When the Canadian video gamer comedy series "Pure Pwnage" was picked up last year for the Showcase specialty channel, it was seen as a signal of the future of television, where scrappy low-budget online shows could be propelled into the mainstream.
So, recent news that Showcase's new owner, Shaw Media, decided not to renew "Pure Pwnage" for a second season was not taken lightly by its worldwide fan base, some of whom had been watching since 2004.
The problem was that even more of those loyal fans wished the show had never left its Internet roots behind.
Jarrett Cale, creator and star of "Pure Pwnage," explained on a recent podcast interview the deal provided an opportunity for a half-dozen people to earn a full-time living off the show for about a year, something they couldn't do when they were mostly being watched via free downloads.
But, while the experience might have ended before he wanted it to, Cale has discouraged fans from barraging Showcase with protest postings on Facebook.
"Don't blame anyone," he wrote, "because, as I said in the interview, there's no single reason why it was cancelled, and no one party to blame. It was a combination of lower-than-expected ratings, a new direction for the network . . . and poorer-than-expected web traffic."
Cale doesn't mind if they politely write to other networks suggesting they pick up "Pure Pwnage," even though he's been turned down by the likes of G4, MTV and Spike.
But, should another backer step in, Cale wants fans to actually watch it on television, as many have expressed their preference for a return to the original online-only approach.
The web series developed a cult following for elaborate episodes that were around a half-hour long, compared to the shorter-length webcam series that have proven lucrative on YouTube, which don't involve the same amount of production.
The continued popularity of reality television shows also clashed with Cale's expectations. Niche networks would rather just let the cameras roll on unscripted antics, then figure out what to do with the footage in the editing room, after the fact.
"Pure Pwnage," which would regularly premiere its episodes at Toronto's Bloor Cinema, and also spawned its own comic book, may have proven to be a different beast than what the traditional Canadian television business knew what to do with.
Cale has nonetheless preferred to distance himself from the types who have earned notoriety from viral online exposure.
"If you mention you're a web celebrity," he said, "people think you're Antoine Dodson, or some other person who was in some video being high, or drunk, or stupid."
There are no comments yet