by Marc Hustvedt on January 26th, 2010
Warner Brothers is teaming up with an old friend again—single-word director McG. Having last collaborated on the 2008 online drama Sorority Forever, today came word that Ghostfacers, a new 10-episode sci-fi comedy web series from McG’s Wonderland Sound and Vision production company and Warner’s Studio 2.0 is currently in production in Los Angeles. The series appears to be a spin-off of Warner Bros. Television’s Supernatural series which airs on The CW. They are calling this a “shortform brand extension” of the TV series, which means this is really a companion web series, instead of a purely original project.
Ghostfacers will follow a “a team of fearless and sometimes comical “professional” ghost hunters who investigate the paranormal and record their own adventures in documentary-style episodes.” That same team actually made its debut on Supernatural’s first season during the “Hell House” episode, and later resurfaced on season three. The series is planned for release online later this year—no specific dates set yet—on TheWB.com and CWTV.com.
AJ Buckley stars as the scrappy ghost hunting team’s leader with Travis Wester, Brittany Ishibashi and Austin Basis rounding things out. Guest stars will appear throughout and so far just Kelly Carlson, who is playing the ghost of a young starlet, has been announced. Trey Callaway is credited as creator of the characters of Ghostfacers, though Supernatural creator/EP Ben Edlund also had a hand.
This is the latest web series to debut on TheWB.com, which has been fairly dormant in terms of new web originals. The latest was the lightly marketed thriller Blood Cell back in October starring Jessica Rose that was licensed from the now-defunct 60Frames.
by Marc Hustvedt on August 25th, 2009
Another project we hadn’t heard much about since we screened the trailer at the April Web TV Meetup, but today the first episode (above) of The Jim Henson Company’s S.U.D.S. (Simian Undercover Detective Squad) was released on YouTube. The series was produced by Henson Alternative along with Warner Bros. Studio 2.0 arm, which has turned out series like Viralcom and most of the WB.com original series including Childrens’ Hospital and Sorority Forever.
The 15-episode series is the first original web series involving Henson’s signature style of puppets to come of of the famed Muppets studio. Even though the company sold the rights to the Muppets characters to Disney back in 2004, there’s still a fair amount of original puppeteering coming out of the company. For S.U.D.S., two new characters, Yeager and Skreet, are introduced as a pair of less-than stellar detectives, who also happen to be monkeys.
I caught up with Henson’s VP of New Media, Allyson Smith, who produced the series, to find out more about the project and the company’s jump in scripted web series.
Created by Deb Loftis and SNL writer Perry Sachs, the project has one of those right-place-right-time kind of origins so familiar in Hollywood, even on the digital side. The pair happened to connect with Smith the day before she had a pitch meeting with Studio 2.0, who, as it turns out was looking for an adult-comedy project just like S.U.D.S. at the time.
by Tim Goessling on May 20th, 2009
In one of the many conspiracy theories in my crazy mind, the scenario where Google and Apple merge to form Skynet is probably the most realistic. The new film Terminator Salvation will no doubt re-assure me that in the future, evil robots with the glowing eyes will not only have machine guns for arms, but also know my search history from when I was in 11th grade. As for my place in the future, I’ll be in the cave, telling the youngsters how I should have paid more attention to the Terminator franchise back in the day.
In particular I might tell them about Machinima.com’s Terminator Salvation Machinima Series of summer 2009. I’d point out that since it was the first machinima series to be produced with a major studio (Warner Brothers) and one of the first to feature ultra high production values, it was a potential turning point in the rise of robots as master enslavers. Was it a coincidence that it had “Machinima” in the title? We’ll see if this becomes the series to start the ball rolling towards judgment day.
The series may or may not be the breakaway series the genre needs, but it certainly could be. Focusing on resistance fighter Blair Williams, voiced by the gorgeous (and coolly named) actress Moon Bloodgood.
by Marc Hustvedt on December 8th, 2008
TheWB.com is trying a new tactic in web series releasing, opting for an all-at-once premiere of their new irreverent medical parody web series Childrens’ Hospital today. Instead of stringing viewers along for ten weeks, we’re given one giant helping of Rob Corddry’s comedic bounty all in one sitting.
With buzz growing for the series since the trailer hit the scene back in October, this is a bit of a early holiday gift for intellectual comedy fans. Rob Cordrry produced the series along with friends David Wain (star and creator of the Webby Award-winning series Wainy Days) and Jonathan Stern (producer of Horrible People, and Wainy Days).
And as expected of the threesome, they have assembled a powerhouse cast, headed up by Corddry (who also directed) that is essentially a who’s who of the NY comedy scene. There’s Wain along with Jason Sudeikis (SNL), Lake Bell (Boston Legal) Ken Marino (The State, Veronica Mars), Erinn Hayes (Worst Week), Rob Huebel (Human Giant, The Awful Truth), Rob’s brother Nathan Corddry (The Daily Show), Ed Helms (The Office), Nick Kroll (Cavemen) and two-time Emmy winner Megan Mullally (Will & Grace).
by Marc Hustvedt on October 20th, 2008
Rich Girl, Poor Girl, the latest original web series from Warner Brothers’ Studio 2.0 premieres today on TheWB.com, swapping the lives two popular alpha-girls from radically different Los Angeles area high schools. The 12-episode comedic reality series is the brainchild of reality icon Gary Auerbach, the creative producer behind MTV’s teen reality hit Laguna Beach [...]
