Sorority Forever

I think of the web series as a new form of art. They have to pack a lot of story and intrigue into a few minutes to keep the audience interested. I can't help but wonder if this is finally filling up the gap left behind by old time radio dramas. In the few web series I have been attracted to there is either great commedy, or a mystery which needs to be unraveled.

Like many the first web series I ever watched was LonelyGirl15. The story was interesting, the production qualities were low, the acting lackluster, but what really drew in the crowds was the ability to interact with the characters. Bree (played by Jessica Rose) and all of her friends would leave puzzles to be solved, and would ask you for help on their forum. Since the season one finale where they killed off Bree the show has been in steady decline, and I find myself increasingly disinterested with LG15TheResistance.

Fortunately something has taken the place of LG15 for me, and that is a delightful series called Sorority Forever. Sorority Forever is a lovely series about a Sorority with a deep dark secret. When I say lovely series, please note I mean conspiracy filled, backstabbing bitches clawing their way to the top, drama filled delight. The series is put on by Big Fantastic, the same people behind such hits as Sam has 7 Friends and Prom Queen.

I must admit I never saw Sam has 7 Friends, but I can say that Sorority Forever does have a lot in common with Prom Queen. Like the series before it Sorority Forever is young and hip, filed with beautiful people, and catchy soundtracks. It is also filled with a lot of drama, and focuses around similar themes of teen life, popularity, conspiracy, and murder. I can say with certainty that Sorority forever is the much better crafted of the two series.

Prom Queen became confusing at times because of the large number of characters. The people at Big fantastic seem to have resolved the problem Sorority Forever has a similar number of cast mates but they are all given clear places in the social structure of the story and there are a few clear main characters. The production qualities are very good for a web series.

Sorority Forever is well told, although it often jumps to show different perspectives it is easy to follow. The characters are for the most part quite likable (except for the evil bitches your supposed to hate) and overall the series is pretty well acted.

Lets face it your not here to read about the technical specs of the series so lets get down to business. Sorority Forever focuses around the four new pledges to the most elite sorority on campus (or anywhere for that matter)Phi Chi Kappa. There is Julie (Played by Jessica Rose) the rebellious one who never wanted to pledge in the first place, Madison the ditsy popular one, Naomi the cool sweet one, and Taryn the ones who is a bit of a trouble maker. Not all is as it seems in Phi chi Kappa the sorority has a dark secret, what I'm not sure. Over the course of the season so far they have had me guessing everything from the occult, to the mafia, to the Illuminati, there is only one episode left and I'm still not sure I understand the mystery. We know that Phi Chi Kappa is more then just a sorority, it's basically a recruiting platform for some very powerful secret organization called Aurora.

The series shifts from mysterious, to funny, to being very touching. There is no big moral message here, there is no overarching artistic statement, but it's a highly enjoyable series. Honestly I would rank it as the best web series I have ever seen. You get kind of attached to the characters and you find yourself really rooting for them to be ok, or to do the right thing. The series also has enough twists and turns to keep anyones attention.

So if you havn't seen the series yet I highly recommend you get your butts over to
or http://www.myspace.com/sororityforever

And start watching. The episodes are short so I promise it won't take very long to get though the 39 episodes available. Tomorrow is the season finale and I really think you don't want to miss it.

Also head on over to the myspace site for Sorority Forever, there are profiles for all the characters and there are extra blogs, videos, and comments available which help provide a better look at the characters as well as the plot.

If this raving review wasn't enough for you, check out the official trailer.

Sorority Forever Trailer - Series Premiere 9/8 on MySpaceTV 9AM