Indie Spotlight: ‘Brooding’ Finds Laughs Within The CW’s Melodrama

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. 

The hottest new show on TV will make you emotional. Sara Fletcher (known for her work with channels like The Fine Bros and Simple Pickup) and Brendan Bradley (who has appeared in web series like Squatters, Muzzled, and Frankenstein M.D.) play Ben and Delilah in Brooding, a web series that parodies the sentimental dramas of The CW.

Brooding’s title refers to a fictional TV show on a fictional network called The WC. A sequence at the beginning of each episode advertises “deep thoughts” and “dark places,” but instead, viewers are treated to a hilarious, over-the-top melodrama featuring tense music, dim lighting, low-cut tops for Delilah and tight shirts for Ben. In the Brooding

world, every conflict must be resolved in the most dramatic way imaginable. Everyday nuances, whether they take place in the bathroom or the kitchen, are cause for concerned faces and free-flowing tears. Here’s one of the best installments, in which Ben and Delilah turn an empty coffeepot into an emotional swell:

The best part of Brooding is its thoroughness. Beyond the individual episodes, viewers can also watch short 30-second promos for the series, all of which are smart and succinct. Even if you’ve never watched a show on The CW (I, for example, have not), Brooding has a lot to offer.

OTHER UNDER-THE-RADAR SERIES TO CHECK OUT

• 47 Secrets To A Younger You. Working moms search for ways to keep their lives fresh. Hilarity ensues.
• In Retrospect. A squabbling husband-and-wife sing their troubles to their therapist in this musical comedy.
• The Oracle of Bellwoods. A man goes on a quest to appease a fortune teller he meets in the park.
• Yukata Cowboy. In comedy sketches set all around the globe, a Japanese-American man tries to fit in.

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.