REVIEW: B.J. FLETCHER: PRIVATE EYE Is an Adorable, Addictive Crowd-Pleaser

For fans of: CAGNEY & LACEY, THE L WORD, THE BLOODHOUND GANG, LAVERNE & SHIRLEY, RIZZOLI & ISLES

What it is: Adorable, bumbling private investigator and her loyal (but increasingly independent) sidekick use charm, luck and the power of cute to solve (and commit) some crimes while falling in (and out) of love. Season and series finale premieres tomorrow!

REVIEW: With Big Pussy, Sebastian Bach, Dr. Lisa (GH) & More, ADULTS ONLY Has Something for Everyone

For fans of: GENERAL HOSPITAL, THE SOPRANOS, VAMPIRE MOB, THE VARIANTS, GILMORE GIRLS, Skid Row

What it is: Neighborhoody Boston shop peddles adult films & risque novelties, shelters colorful help & maybe-mafioso proprietorship, provides solid customer service and new leases on life.

What's good: Favorites from disparate fan bases mix it up; eclectic ensemble has chemistry. Danny Nucci's connoisseur character is earnest and almost endearing (he was on FALCON CREST? Who knew?). Plus: who doesn't love PG porn puns?

REVIEW: "One Life to Live" is sufficient...if you're a hipster Vampire!

Web Series: SUCK & MOAN

For Fans of: DARK SHADOWS, PASSIONS, THE WALKING DEAD

What's Good: Wry comedy, good production values, style and a talented cast in easy-to-watch 5 minute webisodes. It's teeming with development potential.

REVIEW: New Season of THE BAY Set to Beat Daytime Soaps at Their Own Game

Web Series: THE BAY

For fans of...: SANTA BARBARA, ANOTHER WORLD, GENERAL HOSPITAL, DYNASTY

What it is: The Garretts are beautiful and wealthy; and yet, happiness eludes them.

What's good: Filmed on location and written by a fan of soaps, THE BAY manages to look better than most daytime serials while honoring the genre's structure and history. And there's a brand new opening.

REVIEW: OUT WITH DAD's Father/Daughter Relationship Entertains, Educates, Role-Models

Web Series: OUT WITH DAD

For fans of...: SWITCHED AT BIRTH; ANYONE BUT ME; It Gets Better Project

What it is: Poignant father/daughter relationship is challenged by sexual coming-of-age.

What's good: It's sweet, sincere, and relate-able. Fun, unexpected special effects heighten drama and develop characters.

REVIEW: Hillary B. Smith Scores Touchdown with FUMBLING THRU THE PIECES

Web Series: FUMBLING THRU THE PIECES

For fans of...: ONE LIFE TO LIVE; CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM

What it is: Post-yuppie, new-agey women and the blue collar gentleman who grounds them (a bit) try to figure out Life and each other.

What's good: A professional, mature look and feel evocative of an HBO style pseudo-documentary sitcom. A very experienced cast--and we can tell they're genuinely enjoying the gig. Plus, get your (Indie Soap Award winner) Hillary B. Smith fix!

REVIEW: Orange Juice in Bishop's Garden Revitalizes the '90s

Web Series: ORANGE JUICE IN BISHOP'S GARDEN

For fans of...: DEGRASSI; THE SECRET LIFE OF THE AMERICAN TEENAGER; Pearl Jam

What it is: 1990s-style ensemble teen picaresque.

What's good: Nice portions—individual episodes tend to focus on a small social subdivision of the large (24 character) cast. Recreates the 90s just how we remember them.

REVIEW: Awesome Aidan 5 Apes Bladerunner, Avatar, Archer

Web Series: AIDAN 5

For fans of...: Bladerunner; ARCHER

What it is: Human clones may be more trouble than they're worth in the stylishly dangerous city-of-tomorrow.

What's good: Groundbreaking technical achievements for a short-format indie series.

REVIEW: LOS AMERICANS Showcases Dream Ensemble: Lupe Ontiveros, Esai Morales, Raymond Cruz & Yvonne Delarosa

Web Series: LOS AMERICANS

For fans of...: Telenovelas; PARENTHOOD; Lupe Ontiveros, Esai Morales, Raymond Cruz or Yvonne Delarosa

What it is: An affluent Mexican American family overcomes obstacles.

What's good: Looks TV ready. Cast so strong (and famous) it had us doing doubletakes—more acting experience then most new television dramas. Fresh take on the American family.

REVIEW: Star of ANYONE BUT ME may be next Natalie Portman

Web Series: ANYONE BUT ME

For fans of...: DEGRASSI; THE SECRET LIFE OF THE AMERICAN TEENAGER

What it is: Precocious teens live with love and loss.

What's good: More intelligent than most teen soaps, but never preachy or soft. Life changing events at every turn, but never a whiff of melodrama. Female lead is very strong.

REVIEW: Is the new CALIFORNIA HEAVEN more like DARK SHADOWS or DYNASTY?

