Top 9 Reasons To Watch EastSiders On Netflix

Emmy nominated LGBT series EastSiders started off on YouTube in December 2012. The fourth and final series (and the previous three series) are now available to watch on Netflix.

American dark comedy EastSiders started on YouTube in December 2012 and has since grown to be a popular Emmy-nominated LGBT series streaming on Netflix. Read our top reasons you have to watch the EastSiders series.

1. The fantastic storylines and series story arcs

EastSidersTV; Instagram / Via instagram.com

The first episode of series one picks up with Cal (played by Kit Williamson) dealing with Thom's (Van Hansis) infidelity as well as Kathy (Constance Wu) and Ian (John Halbach) reaching their six month anniversary.

Over the next four series, the cast portrays a range of realistic storylines covering infidelity, open relationships, moving to a new city, getting married, fostering a child, abortions and more.

2. The amazing cast and crew

EastSidersTV; Instagram / Via instagram.com

You can't talk about EastSiders without talking about the excellent cast and crew.

Kit Williamson created, wrote, directed and starred in the series as Cal. His husband John Halbach helped produce the series and starred as Ian.

The original cast included Firefly's Sean Maher as Paul, Van Hansis from As The World Turns starred as Thom, Constance Wu from Crazy Rich Asians portrayed Kathy and actress and singer Traci Lords portrayed Cal's mother Valerie. American actress Brea Grant starred as Bri and actor Stephen Guarino as Quincy.

Over the four series, the cast also comprised of Willam Belli from A Star Is Born, Leith Burke from The Haves and the Have Nots as well as Brianna Brown from General Hospital.

3. The beautiful writing

Kit Williamson; YouTube / Via youtube.com

The scripts are mainly written by Kit Williamson throughout the four series. Brea Grant and Stephen Guarino each wrote one episode (Pillow Talk and Going Viral respectively).

The writing for the series is endlessly quotable. There are some hilarious moments, quippy friend chats, incredibly sweet scenes and heartbreaking moments during the series.

Some of the most profound quotes are:-

Valerie (Cal's mother): "Anything good is worth the risk."

Diane (Quincy's mother): "You've got to let people be who they are and they will do you the same favour."

4. The flawed characters

Kit Williamson; KickStarter / Via kickstarter.com

The characters in EastSiders have flaws and that's one of the great things about the series as it makes you care about them more. They try to improve and fix them throughout the series like we do in real life.

The characters do stupid things and say the wrong things. They suffer from anxiety, alcohol dependence, self-destructive behaviour, cheat on their partners and so much more.

5. The enchanting music

Willow Willow; YouTube / Via youtube.com

The music used in the series was made by friends or friends of friends of the cast and crew. Due to this, it is a very eclectic mix and the songs fit incredibly well with the scenes happening on screen.

Some of the songs used in the show are the Cruelest Kind by Willow Willow, Desire by Little Brutes, Hi Fashion's Amazing, Logan Lynn's Big City Now and Jenny Weaver's Let It Break.

6. The dedicated fan base

EastSidersTV; Instagram / Via instagram.com

The first series was created on a super low budget for YouTube. The rest of the series was funded via Kickstarter. A total of $402,000 was raised using the crowdfunding website according to the KickStarter pages. People really support the series and the actors that worked on it.

7. The clever directing

Kit Williamson; Instagram / Via instagram.com

The episodes were mainly directed by Kit Williamson, with Brea Grant directing series 4's Pillow Talk episode.

The directing for the series starts off brilliant and gets even better as the series progresses. With a limited budget and equipment, Kit had to think of innovative ways to direct the series from episode one. The directing skills made it more authentic to the viewer.

8. The controversial topics

Kit Williamson; Instagram / Via instagram.com

EastSiders doesn't shy away from covering controversial topics and it covers them in a compassionate way. During the series, a lot of controversial issues are covered such as abortions, infidelity, alcohol addictions, STI scares and open relationships.

As an example, any other series or film would show a woman finding out she is pregnant, deciding to have an abortion and then changing their mind at the last minute or not showing the effects of it. EastSiders, on the other hand, shows the whole abortion process as well as the each of the character's reactions.

9. The long-term relationships

Van Hansis; Instagram / Via instagram.com

EastSiders celebrates long-term relationships and the love they represent. Monogamous, queer, straight, bisexual and open relationships all have a place in the series. The relationships progress through life and overcome obstacles over many years. One of the key LGBT relationships between Thom and Cal spans seven years, which is still rare to see on a series.