Low Strung
Low Strung (2018-2022)
Created by: Victoria Lee & Shervin Bain
Written by: Victoria Lee, Shervin Bain, Ruth Perret-Goluboff
Directed by: Lili Kryzanek
Over two seasons, Low Strung ranks as one of the funniest, laugh-out-loud comedies on OTV, for me. A Blacker, queerer Broad City, the series follows creators Shervin and Victoria as they pursue sex, love, and infamy in Chicago.
There are so many jokes in Low Strung any review will do it a disservice. It must be seen to be fully enjoyed! The first season of Low Strung introduces the friendship episodically and keeps the laughs coming with off-the-wall improv. Each episode is a contained narrative that demonstrates how they egg each other on in the most dramatic, silly ways. The series opens with a brilliant bottle episode about pre-gaming. The two say they want to go out, almost as if it is what is expected of two queer people in the prime. So they take psychedelics, thinking it will put them in the mood. Needless to say, it doesn’t go as planned and the two spend the night in the apartment. But by the end of the episode, it’s clear they still had fun. The seemingly frivolous narrative communicates a deep truth: when you’re spending time with someone you love, you don’t have to leave your house to have a party. And, yes, drugs sometimes add to the fun.
Low Strung returns to these themes in the first season finale, “Real Friends,” a spoof of The Real World, where the central conflict is Victoria “outing” Shervin: “not outing him in the gay way, but like, outing him for getting drunk at lunch,” she says in a confessional with the worst boom operator ever hired. The friends have a reality-TV style shout out, complete with drink throwing and “I fucked your man” proclamations set to a trap beat. But it all ends quickly when they bond over their mutual exploitation of their white friend, played by Ruth.
The second season ups the ante in terms of story and production value. The narrative focuses on Shervin and Victoria’s quest to become influencers, leading them through a series of misadventures involving OnlyFans sex stars and underground sex cults, culminating in the worst influencer debut party ever thrown.
It all culminates in a friendsgiving where Shervin competes for Victoria’s friendship while guests dine on the only food available: Hawaiian bread rolls. Throughout the season their friendship has been tested by their own individual quests for stardom. Yet they come together in the end through hilarious tragedy.
Sadly, Shervin Bain never lived to see the completed second season. He passed away suddenly during post-production in Chicago. It was among the most heartbreaking situations in the entire OTV project. He was a rising star, and there was interest from executives in Hollywood in working with both him and Victoria. Beyond his work, he was a warm, loving presence. I don’t think I ever saw him without a smile on his face, and he brought joy wherever he showed. Watching him in Low Strung, it is clear he had a knack for making people laugh and bringing out the best in people around him. His loss is a loss for the culture.
I’m so proud of Victoria and the whole team for preserving through grief and completing the final season, a beautiful tribute to Shervin’s excellence. My favorite moment was in the season 2 premiere where Shervin receives a DNA test that says he’s Jewish, so he holds a bar mitzvah, singing the Torah to the tune of Stevie Wonder’s “Happy Birthday.” It’s then that Victoria realizes that his results were switched with Ruth’s – who thought she was Jamaican (as Shervin was). The scene is a beautiful showcase of Shervin’s gleeful performance style and commitment to being ridiculous that is so essential to any successful comedian.
Rest in power, Shervin Bain <3