In the midst of a huge WGA strike, NBC is promoting its new web show, “Coastal Dreams,” rather frequently. I’ve seen an ad for this new web series in between every other NBC show I watch on their website. These ads appear, of course, during the hit shows I watch online. Of course, they are not paying their writers for those very episodes.
You would think that NBC would at least have the courtesy to produce a decent web series for us to watch. After all, they are cutting the rest of their seasons short. Unfortunately, NBC has decided that creating terrible web content supercedes keeping any of the great content they were already hosting on their network.
A Few Reasons Why Coastal Dreams is the Worst Web Series Ever:
- Terrible Product Placement - I am a fan of advertising and marketing and have absolutely zero problem with product placement. That being said, the beginning of Episode 3 of Coastal Dreams has to have the least subtle product placement of all time. I can only imagine that their target demographic must be the 11-13 year old crowd that will do anything for attention, including buying whatever product NBC suggests.
- 3 Minutes, really? - I love web shows! I watch almost 90% of my media on my computer and rarely watch network television. Why bother when I can catch up later that night on the network website? But, a 3-minute show is more of an annoyance than a real web series. Especially when I have to watch almost 40-seconds worth of commercials. Coastal Dreams requires that you spend 22% of your time watching a commercial. Sure, each of Coastal Dream’s episodes end on serious cliffhangers and dramatic story elements, but you can’t deny that they are poorly written and poorly acted. I, typically, support any actor that is trying to make a living via their art, but this is not a calling card you want to show people.
- Is NBC ripping off The ‘Bu? - After watching far more episodes than anyone ever should, I can’t help but think that this new NBC series is a bad rip off of The ‘Bu, a clever web series done by the geniuses over at The Lonely Island (coincidentally, now working for NBC). At least The ‘Bu was funny and obviously poking fun at a genre. I can’t help but think that NBC has meant for Coastal Dreams to be a “real” web series that follows the soap opera trials and tribulations of its main characters.
NBC why are you doing this to us?
Maybe I have it all wrong. Perhaps, NBC knows exactly what they are doing. After all, now that there is no new programming (due to the WGA Strike) I have been forced to watch the first 5-episodes of Coastal Dreams (I refused to watch further). And even though I couldn’t make it past the first five, I’m sure there are hundreds of thousands of 13-year olds that love the series. I can only imagine that they wish THEY could sip wine overlooking a beautiful beach. Most probably wouldn’t even care if their ex-boyfriend was out to kill them (the ridiculous Coastal Dreams plot).
I, honestly, expected NBC to put forth a little more effort in their first attempt at tackling a web series. The lack of production quality is obvious and it’s almost as if NBC is saying, “Hey you internet geeks, you’ll watch anything, so here’s some crap we came up with last week.” If NBC was serious about creating a compelling presence on the web, you would think that they might have put a little more thought into their first “web series.” Of course, I can’t really argue with them too much, they do have ALL of their other television series available online. I love that about NBC! I watch all of my NBC shows online! It’s too bad they’re not paying their writers for it.
Hopefully, NBC will change all of that soon. In the mean time, we’re all wondering what is inside that Coastal Dreams’ jewelry box?
I also found the above picture funny. It seems that Coastal Dreams couldn’t get Apple’s approval, so they just decided to put a flower in front of the Apple logo every time it was in frame. Apple loves seeing itself places. Are you telling me that Coastal Dreams is so bad that Apple passed on what was probably a free product placement?
NBC please pay your writers what they’re worth. I’m not sure how long I will remain a fan.
For future reference, Clark and Michael have given a great example of what a web series should look and feel like. If I’m not mistaken, CBS sponsored them. I think NBC should follow suit.
P.S. NBC shows I love:
- Heroes
- Chuck
- 30 Rock
- The Office
- Friday Night Lights
- Tonight Show with Jay Leno
- Late Night with Conan
- Scrubs
- Saturday Night Live
What shows do you love on television? What shows do you think are making a buzz online? Do you watch most of your media online or through another format? Am I way off base here, or do you think that online video webisodes deserve the same attention as network shows?
If you’re a Heroes fan, you should visit this site for amazing production blogs by producer/director Greg Beeman.
And if you're enjoying this blog, consider commenting or subscribing for free.
