Spudcast v36.0

Posted Jun 5, 2008 by TBO.com

Updated Jun 5, 2008 at 02:37 PM

Let’s face it: TV is for suckers. Not only are the shows impossibly lame, you have to watch them on someone else’s schedule. Oh, sure, you have a DVR. I have a DVR, too. And guess what? It’s full. Full of shows I haven’t had a chance to watch yet. And more often than not, I have to delete them before I ever get a chance to enjoy fast-forwarding through the obnoxious commercials.

That’s where the Internet comes in. More specificially, Internet TV. There are hundreds — if not thousands — of sites on the Web producing original episodic video content for streaming or download. And unlike a couple of years ago when only a handful of them were doing anything worth watching, today’s Internet TV is a vibrant and fertile landscape, filled with gems just waiting to be discovered — when you’re ready, and with no commercial interruptions.

One of our favorite comedy series on the Web is Galacticast, a weekly show that parodies the world of geekdom. What started out a couple of years ago as a “lo-fi sci-fi” production has turned into a fairly sophisticated program — or, at least, that’s what you’d think if you didn’t know any better. Turns out the Galacticast kids crank the whole thing out in their apartment with a single camera, a tripod, four lights, a greenscreen and a computer.

But the production values are impressive, the special effects are awesome and the writing is genuinely funny, which is more than you can say for half (all?) the garbage on network television. Plus, most episodes wrap up in about 5 minutes. Mmm, bite-size!

For this week’s Spudcast, Stephen and I got on the horn with Casey McKinnon and Rudy Jahchan — the creators, producers and stars of Galacticast — and picked their brains about the challenges of producing a weekly show on a shoestring budget, the inspiration for doing it in the first place, and the laughs they have in store for us when their upcoming fourth season debuts … well, soon. They’re in the process of moving to a new apartment/studio, so check back for updates. (In the meantime, we recommend checking out the ”Supermarios” episode — if that doesn’t get you hooked, there’s something seriously wrong with you.)

You can check out the podcast here:

Couch Potatoes, Episode 36 [link]

As always, you can download the MP3 directly from the page linked above, or from the archived list on the left side of this page, or you can subscribe via iTunes by clicking on the logo to the left.