2007’s The Guild was one of the most successful web series (producing 6 seasons) and offered a fun and humorous look at the world of Geeks and Gaming.
What Is It?
Felicia Day plays Cyd Sherman, a concert violinist (and former child prodigy) who is also an introverted, socially stunted young woman with few close friends and little motivation to venture from her apartment. She is also an addicted gamer who spends most of her time playing an MMORPG (massively multiplayer online role-playing game) as a member of the online guild called the “Knights of Good.” The series follows their gaming antics online, as well as their awkward (and hilarious) interactions both in person and through online chats.
Aired: MSN/Xbox/YouTube, Six Seasons Totaling 70 Episodes
Cast: Felicia Day, Sandeep Parikh, Jeff Lewis, Vincent Caso, Robin Thorsen, Amy Okuda, Wil Wheaton
Crew: Felicia Day (Creator/Writer/Executive Producer), Chris Preksta (Director)
Legacy:
The Guild has been one of the most successful entries in the web series format, spanning multiple seasons and delivering a humorous look at the world of geeks and gamers.
A Closer Look:
This series is not sci-fi/fantasy per se, but like the CBS sitcom The Big Bang Theory, it has immense appeal to genre fans because we can easily identify with the characters and situations. The Guild will be most enjoyed by online gamers, especially those wrapped up in the many MMORPGs out there, but old D&D veterans (like myself) and anyone who has spent a fair amount of their spare time gaming will definitely appreciate it. And apart from the show’s genre ties, it’s just a funny romp with its dysfunctional characters trying to overcome their own (many-faceted) flaws and learn how to work together for the common cause: killing other people and creatures in the game and gaining loot.
Felicia Day, herself a confessed online gaming addict, originally conceived of the series as a sitcom, but it was later suggested that the concept would work better as a web series. She decided to go that route with it, and The Guild first appeared online in 2007. It turned into somewhat of an online phenomenon, running for six seasons, and it counts as one of the most successful entries in the web series format. Day funded the series herself at first, then asked for donations from fans to complete the first season. After that, she partnered with MSN and Xbox, which helped carry the show through much of the rest of its run.
The Guild is certainly a ton of fun, especially once Wil Wheaton comes on board in its third season as the leader of a rival gaming guild, the “Axis of Anarchy.” But throughout its run, the show delivers a quirky set of characters who each have their own eccentricities and contribute to the ongoing stories. The show is also a quick watch, with episodes rarely going more than 8 to 10 minutes and each season telling a complete story (though also leading into the next season). Basically, this show is just a lot of fun for gamers and geeks, and it certainly counts as a cult favorite that is worth searching out.
Cancelled Too Soon?
Felicia Day indicated that The Guild was complete after its sixth season, though she did see that as a pilot leading into a spin-off television series. Following is what she had to say to Inverse in an interview discussing the web series:
Season 6 was supposed to be the TV pilot I was going to sell to make the show a TV show. It was going to change the dynamics of the show to make it less insular and inside and more about a girl who worked at a gaming company who had all these quirky friends that blurred the line between her profession and her personal life. If you see the end of season six, the two become integrated in an interesting, kind of incestuous way.
She did say that if the group were to come back together for a seventh season, the show would be different because people have “moved on” from MMORPGs:
It would be a group of people who played different games together. I don’t know if having them be a guild in one specific game is as realistic or popular [now]. Gaming has splintered and gotten more competitive and social. You’ve got casual games. The landscape has changed, and you have to do it in a different way.
The proposed television series never happened, sadly, but at least The Guild had the opportunity to wrap up most of its storylines, which was rare for web series that came out during that time.
The Story Continues:
In 2010, Felicia Day wrote a three-issue comic book series that acted as a prequel for the show and was published by Dark Horse Comics. Then, in 2011, a five-part series was published with each issue focusing on a different character. Both of those have been collected in trade paperback and e-book formats. In 2012, a final comic book came out with the one-shot The Guild: Fawkes.
Should It Be Rebooted?
There is definitely no need to reboot the series, but revisiting it might be nice. The television series that Day had planned after the sixth season would be a good way to continue the story, and perhaps fans could put together a campaign lobbying for that. Another season checking in on the characters from the web series would also be enjoyable, and perhaps a crowdfunding campaign could make that happen.
Interesting facts:
The web series, deservedly, received multiple awards during its run including Best Series, Best Female Lead in a Comedy series for Felicia Day, Best Ensemble Cast, Best Comedy Web Series, and more.
Joss Whedon was inspired by The Guild to make Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog, and Felicia day starred in that.
Chris Preska, who created the web series The Mercury Men (more on that at this link), directed the sixth season of The Guild.
Where Can You Watch it?
The entire series has been collected on DVD and you can also stream it for free on the show’s website.
Read More About the Show:
If you produced an independent sci fi/fantasy web series during the 2000s and/or 2010s, please contact us at cultscifi.com@gmail.com with the information about the show. Or if you know of productions from that time, please pass along that information as I am working on a project documenting the rise and fall of this format.
