Not content with filling your television screens five evenings a week with quality entertainment like Supernatural, Nikita and America’s Next Top Model: College Edition – Hey, at least the first two are good, okay? – the CW is moving into digital distribution with the announcement of two new web series being added to the production slate of the channel’s digital studio, CWD.
The most high-profile of the two series is Prom Queen: Homecoming, the third (and final) season of Vuguru’s Prom Queen web series. Launched in 2007 by Vuguru – the web production company owned by former Walt Disney Company CEO Michael Eisner – and Big Fantastic, the series made its debut on MySpace before running 80 episodes (each lasting 80 seconds) across twelve weeks, with over 15 million viewers “tuning in.” The second series, Prom Queen: Summer Heat, debuted later that year. Homecoming isn’t actually debuting on CWD; the real debut came two years ago, on Canada’s CityTV online network. Instead, the CW is calling the show’s addition to its CWD line-up as “the US debut,” adding that it will now be the exclusive home for the season as well as the two earlier Prom Queens and prequel seriesSam Has 7 Friends.
In addition to the Prom Queen franchise, CWD is adding a new series spinning off from an established online property, with CelebTV on The CW. Described as “a daily short-form entertainment series that gives fans the inside scoop on their favorite CW stars – both what’s happening on-screen and off – from red carpet sightings and magazine cover shoots to new projects and style secrets,” the series leverages CelebTV’s existing digital network – which already offers daily videos covering the lifestyle and entertainment beats, and has partnered with Hulu, YouTube and Xfinity – to produce new reports specifically based around the existing CW brand, so expect to see a lot of Kristin Kreuk, Stephen Amell and Maggie Q teasing future episodes of their shows amongst fast-cut breathless reports about why this season of Supernatural is the best one yet.
The two series will join the already announced Stupid Hype – A show about the return to fame of a former breakdancer that will surely delight anyone who’s ever wanted to see Vanilla Ice’s career recreated for laughs with undertones of Eminem’s 8 Mile big-screen debut (Check out the trailer for proof) – on the soon-to-launch CWD, which will make series available through multiple avenues. Not only will the CWD have a dedicated part of the CW’s official website, but its content will also be made available through the official CW Facebook page, as well as being attached to full-episode streams of broadcast shows through CWTV.com and the CW’s YouTube channel.
