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Ugh!! Derek Flint Calls ABC’s Geico CAVEMEN Pilot ‘Astoundingly Awful’!!

Ouch by chrth	May 3rd, 2007 09:22:31 AM
That's going to require more therapy!
I bet the caveman goes nuclear in the finale by Raymar	May 3rd, 2007 09:23:48 AM
so close...
didn't see that one coming! by just pillow talk	May 3rd, 2007 09:26:32 AM
It was such an iron clad concept...
THIS YEAR'S LITTLE MISS CAPTAIN...CAAAAAAVEMAAAANNN!!! by Err	May 3rd, 2007 09:26:37 AM
Only not as good.
the only way this would ever work... by keyserSOZE	May 3rd, 2007 09:52:20 AM
would be to do it with the original actors, and in a format more like Arrested Development or The Office. you can't have the cheap "TGIF" feel that ABC shows always have, particularly with the lame jokes and laugh tracks.
Only the original... by kbass	May 3rd, 2007 09:53:46 AM
cavemen will do. Don't settle for crappy impersonations. What makes the commercials funny are the actors. Nice decision switching them out. Jackasses!
Too Bad, really, by Pound Sand	May 3rd, 2007 09:55:02 AM
It could have opened the door for other commerical to sitcom/half hour dramas. And it's a far better idea than the latest iteration of the tired old CSI: Trenton or Young Attractive Doctors/Lawyers in Love show. Maybe Herc should call this show the BEST SITCOM EVER and hasten the demise.
in other news, taco diarrhea still burns by BadMrWonka	May 3rd, 2007 10:05:17 AM
worst idea ever...
“Cavemen” raped my thirtysomethinghood! by mrmgp	May 3rd, 2007 10:05:27 AM
There. I said it. Now I'm going to cry. The Geico commercials will never be the same again. Sigh...
Best new ABC series since "Lost" by DynamixRo	May 3rd, 2007 10:05:52 AM
Mark my words!
I love a good "fish out of water" story by slone13	May 3rd, 2007 10:10:31 AM
Well, I do.
That was an astoundingly good review by telepathos	May 3rd, 2007 10:21:56 AM
I'm surprised they would make the astoundingly bad decision to change actors when the originals are so astoundingly effective in the role.
especially fish tacos by just pillow talk	May 3rd, 2007 10:25:03 AM
he's putting his mom on speaker...
Or as Dubys might say, 'nuc-uluar'. by Pennsy	May 3rd, 2007 10:28:59 AM
;)
Wow. what a shock by I Dunno	May 3rd, 2007 10:34:54 AM
I thought we were looking at the next Cheers or Seinfeld. Oh and if you allow yourself to admit that you like a commercial, you're part of the problem. Commercials are to be skipped over and avoided.
They've forever ruined the... by jimmy rabbitte	May 3rd, 2007 10:35:37 AM
...roast duck, with the mango salsa. I'll never be able to order it again.
"allegory for prejudice" by Dystopika	May 3rd, 2007 10:40:17 AM
This was the entire premise of the commercials! Minority cavemen fighting against misrepresentation in the media. That's where the humor came from, so it makes sense that the show would be about this. That said, I can't believe they tried to make this into a series...
What Dystopika said. . . by Nice Marmot	May 3rd, 2007 10:52:31 AM
. . .Prejudice was the whole point. We have wealthy, arrogant, prick white guys, the LAST people that are ever going to be dumped on by society, only they have grotesque cavemen faces and are completely ripped on. Smart premise for a commercial, but I still thought it would be a miracle they could get a whole show based on it.
Don't knock American Dad by Dexters Army	May 3rd, 2007 10:55:37 AM
It's truly not that bad...people just expected it to be "Family Guy," in the body of an uptight Republican. Don't hate.
Derek Flint is just prejudiced against Cavemen. by bobbyjoe	May 3rd, 2007 10:57:25 AM
How about a series based on those "Head On, Apply Directly to the Forehead" commercials?
Um, shocking by vich1	May 3rd, 2007 11:16:06 AM
When I first heard about this I said it would suck beyond belief and was an idiotic idea.
SHOOSH!! by FrixFrixFrix	May 3rd, 2007 11:19:21 AM
no? wrong caveman.
We're surprised?? by Purgatori	May 3rd, 2007 11:29:39 AM
Wow, it sucked? Really? And it's on ABC? Nuh unh...I don't believe you.
I wonder if the creationists are going to be pissed by I Dunno	May 3rd, 2007 11:30:24 AM
Because the earth is only 6,000 years old and caveman bones were placed here by Satan to test us.
The "Guest Star" possibilities are endless... by GenericGeek	May 3rd, 2007 11:32:56 AM
Think cross-promotion. They could have a blind date with the RGX girl, or visit the chimp-run company from that other ad, for some uncomfortable silences. There's money there... Ah, skip it.
