The Cost of Living

I discovered "The Cost Of Living" on YouTube a few weeks ago and I have to say I am hooked. Everything about this series is smart and funny. The whole thing is very well done.

The series is the story of a group of twenty-somethings living is a hostel in Los Angeles. All of them have their own hustle and we see the struggles they go through just trying to make it. The dialog is very smart but doesn't seem forced. It flows naturally and there are quite a few laugh out loud moments.

The style is very much like "The Office" and "Parks And Recreation" where the actors break the fourth wall and talk directly into the camera. This provides for some great exposition and character history. The hand-held camera works looks good and there are some very nice shots and sequences in every episode.

The cast is very accomplished. Each of them has really developed their characters into fully rounded out people. My favorite character is Malik Wilds aka Mac Money played by Kevin L. Walker. He is a wannabe rapper who drives around in a Range Rover, sells is burned CD's on the street and shares a room in the hostel. It is a great caricature of so many "ballers" in LA who try to "fake it until they make it."

Overall the series is great and I can't wait for new episodes to come out. There is a growing fanbase for this series (the last episode has over 600,000 views) so I hope they produce more episodes. Highly recommended.