Spend Some Time Above the Line with YouTube Originals’ Weird City

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=raJJbbiKtlY A veritable life time ago, I subscribed to YouTube Premium in order to watch Cobra Kai, the surprisingly enjoyable sequel to The Karate Kid. I ended up liking the lack of advertisements, so I kept the subscription running. I know, strange thing to do between Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime, CrunchyRoll, and DC Universe. And while I haven’t exactly delved deep into YouTube Original’s slate, I did take a pit stop at Weird City and I had a good jaunt during my less than 4-hour stay.

Created by Charlie Sanders and Jordan Peele, Weird City is a sci-fi anthology set in a city that has literally divided itself in the Have and Have-Nots: those who live Above the Line and Below the Line. That’s a literal distinction by the way. I mean, it’s also a metaphorical one but there are several establishing shots where you see a technological utopia on one side and a fading urban landscape on the other. All six of the stories in the anthology take place in the Weird City, while all loosely tying into the machinations of Negari Labs. Dr. Negari, played by LeVar Burton, makes frequent appearances throughout, usually behind some sort of scientific advance, like dating app “The One That’s The One” and Smart Houses.

In each 20-30 minute episode, there is a light-hearted core, a darkly comedic tone, and honed satirical edge. This shouldn’t come as surprise to anyone familiar with Jordan Peele’s production history. Each story is self-contained and features yo…