I follow Lisa Schwartz on YouTube (YouTube name Lisbug) because I came across her videos and thought she was funny. One day, in one of her YouTube videos, she said she had a special announcement: ABCd (ABC digital) was doing a digital-only series called "This Isn't Working" starring her. So, I went to ABCd.com, found her episodes, and watched them expecting them to be funny. Wow!! I was expecting funny, but these episodes are not just funny. They are of the highest technical quality possible - better than most shows on network television. These aren't simply expanded YouTube videos. The scripts, written by Lisa and Sean Kearney, are complex and hilarious - one funny, intelligent line after another - scripts about the lousy jobs people are forced to work in their lives as they attempt to make it in the world. The closest TV show comparison that came to my mind is "Scrubs". There's a huge cast of characters, all of them memorable and funny, including YouTube stars Anna Akana and Alexis G. Zall, but also 1 legit Hollywood star (I didn't recognize her at first, but I did when I saw her in this YouTube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m9uSbVLvZvM), Beverly D'Angelo of "Vacation" movie fame, and also famous character actors that you will probably recognize as soon as you see their faces like Jim O'Heir and Dennis Haskins. The less well-known actors in these episodes are all excellent and hilarious, and I'm sure some if not all of them are destined to become famous. Lisa herself also turns out to be an excellent actress. Even the cinematography is first class. There are 5 episodes that add up to about 48 minutes of entertainment - basically, it's a short film. Do yourself a favor - go here: http://abc.go.com/shows/this-isn't-working and spend 48 minutes laughing your ass off. If ABC doesn't expand this series into something bigger, they're crazy. I'd hate to see it sanitized for network TV. Maybe there's a cable TV channel that could show it, or maybe it could be turned into a series of films. It's really good.
Review of This Isn't Working
