The WB goes to the WeB

By LillyKat
PTR Senior Staff Writer

You can't keep a good thing down.

Especially the network who brought us Katie Holmes before she was Mrs. Tom Cruise.

Almost two years after shutting down the spot on the tube that brought us the likes of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Dawson's Creek and of which seemed to invent the whole OMG-BFF generation of young television viewing, Warner Brothers Television Group (WBTVG) announced this week they are revamping "the WB" and giving it a new home - on the Web.

Scheduled to Beta launch in early May with a wide launch planned for the end of August, TheWB.com will feature the re-release of a collection of The WB Network’s most popular series and other successful programming, as well as original series created specifically for TheWB.com.

And haven't you always wanted to tell a network what you really think?

During the Beta launch, select fans will be able to start using TheWB.com whilst it is still in development. Beta members will then be able to participate in the expansion of TheWB.com, with new content rolling out over time as the site evolves based, in part, upon user feedback.

“We want to continue the Warner Bros. tradition of authentic voices creating compelling programming for this new digital canvas,” said Craig Erwich, Executive Vice President of Warner Horizon Television, who also oversees TheWB.com. “The office water cooler has moved, and fans of TheWB.com can instantly engage with our content and interact with one another through the site, through the Facebook application, or on their own web sites and blogs."

Did he say Facebook?

Why yes, he did.

For all you Facebook users out there, WBTVG has also created an application that will allow Facebook users to login and access their Facebook accounts while on TheWB.com. Facebook’s more than 70 million users (wowza!) will have the ability to move, mix-up and share the content on TheWB.com from within their own Facebook environment. Facebook users will also be able to add TheWB.com-created application and feature video, photos and more on their profile page; watch full-length episodes or clips from their favorite series, as well as new original series created exclusively for the TheWB.com; and discuss favorite moments, story lines or characters with their network of friends within Facebook.

For its original programming slate, TheWB.com will feature exclusive series from the likes of director/producer McG (of the Charlie’s Angels films fame) and writer/producer Josh Schwartz (Gossip Girl, Chuck, The O.C.). McG is working on Sorority Forever, a mystery/drama that peeks behind the walls of one of the most intriguing secret societies in the world: the sorority. Schwartz is developing an untitled project set in the music world which takes viewers to the front of the line and behind the soundboard of a fictional Hollywood rock club, chronicling the lives and loves of the club’s employees, patrons and musicians. The series will also feature on-camera performances by bands both established and unknown.

Other original programming planned for TheWB.com include Rich Girl/Poor Girl, a reality series from Gary Auerbach (Laguna Beach, Newport Harbor) which finds a wealthy Orange County, Calif. girl swapping lives with a low-income Los Angeles teen; and High Drama: Against All Oz, which documents the production of a big-budget high-school musical.

In addition to original and acquired programming, TheWB.com will also feature full episodes from a wide lineup of programs that have shaped popular culture and inspired devoted followings over the past decade, including among others, Friends, Smallville, One Tree Hill, Buffy, the Vampire Slayer, All of Us, The O.C., Gilmore Girls, The Wayans Bros., PTR Fave Veronica Mars, Everwood, and Roswell.

“These hit shows still have an incredible amount of equity with their audiences, who grew up with these characters and went through significant events in their lives just as some of the characters did on the programs,” said Brent Poer, General Manager, TheWB.com. “And now, through TheWB.com, users will be able to take an unprecedented level of control over their own entertainment experience by easily editing, remixing, and literally ‘playing’ with their favorite shows. We’re giving the users final cut.”

Sounds good to us.

Head on over to TheWB.com to sign up and participate!