Thursday, December 13, 2007

My So-Called Quarterlife

MSCL + Blogs + 20-somethings = quarterlife

Today I heard an interview with Marshall Herskovitz, the creator of thirtysomething and Once and Again, and the producer of My So-Called Life. He talked about how when MSCL came out in 1994 teenagers (particularly teenage girls) were basically invisible to the people programming TV. The show got canceled after one season (to the dismay of many), and apparently Herskovitz went to the network. He told them that it would be an act of TV Altruism to keep the show on the air; the ratings were low, but they were giving a voice to a group that was basically voiceless at the time. Almost immediately after the show was canceled studios realized that teenagers were a powerful and untapped market (Herskovitz credits the success of Baz Lurhmann's Romeo + Juliet for this change).

Well, Herskovitz has a new show, about 20-somethings, called quarterlife. The show is being hailed as the first network-quality show to be made exclusively for the internet (although it is airing on NBC in February). Currently you can watch 8-minute episodes at the website, which of course features a social networking feature. The show is about a 25-year-old blogger and aspiring writer. Check it out! I just watched the first episode, and it was pretty good.

I have often connected My So-Called Life and other such art with the development of blogging movement. You may recall that I blame books like The Catcher in the Rye, shows like MSCL, and the Self-esteem Ed movement for my generation's passionate desire to have our own unique voices heard. I'm special! I'm unique! Listen to me! Make a TV show about my attempts to blog and be a writer!

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