Hulu Reinvents/Photocopies TV

TV has been forever changed by the internet. We all know that. Until recently, sites like Hulu were only aggregators of television content, and not actual producers, but now that has changed. Hulu has begun producing full length television shows available exclusively on Hulu.com. Today I watched the pilot of one of those show titled “BattleGround” which is basically a photocopy of The Office with a Hint of Parks and Recreation. The premise is that it is a dramedy mocumentary of life on a small political campaign. For those of you familiar with Parks and Rec, you will realize that that is a literally identical plot. The subplot is the goofy culture of the coworkers in their office (the same plot as The Office). The writers were so uncreative that even many of the main character names were the same. There was a Michael, Chris, and even a Ben W. There are character “coincidences” where details are completely stolen from the aforementioned show. For example, one staffer’s “claim to fame” is writing the speech that killed Howard Deen’s Campaign. In Parks and Rec, character Ben Wyatt, who is the campaign manager, is famed for driving a city into Bancruptcy when he was 18. Nice job on originality (cough, cough).

It still is cool to see new shows only available through “new media” and since the show is decent, I look forward to the development of future similar new media shows. I have a feeling this growing trend will not end soon. Is this copyright infringement? Will this trend expand? Watch the episode below, and share what you think about this in the comments section which is also located conveniently below. Get   daily automatic updates on the latest news, trends, reviews, and tutorials in technology by subscribing to our email newsletter in the sidebar.