Tony Hale In 'CTRL' Of NBC Digital's New Series

The absence of Arrested Development means we’ve had to make due without Buster and the comedic gold of Tony Hale. Thank you NBC Digital Studio for bringing Hale back in CTRL, their new comedy web series that debuted today with the first three episodes.

This almost could be billed as a sci-fi comedy, oddly reminiscent of the Adam Sandler’s Click. Hale stars as under-appreciated office lackey Stuart who one day realizes his computer keyboard gives him time-bending powers over his office. We’re talking rewinding time (CTRL-Z), moving things, invisibility and even the ability to clone (CTRL-C) himself. Joining Hale are comedians Steve Howey as his taunting boss and Emy Coligado as Stuart’s would-be love interest.

Announced back in June, the 10-episode series was developed from Robert Kirbyson’s Sundance-winning short film CTRL-Z. Kirbyson wrote and directed the web adaptation. New York-based SXM, who produced the first season of IKEA-backed Easy to Assemble, was brought on to produce and helped score Nestea as lead sponsor.

NBC is going wide on distribution of this series, hitting everything from major online video sites Hulu and NBC.com to VOD portals like iTunes, Zune and XBox. There’s even an agressive mobile push that includes AT&T, Verizon, Sprint and MobiTV.