By Karina Martinez-CarterPLAY Writer
If NBC has its way, soon a lot of people may be watching “Nobody’s Watching.”
The viewers, however, may be sitting in front of their laptops rather than a plasma TV.
This is the second time those involved with “Nobody’s Watching” have peered at prospective small-screen fame. The WB picked up the show in 2005, only to scrap it from the lineup before it aired. At that point, in the days before the Internet video phenomenon, the funeral service would have commenced.
But someone got his hands on the abandoned pilot, divided it up into three, nine-to-10-minute segments and posted it on YouTube. After some positive feedback and a little promotional nudge from YouTube, people were watching “Nobody’s Watching.”
The first part of the pilot introduces the two main characters, Derrick and Will, best friends and diehard television sitcom fans aspiring to have their own show. It’s been viewed more than 600,000 times on YouTube.
In July, NBC purchased six scripts of the show, written by “Scrubs” writers Bill Lawrence, as well as Neil Goldman and Garret Donovan, who also wrote for “Family Guy.” The network says it intends to order episodes for primetime later in the season, but in the meantime they have forked over some money to the writers to produce a set of “webisodes.” They’ve also signed deals for the two stars, Taran Killam and Paul Campbell, who play Derrick and Will.
For the past year and a half they have clutched onto their prime-time dreams, making a number of short videos chronicling their characters’ boredom. They’ve filmed multiple candy and beverage experiments (dropping Mentos into milk and being teleported) and have taped their attempts to make it on the small screen – like posing as valets on the Emmy red carpet. Thus, when their pilot gained notable popularity, they were prepared with an arsenal of footage to feed their growing online audience.
The actors now have an official Web site (www..nobodyswatching.tv), in addition to a MySpace (www.myspace.com/derrickandwill), where they’ve posted their videos and continue to add new ones.
The webisodes cater to the core that made their second chance possible – the Internet viewers. They have forums and a “backlash” section for viewer feedback, continually update their blog with “Nobody’s Watching” happenings and, in the introductory video on their homepage, even post a functioning cell phone number to contact “Derrick.”
Communication freshman Robin Berkovitz, an aspiring television producer, surfed the “Nobody’s Watching” site and says she believes Killam and Campbell have more potential to generate fame for themselves via the internet versus television.
“The site is a great idea because these two guys are the best part of the show,” she says. “The little gags in short videos on their site are a lot funnier than their actual pilot.”
The down-to-earth appearance of the show’s site and the actors’ consistent commitment to their characters – a lá Stephen Colbert – has confused some viewers and fans, though.
“Derrick and Will don’t exist,” one registered user posted on the discussion board. “They’re actors -Taran and Paul.” To which 60 people responded, “Duh.”
This confusion about the show and its characters has happened before. Some say that “the show about a show” plot confused test audiences, and is a potential reason for its WB demise.
The show focuses on Derrick and Will’s efforts to make a popular sitcom. The pilot begins in their hometown of Union, Ohio, where, after receiving a video from the pair, some WB execs whisk them off to Hollywood. A WB executive informs them that they will be given the resources to create their own sitcom, including TV sets and a studio audience.
The completely scripted show is essentially the child of a sitcom and a reality show. It parodies pillars of the two genres, as well as TV as a whole. They even make fun of “The Real World” style of one-on-one discussions with the camera.
Should “Nobody’s Watching” make it to TV, it will be the first time a show has essentially circumvented the system; a head honcho’s write-off was not the be-all-end-all. In a time of increased audience participation while network stations struggle to lure in viewers, could the destiny of “Nobody’s Watching” be an indication of how shows will develop in the future?
It could also be a tricky balancing act, according to Bill Lawrence. “The problem is that it’s got to retain some edginess. If it becomes a homogenized corporate product – which anything that goes through the network system does – we’re doomed.”
Homogenized corporate products are all over TV, says Weinberg freshman Alex Drake. He believes that sites such as YouTube could be salvation for networks.
“With stuff like YouTube, you get a lot of independent ideas that don’t follow the same generic formula,” he said. “They didn’t come from a corporate think-tank, and because of that they can mix it up more.”
However, Berkovitz believes that reality TV is done and gone, and is skeptical of how “Nobody’s Watching” would fare in a primetime slot.
“Reality TV almost has a negative connotation these days,” Berkovitz says. Thus the shift back to dramas like “Lost,” she adds.
For now, though, Killam and Campbell will keep weaving their stories on the Web.4
Medill freshman Karina Martinez-Carter is a PLAY writer. She can be reached at k–[email protected]
