The L.A. Complex: The Best Show That No One is Watching

...except me.

To be fair, the CW really didn't promote this show very well. I think I had heard about this summer series once before I accidentally stumbled upon it one Tuesday when nothing else was on. I was pretty lucky that I tuned in about 15 minutes into the first episode and it didn't take much to get me hooked.

The show tells the story of several young adults, living in the same apartment complex in L.A., and trying to make it in show business. The show does a great job of showing the different sides to making it in the industry from a comedian, a rapper, musicians, a dancer, someone who just landed a dream role, and two actresses competing for similar roles despite a noticeable age difference. The variation in the characters talents allows there to be a variety of story lines rather than constantly falling back on "I'm going on an audition today."

The first episode introduces the viewer to most of the characters. You begin with Abby Vargas who is leaving her native Canada (most of the characters are Canadian as that's where the show is produced) to try to make it as an actress in LA despite being completely broke. She quickly realized she will need to compete against Raquel (played by Jewel Staite from Firefly), an actress that had been well known but hadn't landed a role in ten years (the irony is not lost on this girl).

The show deals with many other issues that come up when trying to get a Hollywood job. From lacking the talent to succeed in your desired industry to dealing with the issues of being on the down low, the show tackles some heavy story lines. One of the most interesting plot lines occurs when one character has to repeatedly ask herself what she is willing to do to get ahead in her career.

This isn't your typical CW prime time manufactured teen drama. It gets gritty and dark and shows a better side of the behind the scenes of the industry than shows like Entourage have. Sometimes it's not all glitz and glamour. Show business is tough business and the LA Complex portrays the complexities of it. I didn't want to spoil anything so I'm not going to go into details but I can guarantee at least one of the story lines will shock you time and time again by going places that many television shows don't have the guts to.

The show just kicked off it's second "season" (the first was only 6 episodes) but previous episodes area all available on Hulu if you want to play catch up.