Web series have been around since the late 1990s. Over the last two-plus decades tens of thousands of writers, directors, and actors have created series to showcase their talents – all with the hopes of becoming big Hollywood stars and household names. However, the vast majority of internet series have fallen flat for a variety of reasons: poor acting, bad direction, stilted writing, and cheap production values.
Web series have had a fraught history: In 2008, the creators of thirtysomething sunk millions into the web series Quarterlife. NBC decided to develop the concept into a series. It lasted just one episode. Also in 2008, Darren Star developed We Need Girlfriends for Sony Pictures and CBS. We Need Girlfriends was created by amateur filmmakers Steven Tsapelas, Angel Acevedo, and Brian Amyot. CBS and Sony spent two years and tens of millions of dollars developing the show. The pilot tested so badly that Tsapelas, Acevedo, and Amyot were fired and the project was scrapped. Issa Rae’s mega-hit 2016 HBO series Insecure was based on her web-show Awkward Black Girl. Rae’s prodigious talent, endless charm, and brilliant writing make her success all but destined. No one has ever come close to following in her footsteps.
The fact is that there are a ton of web series out there and none of them are very good or even watchable beyond the first ad roll. Imagine my chagrin when I was asked to Sharan Gupta’s new series, Bearded. Bearded is a modern-day relationship series about lovelorn 20- somethings. I was prepared to slog through a terrible series. I saw a rough cut of the series, which is still in post-production and I was pleasantly surprised. Sharan Gupta’s ambitious web series Bearded is wonderful and brilliant.
The eight-episode series follows free-spirited K, played by Ketra Long. K lives with her boyfriend and best friend, Derek, played by Kevin Le. One day, K catches Derek in bed with another man – K realizes that she is Derek’s beard, hence the title Bearded. The series follows K’s struggle to deal with her feelings for Derek while still pretending to be his girlfriend. Derek is not out to his parents and he needs K to play along until he works up the courage to come out. The show has everything: deft and relatable humor, unrequited love, high-stakes family drama, and realistic LGBTQ representation. Sharan Gupta’s casting of Long and Le is a masterstroke. They look as if they were made for this project. Sharan Gupta’s series is cut from the exact same cloth as Transparent and Love, Simon. Bearded is light, fun, and very well crafted. Long and Le are well casted. They take a well-treaded premise and make it fresh with their charm and breezy style.
The real shining star is director Sharan Gupta. Gupta shows skill and exceptional talent with the camera and shot selection. He gets so much out of his young actors that it’s hard to believe Gupta himself is so young. Gupta makes the series his own, crafting every scene and composing every shot with the deftness and expertise of a seasoned pro. If there is any single element that will start the resurgence of the web series as a serious art form it’s Gupta’s unparalleled vision. Gupta’s direction marks him as one of the premiere directors to watch. Gupta takes every single element of the production and makes it his own.
Gupta’s production design is simple and works very well. The costumes he selected are not garish and fit the style of the characters. His music choices put him in the category of Edgar Wright, each track enhances the raw human emotion the viewer will feel in every scene. Gupta’s shooting locations give us a nice view of hipster Los Angeles. Sharan Gupta’s cinematographer, Nishant Prabhakar, use of light and color is wonderful. The series, which is solely edited by Gupta, is leisurely and gives the scenes and the actors time to breathe. The sound design is on point. Gupta’s shows restraint by blending all these elements together. The series’ tone is the perfect mix of humor and drama – it does not bombard your senses. He teases them, but you never feel as if it’s too much.
The series star Ketra Long also wrote the pilot episode with K. Alex Fletcher. The dialogue feels natural and not overworked. The characters are all fully formed people that exist in the real world. The descriptions are vivid and strong, giving the reader clear and indelible mental images. The scripts are very well done. However, it’s Sharan’s pure and unmatched artistry that elevates already good work into the realm of the sublime.
I believe Bearded should be in your top eight shows that you must watch. The show’s biggest strength is the length of the episodes. At ten minutes a piece the viewer never feels like the show is overstaying its welcome. Bearded gets five stars. Bearded is a narrative series, which, I’m sure, every distributor will fight to pick up. The target audience are millennials, and generation Z viewers who want the next, great streaming binge.
On top of the entertainment value, the series will spark a conversation among thoughtful viewers. The series questions preconceived ideas about relationships, love, sexuality, identity, race, and familial relationships. One cannot walk away from watching Bearded without questioning your preconceived views on the nature of boyfriend/girlfriend relationships and what love, friendship, allyship, representation, and support really means.
This series deserves to be made, and Sharan Gupta deserves to be a star director. Sharan Gupta is a once-in-a-century talent and this project is one that no one should miss. I look forward to all the great things this young man has to offer the world of cinema. Once people absorb this show and see just how high Gupta sets the bar he might have single-handedly given the web series new life. Gupta throws the gauntlet down and I predict that many will pick it up and finally start the Platinum Age Of Independent Web Series.
