PASADENA, Calif. (AP) – “Nobody’s Watching,” a TV pilot that gained an Internet following on YouTube after it failed to find a broadcast home, may be getting a second chance with NBC.

A deal with Bill Lawrence, the “Scrubs” writer-producer who’s part of the team behind “Nobody’s Watching,” could put the show on NBC’s 2006-07 schedule, NBC Entertainment President Kevin Reilly said Friday.

NBC has ordered new “webisodes” of the sitcom for the video-sharing site along with development of new scripts, Reilly told the Television Critics Association. He called it an important “experiment.”

“We want to do more of this kind of thing, and it’s great to have someone of Bill’s caliber jumping into it because these are the kinds of things we’ve got to try,” he said. “Win, lose, or draw, these are the kinds of things we’ve got to try.”

The already-competitive network business is trying to find effective ways to use the growing popularity of the Internet, particularly with younger consumers that are a sought-after part of the TV audience.

“Nobody’s Watching” is about Derek and Will who, frustrated with the lack of good comedy on TV, come to Hollywood to make a difference. Their chance to make a sitcom comes with a catch: Their efforts will be featured in a reality TV show.

The new Web episodes could be available in the next month on YouTube, Reilly said. The original stars, Paul Campbell and Taran Killam, “both love it, so they’re ready to go,” he said.

“Nobody’s Watching” has drawn hundreds of thousands of hits.

WB had passed on the show before it landed on YouTube which, by some measures, is the leading video-sharing site on the Internet. YouTube says 60,000 new videos are posted daily by amateurs and professionals.

NBC will be using the Web site for promotion of its fall shows.

The agreement is ironic given that NBC Universal had objected to the posting of copyright footage from television shows. YouTube, which has responded to requests to take down such footage, committed to that practice in writing in its deal with NBC.

“We’re going to continue to look at that service and all others from a piracy basis. But on a case-by-case basis and as it feels sanctioned by us, we’re willing to work with them,” Reilly said Friday.

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On the Net:

http://www.youtube.com

http://www.nbc.com

AP-ES-07-21-06 2253EDT