High Maintenance and Video On Demand
If you haven’t seen the Vimeo original “High Maintenance” yet, there’s really nothing stopping you from watching this incredibly original content. I say content rather than show because it breaks a traditional mold, it is not a uniform 22 or 44 minutes long and has no commercials, but rather episodes roughly range from five to twenty minutes in length, depending on the story.
“High Maintenance” follows Ben Sinclair, playing a character known only as “the guy” in the series. Sinclair plays a Brooklynite bike messenger who delivers weed. The series is afforded the opportunity to enter the homes of new strangers in each episode due to the nature of Sinclair’s job, and it is truly unique in its focus, sometimes focusing on the drama and relationships of Sinclair’s life, and at other times almost ignoring him entirely to focus on the struggles and humor present in customers lives. While the show is about weed, it’s about much more than that. It’s about trust, human relationships and insecurities. Weed serves as the entry point into so many unique peoples homes, and it serves as a thread to tie the world of “High Maintenance” together.
The model for “High Maintenance” is unusual, there are a number of older episodes available to stream for free, but newer episodes are Video On Demand. The six newest episodes are available for $1.99 per episode, or for $7.99 as a “season.” This model of paying directly for video content is one we’re familiar with in the now non-existent world of Blockbuster, as well as a delivery mechanism for films that have left the theater (VOD on TV). It’s less common to see a series conceived and intended to go straight to this model. I would argue this model allows for a wide range of creativity and flexibility.
It’s unusual to find a show that varies so much in length and focus as “High Maintenance.” Each episode has the ability to stand alone, or be related back to previous content, and in some ways, episodes feel as much like short stories as they feel like a show. I believe the flexibility of existing outside of the traditional cable or broadcasting system greatly helps to allow this flexibility. For a TV show a standard length is required, as you need to fill your slot. With traditional television programming, network executives are highly vested in creative direction, giving notes and making requests throughout the process of the shows creation. “High Maintenance” feels like a show untouched by these processes. I get the sense that Vimeo is letting their content speak for itself. If the capable and artistic minds behind “High Maintenance” keep creating content that Vimeo consumers are willing to buy, they will continue ordering more episodes. I hope to see this with more online content. While network executives can try to determine just what their consumers want, they are also worried about pleasing advertisers. In the world of online paid content it’s a simpler equation, consumers pay for what they want and leave the rest behind.
If you haven’t seen an episode of “High Maintenance” yet, I highly recommend this one. Keep in mind, they vary significantly tonally from episode to episode. While this is a little darker in tone, some are truly hilarious.
