Will Strike.tv Bring the Thunder?

The new media studio conceived earlier this year in the shadows of picket signs held by striking writers is about to beta release premiere episodes of its flagship shows.

The online entertainment community is eagerly anticipating the launch of Strike.tv and its lauded programming lineup featuring writing, producing, directing, and acting from seasoned Hollywood veterans.

In the teaser and on paper, it looks like a winner, but we’ve seen this pre-launch song and dance number before.

Everyone expected big things from United Talent Agency when the company announced it would launch a “ministudio for digital entertainment from established actors, directors, and others,” only to be underwhelmed when 60Frames finally went online with no must-see internet-tv (unless you’re from New Jersey).

So, I’m staying cautiously skeptical, except for two shows, which you’re totally going to to want to watch. 

Life in General – from General Hospital writer/producer Karen Harris – takes the behind-the-scenes premise of Goodnight Burbank and applies it to a different classic television genre.  It’s a soap opera about the production of a soap opera where the drama plays out both in front of and behind the camera.  The sereis seems to be less of an exaggerated Horrible People

-type parody, and more a straight-faced satire of daytime television.

The trailer for Unknown Sender – starring Timothy Dalton of Hot Fuzz and writtend/produced by Steven de Souza of Die Hard and Street Fighter – doesn’t reveal much, but Dalton’s agitated British accent and de Souza’s elevator pitch – “[The series is] sort of like Twilight Zone meets Alfred Hitchock over the internet” – totally sold me.

I’m not impressed with what looks like Quarterlife and Devil’s Trade rip-offs (With the Angels and 5 or Die), but hopefully at launch time Strike.tv can bring the thunder.