These boys are fresh out of college…and girlfriends.
“We Need Girlfriends”, an 11-episode online Web series, follows the fictional lives of three friends in their early 20s. After graduation, Rod (Evan Bass), Tom (Patrick Cohen) and Henry (Seth Kirschner) move into an apartment in Astoria, N.Y. When their college girlfriends simultaneously dump the trio, the boys are left in a peculiar position.
The brainchild of creators Steven Tsapelas, Brian Amyot and Angel Acevedo, “Girlfriends” began in 2006. The recent Hofstra University grads created the series loosely based upon their own experiences.
“We were all in long-term relationships that had broken up. We found ourselves in the New York boroughs with no idea how to navigate the singles scene,” said Tsapelas. “We were almost the exact opposite of ‘Entourage’.”
Each of the show’s characters has a distinct personality, creating trademark moments.
Rod (who favors Screech Powers from “Saved By The Bell”) thinks he is a ladies man. Rod’s frat boy sense of humor and perverted charm fails to woo the ladies, as he refers to them as “squirrels” and “vaginas.”
Tom is the most stable and normal of the trio, serving as the mediator. He struggles with his roommates’ constant bickering and overall idiocy. Tom also manages a suffering love life: he constantly encounters women that are all wrong for him, like one with a psychotic ex-boyfriend living in her apartment.
Henry is a shy and awkward individual who displays his nerd qualities in every Webisode. Henry’s pathetic one-liners about his ex like “she Photoshopped me out of her life” and “I shouldn’t have let her dump me” cement his image as a hapless pushover.
Tsapelas based the character of Henry upon himself.
“We’re both neurotic and pessimistic…in most situations in life I feel as uncomfortable in my skin as Henry does,” said Tsapelas.
Serious issues are addressed in the online series, including the importance of a “pimped out” MySpace page and how to properly wage a friend war (complete with team support t-shirts).
Each 5-15 minute Webisode features low-budget quality and some coarse language, giving viewers a realistic sense of the trio’s world.
“Girlfriends” has created some serious Internet buzz, as episodes have exceeded 700,000 views on YouTube. The series appeals to male and female fans alike: there are over 35 groups on Facebook dedicated to the online show.
In late 2007, CBS committed to turn “Girlfriends” into a TV series. Darren Star (creator of the series “Sex and the City”) has signed on for the project.
One can only hope that the CBS-version of “Girlfriends” will maintain the series’ awkward endearment, minus, of course, all that foul language.
