Hillrats Spoofs the Cynical Political World

Don’t get me wrong — Los Angeles is a wonderful place to live. San Francisco, you know I adore your bay views. And New York! So vibrant, so full of culture! But little stirs my heart like the opportunity to watch a web series set in a less-documented environs, like the high-stakes world of Washington, D.C., politics.

Indie series Hillrats documents the wacky adventures of Will (Josh Ruben), who starts off his new job as the “special assistant” to a senator believing that he’s gotten his chance to change the world — and instead discovers that as the office intern, he’s the staff’s punching bag.

While the show is pitched as Scrubs meets The West Wing, Hillrats lacks either series’ idealism, instead ruthlessly mocking Will for his naiveté and mining the cynical outlook of his bosses for comedy. “The more the senator knows, the more work I have to do,” Melissa (Caroline Ashbaugh) says, just before taking Will to task for including “offensive language” like “budget deficit” and “extramarital” in the senator’s morning briefing.

Hillrats gets one big demerit point for its uninspired mimicry of The Guild‘s episode structure, that of “protagonist vlogs briefly to an unknown audience before we see the action unfold.” But the clever dialogue and solid acting choices go a long way towards making up for it. A CollegeHumor alumni, Ruben’s incredibly believable as the innocent and easily duped Will, and Ashbaugh’s channeling of Judy Greer makes her a cast standout.

The series, created by a crew of local D.C. residents for about $150 per episode, is in part inspired by co-creator Dan Jones’ experience working as an intern for a Senate committee, and while larger YouTube success would of course be appreciated, he and his partners specifically want to reach the Washington, D.C., audience. “Ideally, people with experience on Capitol Hill will be able to identify with it,” Jones said via phone. “Our heart is in D.C., so we hope they enjoy it.” I haven’t been to DC since 2001, so I can’t say whether or not they’re successful in that respect. But even as an outsider, Hillrats is still a fun time.

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