Web Series: CALIFORNIA HEAVEN

For fans of...: DYNASTY; MELROSE PLACE; DARK SHADOWS

What it is: Wealthy Malibu family generates drama galore.

What's good: Daytime TV caliber direction, writing, and acting. Three episodes a week!

REVIEW: Mutual Oprah Society - THEN WE GOT HELP Locates the Higher Self

Web Series: THEN WE GOT HELP!

For fans of...: MODERN FAMILY; THE OFFICE

What it is: Mockumentary of a do-it-yourself help group.

What's good: Strong chemistry between the entire ensemble cast. Diverse selection of “typical American” couples; accurate depiction of their dynamics.

What's great: The writing and acting are consistently witty--and frequently touching and incisive. An ingenious premise, with clever execution, successfully transforms the limitations of the webisode medium into assets. Are the producers familiar with the ancient art of Judo?


What could be better: Production wrinkles in season one are, by and large, ironed out in season two.

Addictive like...: Facebook updates

Grade: A

Review based on: Episodes 1; 2.1-2.10

See for yourself!
- Official Website - ThenWeGotHelp.com
- THEN WE GOT HELP! on YouTube
- THEN WE GOT HELP! on blip.tv

Kevin Mulcahy Jr. is a staff contributor at welovesoaps.com writing theater and web series reviews as well as other in-depth features. To contact Kevin, email kevin@welovesoaps.com.

REVIEW: A "New Y&R" Aims for Madcap Parody; Misses

Web Series: THE YOUNG & REBELLIOUS

For fans of...: THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS

What it is: Corny daytime soap send-up.

What's good: Fast cars and a hot girl.

What's great: There is a certain train-wreck appeal.

REVIEW: Sex and the City plus Queer as Folk equals In Between Men

Web Series: IN BETWEEN MEN

For fans of...: QUEER AS FOLK; SEX AND THE CITY

What it is: Sophisticated alpha-males party and hump in present-day New York City.

What's good: Looks really good—nice graphics, multiple locations, lots of camera angles, and so on. Pretty people and some solid tunes as well.

What's great: This series is definitely better than some of what we've seen on the Logo cable network. TV ready.

REVIEW: Visit an adorable comic book store at The Variants

Web Series: THE VARIANTS

For fans of...: COMMUNITY, comic books

What it is: Sweet misfits run a strip-mall comic book shop.

What's good: Characters are watchable and believable. Good episode length. Cute and comfy.

What's great: For the right audience, the unintentional awkwardness and zero-sum narrative arcs will, no doubt, only enrich the comic book realness. THE VARIANTS has a huge fan base.

REVIEW: Brit Soap Hollyoaks does True Blood in Blood and Bone China

Web Series: BLOOD AND BONE CHINA

For fans of...: TRUE BLOOD; Harry Potter; HOLLYOAKS

What it is: PG Vampire tale set in Victorian England.

What's good: It's a fun, campy adventure that's graphic enough to sink your teeth into but also lighthearted enough to watch with a grin.

REVIEW: LOTOH - A Take on the Mid-century Soap Opera?

Web Series: LIFE OF THE OTHER HALF

For fans of...: ONE LIFE TO LIVE; THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS

What it is: A bunch of privileged Aussie singles make their lives more difficult than they need to be.

What's good: This series takes us back to the days when daytime soaps were about the sort of glamorously banal drama only spoiled young pretties endure. Embraces classic soap archetypes (The Socialite, The Casanova, The Perfect Wife) while freshening with a spritz of faux-doc-style irony.

REVIEW: Pieces of Inception, Black Swan, Lost

Web Series: PIECES

For fans of...: LOST, Christopher Nolan

What it is: Terminally ill Everyman copes with knowing too much and yet not enough; unconventional detective mystery ensues.

What's good: Ambitious and well-planned. Pacing doesn't let us linger long enough to poke holes in the story, and yet it leaves no one behind (but pay attention!) Strong male lead.

REVIEW: DEVANITY--Did Dominick Dunne finally lose it?

Web Series: DEVANITY

For fans of...: GOSSIP GIRL; Dominick Dunne; TMZ

What it is: Four ex-orphans inherit a business empire from Dad and misbehave accordingly.

What's good: Juicy and well-crafted. The direction is almost its own character, subtly satirizing the all-too-familiar E! TRUE HOLLYWOOD STORY trope.

REVIEW: RAGGED ISLE - Stephen King's TWIN PEAKS?

Web Series: RAGGED ISLE

For fans of...: TWIN PEAKS; Stephen King

What it is: Here's a serialized murder mystery that's downright artistic, yet accessible, spooky, and hip.

What's good: Lush cinematography and big-budget production values make this quirky murder mystery series look and feel like a studio film. It's familiar yet original. Having lived in Maine, we can tell you, it really is that beautiful and the natives really can be... like that.