Culture

Are Web Series the Future of TV?

The Emmys highlight the challenge that traditional TV faces to remain relevant

By Carl Franzen
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Reacting to the 2009 Emmy Awards, Greg Mitchell of the Huffington Post raises an interesting question about the future of television:


How much longer until Web series, which also have limited runs, but without commercials, start [to] supplant TV series -- if the online shows continue to improve, add star and creative power, and expand by leaps and bounds.

Mitchell confesses a personal stake in the matter: His son is the creator of a forthcoming web-series called "MacAwesome," set to premiere this fall.

Is Mitchell's vision of the future of television a plausible one? Will the internet replace broadcast TV as the primary launching pad for new show concepts? Will big-name actors propel the genre into the mainstream, or is that just a pipe dream? On that last note, here's an example of a star-studded comedy series that debuted on the internet but never quite took off. Was it just before its time? Convince us of your view below.


This article is from the archive of our partner The Wire.