Must-See Web TV: The Guild

While the much hyped and poor Quarterlife series crashed and burned in its attempt to jump from Webisodic series to TV prime time, another project has become a real viral online hit. The Guild is a ten-part sitcom series by a gamer and indie filmmaker Felicia Day. The show, which is distributed on YouTube and at www.watchtheguild.com, is a clever look at online gamers but told in a way that appeals to a wider audience. The three-minute episodes are funded entirely by PayPal donations by fans, more than half of which are women. So there, Hollywood digital wannabes. The Guild is a superb example of excellent Web-only content organically grown from the makers’ experience, not manufactured by middle-aged producers trying to look as if they understand digital youth. With over 6 million “hits” (who uses that term anymore?) to its video episodes, this is a genuine online video phenom worth watching both as a model for the platform and as a funny show.