Vivian McMillan is a 16-year-old lesbian from New York City. Unfortunately, her dad was a firefighter who got a respiratory infection due to 9/11, which means both of them have to move out into the suburbs with her maternal aunt, away from Vivian's girlfriend Aster. The move also drives Vivian back into the closet, with only new friend Archibald, a young African-American artist interested in comic books, aware that she is gay, and that only because he guessed. This causes tension with both her girlfriend Aster and her childhood friend Sophie, who doesn't like it that Viv's been hiding things from her...
This web series was co-created by playwrights Tina Cesa Ward and Susan Miller from Ward's original work. There are three seasons. The first episode aired in 2008 and the series finale aired in 2012.
This show provides examples of:
- Aesop: "You never know what's going on with anyone else". Even the people you love and who love you.
- Aborted Arc: Several throughout the series are dropped by the end or just disappear. Archie and his homophobic Dad, Sophie potentially being gay of bi, the guy who's into Vivian even though he knows she's gay, never fully developed and apparently forgotten. The only things really settled are Vivian and her immediate family (her Mom and Aster).
- Author Avatar: In-universe, with Vivian and Archibald's comic strip featuring a Lesbian Reporter Chick and a black dude with super-drawing skills who seek out others' secrets.
- Bad "Bad Acting": Vivian and Sophie as stand-ins for Elizabeth's dress rehearsal
- Black and Nerdy: Archibald, to a certain extent
- Book Ends: The series begins and ends with Vivian and Aster in Battery Park.
- Butch Lesbian: There's one as a minor character.
- Cast Full of Gay: Vivian, Aster, the butch minor character, and Doctor Glass. Sophie may be bi, as well (her actress definitely seems to hope she is).
- Deadpan Snarker: Everyone to some extent, but the king is probably Aster's therapist, Doctor Glass.
- Dude, She's A Lesbian: Jonathan's friend begins pursuing Vivian, only to be told by Jonathan that she is a lesbian. In this case, he continues his pursuit hoping to "change" her.
- Gayngst: Vivian, less that she's gay, and more that she has closeted herself. Lampshaded by actress Rachael Hip-Flores in the video where she and Jessy Hodges try to get spoilers about season 2, when she asks whether Viv gets to be happy this season, and is ecstatic when the answer is yes.
- Get a Room!: Brett jokingly tells Vivian and Aster this in the fourth episode when he sees them kissing.
- Incompatible Orientation: This exists between Jonathon's friend and Vivian. Learning that she's a lesbian only seems to spur him on.
- Lipstick Lesbian: Aster definitely, and Vivian possibly depending on your perspective.
- Meaningful Name: The name "Anyone But Me" as in "I never know what's going on with Anyone But Me".
- Missing Mom: Vivian has one, which comes to a head in the series finale.
- Odd Reaction Out: In the fifth episode, Jonathan, Vivian and Sophie are all late to class.(bell rings)
Jonathan: Fuck!
Vivian: Shit!
Sophie: Aw... - "Shut Up" Kiss: "The Things We Know"Vivian: No. Really. Shut. Up. (kisses Aster)
- Totally Radical: Aunt Jodie.Aunt Jodie: I'm down with that. (Beat) I worked so hard to make that come out right.
- The Unreveal: We only get to hear the first paragraph of the letter from Vivian's mom.
- UST
- Vivian had a bit of a crush on Sophie when the two were younger, and it may be coming back with a vengeance especially after their kiss during the dress rehearsal.
- There also appears to be some between Vivian's dad and Aunt Jodie, but it's never made explicit.
- What Happened to the Mouse?: Archibald disappears after Season 2.
