On the South American Shore

The shortage of articles, metrics, and specific approaches means that we face an almost unexplored subject in the region. However, referencing the indirect data that can be tracked in various annual directories from the Ibero-American Observatory of Television Fiction (OBITEL, for its Spanish acronym), by mid-2017, the number of web-based fictions with direct or indirect participation from television companies had grown around 25% compared to 2013.³ If we add to this figure the many independent productions that do not appear in any record, it is likely that, in general terms, the number has doubled since then.

In Europe and the United States, web series have stopped being a movement to become part of the industry -there are competitions, festivals, media coverage, even a star system that shares figures with television while launching its own talent-. In South America, however, besides exceptions that have attracted interest outside the Internet, these fictions are influenced by a tone associated with entrepreneurship and amateur entertainment. Although there are technological barriers linked to connectivity, for example, it is also true that open television and cable are still the first option for daily consumption of fiction (^{Vasallo de Lopes & Orozco, 2017, p. 59}).

Failure to complete the protocols leading to the analog switch-off, scheduled to take place between 2019 and 2023, would explain the lack of interest by advertisers and business agents to establish a monetization model that could encourage production and competition of web-based fiction (^{Bernardo, 2015}). However, there are also no tests of this nature on the various digital platforms of television channels, which do not seem interested in the opportunity to offer content designed for mobile devices or second screens.

On the other hand, it should be noted that production centers in the region have always been sporadic due to the political and economic events in each country. Peru was at the head of soap opera production during the 1960’s. In the 1980’s, Venezuela was the most serious competitor to Mexico’s industry (^{Vivas, 2001/2008, p. 219}). Starting in the 1990’s, Chile consolidated its own production model, which did not reach expressive audience levels. Later, Argentina would become a pivotal producer following the arrival of important international individuals, encouraged by the success of Colombian soap operas (^{Vasallo de Lopes & Orozco, 2016, p. 71}). As can be seen, with the exception of Brazil, which we have not included in our analysis because it is a unique case, we are looking at countries with weak audiovisual industries.

These difficult conditions are exacerbated in the jurisdiction of “independent” production -if the term is appropriate, since there are no real majors or empires in broadcasting- which has encouraged migration to the digital environment. Therefore, we could say that the entire dynamic referring to fictions and content for the Internet in this region is more linked to the fragility of the system, rather than the dragging of any digital standard. This would also be the reason for the short lifespan of many productions, since in several cases they are accepted as practical substitutes for what was once the short film: the introductory tool to make new talent known and to open a path in the market.

Among the most striking experiences that have contributed to the format’s popularity, we highlight EnchufeTV, an Ecuadorian series of sketches that broke into Latin America television through Comedy Central; Según Roxi and La loca de Mierda, two Argentinian classics that managed to achieve moving from vlogs to narratives for the small screen; Venezuela’s Maleficio, engaged in the cinematic treatment of its story; and La Isla Presidencial, an animated political satire similar to South Park. We must also highlight La Vida es Como, the Colombian web series that pioneered involving theater; Aj Zombie, the Peruvian production that took a comedic and costumbrismo approach to the living dead; and Gringolandia, the Chilean series that became Netflix’s Latin American investment for this format.

About the Body of Study

We selected the 10 most prominent web series in each of the four countries with the highest production in the region: Argentina, Chile, Colombia, and Peru. Their titles not only appear first in search engines, but they generate cross-references in forums and comments from users as well. Neither the number of views nor “likes” were determining factors when choosing them, as they are not indicators that are linked to notions of quality or acceptance, as ^{Fondevila Gascón explains (2017, p. 24)}. On the other hand, the impact reflected in the number of followers, recognition from critics, as well as discussions about them in news portals or specialized podcasts were essential.

In all cases, series were required to have at least one complete season, with the objective of observing the arrangement and repercussion of the dramatic elements. None of the selected web series derive from or expand on pre-existing narratives. And for those that migrated to television or film, we only focus on their web stage. Along with the thematic variety, efforts were made to gather projects managed by producers with a career in the audiovisual industry as well as amateurs. Along the same lines, to cover the widest possible spectrum, no distinction was made between “independent” series and those that had some kind of sponsorship, partnership, or financial support (Table 1).

Format Markers

From the basic data that appear in the data sheet, we make an initial observation: the logic of serialization corresponds to television practices, insofar as they organize the narrative material from a progression of episodes grouped in seasons, that is, in narrative blocks arranged according to a theme or argument (^{Salo, 2009, p. 32}). However, unlike television, where the open-signal chains run fixed seasons of 22 to 24 episodes, and cable channels between 13 and 15, web seasons are highly variable, and can consist of only 4 episodes or up to 24. The time between seasons is also irregular. While television plans annual batches, short breaks occur on the web that make it possible to find two or even three seasons per year. For example, Depto 301 and Entre Panas issued two seasons in 2014 and 2015, respectively, while Los Cinéfilos launched its second, third and fourth seasons in 2014.

The frequency of releasing episodes is weekly, following the consumption logic of television serial viewing.

