AwesomenessTV is making the jump from digital screens to television screens. Again. The multi-channel network’s hit musical web series Side Effects will make its TV debut as a 90-minute feature film on E! on April 17, 2015.
Originally released as a long-form series on AwesomenessTV’s channel in October 2013, Side Effects tells the story of 16-year-old Whitney, who experiences musical hallucinations from the medication she’s taking to deal with the loss of her mother and the disappearance of her father. The series was a hit in its original online release and garnered over two million views in its first week on YouTube.
The Side Effects’ movie iteration will include some unreleased content, and will be broadcast exclusively on E! on April 17. The film will then be available for digital purchase the following day via Amazon Instant Video, Google Play, iTunes, Xbox, Vudu, and MGO. The new Side Effects footage will also be incorporated into four separate episodes to debut on April 18 as part of the series’ third season on AwesomenessTV’s YouTube channel.
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Produced by Awesomeness in conjunction with Universal Cable Productions, Side Effects stars Chester See, Meg DeLacy, Lulu Antariksa, Cade Canon Ball, Finn Roberts, and Keli Price, and guest stars Grace Helbig, GloZell, Arden Rose, Lia Marie Johnson, and Meghan Rienks. Awesomeness’s CEO and founder Brian Robbins, Joe Davola, Shauna Phelan, See, and series’ writer Allison Schroeder are executive producers, while Matt Stawski is directing.
“Great content works on any platform and at any length. Side Effects was the first time we experimented with long form content on YouTube and it was a huge success,” said Robbins in a release. “Now viewers can choose to watch it as a movie on E!, download it or watch the third season on AwesomenessTV. In this on-demand universe, we want to engage our audience wherever they are.”
“With its tremendous launch on AwesomenessTV and now its debut on E!, Side Effects proves that great content can gain traction in all forms of distribution,” said Aimee Carlson, Vice President of Digital and Scripted Development at UCP. “As a studio, Universal Cable Productions remains invested in creating this kind of quality content for a variety of platforms.”
You can watch the movie version of Side Effects on E! starting at 3 PM EST on April 17. Alternatively, you can wait to purchase the film or watch the series’ third season starting April 18 and every Saturday for the next three weeks through through May 9.
