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Wednesday, February 8th, 2012
Web Videos
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This Week's Web Series You Need To Watch: The Real Housewives of South Boston

by | February 8th, 2012

Very few web parodies inspire actual TV shows. In fact, I can’t think of one that has. Until now. Yes, that’s right. The Real Housewives of South Boston is so freaking good that reality TV factory TLC is reportedly in pre-production for a South Boston based addition to their suite of ratings-busting real-life programming. Okay, to be honest, I don’t know if the choice was a direct result of this web series but, after watching, I can’t imagine how it wouldn’t be.

Real Housewives’ general premise isn’t all that new — mockumentary, reality spoof, people acting outrageous, yada yada. The Internet is littered with similar iterations of tired premises brought on by a dangerous elixir of writers’ panic and Bravo binges. On logline alone, this series wouldn’t be out of the ordinary. So why is it?

Acting. Writing. Production. The answer’s not new and it’s not exciting, so I’m sorry about that. What it is, is representative of the crucial elements of any successful project. We all love new, fresh things, but even proven ideas that seem like they’ve been through the mill a couple times can be really impactful if done well. The talent with which the “done” project is assembled makes it feel fresh. Just look at the “Shit ____ Say” meme. A lot of what’s been put out is terrible but some, even this late in the game, is pretty damn funny.

Written by Lucia Aniello, Paul W. Downs, and Jessica Eason and starring Jackie Clarke, Jessica Eason, Jamie Denbo, Lucia Aniello and Jessica Chaffin, The Real Housewives of South Boston needs no explanation. If you’ve turned on your TV in the past five years, you understand the background. The show’s beats are pitch perfect, accents spot on, and jokes familiarly Boston-centric without being tired.

Here are three reasons to watch this week’s pick. NOMAR!!! (Is he still playing even? I’m not really a sports fan.)

  1. Boston
  2. Well-executed parody
  3. Brevity

Episode #1: The Real Housewives of South Boston

It started with Marky Mark. Then there was Good Will. Then The Departed and The Fighter, starring the artist formerly known as Marky Mark. And round and round we go. In entertainment, Boston is the new Brooklyn and if Scorsese and Spike Lee’s catalogs are any indication, Beantown’s still got some serious run left in it.

Episode #2: Christmas Special

If the accents weren’t brilliant and characters weren’t each hilarious in their own right, Real Housewives could’ve lost traction quickly. They were and, so, it didn’t.

Episode #3: Pats Super Bowl Message from The Real Housewives of South Boston

When parodying a TV show (or TV show format) in sketch form, it’s difficult to get away from an ultra-quick teaser feel. Thanks to strong editing, this show does a nice job of giving a full episode vibe in just a few minutes.

Tags:

the real housewives of south boston, web series to watch, web videos

  • Ryan P.

    I'd say the only good thing about this series is its brevity. OVERUSED PREDICTABLE INACCURATE BOSTON ACCENTS. Nomar hasn't been talked about this much since 2003. This would have been funny if it was 2006. The "It's funny because we're trashy" theme is old and dumb.

    • Ryan P.

      @Ryan P. I agree with Ryan P. this is not funny in the least.

    • Ryan P.

      FIRST!!

    • Ryan P.

      @Ryan P. You're an idiot.

    • Ryan P.

      @Ryan P. ^Typical troll right here

    • Ryan P.

      @Ryan P. ^Typical troll talking about people being trolls.

    • Ryan P.

      @Ryan P. ^Typical dorks.

  • Ryan P.

    ……… i'm bored at work

  • matty

    there was no mention of nomar in the series, troll.

  • J

    Ha! These are great!

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