Private – DVD Review

The Show:

When I went to college, I never got involved with frats, even though I might have drooled over a few sorority chicks, it was never my thing. Years after my college graduation, I still feel as if I never missed out and after seeing Private, I’m super glad I never joined that crap. Based off of a series of young adult novels from author Kate Brian, the books were adapting into this web series, by the producers of Gossip Girl and Vampire Diaries. Like that matters. As a web series, with each episode lasting about 5 minutes, it’s okay as what it is, but it covers the course of all sorority cliches in its 100 minute total length, making it quite boring and predictable.

Brian’s books focused on a girl named “Reed Brennan, the series’ narrator, as she becomes a member of her new school’s elite dorm—composed of a glamorous yet disparate group of teens known as the Billings Girls. As the series progresses, several matters surrounding mystery, morality, and romance arise”, as Wiki so wonderfully paraphrased for us. From all of the uppity attitudes, parties, haves vs the have nots, brooding lovers, sorority initiation rituals, it’s everything we’ve seen a ton of times before, making for a standard and predictable time.  It’s crap like this makes me glad I never joined a frat. But on this series, it never goes too deep into the characters nor does it give us much to continue to watch. While the Gossip Girl and Vampires Diaries logos are plastered on the DVD cover, Private never reaches those show’s heights, and while you want to cut it some slack for being a web series, it’s aimed at teens and maybe pre-teens.

The DVD:

Audio/Video: Flatiron Film and New Video releases the series on an average DVD. The video looks good, considering the source, but the audio is a bit shrill.

We get a slew of extras, mostly interviews as in Meet the Priavte Cast, Meet the Billings Girls, Meet the Screenwriters, and Life of a Hollywood Writer. They go from sort of interesting to EPK- for fans only. Private: Casting Call chronicles the contest of who would be cast as Kiran Hayes, that was an internet thing. Secrets of the Script gives us the “lowdown” of the mystery and affairs of the characters and we get a look at the Private Prequel that’s happening soon.

Conclusion: While I never read the books, I assume despite the standard offerings of rich sorority girls, Private never attempts anything new, but it has potential. For 13 year old girls only.

The Show: Rating:

The DVD: Rating: