Issue date: 4/22/09 Section: Entertainment

Just as the Internet has developed legitimacy over the years, the activities created through it have also become validated. As a result, Web series have become one of today's most popular entertainment forms.

The popularity of Web series first swelled during the 2007-08 Writers' Strike. When movies and television shows were halted because of the strike, the Internet became one of the few sources of new entertainment. This lead to the flourishing of Web series.

A Web series is a program similar to a television series, except for the fact that it is viewed solely on the Internet. Not all Internet videos are considered Web series; what differentiates them from other videos is the fact that all videos within a Web series are connected by one primary plot. Of course, an attempt to describe them all through one definition is bound for failure. Like the differences in television shows, there are also differences in Web series.

All you need to do is watch a couple of them to see that they all do not follow
the same formula.

For example, We Need Girlfriends (http://www.weneedgirlfriends.tv) is a show that chronicles the lives of three newly single men in Queens. With 11 seven-minute episodes in their one season, the show follows a more traditional television show format; there is an overall plot that connects the episodes, all while featuring new situations as the show goes on.

Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog, (http://www.drhorrible.com) on the other hand, only has three 15 minute episodes which feature song numbers and a more finite plot, making it is more like a television special than an actual show.

Then, there are series like Ask a Ninja (http://askaninja.com) that share more similarities with Internet videos rather than television shows, featuring two minute episodes that share a premise more than they share a plot.

The differences between Web series is a reflection of the differing kinds of TV shows that inspired their creation. But as many gain fame, the question of what makes them so appealing naturally comes to mind. The undeniably rising popularity of Web series can arguably be attributed to three main aspects: availability, length and originality.

The availability of Web series is relatively unrestrained. As the availability of the Internet grows with the expansion of Wi-Fi beyond homes, phones obtaining the power to surf the Internet from practically anywhere, so does the availability of Web series. While many television shows in their entirety are limited to the television and to DVD sets, Web series can be conveniently viewed wherever the Internet allows.

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