LOS ANGELES (thefutoncritic.com) -- Marshall Herskovitz and Edward Zwick's "quarterlife" is making the leap back to television - this time to NBC as strike-contingent programming.
The online series, which bowed this past Sunday on MyspaceTV.com (and the following day at quarterlife.com), is comprised of 36 eight-minute episodes which premiere every Sunday and Thursday. Bitsie Tulloch stars as a young woman whose overly truthful video blog spills the closest secrets of her friends.
The Peacock has committed to airing said installments as six one-hour episodes as early as this spring as well as become a distribution partner for its DVD and foreign sales. The network got first crack at "quarterlife" as the result of the company's investment in the social networking website linked to the show. Herskovitz and Zwick nevertheless will retain full ownership of the property, which was developed through a series of self-financing deals with advertisers and private investors.
"quarterlife" began as a drama pilot at ABC/Touchstone Television for the 2005-06 season starring Austin Nichols, Jacob Pitts, Jonathan Bennett, Merritt Weaver, Rachel Blanchard, Reggie Austin and Shiri Appleby. The concept then was subsequently revamped for its online venture with a new cast - Maite Schwartz, Scott Michael Foster, David Walton, Michelle Lombardo, Kevin Christy, Barrett Swatek and Tulloch.
Also as part of its leap back to television, Herskovitz and Zwick will begin talks with the various guilds to ensure proper compensation for its members that worked on the series. The show's production company, quarterlife, inc., however isn't a WGA signatory, meaning it can continue to produce new scripted material - even during the WGA strike.
Herskovitz, Zwick, Devon Gummersall and Lucy Teitler penned the show's first season while Herskovitz, Eric Stoltz, John Sacret Young and Catherine Jelski served as directors with Josh Gummersall producing.
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