlight: It’s Good To Have ‘Friends Like These’

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. 

This edition of Indie Spotlight is sponsored by Tongal.

Friends Like These doesn’t need much introduction. Sure, I could say that overcoming the common “roommates driving each other crazy” setup requires smooth production and slick writing, but aside from that, it’s probably best to just let the new web series talk for itself.

Friends Like These is helmed by a creator who goes by the name “J. Brooks“. J emailed Tubefilter with the subject line “an indie show that might make you chuckle while you poop,” and that just about sums up Friends Like These. The series follows four roommates–a porn director, his star actor, a med student, and a baker–through one zany scenario after another. The jokes are punchy as unrestrained. As you might have guessed from the scatological nature of J’s subject line, the humor frequently focuses on  areas below the waist (and I’m not talking about feet). Thus far, two episodes have been released:

The best part of Friends Like These is Jared Vandenberg, who plays porn star roommate Nick. In a way, Vandenberg’s performance represents the series as a whole: He’s funny, deadpan, and fixated on sex. Nick’s thoughts are delivered filter-free, and while his lines may be too crude for some, they are well-crafted. Most viewers will find some laughs.

OTHER UNDER-THE-RADAR SERIES TO CHECK OUT

• Alex and Eric Live Together. A real life couple explores all the quirks and idiosyncrasies of cohabitation.
• Left Over. A nervous man earns a place on a reality cooking show.
• Firsts. This web series is aimed at a middle-aged crowd and explores various “firsts” within its central relationship.
• Losing It. The typical “young single person” web series receives a novel spin through a protagonist who is a virgin.

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.

This edition of Indie Spotlight is sponsored by Tongal. Tongal is changing the way creative work gets done, by making it accessible to people everywhere. For brands, studios, and causes, Tongal’s innovative platform provides continuous access to a global network of creatives, offering fresh ideas and insights, and top filmmaking talent to bring them to life. Tongal’s collaborative, merit-driven process enables everyone to focus on the work they do best. The result is outstanding content delivered with great speed and efficiency. Tongal is based in Santa Monica, California.