Screw this show by _Maltheus_	May 3rd, 2007 11:34:49 AM
I want to see the cavemen as news broadcasters. You can replace Larry King and Bill O'Reilly and no one will ever notice. The best would be when you send them to presidential news conferences. Hey it would get me watching mainstream newscasts again and it sounds far more entertaining than this show.
Gecko anyone by Dexters Army	May 3rd, 2007 11:36:10 AM
I mean he was the first one...by he must be really "green." Eh? Get it...cause he's a gecko and gecko are by nature gree...oh, screw it.
Gecko anyone? by Dexters Army	May 3rd, 2007 11:36:19 AM
I mean he was the first one...by he must be really "green." Eh? Get it...cause he's a gecko and gecko are by nature gree...oh, screw it.
Gecko anyone? by Dexters Army	May 3rd, 2007 11:36:20 AM
I mean he was the first one...by he must be really "green." Eh? Get it...cause he's a gecko and gecko are by nature gree...oh, screw it.
I have the perfect guest star... by Mr Bonefish	May 3rd, 2007 11:40:28 AM
Durst...she will make it happen cause anything with her in it will make loads of cash...oh and her teeth means they save on makeup.
Move Baldwin onto the Caveman show? by jimmy rabbitte	May 3rd, 2007 01:03:03 PM
...you ungrateful little pig...
they should've kept the actors. by JacksonsPole	May 3rd, 2007 01:15:08 PM
the whole reason those commercials worked was the actors. they were dead on. the decision to switch actors was awful...
His'n'His & Hers'n'His: Sonic Drive-in Stories by Wyatt Wingfoot	May 3rd, 2007 01:42:28 PM
The comic travails of two couples: a (possibly ghey?) pair of lunkheads and a man & wife (he's weak, she's got his balls...) They eat and talk and eat and talk about eating. Sells burgers & shakes & sausages & gravy(!) AND COMEDY to the masses. Who could hate on THAT? The series of SONIC commercials (regional?) are funny enough and the vignette always ends with an obligatory )))BITCHSLAP!!!((( sound effect. More material than those damned cavemen.
Just what we need... by Kid Z	May 3rd, 2007 01:53:30 PM
... 30 minute commercials disguised as entertai... oh ... waitaminute... American network TV.... Nevermind....
Weird how Geico has this vast... by Kid Z	May 3rd, 2007 02:00:22 PM
... rotating cast of pitchcreatures. They've got the lizard; who strangely enough, once sounded like Frasier, but who lately has apparently become British... do they even have geckos in the UK? They have the cavemen, who, for some reason creep me out... must be some sort of Altered States ancestral memory thing there. Then, they have all the fake "average folk" who always seem so smug that they switched to Geico.
To quote the Chili Peppers by a rolling stone	May 3rd, 2007 02:01:18 PM
I am losing my taste for the human race.
Of COURSE it fucking sucks... by Harry Weinstein	May 3rd, 2007 02:42:00 PM
What the hell else could anyone with half a brain possibly expect from a TV show based on a commercial? That doesn't even have the common sense to stick with what made the commercials work? If you even really thought they worked in the first place? Unless it's Phil Hartman and said caveman is actually an unfrozen lawyer, get this shit the fuck outta here. You expect anything less than total contempt for viewers from the network that brought you THE PATH TO 9/11? Fuck that. Turn the damn idiot box off already... it's not your friend.
Bring Back Ringo, Dennis, and Shelly by Grammaton Cleric Binks	May 3rd, 2007 02:44:19 PM
Nuff said
Wow, so the show about the Geico cavemen sucks? by Richard Cranium	May 3rd, 2007 02:46:23 PM
Alert the media! Seriously, is there anybody out there who thought there was even the slightest chance that this show WOULDN'T be a piece of shit?
Such a rotten by Stuntcock Mike	May 3rd, 2007 03:12:47 PM
fucking idea. It's like making a "Where's the Beef" sitcom, for shit's sake.
Funniest half-hour ever read? by TVSurfer	May 3rd, 2007 03:16:14 PM
Hey Derek, More importantly what was the funniest half hour you ever read? What was it about? Why didn't it get picked up?
Look.. I'm just a cave man... by Kid Z	May 3rd, 2007 03:16:14 PM
... your scientists thawed me out and revived me and I went to college, got a film school degree and got a job as an executive at a major broadcast network. Your modern world confuses and frightens me...
Thank you for the spoiler warning.. by Ironmuskrat	May 3rd, 2007 03:17:42 PM
I want to be able to watch the plot unfold without knowing any of the surprises in advance.
How long before one of them says...... by Stuntcock Mike	May 3rd, 2007 03:20:12 PM
DYNOMIIIITE!
Save this show!!! by zer0cool2k2	May 3rd, 2007 03:20:15 PM
Add an arch-nemesis for the Cavemen. Sleestaks, all smooth and Ferrari driving, never ridiculed by humanity, getting the upper management jobs and always getting the girls!
just pillow talk by Stuntcock Mike	May 3rd, 2007 03:22:24 PM
FTB man, FTB.
