webisodes

July is right around the corner, which means just one thing ... new webisodes of The Office. Starting July 10th, you'll be able to tune into the NBC website to view the latest adventures of the characters that normally don't have top billing during the normal seasons. And yet, they are just as funny (sometimes funnier) than the big stars that grace the show week after week.

As we reported back in May, this set of webisodes will feature Darryl, Oscar and, most prominently, Kevin. The plot of these webisodes are a bit fuzzy from the previews, but it seems that Kevin is in a bit of financial trouble and needs to take a loan out in order to cover some losses. During this time he is taken under the wing of Darryl, who helps Kevin reach his goals. All that, and we get to see Darryl wear a suit.

There are two videos after the jump. The first features scenes from the upcoming webisodes. The second is a behind the scenes look at the episodes by stars Oscar Nunez (Oscar), Craig Robinson (Darryl) and Brian Baumgartner (Kevin). It's here that we learn that Brian has filmed the webisodes sans pants. Something that us fans probably didn't want to know about.

NBC announced today that webisodes for The Office and Heroes would officially premiere on NBC.com starting in July. Seems like all that chit-chat that led to the WGA Strike cease-fire is finally showing some results.

The Office webisodes will premiere first in early July and will focus on Kevin's gambling issues and how he plans to pay for his debts. We got a taste of his competitive side in this past week's episode when he started betting on holes at the golf course. The summer series will also feature Stanley, Oscar, and Darryl. This is the second series of webisodes for The Office, which premiered The Accountants back in the summer of 2006.

NBC boss Ben Silverman tells TV Week that in 15 years, we won't really be using TV for anything except launching a show and to watch big "event" shows like American Idol and The Super Bowl.

I have to agree with one of the commenters at TV Week who says that if NBC wants us to go online to see the final scene of a TV show, then we're going to change the channel and watch something else. I don't want to have to work to get my entertainment. It's television; I want to sit in front of it with a cold drink and maybe some Doritos and watch something from start to finish. What's next, movies that end with a giant "GO TO IRONMANMOVIE.MARVEL.COM TO SEE THE EXCITING ENDING TO THIS FILM!"? Or maybe we can purchase a DVD of the ending as we head out the theater door?

I think that Silverman is right when he says that TV networks and shows will have to have some sort of online companion if they want to stick around. But that's nothing new, the networks and most TV shows already have all that. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. Personally, I think that in 15 years we're still going to have our TV sets in our living rooms, though the computer/TV merge will be a lot better and in every home.

The New York Times says the producers of the Lost webisodes may be on to something. One of the sticking points from the writer's side is that studios and producers aren't paying the writers for use of their scripts on the Internet. But the deal struck with ABC Studios for the Lost webisodes does just that, providing fair compensation for usage of their scripts.

As a counter to this, the webisodes produced for The Office this past summer offered no residuals to the writers for their continual play. Both sides agree the Lost terms are along the lines of what they are looking for, but the WGA (Writer's Guild of America) is seeking a higher percentage than the Lost writers got. Hopefully examining this successful deal can help both sides quickly come to an overall deal for the industry so I can be sure and get the full season of Lost I was promised this year.

Some cool news for fans of Farscape: the series is coming back in the form of ten new webisodes. As of this moment no actors and writers have been attached to the project, nor have any storylines been announced. According to the Post Gazette, if the Web series is successful enough, the series could return to television. I'd say that's quite a long shot (the series went off the air in 2003), but I certainly wouldn't complain if it came back. I was late getting into Farscape, but I thought it was fun and imaginative.

First it was Perfect Hair Forever and The Brak Show, and now Adult Swim is also bringing back 12 Oz Mouse with exclusive Web-only episodes, according to this interview with creator Matt Maiellaro. The new episodes are set to begin production next month. Maiellaro also mentioned a future DVD release, so there's plenty for 12 Oz Mouse fans to be thrilled about.

From the very beginning with shows like Space Ghost: Coast to Coast and Aqua Teen Hunger Force, Adult Swim has provided folks like myself with the kind of goofy surrealist comedy we crave. What's particularly intriguing about 12 Oz Mouse is that it manages to be a weird show even in contrast to the weird shows that surround it. It doesn't provide the eleven-minute comedy pummeling of other Williams Street fare, but instead unravels slowly, revealing a little bit more of what's underneath the surface while also piling on more and more questions. It is the most simplistically drawn of all the Adult Swim shows, and yet the most complex in terms of story. It's that paradox that kept me engrossed in the series right up to the last televised episode.

[via Toon Zone Forums]