NBC has greenlit production on a TV show pilot made popular through YouTube.

Nobody's Watching was originally under consideration for The WB, which commissioned a pilot of the comedy in Spring 2005. After it was passed on by executives, the pilot lay dormant until it was leaked onto YouTube last month. It has since been viewed over 600,000 times.

"This comedy pilot has generated a life of its own and we are intrigued by its potential to develop into a series," said Kevin Reilly, president of NBC Entertainment. "Sometimes, if you show it, they will come and we've seen how people have responded on the internet."

The series - from Scrubs creator Bill Lawrence - centres on Derek and Will, two young television addicts from Ohio frustrated with the dreadful state of television programming. As a result, they decide to become the subjects of a reality show when a major network gives them the opportunity to create their own sitcom. Unaware that the network executives are manipulating and recording their every word and move, the two continue their crusade to develop what they hope will be great television.

NBC has ordered a series of "webisodes" and commissioned scripts with a view to airing a broadcast version some time in the 2006/07 season.