Will “The Bannen Way” Be the Breakthrough Webseries?

We are all still waiting for the first legitimate webseries hit.  While we have seen some standalone videos go on to be viewed by tens of millions, there has yet to be an original webseries that has truly caught the attention and imagination of a substantial audience.  The web has yet to see its “Friends” or “Lost.”

Of course, this has not been due to a lack of trying.  Both major studios and independent producers have sunk significant time, effort and money into a slew of well-intentioned, and in some cases well-made, original webseries.  So far, not a single one has caused a real stir.

This year we should be seeing a lot of action in this marketplace and Sony’s Crackle.com seems very excited about their entry, the independently produced “The Brennan Way.”

The trailer looks great, even if it does feel and sound a bit like USA’s “Burn Notice” but the show lacks any real name talent.

Check it out here.

My fear is that, even if it is very good, unless Sony invests real money in promotions it will die on the vine like some many of it’s predecessors.  Without marketing support it will never reach the critical audience size needed to create national buzz.

And that is the next big goal for webseries producers.  Not a few million views.

Gawker Sounds Off Against Advertainment, Almost Sounds Relevant

Gawker, the once-mighty snark-blog of NYC that has been steadily losing its identity over the past few years, has post about MTV’s ad pitch at the upfronts:

“The network is also trying to sell sponsors on its “podbusting” techniques—i.e., making commercials that are like mini-shows in themselves. The theory, of course, is that making ads more like regular programs will defeat the almighty Tivo, with content so compelling that you cannot help but watch, slack-jawed, as the hypnotic 60-second Mountain Dew Bourne Ultimatum spinoff flickers before your eyes.”

We’ve been seeing more and more of this on TV with everything from mini-animated extras on USA’s “Psych” to a weird mini-soap opera with Alicia Keyes.  These efforts have been less than compelling and the trend worries Gawker:

“Please keep our television commercials in neat little blocks, so that we can get up and go to the bathroom while they are on, or, if we have the proper technology, skip them altogether. This whole “great ads that you want to watch just cause they’re so great” is a huge backlash waiting to happen.”

The problem is that it is only recently that us viewers could easily avoid standard advertising.  As our ability to avoid the ads grow, their impact will decrease and the brands will not be so interested in the model any longer.  Then who’s gonna pay for the TV you watch?

Do Adults Want Little Cartoons?

That seems to be the thinking behind a couple of TV promos right now.  First, I noticed that the USA show “Psych” offers viewers the animated adventures of the two protagonists from the show as kids.  It’s kind of like the Muppet Babies.  These cartoons are chopped up and played in pieces during the actual commercial breaks of the show.   You can also watch them on the site but, as is sadly often the case, they are not embeddable or directly linkable.

Now, AdRants has news that the Courtney Cox/FX series “Dirt” is doing its own animated promos:

“To help kick of Courtney’s Cox’ second season of Dirt on FX, recently launched design and production company Arsenal created six animated “vignettes of Hollywood stars and celebutaunts caught in the act of wild, unbecoming behavior.” Each vignette is finished off with witty commentary from Courtney Cox.”

These are more standalone promos, and use what looks like a cheap knockoff rotoscoping technique (ala “Waking Life”).

The question is whether or not shows that are pretty much geared to the “grown-up” set really get a lot from promoting their shows with animation.