Entertainment programming geared specifically for the Internet is far from a revelation. But creating online-only series that keep attention-challenged Web crawlers enthralled would be.
Two new shows from established entertainment names aim for that Holy Grail — an online program with a big enough profile to lure dedicated fans and advertisers — with a shared secret sauce: music.
New on the Web is Rockville, CA from Josh Schwartz, who crafted network hits The OC and Gossip Girl. And launching in May is $5 Cover from Craig Brewer, director of 2005’s Hustle & Flow.
Rockville, whose 20 episodes update each Tuesday, is TheWB.com’s project exploring the lives of twentysomething rock fans at an L.A. club. $5 Cover is a venture with MTV that chronicles the fictional lives of actual up-and-coming musicians in Memphis.
The creators of both hope using music as the primary ingredient will lure the young audience interested in discovering new sounds and accustomed to the fast pace of music videos.
“That cliffhanger style is big with most Web series, but I really felt people would go for a more self-contained program that could exist on its own on YouTube or wherever,” Schwartz says. “I love the challenges of doing shows online. Besides, I think five minutes is about my attention span these days.”
Schwartz says he aimed for a “Jim Jarmusch-meets-Robert Altman style, using behavior as story and plot.” But he also says it’s a relief to have good music — from rockers Eagles of Death Metal to Swedish singer Lykke Li — serve as a distraction for any viewer losing interest in the emotional gyrations of the characters.
(Warner Bros. says viewership figures won’t be available until closer to Rockville’s finale in May.)
Rockville and $5 Cover are symbolic of the coming online entertainment shift from amateur to professional, says Nancy Miller, senior editor at…