Dr. Horrible is pretty damn great
The first episode of Joss Whedon’s three-part web series, Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog, is available on iTunes, and definitely worth checking out. It’s goofy and specific and huggable.

The first episode of Joss Whedon’s three-part web series, Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog, is available on iTunes, and definitely worth checking out. It’s goofy and specific and huggable.
This site is run by screenwriter John August. Mostly, he answers reader-submitted questions about the craft, but occasionally he goes on tangents that run far afield of writing and filmmaking. You'll also find info on past, present and future projects.
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A new short story available for download, Kindle and iPhone.
July 15th, 2008 at 3:10 pm
It’s also streaming at drhorrible.com.
Smart to put it on iTunes- with no ads I assume they’re not making any money off the streaming?
July 15th, 2008 at 3:47 pm
Yes! I could not stop laughing. And awwwwing. As is usually the case with Joss. :)
July 15th, 2008 at 8:38 pm
Yes it is! I really like the tone of the show. The atmosphere I guess.
July 15th, 2008 at 9:02 pm
My understanding is that it’s only free For a few days, and then they’ll start charging.
July 16th, 2008 at 2:26 am
It will be streaming for this week only (Act II goes up on Thursday, Act III on Saturday). So basically, you have the option of watching it for free on the web or paying to download it and watch anywhere, but only for this week. After that iTunes will be the only official source, as I understand it.
I watched yesterday and loved it. The story is sweet and unexpected and the lyrics are amazing. Who else could write an aching love song about a freeze ray? Except it’s not really about the freeze ray. It’s about the girl…Joss Whedon is a genius.
And he’s pretty smart about the interwebs too. He has found a way to mainline content right into his jonesing fandom’s artery.
July 16th, 2008 at 4:21 am
I loved it so much that I had to tell a few friends about it. Geekdom in it’s finest moment here.
July 16th, 2008 at 5:17 am
The paid-for version (which I’d happily go with) is only available in the US…. So I do hope they either make it available elsewhere through the store, or keep streaming them….
July 16th, 2008 at 6:51 am
Joss Whedon has also said there will be a DVD release.
July 16th, 2008 at 9:10 am
Completely full of awesomeness. Go Joss. However, will someone join me in a petition to stop the use of 2 circles when we see a POV of someone looking through binoculars?
Has no one ever looked through a pair of binoculars?! Dammit, you only see one cirle! One… not TWO!
July 16th, 2008 at 10:01 am
Sort of off topic, but any chance your gonna write about what happened with Bob: The Musical? Love to hear what happened with the swapping of writers…
July 16th, 2008 at 10:26 am
Even though you see one circle through binoculars, it doesn’t read that way onscreen.
If you showed one circle, 95% of the audience would be freaked out – why does it look like a telescope??
It’s just one of those things where fake works better for fiction, like hearing a dial tone after someone hangs up (although it’s usually too fast for my taste).
July 16th, 2008 at 1:54 pm
@N:
I’m still rooting for B:TM, though my experience on the project was honestly shitty. I wish Ganz and Mandell every success with it. Marc Shaiman wrote some good songs, so here’s hoping.
@Cam and @Mike:
The binocular matte bugs me, too. I have seen versions that use a single hole (sometimes an oval), and it plays fine for me.
@Everyone:
I linked the the iTunes versions because..
Sucks that it’s not available overseas, apparently.
July 16th, 2008 at 2:29 pm
I’d say oval is a good compromise, or you sometimes see a binocular shaped blob. One circle would be weird though.
So I assume the streamed version is just to get the word out and hopefully get people excited enough to buy a copy? Limited time streaming does seem smart for that. I wonder if a pirated download will show up online.
July 19th, 2008 at 10:49 pm
Wow. Can I just say, regardless of the whole distribution experimentation, that is some bold storytelling right there. Way to go them just for having the chutzpah.
July 21st, 2008 at 10:27 am
This had some of the widest ranging buzz I’ve come across in recent days. I had three independent and unrelated online communities and a bunch of LiveJournal-type sites talking about it at the same time on Saturday night and Sunday morning, which frankly amazed me.
It also had a fascinating range of responses. I’m very picky with my comedy, but enjoy superhero stories – especially when they’re done in an irreverent manner like this one. Plus, I’m a Nathan Fillion mark, so that certainly helped – I enjoyed it thoroughly. Most of my friends liked it, but I saw one journal entry from an associate who said they couldn’t handle more than ten minutes of it and told all of the people who had recommended it go do anatomically-impossible things to themselves. Which is the true badge of a Joss Whedon project, of course.
It’s intriguing, the distribution method was fascinating, I’ll probably buy the DVD, and I think it’s got legs if he decides to pursue it further.
July 21st, 2008 at 12:25 pm
Dang, I spaced out and forgot that it was only up until Saturday. Ah, poop.