Still Not Ready for Prime Time

The abrupt crash and burn of Zwick and Herskovitz’s Quarterlife Web series on NBC last week seems to be another indication that Internet video is a bit less than the hype surrounding it. The brutal truth of Web “TV” is that in a decade of trying, the new medium has failed to contribute any substantial video brand to pop culture. Small flashes like VuGuru’s “Prom Queen” serial last year and the oft-mention “lonelygirl15” series serve as nice curios. But we are far away from any real eco-system of advertising and content production for Web video. But beyond that, Quaterlife only calls attention to just how bad much of these programs are. The show’s characters and situations were staggeringly clichéd (film students, aspiring writer, corporate baddies, and the inevitable actress-in-training) all wrapped in the silly conceit of a show that is both on and about a blog. In fact, two of the main characters reprise the Zwick and Herskovitz “thirtysomething” ad agency wannabe duo. Note to programmers. Even self-absorbed Gen-Yers want to see something more from their media than a self-serving mirror.