On the other hand, there is a relationship between the duration of episodes and their genre. Web series with shorter episodes (between 3 and 6 minutes) are organized through means of more classic comedy, while those that last up to 15 minutes do so by virtue of a treatment that moves away from comedy or combines other genres.

Two cases do not fit into this pattern. Adulto Contemporaneo released 80 episodes between July, 2013 and October, 2016 with no seasons indicated. The entity responsible for its production, Dirty Kitchen, is a producer of digital content that has expanded to other countries in the region, and this series is its flagship promotion. On the other hand, Daemonium produced five episodes between December, 2011 and May, 2016, with irregular durations: 13, 23, 40, 22, and 52 minutes. It is a science fiction project whose continuation has been controlled by its means of financing and crowdfunding, encouraged in its narrative by a spirit more similar to film than television. In fact, its creators define it as an episodic science fiction movie.

Taking the analyzed productions as reference, we can point out that the more complex stories are in their execution, the greater is the break that occurs between seasons. At the same time, the support of an established producer or firm can guarantee a continuous flow of narrative, as also happens with Los Cinéfilos, which has more than 60 episodes and is developed by the advertising and digital content producer Señor Z.

Except for the Chilean show Víctimas, which is broadcast through Instagram, all use YouTube as a dissemination platform.

Genre Markers

“Comedy”, “situational comedy”, and “romantic comedy” are the labels most used by the series analyzed to define themselves when their stories are developed, primarily in a humorous way. However, we know that in the era of hybridization, genres are not expressed in a pure state and reveal, to a greater or lesser extent, some type of combination (^{Gordillo, 2009}). Therefore, we also find the label “dramedy” to indicate stories that combine humor with other, less relaxed treatments of certain topics. For example: Un Año sin Nosotros tells the story of a couple that decides to separate to see if their relationship has a future, while Psicóticas Inseguras narrates the search for affirmation and two young university students’ need to fit in.

Almost all of these comedies are linked to the classic television direction of sitcoms, where humor sparks from social and interpersonal relationships built by opposition (success/failure, skeptic/romantic), or taking it to the extreme, some circumstance where the character goes from bad to worse (^{Seger, 2000, p. 47}). Thus, it makes sense to note that the broad theme that can be traced, which is the lowest common denominator, is that of coexistence: four friends accidentally destroy the television set and seek to overcome boredom; Beatriz must learn to live with Guille, an Argentine who tries to make a living in Peru; a group of friends meets every Thursday to drink Poker beer and talk about life. These web sitcoms are usually called shortcoms.

Another set of series consists of proposals related to science fiction, fantasy, and crime. Among the most representative are Déja Vu, which narrates the consequences of knowing the future and wanting to avoid it; Daemonium, a cyberpunk fiction with supernatural elements; and Apps, in which a grandfather receives a tablet with magical powers as a gift. Finally, we find a handful of series anchored in social drama or touches of surrealism, such as the Chilean Víctimas or the Colombian La Vida es Como, respectively.

^{Genette (1977/1988, p. 51)} explained that genres express the set of invariable features that define a text, but also the tension that occurs with respect to change and that translates into processes such as hybridization. In this sense, the aforementioned productions do not show tensions of change, rather they reproduce the elements of a genre system coming from television, deeply rooted in the imaginations of creators and receivers, even in their hybrid manifestations.

Characters, Development, and Treatment

With a few exceptions, the protagonists are young people between 25 and 35 years old. There is a balance between male and female characters, and the same is expressed in stories of very masculine topics and others where feminine sensitivity is the main driving force of the events.

The comedies star flat characters, without layers or big changes, similar to cartoons as a result of the extreme modulation of their attributes. In this type of humor, the characters rarely achieve their goals, and if they succeed, it is to maintain their initial state. Thus, the stories are able to follow one another like comic loops that do not allow for the development of transformative dramatic arcs.

The dramatic arcs form the vital pulse of the characters because they account for the development of their point of view. Through what happens to them and how they prevail or succumb, their idea of the world changes showing the complexities of the human soul (^{McKee, 2008, p. 33}). Consequently, we can point out that, as occurs in many short television comedies, web comedies that were analyzed do not stop to narrate their characters’ transformation, but they show them in similar situations, always unchanging, everlasting (^{García Martínez, 2012}). As happens in El 202, whose protagonists go through obstacles and dilemmas of coexistence that are shown in different ways in the episodes, but they do not change, they are always the same.

Characters with a little more depth appear in stories related to adventure, couple’s dramas, or the crisis of aging, but the result is not very different. In many cases, the desire to achieve effective episode endings seems to win out over character development, since elements such as surprise, tension, or cliffhangers are arranged for viewers to see at the end of episodes, without ensuring these same effects for the protagonists, which could result in mobilizing reactions.

In general terms, the most significant observation regarding the characters is how the web series manage to account for their inner worlds, often in the form of fantasies, outbursts, or meta-fictional digressions, resorting to intertextual parody, that is, to the discursive insertion of dialogues, scenery, or sequences of other texts in the course of the narrative. In this regard, ^{Stam (1992)} notes:

The demarcations between text and context, history and interpretation, writing and reading become blurry or reverted. The limit of the two dimensions -the book’s page, the canvas, or the television screen- is transferred to bring the external realities closer to the work itself (p. 174).

