It's entirely possible that you went through today and didn't hear a single joke about weed, but it's certainly not likely. It's 4/20, and in high schools and colleges everywhere, reports on Stalin and essays on the essence of power in Macbeth are getting pushed off for a day of bong hits and Futurama on Netflix. Per usual, HBO took the day to bring something far more productive and fulfilling to the table, namely High Maintenance, the web-based cult comedy that has garnered near-universal praise from all corners of the internet. Hell, even The New Yorker has tipped its hat to the web series, created by husband-wife team Ben Sinclair and Katya Blichfield, with Sinclair hilariously portraying the main character, a New York-based drug dealer. As Complex reports, the show is now set to make a season-long debut on HBO in the near future, with the pay channel once again taking a major chance on a risky premise that has served as the bedrock of this sublimely hilarious and humane comedy.

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Image via HBO

There are no solid release dates set, nor much information about the transition. However, it's interesting to note that High Maintenance is one of a scant few web series that have been picked up by major networks. The only one in the vicinity of High Maintenance's thoughtful brand of character study is Comedy Central's wondrous Broad City, another series that takes pot culture and city life as part and parcel of their unique comedic rhythms which elevate them above so many other live-action sitcoms. Of course, Broad City openly engages in wild absurdist tangents, whereas High Maintenance is more actor-based, steeped in the particular perspectives and home life of each customer Sinclair's bicycling pot peddler encounters on his route. Indeed, unlike those assemblies you were forced to attend during your free period, High Maintenance is one of those shows that might actually get you high on life.


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Image via HBO