It’s called My Roommate The Cylon.

It just launched tonight with Episode 1, entitled “The Test.” Embed, link, follow, and subscribe at: MyRoommateTheCylon.com!

I want to be open to comedy and concepts that I don’t get, but these shows (along with Lorre-produced shows Two and a Half Men and Big Bang) are making a killing, and I don’t watch or get them.

How is CBS churning out the multi-camera hits, when other networks can’t seem to get the formulas right? (NBC, I’m looking at you: Kath & Kim) I do, however, enjoy How I Met Your Mother, which perhaps speaks to my season in life better than the other shows…

There are some nice jokes, and some heart in each of these shows, but the laugh track usage is over the top on the CBS shows. Waaaaaay over the top. Laughs coming at non-jokes. I just don’t connect with many of the storylines, or the one-dimensional character reactions. You might say that I’m a snob about multi-camera shows, but my recent addiction to Frasier and Everyone Loves Raymond (thank you, Tivo, for recording 5 a day for me) says otherwise.

ABC seems to be focusing on hour-long dramas and dramedies, NBC failed action shows like My Own Worst Enemy, Bionic Woman, and Knight Rider (I just thew up in my mouth), and FOX is all over the place: from Seth McFarland to 24. But no real strong multi-camera sitcoms across the other networks (According to Jim? Maybe.).

So, what is it about these shows? CBS has obviously carved out a niche and perhaps that is building on itself, as the “go-to” place for snack-like comedy content. Perhaps when it comes to comedy, the series’ character mix does play a big part in my judgment… more than I know.

If anyone likes any of these CBS comedies — let me know what your thoughts are!

Just a few years ago, anyone could walk into any office and pitch (and sell!) a web series idea. But those days are done, I say, and you have to know how to play in the “new” new media eco-system to get your work bought/produced.

You have to be able to work your way up the “new media pyramid.”

GOING SOLO

Of course, anyone can put video content online and, with some simple site-building tools and social media handywork, build a sizable audience. In the do-it-yourself model, the size of your audience is based solely on your ability to crank out material, market it, and interact — all by your lonesome. In this case, you just have your friends (none of whom are famous or celebrity of any sort, unless you’re lucky), so you’re stuck with the style and cleverness of your content.

Keep in mind, though, that many celebrities are getting into the “independently-produced” game. Consider Justine Bateman’s fm78.tv which is seeking advertisers for its self-funded web series projects, or Illeana Douglas’ Ikea-sponsored Web show, Easy to Assemble.

MID-MAJORS

The next level of content producers seem to be teamed up with (or created by) new, small digital studios. ManiaTV, College Humor, Revision3, and 60 Frames fit this model, but they’re laying off people: shedding some resources to make their already stretched-thin venture capital last. They are partnering with buzz-worth (but not A-List) celebrities, and are getting some nice press and initial traffic because of it. But the hype wears off. Traditional celebrities working online don’t seem to have the same holding power they have on TV. Not sure why that is. These smaller companies have room to experiment with no-name talent, but that window seems to be shutting as well.

THE STUDIOS

ABC’s Stage 9 Digital Studio, Warner Bros 2.0, HBO Digital Labs, and NBC Digital are all digital extensions of big companies are in the business of leveraging talent to get viewership, and because of the dampened economy, they have less and less room for error. Take Stage 9’s Squeegees (made by then-internet celebrity Handsome Donkey). I don’t think that show would be made today.

The window for relative unknowns making a traditional “show” at one of these big media companies is closed, I say. These small, but heavily funded (read: expectations) studios have embraced the traditional

What are the big media studios making?

• Rob Corddry’s Children’s Hospital
• Gemini Division with Rosario Dawson (licensed by NBC, but same difference)
• Web Series based on TV shows: Chuck, The Office, Heroes
• The Line, with SNL’s Bill Hader

All web series with name talent (even if it’s the writers who are the talent). Sony’s Crackle seems to be the only big media studio/site that is breaking this mold: they have name talent and unknowns all together. I wonder how that’s affecting their traffic mix.

SO WHAT?

