Indie Spotlight: Local Weed Scene Gets To ‘Grow Op’ In Comedy About Legalization

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.

Recreational marijuana has been legal in Washington state since 2012, and a new web series is lightheartedly imagining how that transition is affecting some of the region’s long-time stoners. Grow Op, now available thanks to Seattle-based distributor Indieflix, is a comedy about a dealer who is looking to legitimize his business in the wake of his homeland’s legal changes.

The dealer who Grow Op focuses on is Kevin (Ramon Isao), whose life undergoes major changes after he is granted a Grow License. His shift is cataloged by Grow Op‘s narrator Charles (John Q. Smith), who is described in the show as a “high-curious bon vivant.” In the first episode, we meet a few of Grow Op‘s central players and take in the somewhat disjointed scene director Matt Skerritt has set for us.

Even if you don’t partake in recreational weed consumption yourself, Grow Op‘s sharp pace is entertaining and its characters are fresh and enjoyable. At the same time, this show would probably be pretty fun under the influence of substances (not that we’re explicitly endorsing that here at Tubefilter). The sharp cuts and Charles’ light, stumbling narration makes it clear Grow Op might have been made by filmmakers who are very familiar with the effects of the sticky icky. With their show, they have made that mindset accessible to the masses.

OTHER UNDER-THE-RADAR SERIES TO CHECK OUT

• Kuntergrau. Germany’s prettiest gay web series launched its second season earlier this year.
• Late Night Talk Show. Comedy writers crack jokes about the news in short snippets posted to Instagram.
• Indoor Boys. Two roommates navigate sexual tension in the confines of their pretty apartment.

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