Strike.TV Still Feels Like B-Grade TV Instead of Good Online Video

It’s hard to avoid Strike.tv in conversations or a story about new shows. And I’ll admit that I first tried not to like any of it, but I’m now trying to embrace the genre. I’m not there yet.

There are a few things that are unnerving about the increasing proliferation of quasi-professional online videos, even though the acting, production and writing is far 98% of YouTube videos.

1. Because the quality is so much better than typical online-videos, I feel obliged to regard at it as low-class television instead of clever online-video.
2. The 30-second prerolls set the bar higher than most can reach. Furthermore, many shows start with a Strike.tv bumper, and credits (like the one below). The ads eventually calm down (not every video), but a new visitor has no way to know that.
3. It’s hard to know what’s popular or rated highly on Strike.tv, since it’s not very interactive. Many episodes have no comments, and the site doe little to foster a sense of community that is the backbone of YouTube. Commercial parodies like “Real Man Beer” or “Koolaid Sex” are just… flat.
4. The site makes it hard to find a show, then track to the director to see what else he/she has done. You either need to search by actor, director or show. If we like something about a show, it’s not easy to find or “subscribe” to future work by that person/production.
5. I like knowing how much of a video is left without having that obstruct the image. The timeline appears only when you mouseover. So when you find shows like this OnStar parody (which starts well, but the second episode became a deal killer), you’d like to know how much more of the predictable “evil OnStar” you must endure before claiming you “gave it a chance.”

I do like how when you select a show, it’s rather easy to identify the first episode, and progress through them to “catch up.”

And every once in a while I’m pleasantly surprised. Watch the acting of this “Faux Baby” episode, and you’ll talent that deserves a wider audience. Especially with the missing laugh tracks. Just watch out for ads and credits that sometimes equate to 10 minutes of introduction for a 30-minute sitcom.