No life on NBC for ‘Quarterlife’

During the WGA strike last fall, the online series “quarterlife” got upgraded to network television. The show focuses on a group of twentysomethings who are struggling to find their place in the world. Oh and the twist is that they are blogging about each other and getting into fights. The pilot episode premiered last Tuesday to extremely low ratings, and as such, NBC downgraded it to Bravo.

I’m not all that surprised, since the plotlines and low production design reminds me of MTV’s “Undressed”. Remember that show? Check this youtube clip to jog your memory. Quite a few young actors got their skills, or lack thereof, on that cheaply produced college soap opera. Many of them got gigs on the WB/CW, UPN, and sometimes movies.

Dan from Pajiba/Willamette Weekly attempt’s to explain the lack of viewers last week: “But here’s the second problem: Quarterlife was anything but specific; it was, in fact, as generic and broad-based within its setup as possible. It’s about a group of kids whose lives are chronicled online in blog and video format, which means every person you know under 30 could, in some conceivable way, relate to the series’ concept. And they still didn’t watch.”

I totally agree with Dan’s assessment. I don’t think it was the segments made with consumer dv camcorders that alienated viewers. It really didn’t work because it was just boring and lame.

Related posts:

1. An Actor’s Perspective
2. Time marches on
3. Double-Features are back!
4. Web Extras
5. Noir Comedy: ‘Married Life’