Afternoon Delight: Indulge in the Uproarious Absurdity of ‘The Brooklyn Cycle’

What better way to prepare for the fast-approaching weekend than by indulging in the some of the Internet’s most well-done web content? Take advantage of your lunch break and treat yourself to Afternoon Delight, Decider’s carefully curated picks of the best short-form content available on the world wide web. This week we’re spotlighting The Brooklyn Cycle, a wonderfully wacky web series following two best buds from Brooklyn that is undoubtedly unlike anything you’ve ever seen before.

Created by Joey Povinelli and Jacob Presson, directed by Povinelli, and produced by Alex Dynan, the series stars Povinelli and Presson as middle-aged dock workers/stoop squatters/best friends Lenny and Doug. Their lives are pretty simple, and they know what they like – clams, “friendship sticks”, and Brooklyn, specifically their fictional neighborhood, Oldtown. When they’re suddenly displaced from their quaint, familiar borough and mysteriously thrown into the trendy, bustling Upper East Side, the duo must decide to sink, swim, or stick together in this new world. Can their friendship survive this sea of strangers? Will they ever make it back to Oldtown? Just when you think you understand where the series is going, you’re sure to be thrown for a loop.

The idea was born on the Metro North as a joke between friends, but instead of laughing off lines about clams, fears of gentrification, and ridiculous Brooklyn accents, Povinelli and Presson decided to make something of it, and thus came the eccentric eight episode series about two old Brooklyn pals. The series “takes many twists and turns,” says Povinelli, “so if the first few episodes don’t do it for you… stick with it.” It’s sound advice; the dramatic shift that takes in Episode IV is sure to change your viewing experience altogether – and, as Povinelli says, the series is “made for bingeing” – so don’t give up if you don’t quite get it when you start. The duo’s absurd, self-aware comedy is a breath of fresh air, and while the series is certainly strange, something about the complete lack of regard for a strict formula makes it all the more enjoyable. Whether they’re involving unsuspecting pedestrians in their antics, experiencing sudden season changes, or coping with the most meta of moments, The Brooklyn Cycle never stops surprising.

Watch the first episode below, and be sure to check out the rest of the series on their YouTube channel and like their Facebook page for the latest updates from Lenny and Doug.

Jade Budowski is an indecisive sometimes-writer with a knack for ruining punchlines and harboring dad-aged celebrity crushes. Follow her on Twitter: @jadebudowski.