Watching Web-coms

I’m a little hesitant to recommend this week’s site. It’s not that it’s not good, I enjoy it a great deal. It’s just that they totally ripped off my idea.

Okay, that’s a bit harsh. Movie freaks deciding to make their own sitcom is hardly an original idea. The guys behind this week’s recommendation did put their own unique twist on the idea though; they actually did it.

“What the Muffins?” is a Web-com with currently four episodes available for download.

The plot of the show is pretty simple: three guys live together as roommates and hijinks ensue. As is often the way, the hijinks are what are worth watching.

The show is written and directed by brothers Jeff and Chris Smith and their good friend Matt Champoux. Considering these three guys at the start were completely self-taught, the episodes are put together amazingly well with sound effects, digital alteration and a sound track.

The series’ pilot shows the modern emotional pain and anguish born from LAN-parties.

The next two episodes are shorter than the pilot and focus more on humor than storytelling. The most recent episode is a combination of humor and storytelling.

Some of the humor is for the kind of people who would watch an online sitcom, but it’s all very well done

Unfortunately the guys original plans of making eight episodes a season have been cut short by everone’s worst enemy, reality.

The Smith brothers are now in film school and no longer have the time the show requires. They will be posting one more final episode in the near future. After the show airs, they plan on posting projects from their schoolwork on the Web site.

So check out “What the Muffins.” Episod running time ranges from 13 to 30 minutes. The episodes are found at www.whatthemuffins.com. The muffins are waiting.

Steve Shinney is a junior majoring in computer science. Comments or Web site suggestions can be sent to

steveshinney@cc.usu.