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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 Feed, an uproarious, witty new web series that couldn’t feel more perfect in our Facebook-fueled society.
If you love The Office, look no further than The Feed. While there’s unfortunately a lot less of it to binge than the beloved NBC series, it packs a pretty similar punch. Meet Jeff. Jeff is probably just like most of your Facebook friends – he’s got opinions, and he’s not afraid to share them on his wall. Boasting a ‘World’s Best Boss Mug’ à la Michael Scott, Jeff tells us that when he started this, he didn’t set out to change the world – it just kinda happened. In a hilariously obtuse manner, Jeff tells us that there’s no real way to calculate the difference he’s making, but he knows it’s big. “There’s definitely a lot of pressure with running your own Facebook newsfeed,” he says. He’s not referring to running any real news site, however – he’s referring to his own Facebook page. Yes. Like the one we all have.
The self-proclaimed CEO of his Facebook News Feed, Jeff now acts as the person people turn to (or so he thinks). He runs this tight ship from his apartment, making sure to post responses to the latest political news, memes, sports updates, and more. His staff, an overeager intern and an aloof field reporter, round out the cast to make for some seriously funny bits. Jeff never fails to use his favorite journalism jargon – “if it bleeds, it leads, baby” – and always works hard to “break” (share from other sources) stories. The deadpan, satirical tone of The Feed makes it an addicting, engaging experience bound to make you simultaneously laugh and cringe.
Jeff, our dedicated, self awareness-lacking protagonist, is played by writer, director, and editor Jeff Cerulli. We spoke with Cerulli about the series, an idea he says came from just wanting to “have some fun with the way we all use social media.” In age of so-called fake news, “we have all the information out there, but we just kinda stick to what we agree with… I made this character who thinks he’s making a difference, but in reality, he’s not – he’s just sharing articles to his friends.” Cerulli notes that he definitely took some inspiration from the comedy of The Office, and his background in documentary aids in the way The Feed lands its jokes. “I like the doc-style stuff, whether it’s real or a parody,” Cerulli says.
Intelligent comedy is hard to come by these days, and that’s why The Feed is such a gift. Cerulli’s spot-on execution of the mockumentary style makes The Feed a stand-out web series in a crowded, often disappointing arena, and best of all? He has a blast doing it. He’s already writing Season 2, which will likely find Jeff & Co. in more side-splitting scenarios as they deliver the world’s breaking stories to their reluctant readers.
Check out the The Feed‘s official website for more episodes (they premiere every Tuesday), and be sure to follow Cerulli on Twitter for more smart, seriously funny stuff.
