This has got to be a joke.
Joe Lawson, the man behind the Geico caveman commercials that have become so popular, says that the show that is in development with ABC is going to be a drama, not a sitcom that had been previously reported by, well, just about everyone:
"The prejudice the cavemen experience in their everyday lives is a metaphor for racism, and I don't see how anyone could find racism remotely funny...well, except when it's supposed to be, like on 'Chapelle's Show' or a Michael Richards stand-up routine.
Re-reading that, it's got to be a joke. He doesn't see how racism could be funny unless it's supposed to be? I guess they could always make this show like that.
"No, Cavemen will be a powerful drama about social misunderstandings and ignorance, and about how these brave and enduring men struggle to find their way and strive to correct the misperceptions about their kind. It will force viewers to examine the ugly preconceptions that lie within their own hearts and serve as an uplifting saga of men who overcome irrational hatred to inspire a nation."
Yeah, it's got to be a joke. I don't think anyone can read that and think he's 100% serious. I think the phrase "brave and enduring men" is the part that makes me think it's a joke.
Though wouldn't that be an interesting twist? Go completely against what everyone expects from these guys and do a serious drama. That's never been done before. You have The Flintstones and other comedies, but no one has ever done a serious show about cavemen before. Maybe a show like The Wire, only with cavemen. And then they'd win Emmys and the guys would go up onstage in caveman makeup and accept the award in character, and they'd go on and on with their thank yous and the orchestra would interrupt them, because cavemen don't get any respect.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
3-06-2007 @ 6:46PM
J-spot said...
I'd say that statement is pretty tongue-in-cheek.
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3-06-2007 @ 6:56PM
MJ said...
Will the gecko make an appearance?
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3-06-2007 @ 7:44PM
David said...
Yeah it has to me a joke, I don't htink what he said is serious and if he is god help us.
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3-06-2007 @ 9:37PM
LC said...
Wellll, the caveman was pretty dramatic when he played Ted Sprague on Heroes. ;P
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3-06-2007 @ 10:29PM
ac said...
If its a comedy, people will watch because the commercials are funny and it will draw viewers. A drama is jumping the shark before it airs. I mean if it was advertised as a drama the 1st reaction people would make is, "WTF?! Man that looks bad. I'm not watching," and the show would be canceled faster than Smith.
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3-06-2007 @ 10:58PM
Tucker said...
Umm, does it disgust anyone else that - drama or not - they're planning on making an ongoing, 30-minute (please god don't let it be longer) commercial? Sure, on the one hand all shows are horribly ridden with product placement (blue nissan versa! blue nissan versa!). And on the other hand I'm sure the show will be about the characters and not the insurance company (hopefully). But I still can't wrap my head around the idea of basing a series on an advertisement. Pardon me, I need to go vomit.
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3-06-2007 @ 11:07PM
Dwayne Conyers said...
Maybe a dramedy... like the late CBS series Frank's Place?
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3-06-2007 @ 11:16PM
Danny Cohen said...
Wow, Frank's Place. I watched my first episode of that today in TV History. It could've been good, but it was before its time.
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3-06-2007 @ 11:25PM
Walt said...
Many characters on TV in its early days got to be on TV only by the good graces of the advertisers and would often use products (like Carnation brand milk) during the program.
Fish out of water shows (actually one end of that spectrum is the _Obvious_ Stranger In A Strange Land concept) have been done before -- alien cops ("Alien Nation") and the one I watched as a kid for one season with cavemen and astronauts ("It's About Time")
but this is the twist on things, where the Obvious Stranger is actually not a stranger at all. In the commercials, they're just narcissistic yuppies stuck in the early 90s.
I'm guessing the concept here is the cavemen will be MORE advanced than their neighbors arguing over who has the best cellphones and nicest apartments, but then will gather once a week to sit around a fire and bang rocks... at least that's one way of twisting the concept. You know, like how Stewie can be the boss of Brian in a corporate like setting, but still can't change his own diapers.
And set in Atlanta? Cavemen having to deal with NASCAR?? Hmm...
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3-06-2007 @ 11:39PM
Jen said...
I'm imagining a little bit of Three's Company, mixed with some Odd Couple (them vs neighbors), maybe a bit of Frasier... I'll check it out. And no way is it a Drama, they're totally joking.
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3-07-2007 @ 1:37AM
LC said...
It will probably last about as long as another show based on a character from a television advertisement. Anyone remember Baby Bob?
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3-07-2007 @ 7:45AM
antikorper said...
it's april fools day already?
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3-07-2007 @ 9:03AM
Gordy said...
I cracked up reading the quotes. This will be funny, if it's done right.
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3-08-2007 @ 7:37PM
Recury said...
There have been dramas about cavemen before. Haven't you ever seen 2001: A Space Odyssey? Or Quest For Fire? That one was about cavemen and anal sex, so you can imagine what a hit that one was.
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3-13-2007 @ 6:19PM
Mydree said...
How about 'Unfrozen Caveman Lawyer'? He could be a public defender.
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3-24-2007 @ 12:01PM
Robert said...
Come on people. How could a caveman show not be funny? Look at the Flintstones. This tv show won't be as good as everyone thinks it will be if its a drama
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4-20-2007 @ 2:28PM
lsra said...
will there be any open calls for actors in new york city to play a caveman?
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