So Long quarterlife

quarterlife couldn't make the transition to TV. The show premiered on Tuesday to only 3.1 Million viewers. According to the Hollywood Reporter, it was the NBC's "worst time period performance in at least 17 years," and it was summarily canceled on Thursday. Tough love for a show that was supposed to be the gifted lovechild of TV and the Internet.

So why didn't it work? No one likes to watch people similar to themselves, especially when those people are insecure, awkward, and downright annoying. If they do watch, the time period needs to be at least 10-20 years removed so the audience can look back at just how endearing their neuroses were. (See: The Wonder Years, Happy Days, That 70's Show, Freaks And Geeks)

The show's creative team must not understand the meat of my generation. We're bigger than your 44 minutes in primetime will allow. My generation is in an uncertain world. We're mobile, we're excited (mostly hopped up on energy drinks and breakfast cereals), we're curious, we're tech savvy and we're just like everyone else...except we can navigate the internet and still remember how VCRs work. Presenting us in a better light may not garner viewers, but your plan didn't work out so well either.

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Taking A Look At Quarterlife

quarterlife was an "internet sensation," much like Flea Market Montgomery and that chuby kid with the lightsabre. But there was something different about these webisodes. It had the production quality of a television show and the creative genius (Marshall Herskovitz and Edward Zwick) to give it credibility. Now the little web show that could is premiering tonight on NBC.

What's it all about? quarterlife follows a group of twenty-somethings as they traverse the confusing, hopeful, hilarious and sometimes frightening years between 20 and 30. The main character, Dylan (of the girl variety, very 21st century) is a video blogger and her posts guide the story. Herskovitz and Zwick were the people behind My So Called Life and thirtysomething so despite the kind of so-so premise, the show probably won't be half bad.

You can get in on quarterlife now. Check out the six webisodes already made online and hang out in the quarterlife webspace. There are message boards, social networking and everything else TV executives think our generation enjoys. The show premieres tonight at 10/9c but will run on Sundays after that.

This could be very interesting. What web junk is going to make the leap to TV next? I'm holding out hope for this kid.