NBC’s ‘quarterlife’ brings Internet to television

When NBC's new hour-long drama "quarterlife" debuts Tuesday, it will be a relatively groundbreaking event. For the first time, a broadcast network will air a series that was first introduced on the Internet. (Msnbc.com is a joint venture between Microsoft and NBC Universal.)

The network is taking the show's 36 "webisodes," which are airing online at quarterlife.com and a few other sites, and turning them into a six-episode TV season.

It's a notable moment in entertainment and could be a harbinger of things to come. But if recent history is any proof, we're still a long way from seeing a swarm of shows arrive on the small screen via the computer monitor.

Network executives who are always trolling for the next big idea, seeking to be edgy and stay ahead of the curve are naturally looking to the Internet as a creative resource. While the Web may be rich with undiscovered talent and ideas, the formula for capturing Internet phenomena and bringing them to television is a work in progress.

TV networks haven't yet proven themselves willing to risk much on the untapped creativity found online. "Quarterlife" is the creation of Edward Zwick and Marshall Herskovitz, the duo behind "thirtysomething," "Once and Again" and "My So-Called Life."

The show started as a pilot that ABC rejected and was reworked considerably before being posted on MySpace and quarterlife.com, Zwick and Herskovitz's own social networking Web site constructed around the concept of the show.

Dumped by TV first
NBC has been down this road before. "Nobody's Watching," which nearly became the first Internet-to-TV success story, was a mockumentary-style sitcom from "Scrubs" creator Bill Lawrence. It, too, started as a failed pilot (rebuffed by The WB) that Lawrence then posted on YouTube. It garnered some success, NBC bought the rights to it and touted it heavily in the summer of 2006 as an on-air show in the making, but the network later killed the concept.

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These projects aren't true Internet sensations that demanded attention from network TV. They're ideas that TV dumped, only to take them back after watching them get attention from another suitor. It isn't a stretch to spot a trend in the making: frustrated writers slap their rejected pilots online, get some buzz and hope for a second chance. But with Internet success comes heightened expectations that aren't very realistic.

"First of all, the numbers on the Internet are still way lower than numbers on television," Herskovitz said during a recent conference call. "You know, if you have an episode on the Internet that does 200,000 views, you're considered to be a big hit. And, of course, if you did 200,000 views on television, you'd be off the air before the hour was up."

Herskovitz admits there's a significant difference between a network TV show and an "Internet show," which comes with no restraints from network brass. With "quarterlife," Herskovitz and Zwick maintain full creative control. NBC sees the episodes only as they're delivered.

"When I think about making something for the Internet, I'm free," Herskovitz said. "And when I think about making something for television, I have 20 years of sort of inhibitions and constraints that have internalized themselves in me. … Inevitably over time, you know, if network executives say the same thing to you 10,000 times, it begins to seep into your consciousness. You begin to get cautious."

The implication is that, barring any sweeping philosophical changes in the way networks develop TV shows, there is a limit to how much this Internet-to-TV genre can grow. A bigger limitation, though, is that the Internet is a short-attention-span world, almost by definition.

Even "quarterlife" works best (if at all) in the bite-sized, eight- to 11-minute bits in which it's served up online. Viewers can shut it off anytime and come back whenever they'd like, without the pressure of having to hang on for an entire hour.

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Other attempts by TV execs to cash in on the Internet by bringing bunches of viral videos to the masses have mostly failed. The CW's "Online Nation" was the most recent effort, a half-hour weekly show that promised the best videos and blogs the Web had to offer.

It was watched by less than a million viewers each week. That number would make for a pretty successful Internet video, but became the lowest-rated show in CW history.

Not surprisingly, the little success the Web has produced for TV has come on cable channels, MTV in particular. The network seized on popular Internet personalities such as Andy Milonakis and Tila Tequila and gave them a new outlet. Milonakis got a sketch show and Tequila the first-ever bisexual dating show. But those examples are few and far between.

Would it be the worst thing if the two mediums weren't entirely compatible?

A worthwhile pursuit?
Will Ferrell's video on FunnyOrDie.com (featuring his friend's 2-year-old daughter Pearl playing a foul-mouthed, drunken landlord railing on a tenant played by Ferrell) was one of 2007's funniest offerings.

But that doesn't mean Pearl should anchor her own sitcom, nor does Chris Crocker, the "leave Britney alone" guy, really need the TV development deal he has.

Perhaps the question networks should be asking themselves is whether it's worthwhile to aggressively pursue the Web for the next big thing. It could be that the Internet should remain a place to find quick amusements.

Part of the allure of the Web is its fast pace, which makes something a phenomenon one week, ancient history the next.

Or maybe even in this fast-paced entertainment world, slow and steady is still the way to go. Ex-MTV personality Tom Green is quietly building a new online project, "Tom Green's House Tonight," a nightly talk show that's shot in his living room. It can be found on his Web site, tomgreen.com.

The show is in the middle of a syndicated TV trial run in a half-dozen markets across the country, but no one is touting it as the next great Internet-to-TV discovery.

Does it have a future? Sometimes it's best to just wait and see.

Victor Balta lives in Philadelphia and is a regular contributor to msnbc.com.

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