“quarterlife” (2007-08, quarterlife.com, NBC) – Yet another Marshall Herskovitz/Edward Zwick TV series has been canceled by a network, but this time, it’s not bothering me or other fans one bit. In fact, many fans of “quarterlife” probably didn’t even tune in to NBC’s one-and-done airing of the show on Feb. 26 because they had already seen it at quarterlife.com in November.
“quarterlife,” which serves up new eight-minute segments every Thursday and Sunday night, is now on part 34 (the equivalent of episode six), and there’s no sign that it will end anytime soon. There’s nothing NBC or ABC or any other evil network can do about that, because H&Z are funding this series themselves.
It’s too bad H&Z didn’t have the web option when ABC canceled “My So-Called Life” after one season, “Relativity” after one season and “Once and Again” after three all-too-short seasons.
But there’s no use crying about the past (unless I’m watching a particularly tear-jerking Susanna Thompson scene from “O&A” on DVD). I’m just enjoying the fact that “quarterlife” is getting darn good: The current storyline, which finds Eric (Mike Faiola) and Dylan (Bitsie Tulloch) leading a protest against their landlord, is a flipside version of “O&A’s” Season 2 arc when architect Rick finds himself in an ethical quandary.
“quarterlife” boasts a nice mix of new faces (O.T. Fagbenie as Brit-accented John particularly seems like a star in the making) and old friends (Majandra Delfino of “Roswell” is the video camera-toting Vanessa). The show may be web-friendly, allowing fans to instantly post their thoughts after they’ve viewed a segment, but it certainly doesn’t compromise on quality because it’s on the internet.
I plan to keep tuning in, and I’m thrilled to do so on my computer instead of my TV.
– John Hansen, “Completely Random Slice of Pop Culture,” Brainerd Dispatch, March 6, 2008