Web series give budding television producers a chance to tell a serial narrative on a shoestring budget. While some of these seem like little more than a bunch of friends getting together to have fun with an iPhone, higher production values do not guarantee higher quality. Here are some of the more interesting web series, professional and amateur alike, that portray their slice of the Washington, D.C. area experience.

ANACOSTIA: THE WEB SERIES: Starting in 2009, this East-of-the-River soap opera was one of the first area web series, and with five seasons under its belt, its one of the most long-lasting—and one of the best. Behind and in front of the camera, series creator Anthony Anderson presents a vivid comedy and drama of life in Anacostia, from mundane topics like nosy neighbors to more serious matters like murder. Anderson is currently working on the not-yet-released City Boyz, a reality series about a group of gay African-American males in the D.C. area.—Pat Padua

#ARTICO: ART IN YOUR COMMUNITY: Backyard filmmakers aren’t the only ones taking advantage of the web series medium. YouTube has also proven to be an excellent venue for public television stations happy to provide documentaries about human interest stories and local history on demand. Howard University’s WHUT-TV launched this local arts series last spring as a welcome counterpoint to perceptions that the area is just a one-industry town. Episodes have focused on The Washington Ballet’s educational program with D.C. Public Schools, the Bethesda Blues & Jazz Supper Club, and a holiday ice display at the National Harbor.—Pat Padua

CAP SOUTH: THE SERIES: If you work on the Hill for an agency that doesn’t put you in contact with Hill staffers, then the last thing you may want to do it watch a web series about Hill staffers. But this series, launched in 2013 about chief of staff Elliott Clarice (his name seemingly picked specifically for a Silence of the Lambs reference), is well-written and acted enough to make it entertaining even if you have no interest in being in the same room as these people. The show ran for 11 episodes.—Pat Padua

CHURCH NIGHT: If Kimmy Schmidt was still in that bunker, dressed to the 90’s nines, this is probably the show that she’d be watching. An exuberant and hilarious send-up of religious cable access shows, this five-episode web series follows the adventures of Reverend Dr. Stevedore Maybelline Bidet Esq. and Kathy “Kath” Piechota as they give advice, take hot dog breaks, and interview guests (in episode two, above, a pink-haired author reports back from heaven). The web series grew out of a long-running live variety show of the same name that has become something of a cult classic around town (see this City Paper profile for more about how that came to be). — Rachel Sadon

EAST COAST GROW: D.C. has a unique weed culture and industry, and it’s not just because it exists in the backdrop of the federal government (though it’s tough to argue that the “gifting” economy would have emerged without the District’s odd legal limbo thanks to Congressional meddling). So this web series forgoes the House of Cards-y shots of Capitol Hill in favor of local spots like Amsterdam Falafel. It’s the story of a dude who wants to grow weed in D.C., but whose criminal history makes that tough. The majority of the featured actors are native Washingtonians, and it’s the acting and high production values that prevent the show from being too on-the-nose. Right now, Aboveboard Productions has only filmed the pilot (which scored four Indie Capitol nominations) as they search for further funding and distribution for the first season. In the meantime, they’re screening the first episode at festivals, events, and even the Wilson Building.—Rachel Kurzius

GEORGETONIA: Georgetown graduate Evan Sterett, who made a popular “It Gets Better” video set at the University, created this series as “a parody of Georgetown’s betchiest.” The focus is on two vapid female undergrads in various states of inebriation and party-readiness, musing on matters of importance like the confusing array of neighborhood acronyms in D.C. The series brings your worst fears about Georgetown students to horrifying life. —Pat Padua

ORANGE JUICE IN BISHOP’S GARDEN: The coming-of-age genre is a perennial favorite at the movies; why not make a web series about teenagers growing up in D.C. in the ’90s? Now in its seventh season, OJBG has been seen in nearly 150 countries, and is a favorite at the Telly Awards, which recognizes outstanding local programming. The program boasts better production values than many local web series, and they try to make the right cultural references—at a pool-party in a well-to-do-neighborhood, one of the teens dutifully asks her friends if anyone went to the free Fugazi show “in the park” (curiously, without mentioning Fort Reno by name). Turns out the girls went to scope out a guy they liked; it may be an annoying reference, but it’s honest.—Pat Padua

SMOKE RD: Rappers Bangman and Brizz Rawstein star in this startling web series that takes a look at the K2 epidemic in D.C. From scenes of drug deals gone wrong to all-American neighborhood women, the camerawork and sound recording is so raw the action can be hard to follow, but the lo-fi aesthetic makes this truly feel like a window into a dangerous underground. If you’ll forgive the obscure Psychotronic reference, the gritty production values remind me vaguely of films by exploitation director Andy Milligan. —Pat Padua

WALK OF SHAME: Brandon Russell’s series about an underground DJ and a fashion designer bills itself as a “visual mixtape,” juxtaposing musical and dramatic subgenres as it cuts between characters. The show is one of the most professionally produced of area web series and covers an ambitious range of topics, from more obvious ones like music and sex to less familiar subjects like the local moonshine scene (hello food team?) The show features original music, like “Metasexual,” by The Gang Age, who filmed a live music video at Silver Spring’s Quarry House. In addition, The Beat & Path (a “film/music collective”) releases mix tapes to supplement the web series.—Pat Padua

WETA NEIGHBORHOODS: In broadcast form (which we reviewed here), this hour-long program documents various local stories that go far beyond the usual media favorites (including a segment on the Anacostia web series mentioned above). Online, the program offers individual segments from the current and previous seasons, including segments on longtime Dupont Circle mainstay Kramerbooks as well as more recently opened ventures like Capitol Hill’s Fridge Gallery, and the Silver Spring coffee-house/record store Bump ‘N’ Grind. —Pat Padua