Coming soon to small screens near you: Episodes no longer than an Uber ride

Film and television establishment has spotty record of creating shows for internet era's short attention spans, including parade of forgettable "webisodes" and high-concept, low-budget digital series

On a soundstage in New Orleans, a door pocked with bullet holes slams in Laurence Fishburne ’s face. He plays a cop trying to defuse a violent standoff in the $15 million drama “#FreeRayshawn,” to be viewed in chapters under 10 minutes and only on smartphones.

The shoot is part of a Hollywood wager that the smallest screen may finally be ready for the big time. “#FreeRayshawn” is one of dozens of serialized short-format programs on the way, as the movie and television industry reaches for an audience of time-killers glued to their mobile devices, with episodes no longer than