Quite a few of the web series we’ve written about here on CliqueClack are of the serial type, where the actors all play the same role webisode to webisode. What makes A Series of Unfortunate People (SOUP) a bit different is that most of the same actors appear in each webisode, yet they’re playing different roles each time. One week, series star Leyna Juliet Weber will play the unfortunate single person known as “The Cheap Fucker”; the next week Weber will be playing a married stepmom to “The Whiney Bitch.” You never know what each player is going to be doing next, sort of like a bunch of comedy sketch shows strung together rather than a traditional series.
SOUP is a comedy series produced by WorkingBug.com, premiering March 21st and continuing every Monday for eight weeks. Each 4-6 minute webisode features several people as they approach and/or deal with these certain kinds of people that many of us have likely known at one time or another in our lifetimes … or at least likely will someday. Chances are, though, at least one of you actually is one of these unfortunate people — you’ll know it when you see nothing wrong with the person in question.
The three webisdoes I got an early look at were funny and very well acted and produced. In one webisode, at least one face was familiar to me: Richard Riehle, who you may remember as the “jump to conclusions” guy on Office Space. Though I didn’t recognize the other actors, their work was great throughout.
If I had one criticism for the series it would be the censorship. Why the need to bleep out “fucker?” If you’re old enough to happen upon this series and can deduce what’s being said behind the bleep, what’s the point? This is a web series, not something that an “explicit” stamp is going to hurt, nor something that has to bow down to television network standards. Just let the fucks and shits flow!
Though the series isn’t exactly guffaw-inducing, it definitely put a smile on my face. I think you’ll find yourself relating a bit to those people dealing with the “unfortunate” ones, at least once. I’ll be checking out the rest as they’re released in the coming weeks.
To whet your whistle until Monday (over on DailyMotion), here’s the trailer for the series:
A Series of Unfortunate People – Trailer by SeriesOfUnfortunatePeople
Clacked by Keith McDuffee 
on Mar 18, 2011 @ 11:00 EST5EDT
