I have nothing but the utmost respect for comedians. One because comedy club is the only place where my boisterous ass laugh can be free of judgment (usually) and because as Edmund Gwen said, “Dying is easy. Comedy is hard”. Especially in New York. I was in the Lower East Side watching a comedian do his set while a couple was making out to his left. They were really deep in the make out, man. The comedian was able to incorporate what was going on into his set by engaging with them and it was seamless. “Wait, y’all been dating for three years? Y’all long distance? You live together? Then… My man, what you goin’ so hard for?! Y’all already know what it’s like, soooooo…”
When it was time for the next comedian, I knew I was going to be a fan. Dude slowly stepped on stage, looked at the crowd and asked, “You ever get so drunk that you wake up the next day and decide to deal with your shit?” That comedian is Kevin Iso and dude is fucking funny man. I had the obnoxiously loud laugh for his entire set as he talked about masculinity, bills, and family. The best feeling at a comedy series is being surprised with that comedian whose craft not only matches your humor but also takes you on a journey. I had to tell this guy how much I enjoyed his set. Upon doing so, Kevin told me about a web series he created with Dan Pearlman called Flatbush Misdemeanors.
Flatbush Misdemeanors? Tell me more…
All you need to know about this show is that Dan and Kevin are lifelong friends that moved to Brooklyn. Kevin works at a Jamaican restaurant and Dan is a teacher trying to do his best with his class. I mean, he’s trying but…
You see how well that’s going for him. It’s little jokes and situations like this that make up the series and make it so enjoyable to watch. I love a show where the characters/actors throw in little ad-libs of jokes under their breath or on the spot. Especially, when it’s in a tense situation. There are so many awkward moments that’ll catch you off guard while at the same time making you realize that’s how shit is at times.
Kevin and Dan are two regular-ass guys moving through Flatbush, Brooklyn. I love how the other characters we meet navigate through Flatbush. They are actual characters and not caricatures. We meet certain people portraying a certain lifestyle or hostility. Instead of just leaving that be, there are these unexpected moments where we see the same character but in a different light, aspect, or perspective of their life. Nothing is one note, the characters change just as much as New York. I also love that Dan and Kevin’s friendship isn’t the typical supportive kind of friendship. Kevin can be on some understandable asshole shit as a friend.
I had to run this scene back so many times cause I was dying. I mean is it fucked up? Yes. Is Kevin in the wrong? Oh, yeah. But I mean, it’s understandable too. It’s the realness of their dynamic that makes their relationship stand out in the series.
I want that real talk
If you’re going to show me, New York, in a series I don’t want the typical New York comedy sitcom shit. I want that grimy funny shit. I want how people actually talk, joke, and relate with each other and their friends. Flatbush Misdemeanors flourishes with that. There’s a scene where Kevin is talking with a therapist about how he doesn’t do relationships. He does situations. He calls up one of his situations, Aysa (Kerry Coddett), to prove it to the therapist and hears her… in a situation of her own.
I fucking love this scene. This scene is so fucking real, from Kevin trying to play downplay what happened and Aysa keeping it all the way USD (a buck), and dude eavesdropping in on the convo. That is New York. There’s a conversation about their “situation” where Aysa brings up nothing but facts in how they move with one another. I like how we see these other characters Kevin and Dan interact with either checking them with reality or giving them the toughest of tough love. Because (you guessed it) that is New York as hell.
Getting back to the therapist, the discussion of seeking therapy was handled incredibly well. Even though this show is funny, as we delve into Dan and Kevin in therapy (both their sessions beautifully shot side-by-side). We see how they contrast and compare to one another. But they also have to hear about themselves — another standout moment of the series. Kevin and Dan are not the typical TV friends, and that’s what makes Flatbush Misdemeanors so enjoyable to watch.
Dude, Yamaneika Saunders as Dr. Saunders is the type of therapist I want. She is beyond hilarious ripping into Dan! She had nothing but bars and facts for his ass. Yo, when I saw the dry humor all-star Aparna Nancherla playing Kevin’s therapist? Arghhhhhhh, what a fucking gem man. Not only did Saunders and Nancherla kill their roles as the therapists but their contrasting personalities and comedic styles were so far at opposite ends that they complemented one another when juxtaposed together.
Flatbush Misdemeanors has my support off the strength
That’s how you do good storytelling, man. That’s how you keep the viewer engaged. I also love that even the subtitles will switch from captioning what’s being said to narrating jokes. The sound bites that foreshadow what’s to come between scenes. It’s all so good, man. I love a show that makes you have to pay attention cause you may miss something. There are three episodes of Flatbush Misdemeanors so far and as you’ll be reminded after each episode, this was done on zero budget.
They were broke as all fuck filming this and it still looks this good? The attention to detail is still this ruffle sour cream an’ onion crisp? *chef kiss to fingers* Perfection. I don’t even know what else to say. I don’t even think the write up can do justice to the web series man, you gotta see it. Each episode is about 15 minutes long. Check out Flatbush Misdemeanors and then join me in bugging them to create more new episodes. Once you see where they go with the cliffhanger, you’ll be in desperate need of episode 4. Fuck with ya comedians Kevin Iso and Dan Pearlman for this project. They out here.
You can watch Flatbush Misdemeanors on their site: www.flatbushmisdemeanors.com. They also have a YouTube channel.
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