Today's Ypulse Youth Advisory Board post comes from Lauren Williams on the rise of watchable web series and her personal favorite, Felicia Day's "The Guild," which tied with "The Bannen Way" in leading Streamy Award nominations this year. Remember, you can communicate directly with any member of the Ypulse Youth Advisory Board by emailing them at youthadvisoryboard at ypulse.com…or just leave a comment below.

The Streamys, 'The Guild' & The Future Of TV On The Web

While some of us think television on the television is inevitably dying-dying-dead, television on the Internet just won’t quit. The moment YouTube appeared in February 2005, online content rapidly grew from funny squirrel-on-skateboard videos, to fan-made mashups of movie clips and music, to average people talking into their cameras (aka VLOGS), to creative spoofs of the latest cinematic blockbusters. It was only inevitable that the now explosively popular “web series” would stake its place in the world of online videos. From the beginning, independent filmmakers found an outlet for their ideas, ideas often rejected or deemed too limited in scope to warrant a studio’s funding. Red vs. Blue (2003-2007), a parody of popular first-person shooter video games like Halo, acquired over 100 million views, establishing the “web series” as a viable commodity. Since the series’ first run, an insatiable slew of new shows have taken up residence online.

"The Guild" is only one of many web shows currently leaving its mark. Initially a television pitch, "The Guild" follows a group of online friends playing Not-World-of-Warcraft who one day decide to meet IRL. Seriously? A web series about gamers? I’m only surprised it took so long. Felicia Day, writer, producer, and star of the hit-satire, fed up with a lack of interest from Hollywood, braved the odds and went directly to the public. Lo and behold, the YouTube generation (ahem, us) took to the show like a moth to a flame.

Personally, I was led to "The Guild" by an obsessed "guildy" who forced me to watch all three seasons in a row. My experience with web shows was limited to the studio made mini-sodes for NBC shows like "Community." "The Guild" surprised me with its independent tone, yet high quality standards. Clearly I wasn't the only one. The effortless portrayal of quirky gamers paired with the pop culture saturated, witty banter of the most critically acclaimed serials quickly built up fanatical favor. Felicia Day herself inspired the Emmy Award winning, Joss Whedon musical, "Dr. Horrible’s Sing Along Blog," thereby catapulting the young actress to cult-stardom. My guess is it’s only a matter of time before Felicia Day takes hold of America’s… ahem, interest, à la Whedon’s other investments: David Boreanaz, Nathan Fillion, Alyson Hannigan, and Sarah Michele Gellar, et al.

Since its debut, "The Guild" has had to beat back executives as networks vie for the rights to turn the popular web series into a moneymaking sitcom. The question I would ask is whether "The Guild" could survive the aggressive retooling by a network and a competitive slot on prime-time lineup? While webisodes are on the rise (sometimes the mini episodes of"The Office"  are funnier that the actual show), viewers still enjoy a 20-minute commercial-littered NBC or CBS comedy once a week. Perhaps it’s the higher production values, or maybe it’s those extra 10 minutes that help connect viewers with characters. The main issue for web series is how they will be profitable. Web shows, like film shorts, are perfect platforms for inventive new talent; however, they are just not very viable where money is concerned. Only time will tell if the age of the web series is a passing fancy or a groundbreaking achievement in the future of TV.

For now, you can look for "The Guild" on YouTube; new episodes of Seasons 3 posted every week. Also, see if The Guild wins its second Streamy award on April 11th.

About Lauren

Lauren recently spent a harrowing year in England where she overcame her life's demons and finally found her answer to that itching question "What do you want to be when you grow up?" Currently, she is completing her final year at Northern Arizona University. She will graduate this spring with a BA in English and a minor in Cinema and Visual Culture. Meanwhile, she is keenly stressing herself out by volunteering to take on a 60 page undergraduate thesis about Superman. When not studying, Lauren enjoys watching ungodly amounts of television. An All-American girl, Lauren loves baseball, Coca-Cola, cherry pie, and violent action films. Her favorite pastimes include hanging out in grapefruit trees, building complex civilizations out of LEGOS, and digging for dinosaur bones in the sandbox.

Categorized under: TV, Web, Youth Advisory Board

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