14 Best English Web Series on Youtube You Can Watch for Free
Web series are videos with a basic story or theme that are released as episodes on a platform like YouTube.
They can be fictional stories, documentaries, interviews or even cartoons.
These web series give you an authentic example of spoken English and are valuable practice material.
In this article, you’ll get 14 of the best web series on Youtube that can help to improve your language skills.
They’re arranged according to the difficulty level of English used in the shows, so scroll down if you’re intermediate or advanced!
Contents
- 1. “Convos With My 2-Year-Old”
- 2. “The Katering Show”
- 3. “Great Big Story”
- 4. “The Haunting of Sunshine Girl”
- 5. “The Gay and Wondrous Life of Caleb Gallo”
- 6. “What’s Underneath”
- 7. “The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl”
- 8. “That’s My DJ”
- 9. “The Guild”
- 10. “Vox Borders”
- 11. “Crash Course World History”
- 12. “RWBY: Fairy Tales”
- 13. “kaptainkristian” Video Essays
- 14. “The Lizzie Bennet Diaries”
- Why Use Web Series to Learn English
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1. “Convos With My 2-Year-Old”
Genre: Comedy
Level: Beginner
Each episode of this series shows a real incident that took place between the series creator and his two-year-old daughter. However, the actors playing the kids are all grown men in baby clothes which makes it even more hilarious.
This series is best for beginners since the content is short, funny and simple, and the whole series is about conversations (or “convos” for short) and interactions between English speakers.
As with all of these web series, you can add subtitles to improve your understanding. Just click on the “CC” button on the bottom right-hand corner of the video.
2. “The Katering Show”
Genre: Comedy
Level: Beginner to intermediate (Note: Contains some explicit language)
This Australian series is a spoof (humorous imitation) on traditional cooking shows. The show is hosted by two women named Kate, (hence the title, a play on the word “catering”).
One of them has an intolerance to certain foods so she can’t eat them. The other host cooks dishes for her with ingredients that she can actually eat. Most of the comedy comes from their relationship, where they pretend to be best friends but often contradict each other.
This series is great for learning Australian English and the various English names of fruits, vegetables and dishes.
3. “Great Big Story”
Genre: Documentary
Level: Beginner to intermediate
This web series highlights people from all over the world doing seemingly impossible things. They regularly make mini-documentaries of around 2 to 5 minutes every week. So far, they’ve uploaded more than a thousand videos and the list is growing.
The show is mainly in English, but many times people speak other languages and English translation is provided. The best part is that they’re never very long, which means you can repeat each video many times and practice your speaking and listening skills.
Learners from around the world can benefit from this channel in their English learning journey.
4. “The Haunting of Sunshine Girl”
Genre: Horror
Level: Beginner to intermediate
If you love horror, this vlog (video blog) might be for you. In the series, a girl talks about her house and the many ghosts that live in it along with her family.
Along with her own haunted experiences, she shares some other videos about ghost encounters and creepy experiences from around the world. Although the quality isn’t always super, the home video style makes it feel more real and authentic.
The best thing is that all the conversations that the characters have with each other sound natural. Most of the dialogues are short and casual and their videos are best for practicing everyday English.
5. “The Gay and Wondrous Life of Caleb Gallo”
Genre: Comedy
Level: Intermediate (Note: Contains some explicit language)
Caleb Gallo is a gay man living in Los Angeles with his four friends, and all of them want to be actors. Most of the series talks about the love lives of these five characters and the various funny things that happen to them.
These episodes are much longer than most other web series. Each episode is around 20 minutes, which makes the story more complex and similar to conventional TV shows. There are only 5 episodes in the series, and they’ll probably leave you wanting more.
The language tends to be more explicit and the characters use a lot of slang words. This makes the series good for learning American English for the current times.
6. “What’s Underneath”
Genre: Documentary
Level: Intermediate
This series goes against the traditional fashion industry’s habit of telling us what to wear by talking about what we actually like to wear and the personal meaning that we express through our clothes.
The series features interviews with interesting people who have achieved something in their life and talks about how they select clothes and why they wear them.
The language is often very complex so it’s best for intermediate learners who want more practice listening to real-life conversations. You’ll learn English while getting to know fascinating individuals who have diverse perspectives on life.
7. “The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl”
Genre: Comedy
Level: Intermediate
In this web series, actress Issa Rae plays J, a woman who works at a call center and hates her job. She generally has problems connecting with people and the series follows her comically awkward interactions.
At the beginning of the series, she breaks up with the love of her life and, to overcome the grief, she starts writing rap lyrics.
The series is great for hearing different accents spoken across the USA. It’s also good for learners who are fans of rap music and hip-hop since both of these genres are regularly featured.
If you enjoy this one, you can check out the show “Insecure” on HBO which was adapted from the web series.
8. “That’s My DJ”
Genre: Drama
Level: Intermediate (Note: Contains some explicit language and mature content)
Each season of this web series features a new character who’s in some way related to the music industry in Canada. Filled with electronic music and plot twists, every episode is just 3 minutes long and you can finish a season in less than half an hour.
The show can be a good guide to learning Canadian English and is ideal for practice because of its short length. The brilliant editing and beautiful visuals make the show incredibly exciting and appealing.
The creators of the series recommend that you watch it only with your headphones on and your lights off to get the full experience.
9. “The Guild”
Genre: Comedy
Level: Intermediate
If you’re a gamer, then you’ll relate to this web series a lot. It’s about the strange and awkward life of a girl named Cyd Sherman who likes to play online games called “Massively Multiplayer Online” or MMOs.
Cyd wants to spend more time in the real world rather than the make-believe digital one, but she goes through various problems that are solved by her online friends rather than the “real” people she knows.
This series is also shot in vlog format, which means that the main character is talking directly to you. It’s good for learning casual English at the intermediate level.
10. “Vox Borders”
Genre: Documentary
Level: Intermediate to advanced
This show takes us all around the world and asks insightful questions about borders, like How are they drawn? Why are they so important to us? and How do they affect the lives of the people living around them?
It takes us through history, politics, geography and even global warming to help us understand the lives of ordinary people divided by borders.
Most of the series has narration rather than conversations, making it a good option for learning formal English. It provides a clear and steady background voice with visual information to guide your understanding.
11. “Crash Course World History”
Genre: History
Level: Intermediate to advanced
This series is hosted by the brilliant writer and YouTuber John Green, who takes us through a journey of major world events. Although he’s the only one who speaks in the show, it seems like he’s having a conversation with you.
The show uses animations and pictures to keep you interested, and it packs a lot of information into short videos. Each episode is around 10 to 13 minutes long, which is a good length for a mini English lesson that won’t overwhelm you.
This series is perfect for people who want to learn English and interesting information about world history.
12. “RWBY: Fairy Tales”
Genre: Action/Fantasy
Level: Intermediate to advanced
This is an imaginative and captivating web series that brings a fresh twist to classic fairy tales through the lens of the popular animated series “RWBY.” Each episode transports viewers to a vibrant fantasy world where fairy tale characters blend with the unique anime-style universe.
The storylines are always exciting and feature visually appealing animation. And all of the episodes are under 8 minutes long, so they won’t overwhelm you.
The narration uses a more sophisticated form of English with some advanced vocabulary. But when the characters talk to each other they use a more casual kind of English, which is easier to understand.
13. “kaptainkristian” Video Essays
Genre: Video Essay
Level: Advanced
Kaptainkristian is a popular Youtube channel that features video essays described as “visual love letters.” In each episode, Kristian analyzes a movie, TV series, comic, animated show or musical artist.
He usually talks about the themes, how it relates to the larger culture and what it seeks to do with its audience. This can deepen your understanding of the content and its relevance in society while teaching you how to talk about popular media in English.
This channel uses formal language and is perhaps best for learners who want to get into academics or journalism, where this kind of English is common.
14. “The Lizzie Bennet Diaries”
Genre: Comedy/Drama
Level: Advanced
“The Lizzie Bennet Diaries” is a vlog-style web series that offers a modern take on Jane Austen’s classic novel, “Pride and Prejudice.” Creator Lizzie Bennet shares her thoughts and experiences in a contemporary setting, giving viewers a fresh perspective on the beloved story.
The series skillfully adapts the characters and themes into the digital age, maintaining the essence of Austen’s narrative while exploring the challenges of relationships, family dynamics and personal growth in the modern world.
Lizzie speaks pretty fast and you’ll need an advanced level of English to follow along. Fortunately, episodes are under 5 minutes, so you can practice your language skills in small chunks.
Why Use Web Series to Learn English
- Web series are shorter than TV shows. An average episode of most web series is between 3 and 20 minutes, which means that learners can quickly re-watch an episode in one sitting. This makes it easier to memorize words and focus on details like intonation and accents.
- They’re available for free. Unlike shows on Netflix or TV, you don’t need to pay for these web series. They’re created for the internet and the audience is meant to freely watch and share them, without paying money. All you need to watch a web series is a fast internet connection and some kind of device to watch them on.
- They’re easier to follow. Web series are often simpler in terms of story and dialogue so that more people watch them. The episodes are also shorter so that people with less time can continue to follow a series, which they often can’t do with a TV series.
For even more short pieces of authentic English content, you can use an immersive language program like FluentU. You’ll find video clips from English movies, TV shows, music videos and more with learning tools like interactive subtitles, flashcards and quizzes.
The best thing about web series is that even if you get addicted, it might only take you an hour or so to watch an entire series.
So keep watching and learning at the same time!
Download: This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you can take anywhere. Click here to get a copy. (Download)
