It’s a cliché, but inarguably true: laughter is the best medicine. In times of stress or whenever I feel under the weather, a hearty dose of laughs with a side of giggles is exactly what puts the spring back in my step. Luckily, there’s no shortage of laughs on the interwebs. But I’m not talking cutesy three-minute YouTube videos that go viral only to lose their appeal as the weeks go by. The three original web series below will have your tummy aching from start to finish and each episode promises plenty of laugh-out-loud moments. Without further ado, here they are:
1- 7 Minutes in Heaven with Mike O’Brien
Remember your first high-school party? That faithful game of 7 Minutes in Heaven would see you enclosed in a narrow closet with your crush and with any luck, once those 7 minutes were up, you’d come away with a kiss, if not more. Well, that’s exactly the premise behind 7 Minutes in Heaven with Mike O’Brien, except that this time, the peculiar Saturday Night Live alum has by some mysterious force of nature convinced some of Hollywood’s brightest to willingly join him in the closet for an intimate conversation. Sometimes, the latter is interspersed with role plays, and prank calls where both O’Brien and his guest prey on unsuspecting customer service agents in order to tell them a very interesting story. Laughing yet? And when those faithful 7 minutes are up, an awkward O’Brien leans in for a kiss, and needless to say, hilarity, rather than romance ensues! Check out O’Brien’s crazy closet antics with 30 Rock’s Jack McBrayer below:
For more episodes of 7 Minutes in Heaven with Mike O’Brien, click here.
2– The Misadventures of Akward Black Girl & Friends
Now, I’ve seen this person once before and already said hello. There she goes again down the hallway, what should I do? Ugh! Awkward right? Writer/director Issa Rae knows that all too well, and the budding YouTube star created The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl & Friends to poke fun at those universally uncomfortable moments, and the people that make it so, from the “germy” office mate to the co-worker who just can’t take a hint. The scripted series follows awkward black girl “J” as she navigates through life, love, and work, but not without viscerally side-splitting awkward moments that we can all relate too. Plus, the fact that Rae doesn’t shy away from tackling racial stereotypes in a irreverent, no-holds barred fashion is the icing on the cake. Watch a snippet below:
Catch up on the first season of The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl & Friends here.
3- Very Mary Kate
Now, it’s not nice to poke fun at anyone, but comedian Elaine Caroll does such a spot-on impersonation of former child star Mary-Kate Olsen in the original web mockumentary Very Mary Kate that despite your best efforts, you’ll end up in hysterical laughter. The life of a Hollywood starlet turned mega-billionaire designer is nothing to envy according to this Mary-Kate Olsen who despite the help of her bodyguard, whom she aptly refers to as “Bodyguard”, “toils” through her day-to-day. And as if the series wasn’t funny enough, Caroll’s newly-minted spin-off, Very Maggie Smith, is an even bigger hoot! Check out an episode of Very Mary Kate here:
