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The WB to Return as Online Site

Feeling nostalgic for a time when Lorelai and Luke sparred over a morning cup of coffee, Felicity Porter had not yet cut her trademark locks, or Buffy was still an only child, a mini-skirted naif whose destiny was thrust onto her?

Such nostalgia has gotten a little easier with the news that Warner Bros is relaunching The WB, home to such series as Gilmore Girls, Felicity, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer... not as a linear television network, but as a web site.

The ad-supported site, which has wb.com as its working title, will serve as an online home for all Warners-produced WB series that ran on the network during its brief lifespan from 1995 to 2006, including Gilmore Girls, Everwood, and What I Like About You. (It's still, sadly, unclear whether that will eventually include non-Warners produced titles like the aforementioned Buffy or Felicity, but fingers crossed.)

It will also include original short-form series, all targeted at the WB's signature demographic of women 12-34.

While I certainly don't fit into that demographic, I am slightly overjoyed by the fact that these series are coming back together under the WB banner, which for a while was on a real hot streak. After all, they were the first to embrace the genius that was Joss Whedon and J.J. Abrams.

And, if you need your fix of some 90s era teen angst like you need an afternoon Snickers, there are far worse places to go to achieve those ends. Especially when they afford you a trip down memory lane as WB.com is likely to do.

The Hollywood Reporter indicates that a beta launch will take place beginning next month, with a rollout planned for autumn.

Stay tuned.

What's On Tonight

8 pm: How I Met Your Mother/New Adventures of Old Christine (CBS); My Dad Is Better Than Your Dad (NBC); Gossip Girl (CW); The Bachelor: Where Are They Now? (ABC); Canterbury's Law (FOX)

9 pm: Two and a Half Men/New Adventures of Old Christine (CBS); Deal or No Deal (NBC); Pussycat Dolls Present: Girlicious (CW); October Road (ABC; 9-11 pm); New Amsterdam (FOX)

10 pm: CSI Miami (CBS); Medium (NBC)

What I'll Be Watching

8 pm: Gossip Girl.

It's another chance to catch up on the teen soap. On tonight's repeat episode ("Victor/Victrola"): Nate confronts his father about his drug problem; Jenny uncovers a secret her parents had hoped to conceal; Chuck wants to invest in a burlesque club; Dan and Serena contemplate taking their relationship to the next level; and Blair finds comfort with an unexpected suitor.

9:30 pm: Old Christine.

On tonight's episode ("House"), Christine attempts to be happy for Richard and new Christine when they buy a house she has always dreamed of living in. Ouch.

10 pm: No Reservations with Anthony Bourdain on Travel Channel.

It's a brand new season of No Reservations on the Travel Channel; follow enfant terrible chef Anthony Bourdain as he returns to the kitchen of Brasserie Les Halles in Manhattan as we attempts to work a double shift. Seriously, I cannot wait for this episode.

Comments

WB.com is a fun idea - especially if they're able to get Buffy and Felicity on there, as those two shows really helped define the network (though, sadly, the last groundbreaking drama they had was Gilmore Girls). At least they managed to snag the fun, fizzy Gossip Girl. Serena is no Buffy but Blair could give some of those vampires a run for their money.
Anonymous said…
Am I the only one that still has a tivo season pass for Gilmore Girls, Dawson's Creek, and Buffy? Buffy and Dawson's Creek both come on about twice a week, and Gilmore Girls every day, so I don't really need the WB to revive itself, except maybe to relive first season felicity.

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