Web series "quarterlife" bombs in prime time

The series, created by the makers of "thirtysomething," was a first: a show that debuted on the Web and got picked up by a major broadcast network. But the experiment may be short-lived: "quarterlife" premiered on NBC Tuesday to disastrous ratings, and a second airing looks doubtful.

And when I say disastrous ratings, I'm not exaggerating.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, "quarterlife" eked out a mere 3.1 million viewers during its 10 p.m. airing on Tuesday—the worst ratings NBC has seen in that time slot since 1991. Ouch.

The show has yet to be officially cancelled, THR reports, but sources told the industry daily that the series—a drama about group of young, deep-ish 20-somethings and their vlogs—will probably get the hook before next week.

"Quarterlife" debuted on MySpace back in October (you can watch it right here). Eight-minute snippets were strung together to fill the hour-long prime-time slot on Tuesday. From what I've seen of "quarterlife," it's a slickly produced show, free from shaky camcorders or bad acting -- though it is saddled with a fairly routine plot (young woman vlogs about friends, friends find vlog, friends get mad at young woman).

So, what went wrong? Do made-for-the-Web shows have no chance on network TV?

Series co-creator Marshall Herskovitz blames "quarterlife's" failure on NBC to its "intimate storylines and tight camera angles," according to The Hollywood Reporter. Poor marketing may also have been a factor, although I haven't been watching enough NBC lately to know whether "quarterlife" promos were airing. (Anyone out there see any ads for the show?)

Of course, there's another possibility: Maybe the show just wasn't that good.

Granted, I've only seen the first several Webisodes, but between the stock characters and clichéd plot, I didn't see much that made me want to keep watching. Take a really good Web-based show and air it during prime time, and maybe you'd have something.

That's my opinion, at least. What about you? Any "quarterlife" fans out there want to prove me wrong? Fire away.

Related:
Creator disses 'quarterlife' move to NBC [The Hollywood Reporter]