For those who care, the drama “quarterlife” (9 p.m., NBC) was originally created by producers Marshall Herskovitz and Edward Zwick for the Internet. So some of you may have seen it by now.

The show’s Internet origins accentuated its central narrative hook, the torrents of narcissistic blogs filed by Dylan (Bitsie Tulloch), a brittle, self-absorbed assistant editor at a women’s magazine she neither reads nor respects. Her roommates include Lisa (Maite Schwartz), an insecure actress who drinks and sleeps around a lot. Debra (Michelle Lombardo) is Dylan’s best friend. I’m not sure what Debra does except look long, lean and confident when not seeming geeky and eccentric in front of brooding filmmakers Jed (Scott Michael Foster) and Danny (David Walton). One of them is her boyfriend, and the other is merely in love with her. Jed and Danny have recently condescended to lend their cinematic genius to a local car company’s advertising efforts.

Not to give too much away here, but “quarterlife” consists of Dylan gazing into her computer’s camera and talking about herself and revealing inappropriate things about people, such as Lisa’s besotted ways. Lisa auditions for parts in plays and engages in long arguments about acting. Jed and Danny bicker constantly about the purity of their craft. Almost every scene involves characters saying far more than they should about things that may not interest anybody outside of their small, incestuous circle of so-called friends. Nearly every line of dialogue – make that nearly every uttered word – rings false.

In short, practically every moment of “quarterlife” is exquisitely excruciating. However, it’s hard not to take a perverse pleasure in watching something this dreadful.

With credits including “My So-Called Life,” “30something” and “Once and Again,” the producers have a reputation for touchstone series that mine the anxieties of the upper-middle class. And with “quarterlife,” they are clearly trying to make the essential series about young adults whose entire lives have been shaped by instant messaging and blogs. Unfortunately, this tale of the “Look at Me” generation requires that we listen to them as well. And that may be beyond many viewers’ endurance.

I’m sure I’m not the only viewer who finds it a tad odd – let’s call it galling – that the people who created “30something” two decades ago think they can speak for 20-somethings today. But I’ll leave that battle to others.

I must admit that “quarterlife” made me think. While watching it, I realized that there are shows you love and shows you hate. And there is the very special category of the shows you love to hate. And I haven’t enjoyed hating a show this much since the dying days of “Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip.” So, by all means, tune into “quarterlife.” And prepare to cringe.

¢ Feeling blue? DVDs available today include the first season of “Smurfs.”

Tonight’s other highlights

¢ The top-10 men compete on “American Idol” (7 p.m., Fox).

¢ “Nova” (7 p.m., PBS, check local listings) re-examines evidence about dinosaurs and features Kansas University professors Larry Martin and David Burnham.

¢ Sock can’t get enough of the DMV on “Reaper” (7 p.m., CW).

¢ Mike prepares food on “Dirty Jobs” (8 p.m., Discovery).

¢ Alex gets a little too close on “In Treatment” (8:30 p.m., HBO).

¢ A plague breaks out on “Jericho” (9 p.m., CBS).

¢ The 2005 film “The Gates” (9 p.m., HBO) documents a monumental public arts project that millions enjoyed much more than I did.