The writer’s strike continues. And, unless you’re content watching Ellen play the name game, prime-time television pickings are looking pretty slim. But, while Letterman and the like rely on re-runs, original comedy and drama series are garnering attention thanks to an entirely different sort of platform – the Web.

Online entertainment is growing at unprecedented speed. From Oprah hitting YouTube, to MySpace launching its own online television network (simply named MySpaceTV), there’s plenty in the digital world to choose from. Navigating this labyrinth, however, can be significantly more difficult than scanning Time Warner cable, or programming your TiVo. So, whether you’re a seasoned web-series watcher, or can’t imagine seeing your favorite sitcom solely via a dot-com, here are a few reasons to tune in online. From newbie webseries that shouldn’t be missed, to a few that are well worth revisiting, here are psychoPEDIA’s favorite forms of online television:

Quarterlife
If the names Angela Chase or Jordan Catalano mean anything to you, then you won’t want to miss this new series, which debuted on MySpaceTV’s site less than two weeks ago. From Marshall Herskovitz and Edward Zwick (creators of both My So-Called Life and Thirtysomething) comes a coming-of-age story that follows twenty-something creatives as they navigate uncharted terrain with regard to jobs, relationships, and life in general. One-of-a-kind in terms of quality (it’s the first film-quality series to hit the web), it is bound to be highly addictive.

Roommates
“When college ends, the real party begins,” or so the slogan behind this MySpaceTV original series reads. Think The Hills (minus the designer clothing and plastic surgery) meets The Real World. Except here it’s four females living in a house together in Los Angeles. While the premise may leave something to be desired, considering Roommates currently accounts for the most plays of any MySpaceTV series (well over 4 million), it’s nothing to scoff at. Trash TV 2.0, this online series is now available complete with character-specific MySpace profiles and vlogs.

Afterworld
Imagine if tomorrow the entire world experienced the loss of technology and the disappearance of 99% of its population, and you’ll have a glimpse of the world that is Afterworld. One of the first web-based shows to hit YouTube, this animated sci-fi series has since been picked up for syndication by MySpace. With its $3 million budget, it’s the most expensive to have run on the social-networking site. Written and produced by Brent V. Friedman (veteran producer of various horror/sci-fi feature film thrillers), the series follows Russell Shoemaker from NYC as he travels across a post-apocalyptic America in hopes of returning to his family in Seattle.

Clark and Michael
This CBS mockumentary series, which premiered earlier this year, follows Clark Duke and Michael Cera (of Arrested Development and Superbad fame) as they attempt to sell an idea for a film in Hollywood. Despite being a low-budget affair, it lacks nothing by way of talent or laughs. Guest stars include David Cross, Arrested Development creator Mitch Hurwitz and Jonah Hill. It’s perfect for keeping your Cera cravings satiated until the much-anticipated Juno comes out December 14th.

Prom Queen
From former Disney CEO Michael Eisner comes Prom Queen – a high school drama that promises: “love, betrayal, sex, gossip, deception -- [all] before third period.” What debuted early in 2007 soon became a 15-long episode spin off series – Prom Queen: Summer Heat. While it’s unknown whether or not new episodes are in the works, the back-log of 90-second-long episodes are well worth visiting. Viewed by over 15 million people during its original run, the show was recently picked up for international distribution (specifically translations into French and Japanese).