We may be entering the next age of entertainment. Entertainment began as live shows. Then came radio, then motion pictures, then television, and now the Internet. Until recently, the Internet has been a place for micro-entertainment. Short articles, single pictures, short video clips; it was a place for people to escape one minute, or 140 characters at a time. People flock to the Internet because, besides your monthly bill, virtually all of the fun to be had can be free. If numbers indicate anything, it seems that people are staying home from the theaters, and ignoring primetime TV, so that they can be entertained on their own time, and from their own choosing. However, the Internet is not for micro-entertainment anymore.

The biggest challengers to the seemingly undeniable world of television have emerged in the past couple years as Hulu and Netflix. Not too long ago, no one could have imagined anything challenging TV as the primary form of home entertainment. Executives have ignored the Internet too long though, and the battle has begun. Ever since the institution of instant watch, Netflix has grown into a household name. The ability to stream TV shows and movies over the Internet, on your own time, has led many people to fall in love with convenience. Television and movie production were not intimidated though, because all of the content had to come from them first. But they may not be standing on such solid ground anymore; original content is here.

At the beginning of February, Netflix launched their first original show, ‘Lilyhammer’. ‘Lilyhammer’ is a comedy-drama starring Steven Van Zandt of ‘Sopranos’, as a New York gangster trying to start a new life in Lilyhammer, Norway. All eight episodes of ‘Lilyhammer’ were made available from the start, appealing to the new DVR culture, which prefers to watch entire seasons at once. Many have called ‘Lilyhammer’ a great move for Netflix, while others say the show isn’t TV quality. Either way, it is a step in a new direction of programming that skips TV all together.

Netflix is not free however; you have to subscribe to be able to view their new show. Hulu, on the other hand, is completely free and they have also stepped into the ‘original programming’ arena. On February 14, Hulu launched ‘Battleground’, a political drama-comedy in the fake documentary style of ‘The Office’. Hulu took a different approach than Netflix though; they are releasing a new episode every Tuesday, which is more in line with traditional TV. ‘Battleground’ has received mixed reviews as well, but seems to be gathering a bigger fan base than ‘Lilyhammer’. Technically, ‘Battleground’ is not Hulu’s first original series; they have been airing the documentary show ‘A Day in the Life’, which is approaching its second season, but ‘Battleground’ does stand as their first scripted series.

The emergence and apparent success of these original programs can only make people curious of what will happen next. Youtube is beginning to feature channels that will presumably be putting out original content, and most networks stream their shows on their websites after the TV airdate. Will networks start having streaming only shows? Will Netflix and Hulu start producing more shows? With the lightning speed growth of technology, these steps can only make you wonder; what’s next?

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Spike TV has picked up three new original non-scripted series that furthers the network’s mission to create broader-appealing shows with real stakes involved.

Spike has ordered 10 episodes of “Full Bounty,” a reality competition series featuring 12 aspiring bounty hunters who risk life and limb to chase down actual fugitives; six episodes of “Tattoo Nightmares,” a show chronicling people’s often-hilarious horror stories behind their awful tattoos and their attempt to have them fixed; and six episodes of “Rat Bastards,” a series following the adventures of a group of guys in Louisiana who hunt down a nasty invasive species of giant swamp rats that wreak havoc on the Mississippiwetlands.

Spike TV has also ordered 13 new episodes of the popular series, “World’s Wildest Police Videos,” which formerly aired on FOX, and announced plans to air a two-part special, “Urban Jungle Man.”

Premiere dates and times for the new series will be announced shortly. ”These three new non-scripted shows share a theme of larger-than-life characters in extreme situations where the high stakes are real,” said Sharon Levy, Executive Vice President, Original Series, Spike TV.  “They are perfect complements to our upcoming launches of “Big Easy Justice,” “American Digger” and “Diamond Divers,” which have similar distinctive characters.”

“Full Bounty” – In this unique reality competition series, 12 aspiring bounty hunters attempt to hunt down real criminals who are running from the law in an effort to win the actual bounty.  Each competitor will be doing this for the first time in their lives with the aid of law enforcement supervisors.

The contestant that tracks down and apprehends the most fugitives will win and advance while others will be eliminated in each episode.  The overall winner of the show will win a position with a prominent bail bond and fugitive recovery agency.  The stakes couldn’t be higher for each contestant as they risk their lives to rid the streets of potentially dangerous criminals, and live out the dream of becoming an actual bounty hunter. The series is created by Barry Poznick and John Stevens of Zoo Productions, an All3 media company.

“Tattoo Nightmares” - Real people with really bad tattoos seek the help of some of the best cover-up artists in the business to fix them.  The tattoos range from hilarious to downright disturbing, with reenactments that will show how these people wound up with their awful, ugly and embarrassing ink. The contestants will go under the needle of top tattoo artists to see if they can work a miracle and cover someone else’s mistake. “Tattoo Nightmares” is created by Sally Ann Salsano (“Jersey Shore”) and 495 Productions.

“Rat Bastards” – An invasive species of giant swamp rats are ravaging America’s Southern wetlands and are especially dangerous to the tenuous ecological system of the Mississippi delta region.  This non-scripted series follows a pack of industrious guys dubbed the “Cajun Commandoes” in Louisiana who hunt these elusive 40-pound menaces both to sell and to eat.

These determined rat hunters compete over a limited four month window to earn big bucks by capturing these loathsome pests for a bounty.  The series is co-created by Eli Holzman and Stephen Lambert of Studio Lambert and Royal Malloy, Duke Straub andColt Straub of American Chainsaw. They are also the production team behind the upcoming Spike series, “Diamond Divers.”

Spike will also create new episodes of “World’s Wildest Police Videos,” which will give viewers access to shocking and outrageous police footage never-before-seen on television.  From high-speed car chases that turn deadly and bank robberies gone wrong to international hostage holdups, the wildest police videos from around the world are on display.

Retired Sheriff John Bunnell hosts the series that is produced by Pilgrim Studios and Pursuit Productions. Executive Producers are Pilgrim Studios’ Craig Piligian andScott Popjes, and Pursuit Productions’ Paul Stojanovich, Jr., Robert Ballantyne and John Bunnell.  The original version was created by Paul Stojanovich Sr. and aired on FOX from 1998-2002.

Spike will air a two-part special, “Urban Jungle Man,” which follows the country’s preeminent extreme animal handler, John Brennan, who rescues, captures and relocates dangerous and exotic animals in New York City’s urban jungle. This non-scripted series chronicles Brennan’s daily adventures as he runs the Urban Animal Relocation team, a privately-owned exotic and dangerous animal relocation service whose perilous missions runs the gamut from removing an alligator from a bathtub to capturing an escaped deadly python.  

Bitten or stung by nearly every animal in existence, Brennan is fearless when it comes to apprehending nature’s deadliest creatures.  “Urban Jungle Man” is produced by Asylum Entertainment and will be shot throughout the country.

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