Web series debuts on NBC in February

NBC has added another scripted show to its midseason arsenal, scheduling an on-air premiere date for the online series "Quarterlife."

The show, from "My So-Called Life" producers Marshall Herskovitz and Ed Zwick, has been airing in eight-minute installments on MySpace and at quarterlife.com for the past month. NBC will repackage the online episodes into six one-hour shows starting Monday, Feb. 18.

"[Network co-chairman] Ben Silverman and NBC are innovators who understand and appreciate that 'Quarterlife' represents an important shift in television programming, as our Internet series is the first to air on a major network," Herskovitz says. "Ben also really gets how special the 'Quarterlife' story is and believes in our young talent. We're truly thrilled to be part of the NBC family, as they are experts at leveraging their diverse platform to give their shows maximum exposure."

While "Quarterlife" will help plug holes created by the writers' strike, a deal to put the show on traditional TV was in the works before then. As Herskovitz and Zwick were developing the series for the web -- it was initially done as an ABC pilot a few seasons back -- they signed a deal with the network giving it right of first refusal to air the show. NBC also has DVD rights and will stream "Quarterlife" on its own video player.

"Quarterlife" stars Bitsie Tulloch as an aspiring writer who starts video-blogging about her life and her friends, putting a strain on their already messy relationships. The show also features Scott Michael Foster ("Greek"), Michelle Lombardo ("Click"), David Walton ("Heist"), Maite Schwartz, Kevin Christy ("Seven Days," "For Your Consideration") and Barret Swatek ("7th Heaven").

The series will air at 9 p.m. ET Mondays starting Feb. 18, taking the place of "Deal or No Deal." It will be sandwiched between "The Baby Borrowers," an unscripted series that also premieres Feb. 18, and "Medium," which begins its fourth season in January.