Obviously, Brandon Tartikoff and Warren Littlefield saw SOMETHING in the concept when they asked Dick Berg and GTG Entertainment to produce the pilot way back in 1989 (and they became partners in the project). They were long gone- and so was GTG- when this was finally telecast.
The ‘twist’ in the play that this is based upon is that the Rick that is visiting (and moving in) isn’t the Rick that saved Willum’s from the fire, but an actor hired by one of Willum’s friends to motivate Willum into standing up for himself. Willum lets everyone walk all over him in exchange for a safe and comfortable middle class life, but is that the life he wants to live? The producers should have let the auduence know what the big surprise twist was in the last few minutes of the first episode, giving the viewer the chance as the series continues to watch Rick fix Willum’s life while Willum thinks Rick is ruining it. Rick is Willum’s Tyler Durdan.
It is a shame this pilot was so bad. I saw the original Broadway production of the play, starring Robert Joy and he was brilliant, but this version has so many changes and none of them for the better. Not sure how they would have expected to carry this off more than one or two episodes (certainly not for a whole season).
I can't believe you said Robert Joy was brilliant on Broadway. He, imo, is just awful in this pilot. So generic, and not one sliver of nuance. I know stage and TV are two completely different mediums, so maybe he translated better on stage. I hope.....
This pilot aired at 8:30 Eastern on NBC Saturday March 2,1996 - its lead-in was a Lyndon LaRouche infomercial! NBC probably didn’t want one of their current hits tarnished by airing next to the controversial LaRouche, and Saturday was a low viewing night anyway for NBC post-Golden Girls, so that’s why I guess the Nerd aired here
Probably the last busted sitcom pilot I ever saw on TV. (Of course it was so old by the time NBC finally threw it on, the actors were practically in nursing homes.) They had all but disappeared from the airwaves by this point. Still have no clue why NBC finally decided to air it, considering how bad it was. "Touched by an Angel"? Grant Tinker cashing in on a favor? Anyone know?
Patricia Kalember played the role of Tansy on Broadway; she was on "thirtysomething" at the time, which is most likely why she doesn't reprise her role here
It wasn't unusual for the networks to air unsold pilots to gauge interest, though airings of pilots less than feature-length began dwindling in the '90s. I suspect in 1996 some exec was trying to revive the concept, so a studio honcho decided to run this old, abysmal pilot to show it wouldn't work, thereby nixing the idea altogether. Just an educated guess anyway.
I remember pilots being burned off during the summer, but I'm more surprised NBC held on to it for seven years. The last time I remember a pilot airing was something called "Family Values" for UPN, around 1996. It starred Jenna Van Oy.
@@bgva82 I could've sworn the unsold pilot for the new Munsters (starring Jerry O'Connell as Herman) was aired at some point shortly after it was rejected. Maybe I'm mistaken.
+richard whittaker , why don't you post a review of YOUR show? No one else has, we can't find any on google. And tell us who James Burrows is, who directed this pilot, and Dick Berg, who exec produced it. Not that we don't know, but it;s obvious you don't. There is nothing wrong with doing live theatre in Shaunavon Saskatchewan, but it's terribly funny that you would compare yourself with hardworking people who are taking huge personal risks day in and day out.
Watched this when it aired in 1996 in a hotel room in Salt Lake City with my boss and his two cousins. We liked the premise, but thought the performances were stale.
How stupid. This video has more likes than dislikes and 99,9% of the comments despise this video. Had all the guys who commented pressed the "dislike" button, there will be like a thousand dislikes over the 17 likes.
Clelia doesn't steal things, she breaks things. Willum wasn't in a fire, he was a draftsman in Vietnam. Waldgrave is supposed to shout "I'll see you in hell first" when Thor is in Willum's bedroom, and worst of all, they completely left out Axel Hammond. Too much of this is wrong to be enjoyed.
Yes.... it IS different from the play. I guess that's why they didn't call it a filming of the play and instead called it a pilot episode for a TV show. And as in adaptations, things change! If they left it saving Willum in Viet Nam, then a show taking place in the 90s would have Willum being what.... 50, which John Dye clearly was not. It's a minor change which changes nothing, unless you're looking for nits to pick. As for "leaving out" Axel, and all that other stuff... this was the pilot! They weren't squeezing every "bit" that was in the play into one episode. The same could be said for the original "The Odd Couple".
I can't believe this was the guy that played "The Nerd" on Broadway....his performance was so generic, with no nuance whatsoever. Some of the lines are the same as they are in the play but everything is just jumbled around. No Axel Hammond or little boy Thor either. The best part of this show for me was Tansy.....she had the best lines, best delivery, and the most grounded. For anyone that doesn't know the play, let's just say it's sad if Tansy steals the show.
Laugh tracks are indicative of the network's mistrust of the viewer's sense of humor - they think the audience is too stupid to know where to laugh, so they stick the canned laughter in to show them.
The pilot is supposed to be the best episode of the show, isn't it? If this is the best, what about the rest? Bad job. And Harley Kozak refused to come back to Santa Barbara that year because she wanted doing THIS? God!
