Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog

Ctrl is the first-ever online-only show released by a major network.

If geeky is the new hip, then NBC has been sitting at the popular lunch table for quite some time now. The network has combined big ratings (Heroes), strong franchises (Law & Order), and smart humor (30 Rock) with much success. And now it’s inviting a new type of geek-friendly fare — the web series — to join its exclusive clique.

This intriguing new kid on the block is Ctrl, starring Arrested Development’s Tony Hale, Reba’s Steve Howey, and Malcolm in the Middle’s Emy Coligado. Hale plays Stuart Grundy, a cubicle-bound yes-man who answers to Ben (Howey) and pines for Elizabeth (Coligado). But, in the name of serial television, there’s hope for Stuart’s mundane office life. The magic starts when Ben knocks over a bottle of Nestea, spilling it all over Stuart’s keyboard. Stuart discovers that he can use common keyboard shortcuts, like Ctrl+Z (undo) and Ctrl+B (bold), in real life. We’ll leave the rest to your imagination (and your lunch break), but let’s just say that he tests out each keystroke.

What a bold move by the NBC suits! These guys are venturing into unknown corporate territory, but they may be onto something. Ctrl is the first standalone (i.e., not connected to a show) web series produced by a major network. It looks and smells like an NBC show (clean camera work, many office props), but it’s got the nerdy charm of an internet-only gem and the star-power of a primetime comedy. In other words, it’s a triple threat.

Most big hitters in the web series game have had lots of star power behind them: Neil Patrick Harris’ Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog and Clark Duke and Michael Cera’s Clark and Michael took off on name recognition alone, while Channel101’s The ’Bu played off the success of its doppelganger, The O.C. The successful series, it would seem, survives on a niche audience, a viral spread, and a few big names.

Ctrl, then, has the perfect recipe for success. The concept is cute: The show is about computers (and only available on computers), it’s called Ctrl (and it’s available whenever, wherever), and each episode is only five minutes long (so it’s a mini show on a mini screen!). It’s the perfect diversion from work, about work (unless you haven’t seen The Japanese Office). The cast is wonderful: Hale, Howey, and Coligado are almost too good to be isolated on a web-based series, but their names will help boost the show’s credibility. And the network has deep pockets: NBC has the chops to push this series to the masses, meaning it’ll aim higher than the lowly word-of-Facebook spread relied on by its predecessors. It might even become its own series. Like, on TV. How hip would that be?