'Foodies' Premiere: Web Series To Ridicule Snooty Gastronomes

UPDATE, 3/9/11: The Foodies premiere is now online:

Previously:

Starting March 9, food-obsessives and their detractors alike can begin feasting on Foodies, a new online-only series living at freefoodies.com.

Creator Japhy Grant tells HuffPost Food, "I was actually in a dinner club with some very sort of wannabee society people (I was dating one of the members) and somewhere between preparing the gazpacho sorbet and the conch shell fritters, I realized this rarefied world was ripe for comedy." He noted, "Sure people can be snobby about food, but oftentimes it's a mask for deep passion."

Don't be fooled by its web-only basis -- a look at the preview below and a quick glance at the myriad credits shows this is no amatuer operation.

Japhy Grant writes and directs the series, which stars Carlee Avers (Veronica Mars), Daniel Franzese (Mean Girls), Sean Hankinson (Prom Queen), Anne Lane (Dorm Life), and Jeffery Self (30 Rock, 90210).

New episodes will apear weekly and clock in at 5-7 minutes apiece. So far, the creators say, they've shot three episodes comprising a "mini-season" plus a pilot, with plans for a full season in the works.

Check out the preview for the March 9 premiere of Foodies, going online Wednesday morning at 3am EST:

Comments

[Max19th]

12:41 AM on 03/16/2011

I'm sick of watching the first episode over and over again! post another one before I start to think Foodies is Rotten!

[Mark Slater]

04:29 PM on 03/10/2011

Random impressions:
Dinner clubs usually have more than 4 participants
If I went to a party with a hostile host, I'd leave immediately
Where was this "Moose" girl, anyway?
I liked the Double-Double-Animal Style reference
6 minutes was plenty long enough without a scene change
I've been around foodies behaving badly for 25 years and these were lightweights
I'll wait to see how this develops before passing judgement.

[JohnFred]

03:19 PM on 03/10/2011

Production and acting were fine but the writing was flawed even for farce. Porter is NOT a foodie - that is the point. So he would not have the verbal skill set to crticize the amuse de bouche as"starchy and the parmesean foam adding bite. Nor would he have detected or appreciate­d the nutmeg in the pasta water or the deconstruc­tion of wonton into an American classic. That was not a believable instant transition from know nothing into food critic. Also, an amuse de bouche would never be the size of a punch cup - small is the key attribute. And also why did the amuse de bouche look like the wonton thing - yellowy liquid. They couldn't have come up with something different looking? The key is in the details. They spent on actors and camera they need food styling and most importantl­y a believable central character. I wish them luck. It is a good premise. But it will take more than this to be successful­.

[RedFlatShoe]

12:36 PM on 03/10/2011

This reminded me of a dinner party from long ago. I remembered being lectured about SouthEast Asian food, by an Irish French redhead who spent 2 weeks in Thailand.

Eventhough, I grew up in southeast asia.

[JohnFred]

11:56 AM on 03/10/2011

Production and acting were fine but the writing was flawed even for farce. Porter is NOT a foodie - that is the point. So he would not have the verbal skill set to crticize the amuse de bouche as"starchy and the parmesean foam adding bite. Nor would he have detected or appreciated the nutmeg in the pasta water or the deconstruction of wonton into an American classic. That was not a believable instant transition from know nothing into food critic. Also, an amuse de bouche would never be the size of a punch cup - small is the key attribute. And also why did the amuse de bouche look like the wonton thing - yellowy liquid. They couldn't have come up with something different looking? The key is in the details. They spent on actors and camera they need food styling and most importantly a believable central character. I wish them luck. It is a good premise. But it will take more than this to be successful.

[French Toast]

12:34 AM on 03/10/2011

I thought the episode's protagonist had inappropriate delivery, but for a microbudget operation it's pretty good. And it's essentially a pilot as well, so it's one of those things they can refine by next episode.

Overall it's pretty well done. Of course I'm a Northeast liberal so I'm pretty much tailor made to like this kind of comedy.

[Jennifer Jansen]

05:58 PM on 03/09/2011

Very Funny stuff! Well done! It would be great to do a show like this at a local level!

[Jennifer Jansen]

05:56 PM on 03/09/2011

Very funny!!!!!

[flamenco]

11:06 AM on 03/09/2011

Interesting. I'm glad to read that this isn't an "amatuer" operation. :-)

Actually, the production and acting were great. The writing? Hmmm.

[Sinned39]

10:54 AM on 03/09/2011

I have to say, I really ha.te the 5 minute "episode" format. It is too short, and very annoying when you are trying to follow a story line. In reality, it is a 30 min episode chopped up into 6 parts. Just put them all together and show me one episode!

[Isau Whit]

01:36 AM on 03/09/2011

Most of men do not realize this that you have to Pay Attention to "Appearance and Body Language", check out fast dating etiquette at lightning dating.

[Boomerwoman]

09:55 PM on 03/08/2011

Hey, this sounds like a fun "thirtysomething" ish program!

[Happy Clb]

04:15 PM on 03/08/2011

hmm, this could be really good. maybe it's not over the top enough? throw in some ny and la hipsters who do nothing, but quote and paraphrase to show their sophistication. :D

[French Toast]

02:39 PM on 03/08/2011

My first instinct is to say it looks terrible. Upon repeated viewing, it seems like it might be pretty good but I think the short format might hinder it. It should roughly be at twice the length, akin to an Adult Swim 12 minute (aka 15 with commercials) format. It gives the plot a chance to unfold.

It will probably hinge on whether or not the characters have any redeeming value. I dislike complete farces because I feel they are a waste of time. If there's no reason a normal person would get sucked into this world, sans chasing tail, then there wouldn't be enough to make me want to watch.

I want to be able to see a real person behind the pretentious personality, even if that person is a terrible or shallow person. The real comedy is in their pathology, not their mannerisms. That's what makes the blog guy the most interesting character in the preview. His pathology is very clear and seems genuine (and shades of Vince Vaughn!).