Just found us? Returning for Season 2? Looking for a specific extra? Don't worry, we've got you covered.
...What is it?
Inspired by Jane Austen's Persuasion, Rational Creatures is a diverse, contemporary series available to watch on YouTube about second chances, finding your place in the world, and (finally) coming of age in your late 20s.
What's the elevator pitch?
After years spent working for her difficult father, Ana Elias is forced back into proximity with her first love when she's let go from the family business. Watching Fred with his amazing travel career and adoring new boyfriend makes her feel like she's achieved nothing in the last decade, but she's not the only one feeling stuck.
Do I need to know anything about Jane Austen to watch?
Not at all, it's an "inspired by" rather than a direct adaptation, so sit back and enjoy it as a soft dramedy full of bisexuals, friendship, and romance.
How do I watch?
We host the series on YouTube to watch for free.
Click here (or click play on the video above) to start watching Rational Creatures from the very start.
Click here to catch up with Season 2 of the series
More FAQs below the cut!
Are there content warnings?
You can find these in the YouTube description of each video.
Are there fun extras?
Loads! Our YouTube channel has everything from Ana and Fred's highschool vlogs to season 1 bts, to Mean Girls parodies. You can also find all the music we've used in the series.
You can also find some extra reels and behind the scenes gossip on our Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter accounts.
How long is it?
Who made it?
Rational Creatures (aka- #ratcreatures) was created and written by Anya, Ash, Jessamyn, and Hazel - 4 women from 3 different countries who met through the magic of the internet. We worked with an amazing team of actors, crew, and friends to bring the series to life.
Is It a Literary Inspired Webseries?
Each episode is between 2 and 15 minutes long. When completed, the whole show takes a little under 2 hours to watch.
It's definitely a web series inspired by a work of literature. The co-creators met and started collaborating through the LIW community and it has a big place in our hearts. However, unlike a lot of shows inspired by series like The Lizzie Bennet Diaries, Rational Creatures is mostly filmed cinematically and is generally a slightly looser adaptation of the source text.
What do you mean by diverse?
We found it really important to reflect our own family and friend groups in the modern day, the same way Jane Austen included observations of hers in her time. Thus, most of our characters identify somewhere on the LGBTQ umbrella, we have a Latina lead, and only the minority of our cast are white actors.
What's with the 2 different Seasons?
Season 1 was kind of our proof of concept. We successfully crowdfunded making the rest of the show, then covid happened and we had to put off filming until it was safe, during which time a few sets and hairstyles changed. The whole series will be 18 episodes long in total (not counting bonus material) and will tell the whole story- we're not planning for a Season 3!
The Amateur Austenite podcast is doing an entire season on Rational Creatures and the first ep is available now! Stay tuned for eps featuring our cast and crew too.
[Image description: Top panel woman whispering in man's ear. Text, "Wentworth: But if Anne will stay, no one so proper, so capable as Anne. Bottom panel: arm with goosebumps. Text: "Anne Elliot/Me."]
Someone on Reddit keeps getting recommended the Jane Austen subreddit despite knowing nothing about Jane Austen, so they posted an Ask Me Anything. Best response so far:
Sorry JA, no longer a truth universally acknowledged.
Reading persuasion like Anne’s on facetime with me at 2pm and she’s giving me the rundown of her family history so she can tell me about her most recent crush
Your mind. My own currently addled brain is not equal to this, but a nebulous outline.
Walter Elliot, CEO of Kellynch Holdings, actually is stupid enough to do crimes without realizing it, and vain enough to presume that if he's doing it, it must be a Smart Business Decision and therefore not a crime, QED. This will become a problem, especially when he falls in with the more intentionally criminous Elliot and Clay Associates.
Admiral Croft is the grizzled detective™ pursuing the case.
Frederick Wentworth is the last person anyone (except Anne and, loyally, Sophy) expected to get a fancy law degree after getting out of the army, much less to take on the kind of work required to bring down white-collar criminals. He might love his job a little too much. Sophy occasionally mentions to him that the concept of a work-life balance has filtered into some corners of the legal profession, and even into some corners of the police.
Frederick has always presumed--allowed himself to presume--that Anne Elliot went to her conservatory, went to grad school, and vanished into the comparatively rarified* world of classical music. The last thing he expects is to find Anne teaching Beethoven to 9-year-olds and keeping the house and the accounts for her feckless family. He does not (repeat not) examine his feelings about needing to make sure that she is exonerated from any suspicion of complicity in wrong-doing.
Elizabeth runs a YouTube channel from which she attempts to influence. Mary is part of the essential oils racket. Frederick may or may not wonder if the entire damn family (Anne excepted) is stupid or criminal or both. But after telling Anne he's ready to submit his filings (if that is what I mean), he leaves a handwritten letter under the glass fruit bowl in the kitchen that only she uses.
*yes I know that tickets are exponentially cheaper than arena concerts or sportsball but it's about the cultural perception which I would argue still is kind of socially rarified. Don't yell at me, I routinely lower the average age of classical music audiences.
Nearly a week since we were lucky enough to be screened at the oh-so-delightful Jane Austen International Film Festival, and take hoem the award for best lgtbq+ drama! Thanks to the organisers for the great photos!
