Webisodes

web-i-sode - n. - It's not in Webster's yet, but it is on Wikipedia. Basically, it's an episode of a television show made specifically for distribution on the web (www or World Wide Web).

Heroes

A very good example (and one of my favorites) is the Heroes graphic novel. It fills in the gaps, gives background, and extends the story of the broadcast episodes. You can view them in static or animated form, or download them in printable pdf format. There are 72 chapters now. Check them out!

Monk and Psych

On USA. Also see full episodes of each. And Burn Notice, too.

Dexter

Three webisodes of The Dark Defender, Dexter's "superhero" (?) alter ego. You can also see a toned-down version of Dexter on CBS starting Feb. 17.

Battlestar Galactica

(Surprisingly, they are still available. Other, more recent webisodes on Sci Fi Pulse have disappeared.)

Chuck

The nerd super-spy on NBC.

Mythbusters Raw

Not SF ( it's classified as "documentary," not reality), see outtakes, extra footage, and original stories. 80 clips available. (Mythbusters Uncut, Experiment Extras, Busting Buster, much more.)

....and many more. They come and go (can't find the Eureka or Razor webisodes anymore - maybe on You Tube) so keep checking your favorite shows' network website for new content. They also usually talk about them during commercial breaks (if you don't DVR over them).

Fan Films

(more alternatives to network programming during the writers strike)
This post: Fan Films.

I'm talking about science fiction fan films that have their own websites, not the fan films that show up on You Tube, Atom Films, and I-Films (though they certainly can and have appeared there). They are usually longer (30 to 40+ minutes even) and have have actual budgets. (Yes, they spend money on them.) The most popular and successful fan films happen to be based on two of the most popular and successful franchises (imagine that!) - Star Wars and Star Trek. These groups make these films with the approval of the copyright owners and the understanding that they are not making them for profit. They certainly put in a lot of time and effort in producing them:

Trek:

Star Trek: New Voyages - with several actors from the original series - three episodes available now - with two more on the way. (2-19-08: new site/link)

Hidden Frontier - multiple episodes and downloads available

Star Trek Intrepid - group effort of several fan film groups

Starship Farragut - still more Star Trek fan films

Starship Exeter - two movies with multiple parts

Wars:

Star Wars - Revelations - huge production (for fan films)

FanFilms.com - from TheForce.net - mostly, but not entirely, Star Wars fan films

Fan Film Hosting Pool - downloads for ten different Star Wars fan films (part of the Fan Film Database)

And don't forget The Pink Five Trilogy, mentioned in a earlier post.

More Streaming Video

In the last post, I listed a bunch of places to watch free video and full episodes of TV shows. Here is a list of pay sites for online video. I've never tried any of them (I'm too damn cheap!) but have fun:

Amazon Unbox

CinemaNow

fanfare

iTunes

Movielink

Vuze

Zvue