TV on the Web

By Anita Hamilton

For all the hoopla about the Fall TV lineup, most of the "new" shows feel numbingly familiar to me. Let's see: there are repackaged Ally reruns, a second dose of Law & Order and a Party of Five spin-off. And doesn't Once and Again sound a little too much like the old thirtysomething? I'm ready for something new, and I'm losing hope that I'll find it on prime time. So I decided to tune into TV-style programs on the Web instead. With faster 56K modems and built-in video players on Web browsers becoming standard, it's starting to make sense to watch shows online.

On the three sites I checked out--Digital Entertainment Network den.net) Pseudo pseudo.com and Wirebreak wirebreak.com) which just launched in mid-September--I found dozens of shows on everything from a bilingual drama about Hispanic gang members to documentaries on skateboarding superstars. Watching the blurry images on matchbox-size video windows within a computer screen can be annoying, but it's not all bad news. Instead of waiting for prime time, I can view any show whenever I want just by clicking onscreen. And because many episodes are commercial free and less than 10 minutes long, I can squeeze them in during quick breaks instead of carving out half an hour at night.

As with regular TV, the trick is finding something you actually want to watch. With 55 unique shows, Pseudo boasts the biggest lineup, including pro wrestling, tech programs and hard-to-find music. But browsing the programs was as underwhelming as sampling those vast breakfast buffets in Vegas hotels. The techno, reggae and hip-hop music programs were fun to listen to, but the video seemed redundant: eyeballing a deejay is dull stuff. A space show, Cosmic Visions, had a good documentary about the Cassini mission to the outer planets, but it hardly seemed original. And the chat rooms on the site were almost always desolate.

There was little desolate about DEN. The first show I clicked on, Redemption High, was a well-produced drama about Christian teens trying to make sense of religion. Next I clicked on DEN's Aggronation, where I got to watch snowboarding and surfing--surprisingly good in itty-bitty video. The newsDEN section had a feature about kids who died after taking LSD at a rave.

I saved Wirebreak for last, because I thought it would be the best. When I met with the founders in July, I was impressed by their philosophy: they understand that online shows need to be short and snappy and that viewers like interactive games to keep them entertained while waiting for the video to start. Too bad their programs weren't half as good as their marketing pitch. The daily news show was supposed to be funny, but it wasn't. Girl's Locker Talk was a cheesy sex-talk show, and In the Neighborhood was just plain strange: viewers got to follow a guy wandering around Venice Beach, Calif., trying to pick up women and hanging out with eccentric friends.

Despite the letdowns, my TV adventure in cyberspace was worth it. It's fun to discover something that's just starting to take off. And who knows? This fall Party of Five may have to wait. I'm more excited about the next episode of Redemption High.

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