The WB is Back!

The WB is without a doubt responsible for my current TV addiction.  The shows that aired during the network’s heyday still rank as some of my favorite of all time, and the first shows that I was truly invested in as a fan.  When The WB was in full swing programs like “Everwood”, “Felicty”, “Gilmore Girls” and “Dawson’s Creek” were filling up my TV schedule. And although I might not have been watching at the time, The WB was also breaking new ground (and setting the stage for syndication heaven) with “Buffy the Vampire Slayer”, “Charmed”, “Angel”, “7th Heaven” and others. Looking back it was like my own little golden age of TV.

In what is perhaps my favorite promo of all time, check out just some of the faces that were on the network back in the day.  Try not to let the nostalgia make you weepy.

A Fond Farewell…
The WB cornered the teen market like no network ever has…at least for a while.  In the late 90’s, The WB, feeling it was losing its teen audience, made the shift to a more family friendly network.  Riding on the success of “7th Heaven”, the network moved away from the teen angst and into a new era focusing on family and diversity. The already flailing network continued to lose viewers and in 2006 it was announced that The WB was to be no more.  The WB and former rival UPN merged and became what we know today as The CW. Some of The WB’s more successful shows such as “Smallville”, “Supernatural” and “One Tree Hill” survived the merger and moved to the newly formed network, but The WB was over. The lights were out.  The iconic Michigan J. Frog was officially laid to rest.

The All New TheWB.com
But here we are, two years after the end of The WB and the network is back…well kind of.  Later today the network returns with TheWB.com – a video on-demand, interactive and personalized network.  Users will be able to relive the wonder years of The WB by watching full episodes of favorites such as “Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” “Everwood,” “Friends,” “Gilmore Girls,” “The O.C.,” “One Tree Hill,” “Roswell,” “Smallville”, “Veronica Mars”,  “Angel,” “Babylon 5,” “Firefly,” “In Living Color,” “The Loop” and “MADtv” and other Warner Bros produced programming.

TheWB.com will also debut original series from such creative talent as director/producer McG and writer/producer Josh Schwartz (“Gossip Girl,” “Chuck,” “The O.C.”), among many others (more on these news shows in a bit). A selection of both fan-favorite and original series will be available at launch and others will roll out in coming weeks and months.  Um, yeah…I see no CREEK on that list.  Come on people.

For for you fans of mash-ups and fanvids, hold on to your chapeaus because TheWB.com is offering the tools you need to customize, reorder, re-edit and reinterpret shows in a very personal way.

I’ve was given beta access to TheWB.com back in April and I must say that I’ve really been digging it.  I think as more and more episodes role out it’s going to be a great place to hang out and visit the old faves which checking out some new, original series created just for TheWB.com.  Of course TheWB.com is an ad-supported network, but I hope the powers that be work hard to find the balance between programming and ads. My biggest complaint so far is that the advertising is so in your face that it’s a bit distracting.  Not distracting enough to keep me away from watching “Veronica Mars” whenever I want (which is a huge bonus now that all 3 seasons on DVD were stolen…but I won’t cry…not today!)

I know I’m dedicating a lot of space talking about the launch of the site, but I think it’s pretty exciting.  Old faves coming back are of course great, but TheWB.com is the first real online network and I’m interested to see how viewers respond to this relatively new kind of TV distribution.

Welcome to the new shows of The WB…

So just what are these new WB shows all about?  Here’s a snapshot of some of the newbies you can check out – some of which are starting today.

• “Sorority Forever” (premieres September 8): Director/producer McG, through his Wonderland Sound and Vision banner, teams up with Big Fantastic – producers of the hit digital series “Prom Queen” – on an innovative mystery/drama which peeks behind the walls of one of the most intriguing secret societies in the world: the sorority. With a mystery around every corner, “Sorority Forever” will provide viewers with a sexy, immersive experience that is simultaneously realistic and voyeuristic: Think “Prom Queen” meets “The O.C.,” but set in college. The series stars Jessica Rose (“lonelygirl15”), Mikaela Hoover, Taryn Southern, Anabella Casanova, Candice Patton, Annemarie Pazmino, Jessica Morris, Cary Hungerford, Angie Cole, David Loren and Joaquin Pastor. McG will executive produce, along with Big Fantastic creators/executive producers Douglas Cheney, Chris Hampel, Chris McCaleb and Ryan Wise.

