A Look at Prom Queen, an Interactive Internet Television Show

These days it is nearly impossible to come up with an original idea for a television show, but by taking television to the internet, that is exactly what the producers of Prom Queen have done.

From the looks of it, Prom Queen could be compared to shows like Laguna Beachor The Hills. Centered on the "popular" clique at Edward Adams High in Torrance, California, the fictional characters are involved in an array of what are considered normal teen activities. But with the tagline "Some girls would kill for it" and the information that something terrible will happen on prom night, it is far from what can be considered normal.
There are the typical characters - the outcasts, the loners, the super-popular kids, the overachievers and the girls who are only concerned with looks. But that is only on the surface... nearly each character is hiding a secret that could potentially tear their lives apart.

Prom Queen at first seems to appeal to younger crowds. Episodes are broadcast not only on their official website, Promqueen.tv, but also on Myspace.com. Each episode is ninety seconds long, and a new one airs every day. The series started April 2^nd and will end on June 16^th, giving viewers 80 episodes to get hooked on.

Beyond the ninety second episodes, Prom Queen characters also run their own Myspace pages. This is where television gets interactive. Friends of the characters can leave messages for the characters, write them comments, and view their blogs - many of which are updated daily.

Prom Queen producers have actually created television that the viewers can feel a part of. Some are so involved, it seems impossible to tell if they actually realize it is a fictional show. Certain characters leave comments on fan's pages; others poke fun in their video-blogs. Besides the individual Myspace pages, there is an actual Prom Queen profile, complete with a message board where fans can hack out clues left in the day's 90-second episode.

With all the lying, cheating, sex, drug-use and alcohol consumption, the first views of Prom Queen as a tween show are greatly mistaken. The series touches on gambling, abuse, self-mutilation, and by the end, murder.

It's not hard to imagine why there are nearly 20,000 fans on the Myspace site, with more being added daily.

And the producers of Prom Queen know exactly how to keep you coming back for more. By giving only ninety seconds in which to search for new clues, it nearly guarantees a fan will be back the next day to try to analyze it further. Endless clues are strewn about in each episode - from the recurring color green to the number twenty-two coming up almost every day.

And that isn't even to mention the heartfelt performances given by the actors. Each character strikes a nerve in almost everyone who watches. Some inspire, some you sympathize with, some you worry for, and there are the characters you love to hate. The actors of Prom Queen have made their stories very relatable, even though they are mixed up in a fictional world. In addition to the human aspect of their blogs and Myspace pages, throughout the series you get a genuine feel for who they are as a person.

Just don't rely on that, because in just 90-seconds, the writers at Prom Queen can have you turned upside down. From the good-girl character that turns out to have a very provocative hidden talent to the star athlete who has a certain game day ritual that ends up sabotaging his two-year relationship, the people at Prom Queen will keep you guessing, most likely up until the very end.

And this isn't the first time they have kept people coming back, day after day, for more. Their first venture into internet-television was with a show called Sam has 7Friends, where you come back every day up until the end when one of Sam's seven friends kills her. It has become a cult-classic with the crowd who followed it, and is coming back for a second season sometime this year.

So expect to see more shows like Sam has 7 Friends and Prom Queen popping up on the internet. In a world where everything is go, go, go and everyone wants everything "right now" the producers, writers, and directors of Prom Queen have scored big with the "get up and go" crowd. After all, who doesn't have 90-seconds a day?

And in the meantime, try to catch up with Prom Queen. It would be an understatement to say the show is both refreshing and addicting. Prom night is coming up on June 9^th and as they have said in the Prom Queen teaser... "Prom is a night when dreams come true but this year... on prom night... something terrible will happen."