Fictional vlog series have been done before, as have stories about teen girls trapped in older men’s bodies — but that doesn’t keep Abigail’s X-Rated Teen Diary from racking up millions of views and almost 1,500 Bebo fans.
Originally developed for HBO’s failed This Just In, Abigail is the daily vlog of a young girl dealing with, in her own words, “boyz, school, my ‘rents, & living w/ Bloombergers Syndrome. Thats this genetic thing that effex your DNNA so it makes me look a little older than I really am.” By “a little older,” she means she looks like star/creator Hayden Black, who, if the online video thing doesn’t work out, could look into part-time work as a Ricky Gervais impersonator. Not that that’s likely to happen — Black’s comic abilities are second only to his promotional skills and marketing savvy, as Kara Swisher recently covered as part of her Boomtown series.
The concept wouldn’t work without a strong performance at its core, but that’s fine, because Black’s commitment to portraying a 13-year-old is absolute and hilarious. Without much of a central narrative tying things together, installments feel a little disjointed and viewing rarely feels compulsory. What really works about the series is the choice in Abigail’s age — rather than winking at the character’s not-so-innocent appearance, the show keeps focused on the truth of the character, whose naivety and good spirit is really quite charming. You get the feeling that if you were in junior high, you’d wanna be Abigail’s BFF. Even if you could never share clothes.
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