NBC brings Web series "Quarterlife" to TV network

By Bob Tourtellotte

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - NBC on Friday said it will begin airing the highly touted Web series "Quarterlife" on its television network early next year, making the program the first to originate online and then move to a major U.S. broadcaster.

The deal with "Quarterlife" creators Marshall Herskovitz and Ed Zwick, Emmy-winning producers of shows "thirtysomething" and "My So-Called Life," comes as a strike by screenwriters against Hollywood's studios nears the end of a second week.

A key issue in the work stoppage is fees that writers want if shows and movies are downloaded or streamed from the Web. The major studios, which make many shows that air on TV networks, have so far refused to meet the writers' demands.

Industry watchers have speculated the Web could prove a fertile ground for independent writers, directors, producers and others to post original content and try to win fans and prove program concepts if the strike endures.

"If there were more people with the (courage) of Marshall who are willing to bet on their own creative vision and finance themselves, then the (business) model becomes something they define," said Ben Silverman, co-chairman of NBC Entertainment.

"Quarterlife," a drama telling of six young artists, began its run on MySpaceTV on November 11 and a new eight-minute "webisode" is posted each week. In all, 36 episodes are planned.

Herskovitz told Reuters the shows were written so that the brief Webisodes could combine to form one-hour TV episodes, and NBC will do exactly that. The show is expected to begin on NBC in February or March after completing its run on the Web.

STRIKE NOT AN ISSUE