Dr. Horrible Spawns Internet Show Craze?

Since watching Dr. Horrible for a second time yesterday, I decided to read some media and fan reviews. I'll talk about the fan comments in a separate post. Most of the media articles (and there are quite a few and several in major newspapers and magazines) seem to be focused on the internet "event" and independently produced internet show as a new movement for writers, actors, and production staff and the question of whether this movement will be commercially viable. They use Dr. Horrible as a main example.

Can it make money? I personally believe that Dr. Horrible will make back its production costs (low six figures) and more after the release of the dvd. Joss Whedon has a large fan base and most people who bought the series on Itunes like I did will also buy the dvd and possibly some merchandise. Essentially, the fans will contribute money to the project several times. Based on the high download rankings on Itunes, the grassroots, word of mouth advertising buzz has also hooked many people who aren't hardcore Whedon fans. It's not going to be a huge money maker, but it will have a huge audience and the people associated with it will make a bit of extra cash.

Will this launch a new internet movement? TV-like shows on the internet made available for free or a low cost are not new. I never watched the internet show Quarterlife that they tried to transfer to network tv, but I know it was popular online. There are plenty of others and I'm not even counting YouTube. I think the following aspects of Dr. Horrible are causing it to get more attention as a possible new entertainment model.

1) It features very high quality, fairly well known actors having fun and doing the project because they believe in it. They were not guaranteed to earn any money and the amount of money that the actors will eventually receive will most likely be fairly inconsequential to them. It could easily have been a huge flop. Obviously, the main motivation for doing it was because it interested them as actors and they thought it would be fun and worth making. Add the writing staff and Joss (some of them prolific network-employed tv screenwriters and directors), and plenty of favors from industry professionals, and you have a group of people that indicate to the audience that this is "professional" level work. It automatically raises expectations and provides reassurance that it might be worth watching. After all, these high level people thought it was worth making.

2) Dr. Horrible was produced specifically for the internet audience and format. It is obvious that the costuming and set budget were kept much lower than a comparable hour of network tv. For example, Captain Hammer's costume is just cargo pants, a t-shirt with a hammer logo, and some gloves. This works fine online where people are used to watching YouTube videos with homemade costumes. It also fits perfectly in the world of a low-rent supervillian who doesn't own his own washer and dryer. The story is interspersed with internet video blog entries from Dr. Horrible. It was available for free for a week and later for only $4.99 on Itunes. It is only 40 minutes long. All of these aspects cater to a web audience that looks for cheap, quick, but still quality entertainment.

3) Dr. Horrible has built-in fan bases to build support on and help spread the word. Joss Whedon has a huge following, Neil Patrick Harris has plenty of fans, and even Nathan Fillion is somewhat of a cult favorite among science-fiction and Whedon fans. A project made with these people pretty much has a guaranteed base audience which will watch the series, or at least the first part. Of course, it is harder to keep their attention and encourage them to pay money for it. Nonetheless, it is much easier for a quality show with this base foundation of fans to succeed. An equally well-made show that is produced by and acted in by total unknown has a much harder path to commercial viability.

Soooooooo . . .

I conclude that if Dr. Horrible does make money, other independent, internet ventures by industry professional may indeed follow. If they have talented and recognizable people involved, are created specifically for the internet, and have a foundation of fans, I think they have the potential to do as well or better. I, for one, would love to see this. There are a few quality shows on tv currently, but overall there is a glut of bad reality shows and poorly written sitcoms and dramas. Too often the few great shows like Firefly are derailed by network politics or mismanagement. Internet shows would be an accessible and cheap way to see quality entertainment that isn't dictated by network producers or profit.