The below themes are based on survey responses to screenings of nine unique web series on the OTV|Open Television platform: Brujos, The T, Brown Girls, Seeds, Velvet, You’re So Talented, Geeta’s Guide to Moving On, Afternoon Snatch, and Full Out. These screenings screened in Chicago, IL between February 2017 and May 2018. The themes were gleaned from a total of 1,529 survey responses collected across 14 screenings. Survey responses were coded uses grounded theory, inductively searching for themes that ran across all nine shows to the point of salience. Five major themes were found across these shows through the coding process were: Strength of story and production value, Representation -- which was further subdivided into issues of intersectional representation and authenticity, Relatability, and finally Offering Something Different. 

Strength of story and production value

Many of the viewers at our screenings noted the strong production qualities and elements throughout of the shows themselves. Aspects such as production value, cinematography, strong writing, and compelling performances were all highlighted as stand out aspects to survey respondents. For instance, one of the survey respondents at our screening of The T, who identified themself as a 30 year-old , White, Gender non-Conforming individual, noted that their favorite part of the show was that it had “Such high quality production value, amazing performances and such real plot lines. ” Similarly, speaking to the high caliber of production exhibited throughout the shows, one of the survey respondents from a screening of Seeds noted that the show was “Beautifully shot and extremely professional caliber.” As this quote suggests, these comments regarding story production and storytelling elements of the shows, speak to the professional level of story production and development these web series were able to create in their short web series. As a respondent at the screening of Velvet noted, “the production was very well put together. The characters were very cohesive!” Once again, as this viewer highlighted how, despite being an small, independent production, the show was able to achieve a high-quality of both production and story development that is comparable to larger, scale professional productions. 

Issues of Representation 

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Intersectional Representation

Through the survey responses from these screenings, it was evident that this intersectional representation was not only appreciated, but also seen as one of the most important parts of what these stories offered. For instance, one viewer at a screening of Brown Girls noted that her favorite part of the series was seeing an honest representation of queer women of color on screen, writing that what stood out to her in the show was “the beauty of queer woc [sic.] (women of color) on screen! And unapologetically queer people.” Similarly a survey respondent at a screening of Brujos who identified as a Latinx, Cisgender male, age 32, wrote that what stood out to him was “the inclusion of a very large spectrum of the black and brown queer community.” A 24 year-old, Black Cisgender Woman survey respondent at the screening of Afternoon Snatch also noted that she appreciated “the emphasis on gender non conforming characters.” Some respondents also commented on how unabashed representation of intersectional identities allowed for the stories to build discussions around greater societal problems around issues such as gender, race and sexuality. For example, one survey respondent from a screening of Seeds said that their favorite part of the show was  “Black women’s friendships and solidarity in the face of racism and sexism.”

Authenticity and Honest Representation 

Not only did the survey respondents note that they appreciated the intersectional representation offered by the web series, but they also noted how these depictions often felt real and authentic. One White, Cisgender Woman at the screening of The T offered that what stood out to her were the “Authentic, profound characters.”Similarly, a Latinx, Cisgender Woman, age 26 at a screening of Brujos said that what stood out to her were the  “Authentic cultural reference” throughout the show.  This sense of authenticity that ran throughout the shows, highlighted the ways in which viewers felt that these stories represented a true and honest depiction of the identities and lives being depicted. This was particularly highlighted by a 33 year-old, White, Female-Spectrum  survey respondent at a screening of Afternoon Snatch who commented that the show“didn't seem to be produced by straight cis people” highlighting a sense that the depictions of Transgender, Queer, and Gender non-Conforming individuals in the show felt as though they were derived from real experiences, not contrived by someone who did not genuinely understand what it meant to inhabit this identity. Along similar lines, one survey respondent at the Velvet screening noted that they “love that it’s a seemingly honest story about the intersection of friendship and race.” Further a person who identified as being White, Woman, and 23 in response to a screening of Full Out said that the show reflected “Realistic social dynamics.” In contrasting the authenticity of the characters depicted in these stories to what is often presented in mainstream television, one viewer at a screening of Brown Girls noted that the “The story feels more real than what you may see in television.”

