A project of the multi-talented Joss Whedon, Dr. Horrible stars Neil Patrick Harris as the title character, whose evil ambitions and nascent romantic liaison are both jeopardized by his egomaniacal arch-nemesis, Captain Hammer (Nathan Fillion). Felicia Day completes the primary cast as Penny, the target of Dr. Horrible's stumbling affections.
In the musical tradition of the classic Buffy the Vampire Slayer episode Once More, With Feeling, Dr. Horrible effortlessly combines its music, comedy, and drama for a compelling set of three 13-to-15 minute episodes. Originally made free on the internet at drhorrible.com (external link) on July 15th, 17th, and 19th 2008, the show is currently an iTunes exclusive for the low, low price of $5.97 USD. According to the 'master plan'1 it will later be available on DVD as well.
The spark for Joss Whedon's effort seems to have been the writer's strike of early 2008. Mr. Whedon decided to try to work outside the system, and the happy result is this delightful visit to the workaday world of a hopeful supervillain and his friends and foes. In an interview with TV Guide2 Mr. Whedon points out that it was "not [about] giving the finger to the majors ... during the strike there was a certain amount of justifiable bile, but my relationships with the people who actually produce the things, I like to think of as very strong." He says that he wanted to create internet content "on a very different scale" than was being considered, neither very cheap nor very expensive. And, of course, to once again exercise his love of the musical.
Neil Patrick Harris is a pure delight as Dr. Horrible, the villain you can't help but love, at once vulnerable, naïve, and of course eeevil. Fans of Mr. Whedon, Mr. Harris, Buffy, musicals, supervillains, and/or frozen yogurt should flock to drhorrible.com ... while you still can! Bwahahaha!
- http://www.drhorrible.com/plan.html (external link, duh)
- Spoiler warning! http://community.tvguide.com/blog-entry/TVGuide-Editors-Blog/Roush-Dispatch/Joss-Whedon-Dr/800042425 (external link, duh)