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Webisodes Remind Us How Much We Miss Coherent Narratives Of Favorite Shows

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By WALT BELCHER

The Tampa Tribune

Published: July 16, 2008

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. - As the annual summer tour for the nation's television critics moves into its second week, I pause to ponder how our attention spans are being shortened by the Internet.

Our language is changing, too, with Net lingo to master including terms such as blogosphere, twittering, bitraking and the webisode, which is:

A) A clever way to keep fans connected to a favorite series when it's on hiatus?

B) A way to waste time in your cubicle when the bosses aren't looking?

C) A marketing gimmick to drive up clicks on a network's Web site?

The correct answer is "all of the above." Running from two to five minutes in length, these minidramas and comedies can be homemade or produced by major film studios and networks. NBC, for example, launched two webisode series last week for "Heroes" and "The Office."

The third season of "Heroes" doesn't start until Sept. 22, but fans can get a little fix with "Going Postal," a short thriller featuring a potential new hero, Echo De Mille, a letter carrier with a deadly scream. In the first 3.2-minute adventure, he chases off a nasty dog and escapes the clutches of a creepy-looking villain, The Constrictor.

In the next few weeks, the story will unfold in snippets posted for viewing at nbc.com every Monday afternoon.

"The Office" webisodes feature Brian Baumgartner, who plays the lovable Kevin. A sucker for long shots ("If anyone gives you 10,000-to-1 odds on anything, you take that bet. If John Mellencamp ever wins an Oscar, I will be one rich dude"), he needs to cover his gambling debts.

His harebrained schemes to get out of trouble will be posted on Thursdays.

Even though last year's "Office" webisodes won a Daytime Emmy, they are not as satisfying as the full broadcast episodes. Ditto for the "Heroes" web- isodes. They are still more like novelties than coherent narratives. They remind us how much we miss the rest of the loonies at Dunder Mifflin and the real heroes of "Heroes."

HELLBOY ON WHEELS: After high-profile roles in makeup, actor Ron Perlman is ready for his close-up.

The 58-year-old star of "Hellboy II: The Golden Army" takes off his sawed-off horns to play the leader of a biker gang in "Sons of Anarchy," a 13-episode series debuting on the FX network in September.

Perlman, a 6-foot-2 character actor with a deep voice, also wore heavy makeup to play the catlike beast in CBS' "Beauty and the Beast" (1987-90).

Appearing before the Television Critics Association's summer tour here Tuesday, he said he isn't thinking about the possibility of a "Hellboy III" yet.

He's concentrating on "Sons," a dark tale about a notorious outlaw motorcycle club's efforts to protect its small California town from drug dealers and corporate developers.

Perlman, a veteran of horror films, says heavy makeup used to free him because for years he was not comfortable with his face. Now as he has aged, he feels he no longer needs a mask.

Ironically, he has finally become a star, thanks to his Hellboy role as a beer-guzzling, cigar-chewing, wisecracking demon turned hero.

FX President John Landgraf also told TV critics that "Nip/Tuck," the kinky drama about cosmetic surgeons, would end in 2011. In addition, Michael J. Fox is joining "Rescue Me" (coming back in 2009) in a four-episode arc as the boyfriend of Tommy's ex. His character will be in a wheelchair.

He said FX still hasn't decided the fate of "The Riches," starring Eddie Izzard and Minnie Driver. Ratings fell off 44 percent this season.

In a big surprise, he said Ted Danson is coming back to "Damages" in 2009. His character was gunned down last season. Also in the cast are William Hurt, Timothy Olyphant ("Deadwood") and Marcia Gay Harden.

TUNE IN TONIGHT

Project Runway, 9 p.m., Bravo

Sixteen new designers are on pins and needles as the series debuts. Make it work!

Ghost Hunters International,

9 p.m., Sci-Fi

The ghosts of a stagehand and an actress are sought at a New Zealand theater.

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