Okay, so up until 10 minutes ago I hadn’t seen “Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog.”  As a web series producer, I suspect that is some sort of faux pas seeing as, next to “The Guild” it’s the most recognizable web series.

After seeing it, straight through on Hulu, I have to wonder; is it really a web series?  I mean, come on.  3 episodes!  3 Acts!  42 minutes!  THAT IS A SINGLE EPISODE OF A TV SHOW.  That’s not a series.  Just because a character looks into a webcam and pines about their life, does not make it a “web series.”  Sure, that technique unfortunately is part of most successful ones, it’s not the defining characteristic.  The defining characteristic, should be that it’s a series.  A series on the web.  Three, a series does not make, to paraphrase Yoda.

As someone who has produced 13 episodes of a web series, I think I could spot that little inconsistency.  As I write episodes of Beer15, I’m writing episodes.  individual story lines that develop in 7 minutes  Beginning-middle-end.  Sure, when put into 3′s they just happen to make a 22 minutes story, and YES, the end result is a feature length story with a beginning middle and end.  But THREE?  Really?

What really is it?  An Experiment?  A short?  Half a feature?  Is it really anything other than a story that Joss Whedon decided to make.  He even calls it what it is, “ONE WEEK ONLY! AN INTERNET MINISERIES EVENT!” on his own website.  I suppose, if a regular web series is 90 minutes spread over 7 to 12 episodes, then 3 would indeed be a “mini-series”.

Why then, did it win all those Streamy Awards? Shouldn’t it have competed in the mini-series category and not the full fledged series category?  Looking to the future of the web series, I sure hope recognition comes for all those people out there making full fledged web series, not just short 3-episode wannabees.

By the way.  If you haven’t seen “Dr Horrible,” you should.  It’s freaking awesome.  It’s so well done, it puts a lot of web video to shame, and honestly just solidifies how completely cool NPH really is.