After multiple delays, Hollywood startup Strike TV is finally open to the public.
As when Wired.com covered the beta launch in late August, the programming is still fairly limited on the site, which officially launched Tuesday.
Currently, Strike TV has only a handful of shows, including* Global Warming* (pictured), an off-kilter romantic comedy between Saturday Night Live star Kristen Wiig and The Daily Show's Aasif Mandvi; dramatic murder mystery *Unknown Sender; and *teen horror show 5 or Die, created by Tom Holland (Fright Night, Child's Play).
Creators at Strike TV promise to roll out a slate bearing upward of 40 web shows, including Tranquility Dome, a futuristic series following life on space colonies; animated variety show Sketch Toons; and Lawyers, a* *comedy about an inept legal team.
Episodes of all shows will be syndicated on YouTube as well as Joost.
Hatched during the writer's strike__ __that also spawned Joss Whedon's direct-to-web special *Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog, *Strike TV is a way for screenwriters to showcase their inking skills to directors, producers and other content creators -- while still retaining copyrights and ownership of their work.
In short, it's a virtual calling card for the site's writers. Strike TV lets the scribes -- including veterans of hits like The Office, The Daily Show and Robot Chicken -- display the breadth of their capabilities without losing rights. The site doubles as a nursery of television pilots ripe for the signing.
The web is increasingly becoming a viable way for directors to test-drive content for the mainstream media and expand their resumes -- as with Sci Fi Channel's newest offering, *Sanctuary, *which was plucked from the web, where it had a sizable following.
Strike TV isn't expected to step in for prime-time programming. Founder and CEO Peter Hyoguchi says he sees the site as an outlet where talented colleagues can flex their screenwriting muscles, unfettered by networks.
"I'm used to spending six months to a year writing a TV pilot or feature spec script, then six months shopping it hoping someone will like it enough to buy it," wrote Hyoguchi in a blog post. "And even if that happens, that doesn't mean it will get made."
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