Since the global explosion in popularity of reality television shows like "Survivor" and "Big Brother," there have been no real attempts to radically alter the types of programs we watch or the way we watch them. For the last 10 years, television has remained mostly static. However, Will Wright creator of such hit games as "The Sims" and "SimCity" hopes to radically shift television by melding the consumer-driven content of video games with the weekly viewing format of television serials. "Bar Karma" "a TV show about a mystical watering hole at the edge of the universe," according to its website will put the audience in control of choosing the story and plot developments of each episode.
While there have been similar efforts on a smaller and simpler scale think the voter's choice models of music video channels such as MTV, VH1 and CMT Wright's proposed series, announced Oct. 6, will be the first of its kind to elicit large scale participation.
Slated for the channel Current TV, part of the media company started by former Vice President Al Gore, the new series will ask its viewers to join a special web community where they will communicate directly with the show's producers about most of the show's creative and technical aspects.
Each week viewers will be able to submit story ideas. After reviewing the submissions, the show's producers will post a rough outline of the upcoming show for the public. Viewers will then be able to create the show's storyboards and plot points before eventually merging ideas and voting on the final script for the show. After the script is finalized it will be adapted, produced, shot and edited into a 30-minute episode.
While this is clearly a bold and innovative step in the field of television, I can't help but be skeptical about the project's long term viability. Will people really want to watch the musings of a bunch of nerdy fanboys?
Many things can go wrong with user-driven content not least of which is the possibility of Internet trolls and hooligans coming together to submit and vote on the most ridiculous of ideas. More importantly, can viewers really submit better content than professional writers? Can we expect meaningful characters, exciting plot twists or season-to-season cliff hangers?
I find it hard to believe that viewers, many of them with nine-to-five jobs, will have the time or the will to draft a quality script, especially with the anonymous nature of the process. Furthermore, the production time of each episode will result in only a tiny window in which would-be authors can create and submit an idea.
Perhaps a great threat to the long-term viability of the project is the threat of meddling by the producers. How much control over the show will the audience really have? The entertainment industry is all about money, and if a user-created idea appears too expensive or not appealing enough to a wide audience, will the show's producers really give it the green light?
"Bar Karma" could either be a major breakthrough in the way television is made or a bust a short-lived idea banished to the outer rim of obscure digital cable stations. Until then: congratulations, Mr. Wright my interest has been piqued.
"Bar Karma" is scheduled to begin airing in the first quarter of 2011.
