Online TV: Hulu says hello!

Wait, I can watch every episode of "Arrested Development" on my computer when I'm really supposed to be working? Um, where do I sign up?

Hulu.com went live today and having briefly experimented with the site this afternoon, I can give it an enthusiastic thumbs-up for user-friendliness, content and innovation. Of course, that's because I'm watching "The Sword of Destiny" episode of "AD" with Ben Stiller as Tony Wonder while writing this. "Did somebody say ... Wonder?"

So what is Hulu? Well, when YouTube started to get hits by stealing tons of copyrighted TV clips, the higher-ups at several big media conglomerates finally realized there was this thing called "the Internet" that allowed people to watch "shows" on their "computer." So they started Hulu, a joint online venture (What was that about online residuals and the writers' strike?) of News Corp. and General Electric's NBC Universal.

The streaming-video site displays free, ad-supported shows and films from NBC, Fox and more than 50 media companies, including Sony Pictures and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Hulu is also planning to announce that the Warner Brothers Television Group and Lionsgate will add content from their libraries. Sports highlights from NBA and NHL games, plus full-length NCAA basketball games from the last 25 years will also be in the mix.

As of today, Hulu boasts full-length episodes from more than 250 TV series, past and present, along with more than 100 movies. The running list of shows is pretty impressive, among them: "30 Rock," "Arrested Development," "Futurama," "Friday Night Lights," "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia," "NewsRadio," "Saturday Night Live," "Scrubs," "The Office," and "The Simpsons."

For nostalgia buffs, older shows include, "The A-Team," "Barney Miller," "Doogie Howser, M.D.," "Hill Street Blues," "Lost in Space," "St. Elsewhere" and "Welcome Back Kotter." They even have the short-lived "Dana Carvey Show" -- which starred then-unknowns Steve Carell and Stephen Colbert.

Not every show affiliated with both networks is available, and I'm not sure why that is or when they'll all be offered -- so don't look too hard for "Freaks and Geeks" or "Seinfeld." I also haven't had time to see if full catalogs are available -- that doesn't appear to be the case for "The Office" or "It's Always Sunny," though plenty of episodes are there -- but I did have a chance to custom edit (really awesome feature, by the way) a funny clip from "Arrested Development," and for that, I give the site my undying gratitude.

-- Thomas Rozwadowski, trozwado@greenbaypressgazette.com