We all suspected that it was going to happen eventually, given the coverage it’s received over the last year of so, and now it’s been confirmed that steampunk web series Riese has been picked up by Syfy.
The network bought the rights to all ten instalments of the show, which recently won a Streamy award for Best Cinematography, and is currently investigating whether it can make the jump to television. Of course, we’d suspect the network has already looked into this, but Syfy does like to play at suspense if nothing else.
Riese, of course, isn’t the first series that’s made the jump to network hands, and it certainly won’t be the last. Here are a few of the more popular web series out there, which have either been affiliated with a studio show or released independently over the years.
Sanctuary
Famously started as a web-only series, and later bought by Syfy, this was one of those shows always destined to succeed thanks to the involvement of Damian Kindler, Amanda Tapping and Martin Wood, all of Stargate fame. The show is gearing up for its third season to be aired on the channel.
Riese
Riese follows the titular character, who travels the land of Elysia with her wolf, Fenrir, while evading a sect of assassins. The show is notable for being one of the first to feature steampunk as its primary genre, and also for its host of name actors from mainstream sci-fi series.
Battlestar Galactica: The Face Of The Enemy
Battlestar’s webisodes achieved great popularity during the show’s airing schedule, and The Face Of The Enemy was the most acclaimed, helped by the huge midseason hiatus. The ten-part web series won a number of Streamy awards, and was nominated for an Emmy.
Lonelygirl15
Lonelygirl15 became the dictionary definition of a YouTube sensation, with the Los Angeles Times and The New York Times getting involved to find out who she really was. The story started off as a normal video blog, but eventually became a complex plot involving a global conspiracy.
Dr Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog
Joss Whedon’s famous online series has garnered no end of adulation since it first aired, featuring Neil Patrick Harris as the evil (if inept) Doctor Horrible, and Nathan Fillion as his arch-nemesis, Captain Hammer. The series was released on DVD, and talks of more to come persist indefinitely.