Pilots are just the setup for the series. Every once in a while there's something like "That '70s Show" which emerged fully formed, but if you go back and look at the pilots for most long-running hits, you'll discover that the first episodes generally weren't so great. If this had gotten picked up, it would've HAD to have gotten better, since this pilot is really, *really* bad!
As far as I know, Harley did not return to Santa Barbara that year in large part because she already had a contract to play in Ron Howard's Parenthood.
Generally pilots/first seasons for sitcoms are a little rough, given that a lot of the humor in the best comedies comes from the relationships between the characters and chemistry among the cast members. In contrast, most dramas tend to have their best episodes early on, as they tend to be more plot/situation driven. A lot of the best sitcoms didn't peak creatively until midway through their run
Wow, that was terrible. Thanks for posting, though. I love watching pilots, good or bad. I like to see how the good shows started, and I like to see what could have been.
as a grown child of the sitcom era of the 40s 50s 60s 70s 80s and 90s it was funny good laugh the laugh track was over used but the basic elements played well and the characters off each other as well compared to other "successful" shows of the time
![Twenty One Pilots - “The Line” (from Arcane Season 2) [Official Music Video]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/E2Rj2gQAyPA/mqdefault.jpg)
I am surprised that this show didn't just get cancelled during the pilot taping.
Just look at the intro and you'll know exactly why it didn't make the cut.
Obviously, Brandon Tartikoff and Warren Littlefield saw SOMETHING in the concept when they asked Dick Berg and GTG Entertainment to produce the pilot way back in 1989 (and they became partners in the project). They were long gone- and so was GTG- when this was finally telecast.
The ‘twist’ in the play that this is based upon is that the Rick that is visiting (and moving in) isn’t the Rick that saved Willum’s from the fire, but an actor hired by one of Willum’s friends to motivate Willum into standing up for himself.
Willum lets everyone walk all over him in exchange for a safe and comfortable middle class life, but is that the life he wants to live?
The producers should have let the auduence know what the big surprise twist was in the last few minutes of the first episode, giving the viewer the chance as the series continues to watch Rick fix Willum’s life while Willum thinks Rick is ruining it.
Rick is Willum’s Tyler Durdan.
It is a shame this pilot was so bad. I saw the original Broadway production of the play, starring Robert Joy and he was brilliant, but this version has so many changes and none of them for the better. Not sure how they would have expected to carry this off more than one or two episodes (certainly not for a whole season).
I can't believe you said Robert Joy was brilliant on Broadway. He, imo, is just awful in this pilot. So generic, and not one sliver of nuance. I know stage and TV are two completely different mediums, so maybe he translated better on stage. I hope.....
This pilot aired at 8:30 Eastern on NBC Saturday March 2,1996 - its lead-in was a Lyndon LaRouche infomercial! NBC probably didn’t want one of their current hits tarnished by airing next to the controversial LaRouche, and Saturday was a low viewing night anyway for NBC post-Golden Girls, so that’s why I guess the Nerd aired here
it was the hopping around for no reason in the intro
it feels more like if this was made for the 1996 season and not when it supposed to air
Probably the last busted sitcom pilot I ever saw on TV. (Of course it was so old by the time NBC finally threw it on, the actors were practically in nursing homes.) They had all but disappeared from the airwaves by this point. Still have no clue why NBC finally decided to air it, considering how bad it was. "Touched by an Angel"? Grant Tinker cashing in on a favor? Anyone know?
Patricia Kalember played the role of Tansy on Broadway; she was on "thirtysomething" at the time, which is most likely why she doesn't reprise her role here
Emmet Walsh always is good.
I don't understand what their plan with this was considering the main twist of the play
Agreed. It's a shame. The play itself is very good.
It wasn't unusual for the networks to air unsold pilots to gauge interest, though airings of pilots less than feature-length began dwindling in the '90s.
I suspect in 1996 some exec was trying to revive the concept, so a studio honcho decided to run this old, abysmal pilot to show it wouldn't work, thereby nixing the idea altogether. Just an educated guess anyway.
At least your's doesn't have a pesky time counter on the bottom or wherever!
I remember pilots being burned off during the summer, but I'm more surprised NBC held on to it for seven years. The last time I remember a pilot airing was something called "Family Values" for UPN, around 1996. It starred Jenna Van Oy.
@@bgva82 I could've sworn the unsold pilot for the new Munsters (starring Jerry O'Connell as Herman) was aired at some point shortly after it was rejected. Maybe I'm mistaken.
we , here in Shaunavon Sasketchewan, are doing this play this November. AND , my goodness , but.... we are way better than this !
+richard whittaker , why don't you post a review of YOUR show? No one else has, we can't find any on google. And tell us who James Burrows is, who directed this pilot, and Dick Berg, who exec produced it. Not that we don't know, but it;s obvious you don't. There is nothing wrong with doing live theatre in Shaunavon Saskatchewan, but it's terribly funny that you would compare yourself with hardworking people who are taking huge personal risks day in and day out.