Although this practice is not new and has been revitalized in the field of television, it is the way in which they manifest themselves, appealing to resources and practices typical of the Internet, such as adding sounds or images taken from movies or television programs, newspaper clippings, etc., unaware of copyrights. Thus, it is common to find signs and tributes to Pulp Fiction, Trainspotting, Requiem for a Dream, Wayne’s World, Star Wars, Notting Hill, or Back to the Future. There is also room for talk shows and even videogames like Mortal Kombat.

On the other hand, it is necessary to note the social influence and the almost costumbrist treatment of the characters, especially in comedies. Although coexistence appears as a fundamental theme, turmoil and criticism also take place, which is why they portray youthful habits and vices as well as social flaws. These include social climbing and pitfalls in the work environment, businesses destined for failure because of their managers’ idiosyncrasies, buffoon politicians, sexual adventures and fantasies related to soccer, videogames, or drugs -all with a carefree and youthful tone, reinforced by an audiovisual language of moving cameras, warm lighting, and little constrast-.

Seriality, Plots and Structure

All the analyzed web series are put into one of the two known serialization models: the autoconclusive narrative (commonly called a series, with closed and unrelated episodes) and the continuous or serial narrative (both structured from a typological duality around time: cyclical or linear, repetitive or developmental) (^{Buonanno, 2007, pp. 53-54}).

The vast majority of stories are constructed according to the autoconclusive pattern, that is, from a fixed outline governed by the repetition of a situation or context with recurring protagonists “around whom secondary characters change, precisely in order to give the impression that the story is different from the one that precedes it” (^{Eco, 1983, p. 24}). On the contrary, there are few productions employing the linear and cumulative serial model, structured by a variable number of interdependent episodes that occupy a precise place in the narrative and that constitute a narrative whole.

While television sitcoms link characters’ actions to a story plot, shortcoms prefer the vaudeville, variety show way, building up vignettes or sketches that are variations of the same theme to form episodes. Entre Panas, for example, despite its freshness and good rhythm, presents different situations throughout its episodes, different conflicts that are impossible to connect to a clear purpose, as the issues fluctuate and make the series seem to wander at times.

The outline for this type of comedy could be described in the following way: a) prologue that presents the situation; b) development of sketch 1, sketch 2 (sometimes 3); and c) a dispensable epilogue that closes the story.

Although it seems that we are dealing with a three act show, the mechanics are more closely related to Olrik’s law of repitition: “There is intensifying repetition and simple repetition, but the important point is that without repetition, the Sage cannot attain its fullest form” (cited in ^{Gray, 1971, p. 289}). Especially when it comes to building up gags verbally, Olrik’s observations about oral literature are especially appropriate. Then, we have Los Cinéfilos, which is illustrative: each episode creates a discussion around films in which its characters do not stop until the subject reaches an absurd paroxysm that overshadows any rhetoric.

From the above, it follows that the comic web series from our analysis develop actions where the most important thing is to describe the confusion, uncertainty, or ingenuousness in which their characters unfold, outlining the peculiarities and setbacks that they face. As if it were a matter of examining characters in particular circumstances, rather than accompanying them on this path.

On the other hand, the stories that set objectives to be achieved not only reproduce the ideals of the Aristotelian paradigm but their actions coincide with standardization guidelines such as that of ^{Vogler (1992)} and script manuals. That is, not only does the struggle occur in an unfavorable progression for the protagonist, but the behavior to observe, or the event to be foreseen at the beginning of the story, ends up taking place in the story’s hero/character (^{Bremond, 1974, p. 87}). Depending on the number of episodes that make up the narrative, the different stages leading to achieving the objective can be limited or delayed, but in all cases, in the end, its destiny and transformation will have been decided.

In addition to the plot that usually extends throughout the season, some web series mix in others that can begin, develop, and end in the same episode or conclude after two or three. For example, En Alquiler weaves multiple plots that are usually serialized over several episodes. It is very versatile to move from one to the other, as when, following Liz’s job interview, a small parallel story with Matías is broken down.

We did not find a correspondence showing a greater number of episodes or a greater number of plots. However, it must be said that both in comedy and in drama, the addition of new narrative syntagms occurs depending on the story’s needs and not to cover screen time or to test the character’s charisma. In Un Año sin Nosotros, Ricardo and Clara experience different situations to overcome their distance, but there are also other situations linked to the overall theme, such as when Martín tries to avoid a girl obsessed with him, or when Clara is vulnerable to her yoga teacher.

The rotation and combination of plots reproduces what ^{Innocenti and Pescatore (2011)} describe as the “serialization of the series”, that is, the ability to intervene in a central story (anthology plot) to insert “an element of temporal progression and partial narrative opening that extends over several episodes (running plot)” (p. 34).

Finally, all productions seem very aware of the brevity and effectiveness that the web format requires. In that sense, structurally, they tend to minimize the first act, to connect immediately with the matter of the conflict, or opt for beginnings in media res, that is, “through a dialog that accounts for a specific, not general, aspect of the story” (^{Eco, 1997, p. 138}), to then prorate the information required as the story progresses.