The bigger the company you want to work with, the more stretched their resources are, and the more guarantee they’ll need that they’ll get their investment back. That means producers will have to start to (agents rejoice) package deals. Multiple levels of talent, production and web marketing experience, great amazing scripts, and locked-in advertising are all examples of negotiating chips. All that, and you’ll be forced to give up more and more ownership (if not all of it) to play at the top level.

The window will never close, however, on your ability to create something as a stepping stone to more leverage in the traditional markets. The entertainment business thrives on new talent and new voices. Is yours being heard?

I stumbled upon an illustrator who shares my passion for the 1960’s advertising drama, and has created a whole slew of retro illustrations from the show’s most memorable moments, including Joan and the Xerox (below), Duck and the Dog, and Betty and the Chair.

All are available for download for desktops or other fine use. You can also buy some of the work at Zazzle (t-shirts, framed prints, etc.).

Link to: NobodysSweetheart.com
Link to: Mad Men Illustrations on Flickr

I’ve lauded Stephen King’s N. as the best web series I’d seen in a long time, but it ended with an awkward “okay, that’s done now.”

Now what?

As a fan, what am I supposed to do? Buy the book? In November? I might, but reading the book won’t match my interest in the video-based series. There’s not really any further online interaction to speak of.

As a producer, I question the close-out strategy for the series. I was a big fan (bigger than most, I bet), and they never captured my name, email address, or anything about me. They can’t send me a coupon to save $2-3 bucks off the book, they can’t hit me up for further King-related series, and they can’t claim my demographics to future potential advertisers.

There were a lot of players on the team that made N., including Simon & Schuster, Marvel, and CBS. Why no thought on marketing?

There are a lot of bloggers up-in-arms about this, as bloggers can be (read: “The DMCA sucks!” “Burn copyrights!” “Anarchy!”). Bloggers, who tend to be writers, creatives, artists, and marketing self-promoters are probably especially fond of Mad Men, and were, probably, like me, excited about further interacting with the characters. Twitter seemed to be a spot-on communications tool for the show.

I 100% agree that AMC (which pays for and owns the show) has the right to do this.

I just hope the cable network takes note of the moment and makes these Twitter accounts official. They should continue the good work of their anonymous (and probably now pissed-off) fans. I can only hope that staff writers or assistants are tasked with maintaining these accounts, and they don’t have to run things through legal before each post.

Links of note:

• I am @Paul_Kinsey
• Mad Men on Twitter
• DMCA takedown notice forces Twitter to blacklist Mad Men characters (Venture Beat)

I just stumbled across something totally separate from the show: someone has created Twitter accounts for a couple of the main characters, and they’re interacting, as if from 1962, with fans from 2008 (and with each other). Brilliant.

So far, I’ve been able to find a couple of character Twitter accounts. Don seems to be the most active, with over 800 followers and 170 status updates. Sure, Twitter is mostly for early-adopter technophiles, much like being on Digg, but it’s a probably a smart tactic for engaging the fans most likely to blog and use online media to spread your messages…

• Don Draper: Twitter (Bio at AMC)
• Peggy Olson: Twitter (Bio at AMC)
• Pete Campbell: Twitter (Bio at AMC)
• Joan Holloway: Twitter (Bio at AMC)
• Updated: Sal Romano: Twitter
• Updated: Bud Melmen: Twitter (and LinkedIn)
• Updated: Bobbie Barrett: Twitter
• Updated: Paul Kinsey: Twitter

The most interesting part of these accounts is that the characters are responding back to questions, rants, references to post-1962 pop culture (e.g., Peggy has never heard of “A Clockwork Orange”), and furthering the fan interaction into the show. Most of their updates are replies. Official or no, this is cool.

And, probably pretty easy. All it would take is someone with a deep knowledge about the show and a program like Twitterific or twhirl, where you can have multiple Tweet windows open.

And it doesn’t stop with Mad Men. After a little more research, I found Twitter accounts for:

• Liz Lemon (Tina Fey on 30 Rock)
• Michael Scott (Steve Carell on The Office)
• Dwight Schrute (Rainn Wilson on The Office)
• Darth Vader
• Borat (with over 5,000 followers!)
• Norman Dale (Gene Hackman from the movie Hoosiers – seems abandoned, but you get the point)

That’s a lot of fake Twitterers! Perhaps a real fake Twitter account might bring in the right audience to kick-start your communication strategy.