Watched this when it aired in 1996 in a hotel room in Salt Lake City with my boss and his two cousins. We liked the premise, but thought the performances were stale.
I liked it
Surprised it made it to a pilot episode
Who would want to see pogo dancing in the intro?
I want my 22 minutes and 31 seconds back
Im a huge John Dye fan, but this was,wow, i really dont even know how to describe it...
Exactly, that's just what I was going to post, I'm halfway through it and I don't know what this is.
How stupid. This video has more likes than dislikes and 99,9% of the comments despise this video. Had all the guys who commented pressed the "dislike" button, there will be like a thousand dislikes over the 17 likes.
Clelia doesn't steal things, she breaks things. Willum wasn't in a fire, he was a draftsman in Vietnam. Waldgrave is supposed to shout "I'll see you in hell first" when Thor is in Willum's bedroom, and worst of all, they completely left out Axel Hammond. Too much of this is wrong to be enjoyed.
Very simple. NBC tried to turn it into one of their typical "yuppie urban comedies" of the late 1980's [remember "FM"?]. It didn't work.
Yes.... it IS different from the play. I guess that's why they didn't call it a filming of the play and instead called it a pilot episode for a TV show. And as in adaptations, things change! If they left it saving Willum in Viet Nam, then a show taking place in the 90s would have Willum being what.... 50, which John Dye clearly was not. It's a minor change which changes nothing, unless you're looking for nits to pick. As for "leaving out" Axel, and all that other stuff... this was the pilot! They weren't squeezing every "bit" that was in the play into one episode. The same could be said for the original "The Odd Couple".
@@josephmarchione3319 you're mad at a comment from five years ago.
And you had to point that out afterwards, on a comment section on a random RUclips video. Good times. Welcome to the internet
And you had to point that out afterwards, on a comment section on a random RUclips video. Good times. Welcome to the internet
Wow, was this aired for like tax write-off purposes or something? A lost bet/poker match outcome? An early/late April Fool's joke?
Yikes, this was bad. But good for some nostalgia.
can't believe they'd do my dude axel like that smh
NERDS!!!
OK this is terrible... But I love Harley Kozak :)
This is so wack but I can't stop watching
I can't believe this was the guy that played "The Nerd" on Broadway....his performance was so generic, with no nuance whatsoever. Some of the lines are the same as they are in the play but everything is just jumbled around. No Axel Hammond or little boy Thor either. The best part of this show for me was Tansy.....she had the best lines, best delivery, and the most grounded. For anyone that doesn't know the play, let's just say it's sad if Tansy steals the show.
I think this might have played better without the overuse of an obnoxious laugh track. Sometimes it kicks in at points that seem really unnecessary.
Laugh tracks are indicative of the network's mistrust of the viewer's sense of humor - they think the audience is too stupid to know where to laugh, so they stick the canned laughter in to show them.
The pilot is supposed to be the best episode of the show, isn't it? If this is the best, what about the rest? Bad job. And Harley Kozak refused to come back to Santa Barbara that year because she wanted doing THIS? God!
Pilots are just the setup for the series. Every once in a while there's something like "That '70s Show" which emerged fully formed, but if you go back and look at the pilots for most long-running hits, you'll discover that the first episodes generally weren't so great. If this had gotten picked up, it would've HAD to have gotten better, since this pilot is really, *really* bad!
As far as I know, Harley did not return to Santa Barbara that year in large part because she already had a contract to play in Ron Howard's Parenthood.
Generally pilots/first seasons for sitcoms are a little rough, given that a lot of the humor in the best comedies comes from the relationships between the characters and chemistry among the cast members. In contrast, most dramas tend to have their best episodes early on, as they tend to be more plot/situation driven. A lot of the best sitcoms didn't peak creatively until midway through their run
I remember seeing this in 96 and thinking huh??? It's like Chris Elliot but not funny. Total anomaly.
soundtrack by Phil Collins
Wow, that was terrible. Thanks for posting, though. I love watching pilots, good or bad. I like to see how the good shows started, and I like to see what could have been.
First 53 seconds : wtf ?
The rest of the show: wtf ?
A brilliant stage play very poorly adapted as a sitcom.
Stale!
The play was hilarious. This tv adaptation is not.
kinda of good.
You sound like you could be the telecast writer!
Is there more episodes? This is pretty good.
No there aren't because no it isn't
this is such dad junior I love it lmao
This intro is so ridiculous. No wonder NBC didn't pick up this pilot.
as a grown child of the sitcom era of the 40s 50s 60s 70s 80s and 90s it was funny good laugh the laugh track was over used but the basic elements played well and the characters off each other as well compared to other "successful" shows of the time
The intro was a deal breaker for me.
Yo this show aint bad wth jus giv it a chance yall go crazy over big bang theory and massacre this
This show is really bad. Even for a late 80's sitcom it's overly cheesy and predictable.
Man, this is so cringy!
Why wasn't this a hit show ? - So Crap!
This is STUPID.