• “Blue Water High” (premieres August 27): The ultimate adventure comes to life for six Australian teenagers in this drama set at an exclusive, ultra-competitive surf academy where they live, study, surf and socialize together. At the end of the grueling 12-month residential athletic and academic program, two surfers – one male and one female – will win the prize they’ve all been fighting for: admission to the professional surfing circuit and a sponsorship contract. Series stars include Adam Saunders, Chris Foy, Kate Bell, Khan Chittenden, Sophie Luck and Tahyna Tozzi.

• “A Boy Wearing Makeup” (premieres August 27): Mathieu Francis is a boy … who wears makeup … and looks fabulous. In this highly personal online video diary, Mathieu dispenses makeup advice and fashion tips while taking viewers along on his own personal journey. Imagine what a boy this pretty can teach you.

• “Whatever Hollywood” (premieres August 27): Suri, Apple and Shiloh are three best friends who are taking Hollywood by storm and playing by their own rules. Tune in to their self-described fun and silly short films (many featuring their own original music), as well as the reality-style “Whatever Show.” As smart as they are beautiful, this talented trio hates waiting for Hollywood to answer their calls … so they decided to do it for themselves. Whatever, Hollywood! “Whatever Hollywood” stars Ellyn Ruschak as Suri, Alyssa Ruschak as Shiloh and Jenny Alden as Apple.

Additional original and acquired series launching throughout 2008 and first quarter 2009 include:

• Untitled Josh Schwartz Music Project: Created by Josh Schwartz (“The O.C.,” “Chuck,” “Gossip Girl”) and executive produced with Alexandra Patsavas (music supervisor for “The O.C.,” “Gossip Girl,” “Grey’s Anatomy,” “Mad Men”), this new, web-exclusive series is set in the music world, taking viewers to the front of the line and behind the soundboard of a fictional Hollywood rock club and chronicling the lives and loves of the club’s employees, patrons and musicians. The series, from Schwartz’s College Hill Pictures, will also feature on-camera performances by bands both established and unknown. Written in part by some of the music industry’s most original voices – rock critics and musicians alike – and married to a dynamic music networking website, this series will be the place to discover a new generation of stars and the next great bands.

• “Rich Girl, Poor Girl”: From Gary Auerbach, the executive producer and creator of “Laguna Beach” and “Newport Harbor,” this reality series takes a wealthy Orange County, Calif., girl and swaps her life with that of a low-income teen from Los Angeles. It’s a comedic experiment in what makes us different – while also pointing out what we have in common.

• “Exposed”: Through his Wonderland Sound and Vision banner, McG executive produces a thriller about a college student, haunted by a hidden past, trying desperately to remain undercover when former associates hunt him down and threaten to expose the truth about who he really is. Blake Calhoun and Mike Maden (creators of the hit Internet series “Pink”) are co-executive producers for Alternative Fuel, LLC. Calhoun directs from a story and screenplay by Maden.

• High Drama: Against All Oz”: Created by James Percelay (“Snaps,” “Saturday Night Live”), this unscripted series documents the production of a big-budget high school musical, bringing viewers all the real and imagined behind-the-scenes drama on and off the stage. Percelay, Paul Doyle and Rich Rosenthal serve as executive producers.

• “Chadam”: Cutting-edge artist Alex Pardee and producer Jason Hall of HDFILMS Inc. are teaming up on a 3D animation project based upon Pardee’s character of the same name. Initially introduced as a character icon for the popular rock band The Used, Chadam has become an Internet phenomenon. An action-horror-adventure story filled with self-discovery, “Chadam” will come to full 3D animated life via the magic of Unreal Engine 3, the leading technology and development framework that powers cutting-edge games such as “Gears of War” and “BioShock” on today’s popular platforms, including PC, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.

• “Downers Grove”: Alden, Brett, Pudge, and Jodi never grew up. When everyone their age went away to college, they stayed in the suburbs, always on the prowl for the next party and never far from disturbing the peace. In Downers Grove, you can never go home again. So they never left. “Downers Grove” stars David Horwitz, Michael Blaiklock, Anne Gregory, Ashton Grant and Kasia Szarek.

• “Joni & Susanna”: This series follows two best friends/frenemies in their 20s who redefine codependent and love to hate each other. They do everything together, know everything about each other and talk exclusively about everyone around them. Each episode tracks the couple in a different setting as they call out each other’s insecurities and try and maintain the upper hand at all times. “Joni & Susanna” stars Joni Lefkowitz and Susanna Fogel.

Check out TheWB.com when it launches later today and let me know what you think!