Relatability 

For many of the screening viewers, this sense of  authenticity and honesty translated into feelings of relatability. A White, Male spectrum, 25 year-old respondent at a screening of You’re So Talented noted that what stood out to him was the shows “Honesty” but he also added “The episode was relatable and the characters were appropriate for the world.” Also, for many viewers, this sense of relatability often related back to issues of representation, and viewers’ feelings that they were able to see themselves in honest and authentic representations of their identities.  For instance, one survey respondent from a screening of Brown Girls said the show was “An honest yet loving representation of queer brown people in my city. People who are like me and my friends, struggling with the same questions and insecurities I do, about identity and culture and relationships and race.”  Also relating this sense of relatability back to ideas of representation and authenticity, a viewer at a screening of Brujos notes “I was happy to see how it reflects my identity as a witch and Latin@ [sic]”. 

However, this sense of relatability viewers felt in connection to these shows was not necessarily limited to issues of representation. For example, a survey respondent from the screening of Velvet wrote that what stood out to them was “the relatableness to how awkward it is being an adult and having friends...but also being responsible(ish).” In this way, characters were not only seen as relatable because of the identities but also because of their real life experiences that can be seen as more broad and universal.  Speaking to this idea, one male survey respondent at a screening of Seeds wrote “although I am male it was seemingly relatable. I can see women in their age bracket facing similar issues and addressing them in a similar fashion”. Ideas of general relatability also connected to the show settings and each of the shows’ emphasis on the city of Chicago. One 20-year-old, Latinx, Cisgender Woman, at a screening of Brujos wrote that she “really enjoyed being able to identify with some of the settings and where the show took place.” The universal theme of love and romance was also seen as a relatable thread throughout many of these shows, for instance, a survey respondent at the screening for Geeta’s Guide to Moving On, noted that the broken relationship portrayed at the end of the show “Gave me insight on my own personal life.” Similarly, a 26 year-old, Black, Gender non-conforming survey respondent at a screening of Afternoon Snatch noted what stood out to them was “how relatable it was to my own breakup experiences.” In these way, survey responded highlighted how the stories told across these web series presented relatable characters in both the ways they were particular as well as universalizing, allowing them to resonate not only with viewers of the same intersectional identities but viewers across lines of race, culture, gender and sexual orientation. 

Offering Something Different 

Finally, a theme that ran throughout all of the survey responses to these shows was the way in which they offered narratives and representation that are seemingly lacking in today’s mainstream television landscape. A 25 year-old, White, Cisgender Male respondent at a survey of The T noted that he appreciated “The honesty and the portrayal of characters and identities in a all their complexity” saying it was“ a nuance that I haven't seen in mainstream media.” Similarly, a survey respondent at a screening of Brujos wrote that the show seemed to offer “Differences from standard tv [sic.] conventions and relationship portrayal, humor, and general culture. Also the openness to exploring ideas.” These stories clearly offered an exploration of ideas, stories, and realities that viewers feel are missing from mainstream television viewing options. In some instances, this difference was directly related back to issues of representation and a noted lack of certain intersectional characters in mainstream television. For instance, one respondent at a screening of Brown Girls said “The varying forms of intersectionality presented were a first for me,” adding that this was “ so refreshing!” In line with this, another viewer at the same screening noted that she  “loved it was a story about poc [sic.] (people of color).” and that this stuck out to her because she  “would like to see more brown people and this was everything.” However, in other instances, these references to different forms of representation were more general. Viewers at the screening of Velvet noted that it was a “captivating story of experiences we don’t see often”  and depicted “A character personality that's not already on tv”. In this way, like in the case of relatability, seeing these shows as original and offering something mainstream television is lacking can be seen both through instances of the particular and instances of the universal.