High Maintenance is like nothing I've ever seen before.
This is not a typical "stoner" comedy. Yes, the title. Yes, the one regularly recurring character is "The Guy," a likable, articulate weed deliveryman. Yes, the current poster for this IMDb page features said likable, articulate weed deliveryman smoking a joint. All that aside, this is not Pineapple Express or Harold and Kumar. Nothing against those two films, but High Maintenance is something far more subtle, beautiful even.
Each standalone episode is a window into the daily lives of different New Yorkers. "The Guy" provides that window, as he is the only stranger the characters let in the door.
There are so many things High Maintenance absolutely nails. There's the stellar acting. There's the rich detail in almost every shot. There's the complete lack of melodrama. There's the runtime (6-15min) that feels so natural. There's the way in which it portrays the commonplace struggles of everyday people in such an honest, compelling way. Somehow, this web series is more than the sum of its parts, though. It's authenticity is just so damn captivating.
For me, watching an episode of High Maintenance is like reading a brilliant short story. I finish, slightly entranced, thinking about the characters for days.
Long live this web series.
