AOL's 'Connected' reality series launches

Netflix, Amazon, Hulu and Yahoo have done it, and now it's time for AOL to release its own original television-like content.

On Tuesday, AOL posted the first four episodes of Connected, a half-hour reality show filmed entirely by the cast members themselves.

Connected, the online media company's first long-form series, gives six New Yorkers a video camera to film their lives 24/7. Documentary filmmaker Morgan Spurlock executive produced the series, which was adapted from the Israeli-TV show of the same name and has been produced in more than 20 countries.

The cast includes Nina Ferrer-Mannino (interior designer, architect photographer); Derek Gaines (stand-up comedian and host of MTV's Broke A$$ Game Show); Eli and Ido Bendet-Taicher (married tech executives); Lori Levine (CEO & founder of Flying Television celebrity marketing); Rosie Noesi (radio & TV host) and, aspiring writer Jonathan Bricklin, who happened to be dating actress Susan Sarandon.

The writer and actress dated throughout the filming of the show but have since broken up. Bricklin, often referred to as Sarandon's "boy toy," opened up about his insecurities of the relationship in the first episode.

"I've always felt embarrassed for you," Bricklin says to Sarandon. "Because, I look like a little kid, and I'm not notable for anything. And people expect a lot from you. They feel like you should be dating someone fabulous."

The show jumps from cast-member to cast-member using footage that resembles a traveling YouTube vlog. Spurlock hopes the unique format sets Connected apart from other reality shows.

"I feel like this show — more than anything that I've seen in a long time— really draws you in because of the honesty and the bravery of the people," Spurlock said. "Once you start watching the first few episodes, you want to see more and you start to get invested in these people's lives."

Whether online audiences embrace the show as Spurlock predicts remains to be seen. AOL will be releasing four new episodes every two weeks with 20 episodes total.