The original Hulu promo ad for ‘Mad Men. No Photoshopping on my part (except for inserting the presumed heights of the cast).

Assuming Jon Hamm (Don Draper) is a rugged 6-foot man as he appears on TV, the implications are astonishing. The Mad Men cast more resemble a couple of towering Gandalfs and some hobbits.

Or perhaps the Mad Men ensemble cast is the greatest basketball team of all time, waiting for its time to take the international spotlight. I’d love to see them go up against the USA Basketball team. I don’t think they even have that kind of height.

Some anomalies also come to light: look at actor Vincent Kartheiser (Pete Campbell). He seems like he is almost as tall as the giantess Christina Hendricks (Joan Holloway). His hips must be a full foot lower than hers, giving him a freakishly long torso. Strange casting choice.

Why is Gheorghe Muresan of the critically acclaimed My Giant not in this cast?

This new revelation puts some other Mad Men production stills into question…

Imagine the size of that coat he’s taking off! It must have been custom-made for a Power Rangers giant villian!

All in all, I’m a huge Mad Men fan, and loving season two, but… it’s called Photoshop, people. Use it wisely.

Bill Hader and Jason Sudeikis of SNL and other recognizable comedians team up in The Line, from Crackle.com.

I had heard of The Line a few weeks ago, but when I caught the first episode, I was drawn into a simply-shot, yet full world of geeks in line for a sci-fi movie. I immediately watched the next four episodes as was disappointed that there weren’t more.

In the content eco-system that is developing online, The Line represents a new format: the micro-series. The Line will never be a full TV show. But it’s much more than a one-off comedy sketch. It exists somewhere in between. Much 60Frames’ The Carpet Bros., it brings together clever writing, good production values, and recognizable faces. It provides an instant pop of attention that may have 5-10 episodes in it, but likely not much more (unless there is significant growth of the world of the show, requiring significant production resources).

“The Line” Episode 1: The FutureSpace Showdown Begins

Half advertisement, half action series, TNT’s new short-form series Lucky Chance is a high-speed romp through a what feels like a student film inspired by the fast editing style, one-liner quipping actors, and outlandish mobsters in Guy Richie’s Snatch.

The series, which consists of twenty 2-minute episodes, airs on TNT (and almost as an afterthought, online) during the commercial breaks of episodes of Bones and Law & Order, and is essentially a commercial in itself.

The story follows DEA undercover agent Lucky Chance (yes, that’s his name, and he carries around a pair of lucky dice to prove it) who murders some dishonest cops, and must race to clear his name. Along the way, we find out that his red lingerie-sporting girlfriend is one of the agents asked to bring him in.

The style of each episode is certainly frenetic, with fast, chaotic camera moves and jump cuts, which unfortunately don’t match the slow, story-driven movement of the shows they support. And in a strange editing tactic, lines of dialogue are shown on screen, as if to engage the half-watching viewer.

The series is heavy with product placement, primarily from the 2009 Dodge Challenger. The show itself feels like a series of scenes connected by shots of a Challenger racing over the desert sand at sunset: the same gorgeous shots you’d expect of a car commercial. Other consumer products are introduced just as obviously: the cold and brooding Lucky oddly orders a “Fiji Water” at a bar and the barkeep drops it right in the middle of them. Each character’s mobile phone also gets a fair amount of screen time.

The strategy behind the series (and likely the similar-sounding upcoming series Blank Slate, sponsored by Acura) is to serve as a “Tivo-killer” to keep viewers from fast-forwarding through the commercials. It’s a tactic we’ll see more of as overall TV ad spending decreases, and, done well, it will provide an opportunity to add value to viewers’ experiences.

However, in Lucky Chance, the characters are thinly developed and the dialogue is a series of colloquial sayings and semi-puns about gambling. And unfortunately, neither of these things can be covered up with any amount of fast cars and fast editing.