While I still have my favorite TV shows, I find it hard to keep up with who Olivia Pope is getting out of trouble this time or what position Leslie Knope is running for now. With the plethora of homework and studies we all have, it’s hard to make the time to get cozy on the couch, grab the remote, and spend an hour of our precious time watching television. This is exactly why I have resorted to watching 5 minute episodes of webseries on YouTube instead of 60 minutes (including ads!) on television. Easy to binge watch, short episodes, uploaded frequently, and highly entertaining, webseries are quickly gaining popularity.  From literary adaptation to comedy sketches, here is a list of my favorite shows to get you started:

1. The Lizzie Bennet Diaries – One of the most beloved books of all time, Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice gets a modern reimagining in this 2013 Primetime Emmy Award-winning webseries. Meet Lizzie Bennet, a 24 year-old grad student and blogger studying Mass Communications and living at home with her parents. And, of course, no Pride and Prejudice adaptation would be enjoyable without the famous Mr. Darcy who is an uptight coffee snob and hipster in this series. Ultimately, the most unique part about “The Lizzie Bennet Diaries” is its multimedia platform, as he characters’ Pinterests and Twitters also lend a hand in telling the story. This 21st century adaptation is a must-watch with its Asian Bing Lee, actual cat Kitty Bennet, and party-hard “totes adorbs” Lydia Bennet.
2. Kids React – Produced by the Fine Bros, each episode of Kids React features the untamed and real reactions of kids to viral videos, news stories, and trailers. Not only are these children adorable, but also they often opinionate bright insight. Including spin offs such as “Elders React” and “Teens React,” this webseries has a collective 83+ million views.
3. Kissing in the Rain – “Kissing in the Rain” is a webseries about two sets of actors who are repeatedly casted in the same movies together. Evidenced by the title, in each of these movies, the two couples have to play scenes where their characters kiss each other in the rain. They must discover whether their feelings for each other are solely for the camera or also exist outside the script and action. Slow-burning and frankly quite cute, these couples will make your eyes rain.
4. The New Adventures of Peter and Wendy – Join Wendy Darling, her laugh-inducing brothers, John and Michael, Peter Pan, and, last but not least, Tinkerbell in their comedic, romantic, and magical adventures in their small town of Neverland, Ohio. Wendy is a columnist for her family’s newspaper but dreams of writing for a bigger publication, while her friend and romantic interest Peter insists on staying in his childhood home to play video games and joke around all day. Although the show is on hiatus, a new season will premiere in 2015.
5. Emma Approved – Brought to you by the same crew who produced The Lizzie Bennet Diaries, Emma Approved is a modern day adaptation of Jane Austen’s Emma. Emma Woodhouse is a cultured and sophisticated lifestyle coach and matchmaker, and her pal and co-owner of Highbury Lifestyle Partners, Alex Knightley, is always around to keep her in check. The chemistry between the Emma and Alex is amazing throughout the series with fist bumps, subtle touches, and playful banter. One definitely does not have to have read the book to fall in love with this series.