AP: Geico Cavemen May Get Own TV Show

[Bukowski Fan]

http://www.comcast.net/tv/index.jsp?cat=TELEVISION&fn=/2007/03/02/601026.html&cvqh=itn_caveman

NEW YORK - Those Geico "cavemen" shouldn't be so upset after all _ they may get their own television series. ABC said Friday it had ordered a pilot for a comedy, tentatively titled "Cavemen," that features the characters used in a series of ads by the insurance company.

In the ads, cavemen appear insulted by a Geico pitchman's claim that the company's Web site is so easy to use that "even a caveman can do it."

The potential series, one of 14 pilots that will be produced by Touchstone Television this spring, features the cavemen as they "struggle with prejudice on a daily basis as they strive to live the lives of normal thirty-somethings in 2007 Atlanta."

It's unusual for characters from an advertising campaign to move into shows of their own, but not unprecedented. The CBS comedy "Baby Bob" featured a talking baby that had been used in several advertisements, according to Daily Variety.

[babylonsister]

1. How low has this country sunk? nt

[Contrite]

10. I'm with you, sister. n/t

[Atman]

2. And how long did "Baby Bob" last?

The cavemen will be extinct just as quickly.

.

[Cleita]

18. Let's hope they get good writers that understand

how to mine the humor from the premise. It could work in the right hands.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

19. Actually...

I bet all the good writers realize this is a terrible idea.

[Cleita]

26. Why is it a terrible idea?

It could subtly show just how racist our society is in a funny way without offending actual minorities or racists. It just needs a deft hand. Think of "Alien Planet" with the melon heads. (I think the name of the show was "Alien Planet". Senior memory here.) Also, think about how "All in the Family" was handled back when.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

28. Alienation?

Anyway, it wouldn't work because sitcoms aren't funny. With very rare and very few exceptions.

To make matters worse, it's a gimmick.

To make matters worser, the Geico commercials are funny because they're thirty seconds long. They're meant to be short and sweet.

[BearSquirrel2]

33. Actually ...

This begs for a comedic drama format. After all, how many people feel the pressure of not fitting into society. How many people fight the need to be themselves vs blending in. The caveman could be a metaphor for race, homosexuality, religion and a countless variety of situations.

BTW, I LOVE the caveman.

[Cleita]

37. I think so too.

:-)

However, it will take some writers who get it to pull it off. Other than that, it could be a formulaic, laugh track disaster.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

3. I'm happy for the actors.

Those guys work their whole careers trying to make ends meet doing commercials. Then something finally pays off and, OK it's just a commercial, but it's something.

[BleedingHeartPatriot]

7. Dupe.

:shrug: MKJ

[BleedingHeartPatriot]

8. Exactly. Their artful, and very funny, rendition hits home and they're vilified.

:shrug: MKJ

[tridim]

13. I've LOL at a few of them..

Especially the ones where he's on the people-mover in the airport and the therapist office. The characters are great.

I couldn't care less about Gieco.

[tridim]

4. "struggle with prejudice.. in Atlanta"?!

Am I reading too much into that premise? Could be good if it's written right.

[northofdenali]

5. OK, fine. Just fine. Just dammit fine.

The gecko doesn't get one? Funnier and cuter!

Fine. Just fucking fine. Pooh.



:P

[northofdenali]

6. OK, fine. Just fine. Just dammit fine.

The gecko doesn't get one? Funnier and cuter!

Fine. Just fucking fine. Pooh.



:P

[NYCGirl]

11. Maybe the gecko will get a guest shot.

[northofdenali]

15. I actually have a replica (in plastic) of the little guy -

stole it off my insurance agent's desk when he wasn't looking......... :P

[NYCGirl]

17. I love the gecko. He's just too cute. NT

[WinkyDink]

31. I've looked on e-Bay for one! "Let's not get personal, mate."

[Gabi Hayes]

9. uga muga? gow gow!

[FyurFly]

12. I always loved unfrozen Caveman Lawyer

RIP Phil Hartman

[Gabi Hayes]

16. ha ha HAAAA!!!! UCL Kills!

[OPERATIONMINDCRIME]

14. Good For Them! I Always Found The Commercials To Be Brilliantly Creative.

I would say the odds are in the favor of this sitcom failing, but I still think it's pretty cool for the actors that they broke through in such a way.

[Raine]

20. Me too

I like the commericials, I think they are cute. I doubt the show will suceed or even make it that far but all the best to creators and actors! :-) :thumbsup:

[Puregonzo1188]

21. The Geico Commercials, particularly the cavemen ones, are probably

the only commercials I find to be funny.

[hyphenate]

22. That's cool!

I enjoy the caveman commercials. They're far less about the product and more about the "characers." Funny to think of cavemen as metrosexuals, but that's cool--the're the kind of guys women want, with their sensitivity and their intelligence. Seriously, without the nasty teeth and the facial hair, those guys could woo just about any woman!

And I think that's the point! I think a series could manage to make a lot of guys act a little less like the stereotypical caveman and more like the sophisticated ones in the commercials! Perhaps even to the point where the far religious right can say that these particular cavemen are the ones who lived with the dinosaurs and are the start of mankind. After all, they like to manipulate history and evolution to their own end, so why not add in a likable caveman? Certainly not the same cavemen we remember from "It's About Time!"

[Catherine Vincent]

23. That's pretty cool.

I think those guys are great.

[BlooInBloo]

24. All the better to reflect the American public.

[Initech]

25. So basically, it's 14 half-hour insurance infomercials?

This is a new low. Seriously. :argh:

[Vinnie From Indy]

27. I too salute the actors and developers!

The ads are very masterfully done on a variety of levels and the actors are great. The commercials also, I believe, illustrate the idiocy of bigotry and prejudice. After 6 years of BushCo and the right wing hate machine, I hope they succeed!

[EC]

29. It could work

that guy used to be on SNL in the 80's, so he has done comedies and writes...Just can't remember his name....





On Edit: Nevermind I was thinking he was Rich Hall, but now I'm not sure...

[omega minimo]

30. Cool! They can use that same self-evident digust with prejudice against women

:thumbsup: :applause:

[WinkyDink]

32. I think the premise is excellent, kind of like a "3rd Rock" but really us.

Also, the acting I've seen---the taking umbrage, the needing therapy, the ruined (yet sophisticated) palate---has been brilliant.

[WindRavenX]

34. yeah this might be the only TV show I've ever "looked forward to"

I LOVE the caveman commercials.

[Subdivisions]

35. I love the idea. n/t

[InvisibleTouch]

36. I like it!

I'm generally not a fan of half-hour comedies, but this sounds like it could be really good and funny.

Wouldn't be the first time an advertising character got their own TV show. Remember Max Headroom?