gemini-division

NBC's Web 2.0 cop show draws commenter hatefest

Paul Boutin · 08/21/08 12:40PM

Gemini Division is NBC's new online-only science fiction series consisting of five-minute episodes starring Rosario Dawson as a New York detective trying to find her fiance's murderer. Instead of disruptive traditional ads, producers Electric Farm Entertinament incorporated blatant product placements right into the show! Genius, right? "Terrible," sums up one of the fourteen nearly all-negative comments posted to Gemini Division's Hulu page. "Take the worst elements of Cloverfield (shaky camera and retarded talking) and throw in blatant ads plus a hot girl stifled with sh1tty lines," agrees another. The one positive reaction has, of course, been bubbled up to the top of the list: "I enjoyed this a lot ... exceeded expectations."

NBC bungling Rosario Dawson's Web show

Jackson West · 08/13/08 05:00PM

Electric Farm Entertainment, the production company behind NBC's new Web-only show Gemini Division, has already earned themselves a profit on the production. How? By lacing the show with consumer-electronics product placement from Intel, Cisco, and Microsoft, and striking distribution deals with NBC and Sony. NBC, however, might have a harder time making the project pay — the ads currently running on the site look like cheap, run-of network trash. Whose idea was it to advertise a fiber supplement alongside a sci-fi romp with Rosario Dawson that's clearly targeted to young, male viewers?That would be the new Digital Studio headed by Vivi Zigler, presumably. Hopefully the site will actually feature some video on the front page by the time the series launches on August 18. Now, it takes at least two clicks and a wait through a 15-second ad for said digestive supplement or headache pills just to get to a preview featuring Dawson vlogging. At least the headache pills are appropriate. It's nearly as difficult and frustrating as finding something to watch on NBC's Olympics site.