• by Wendy Davis , Staff Writer @wendyndavis, April 29, 2008

Long-defunct TV shows have found new life online, on sites like Hulu.com or AOL's in2TV. And now, an old TV network is also being resurrected on the Web.

The WB network, which folded in 2006, will launch online at WB.com next month, with a slate of free, ad-supported programs including "Smallville," "Gilmore Girls" and "Buffy the Vampire Slayer."

The network also has tapped "Charlie's Angels" director McG and Josh Schwartz, executive producer of "Gossip Girl," to create new Web-only clips.

Viewers can already stream some of the WB.com's TV programs on other sites, or can purchase DVDs or downloads of them, which raises the question why people would watch on WB.com. But for The WB, there's little risk to launching its own site. On the contrary, if it can draw more revenue from its own site than it's now getting elsewhere, it's hard to see how the new site could hurt the company.

The network says its target demographic for the show is between ages 16 and 34, but undoubtedly many viewers are younger. In some ways, putting shows aimed at teens on the Web makes even more sense than reviving adult-oriented programs like "Seinfeld" online. After all, few young teens or tweens have enough disposable income to purchase DVDs of "Smallville."

Additionally, many teens don't see anything unusual about watching TV programs on the Web. "My 20-year-old daughter and her friends are watching 'One Tree Hill' and 'Pushing Daisies,' but not on television," Bruce Rosenblum, the president of the Warner television group, told The New York Times.

It's not surprising that people are gravitating towards watching TV online, where shows can be viewed on demand instead of times arbitrarily set by the networks. Perhaps even more important for some teens, the Web has no V-chip, which certainly is a draw for those who can't access shows they want on television screens.