I know, I know, it sounds pretty lame. Literary Inspired Web Series? What kind of teen spends their free time watching that? Answer: more than you may think. Literary Inspired Web Series give old, lovable characters new life. By putting these dated characters in a modern setting and giving them a camera to show us their lives through vlogging, they make them interesting and relatable in today's world. It may be the perfect thing for you if you're like me - one who is an avid lover of both classic literature and YouTube. There's even quite a community for it online if you get into it, and it is a community that is avidly growing by the day. The community is home both to people who are long time fans of the original piece that love seeing the new spin on it, and people who are coming in contact with this story for the first time. More often than not, it inspires people who haven't already to go back and read the classics, something that is not done as often as it should in today's fast moving world. Think that this sounds like something you might be interested in? Here's some show recommendations that may give you some hints as to where to get started.

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1. Green Gables Fables

If you haven't guessed it already, this show is a modern adaptation of the Anne of Green Gables series, written by L.M. Montgomery. Season One is based off of the first book in the series, Anne of Green Gables. It follows Anne in her senior year of high school, right after being adopted. She begins making videos to be able to just talk about whatever she wants and escape her reality, which she finds to be boring. We get to witness as she makes friends (and enemies), ponders the way that she views the world, and struggles with loss and hardship. Season 2 is based off of Anne of the Island, and follows her freshman year in college, where we get to see her blossom as an adult and discover where she fits into this world. The plot thickens as it goes on, and is full of drama, romance, loss, and hilarity. The interpretations of the characters and plot in this new setting and context is very interesting, and the show had me on the edge of my seat at points. This one is definitely one of my most favorites. The show has recently wrapped up, go binge watch it here

2. Poe Party

While not necessarily based off of one literary work in particular, Poe Party brings all of our favorite authors together into one beautiful masterpiece. When Edgar Allen Poe invites all of his author friends over for a harmless murder mystery dinner party, what was supposed to be a "good time" turns into an actual murder mystery. This show masterfully combines our favorite elements of each author's writing style and adds it's own funny flair, leaving us with a night of suspicion and hilarity. It includes actors you will probably recognize, such as Jim O'Heir, who you may know as Gary from Parks and Recreation, and Joey Richter and Lauren Lopez, known for their work in the Very Potter Musicals and other various Starkid productions among other projects. This show releases a new episode every Monday until Halloween, catch up here

3. 12th Grade (or Whatever)

This show follows some of our Shakespearean favorites, Sam, Oren, and Liv, who are modern adaptations of our beloved characters from Shakespeare's Twelfth Night. This web series holds a particularly special place in my heart, as Twelfth Night

is my absolute favorite Shakespeare work of all time. I had high expectations for this show, and it did not disappoint. The show follows Sam Messing's time at West Baulk boarding school, and shows their struggles with friendship, teen romance, identity, and conflict. It is evident that the actors really understand these characters, and the writing masterfully puts a very old - timey scenario into our world. This show is high up on my recommendations list, so go check out the finished series here

4. Nothing Much to Do/Lovely Little Losers

Nothing Much to Do and it's sequel series Lovely Little Losers are pretty much staples in the Literary Inspired Webseries Community. Following the plots of Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing and Love Labor's Lost respectively, these shows encapture everything that is wonderful about being a teen. It follows Beatrice, Ben, and their group of friends, and beautifully shows how they deal with the things that are changing around them, their reactions, and the consequences of their actions. As in the original work, lots of trickery ensues. It has every element of a wonderful webseries, and I cannot recommend it enough. What is unique about this series is the bridge between the two works. Unlike most other shows, this sequel series is based off of a completely different work of fiction. The Candle Wasters (the genuises behind all of this) simply put the characters from the first series into the plot of the second. If you haven't seen it already, start here!

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So hopefully, if you haven't heard about this community, you are now a little more acquainted with it. As nerdy as it may sound initially, these shows really are wonderfully constructed, and inspire learning in others, myself included. It gave me a new respect for the classics and inspired me to go back and read them again with even more attention to detail. So, if any of these happened to catch your eye, check it out! These shows really did have an impact on me, and I know that they will for you too.