High Maintenance [Web Series]

This series is its own idiosyncratic, unexpected, and wonderful thing--and one of the best works of art I’ve experienced in any medium so far this year.

Each episode is tightly, often ingeniously plotted; they range from sweet romance to urban satire to comedies of manners, and each delivers more depth of character than TV episodes three times as long.

They’re all well acted, wryly funny, and between 6 and 11 minutes long: the perfect dosage to leave you smiling, with no unpleasant aftereffects.

It's not high-octane storytelling, but in the 12-to-20 minute range, the gentle heart of each episode beats true. And the craft continues to be stellar.

Freed of the constraints of thirty-minute or one-hour formulas, the episodes are luxurious and twisty and humane, radiating new ideas about storytelling.

Freed of the constraints of thirty-minute or one-hour formulas, the episodes are luxurious and twisty and humane, radiating new ideas about storytelling.

Not every episode of High Maintenance feels groundbreaking or perfect; despite being a set of loosely connected short films, few stand alone entirely. The second season--which is now funded by Vimeo, who will be charging a nominal fee for the six episodes--lets the show experiment with better production values and bigger casts. At times that gets in the way of the show’s quiet, intimate charm.