Holy Marc Storace ! by Blood T Cat	May 3rd, 2007 03:50:12 PM
They should've set it in Ireland, no wait...Prague. Yeah, definitely Prague.
Ernest was a commercial first. by Poisonouskid	May 3rd, 2007 03:57:40 PM
He went on to become a DVD phenomenon.
yea, like this is news by Beerisgood	May 3rd, 2007 04:45:41 PM
Here's an idea for a reality show: ABC, CBS, NBC or FOX picks someone to run their network, pick the shows, etc. I'm sure they could do a hell of a better job than these hacks. p.s. - bring back Small Wonder
Don't the Cavemen represent white males? by Drath	May 3rd, 2007 05:47:03 PM
I thought the joke was that their complaints were based on ego and not an actual discrimination. It kind of ruins the humor if they become a mockery of people who actually are discriminated against as opposed to people who just FEEL discriminated against. Also, I knew this would suck when I heard they weren't getting the same actors. I don't think they needed an origin story--I kind of like that they aren't explained. Also, this reveiw is kind of vague, and the plug for another script sounds like bitter grapes or even an agenda, so I don't know about this one. There are times like this I think they should put pilots on i-tunes and let the word of mouth be the judge.
Huge shame. And why didnt they use the original guys? by Freakemovie	May 3rd, 2007 06:29:35 PM
They totally made the commercials. Every conversation I had about this went like this: Me: They're making a sitcom out of the cavemen. Friend: Sweet! Me: But they're using different actors. Friend: Oh, so it's gonna suck.
Darnnit ! ! ! by Napoleon Park	May 3rd, 2007 07:06:24 PM
So, if this bombed, does this mean that series about the psychic detective who solves crimes by dreaming about Abraham Lincoln, a Talking Beaver and a Man In A Diving Suit won;t get made? Because I was totally hoping for a Kirstie Alley cameo as the ass painted blue. I think she's asstastic!
She's a Chimp, He's the Pope, they solve mysteries by Drath	May 3rd, 2007 08:00:47 PM
See how even rediculous characters can be put into a workable premise?
Shoulda made a "White Chicks" show by Ikaruga	May 3rd, 2007 08:19:46 PM
You know, that movie where those two black guys pretend they're white women?
Just spoke with Kurt Russell by Ashok0	May 3rd, 2007 08:41:21 PM
He said this show sucks.
You Lie. by Gozu	May 3rd, 2007 10:11:53 PM
They didn't really make a show based on a series of unfunny, mildly disturbing commercials that no one likes. It's all a lie, like a Photoshopped Heath Ledger or positive review of Transformers.
I can't even be bothered to slag this series. by kabong	May 3rd, 2007 10:26:14 PM
Hollyweird (appellation for the US TV and movies industry) can't do shit right. Crap concepts crappily executed.
I didn't know they were changing the actors. by CherryValance	May 3rd, 2007 10:53:19 PM
That's terrible. I love the original guys.
Well... by Raphman	May 3rd, 2007 11:05:08 PM
This kills any chance of Erin Esurance of getting a TV show.
The Cavemen show is for... by mrtwig48	May 3rd, 2007 11:06:30 PM
...really old little kids and really old gays.
Now that we're on the subject of Geico......... by Doc_Strange	May 4th, 2007 03:16:42 AM
Just who in the hell is Esteban?
Spoiler? by a rolling stone	May 4th, 2007 03:55:44 AM
How could you spoil this? It spoils itself. There are no golden nuggest to hide or horde. This is a bad idea.
I don't know whether to be disappointed or relieved... by Prof. Pop-Cult	May 4th, 2007 05:51:44 AM
The above poster who said that the pilot should have used the actors from the commercials and formatted in the style of Arrested Development has it right. This concept can't work as a straightforward sitcom.
WTF!?!?!?! by Freefinger	May 4th, 2007 06:36:46 AM
The commercials aren't even funny, it gets a little smile on your face sometimes, but funny.. hell no. Now they're doing this as a SHOW?... WTF!!!! And did Derek Flint call American Dad a lunkhead? Now that show is funny.
ragging on American Dad... by omarthesnake	May 4th, 2007 07:50:18 AM
is just going to make a lot of us question your validity as a critic. It's not great, but it's a solidly entertaining show. And complaining about the cavemen-as-minority-metaphor just shows you never paid attention to what the commercials themselves were actually about (well, other than being about selling car insurance). In the ol' nutshell, you've done nothing to show us we should give a flying flip what you have to say about a show we're likely never going to see.
Am I the ONLY one to think this was a BAD idea? by Red43jes	May 4th, 2007 09:37:55 AM
I just DON'T get it...whats so funny about these commercials? They are just plain dumb. I have NEVER laughed at them. What next? Ronald McDonald replaced Bozo? The "Where's the beef?" lady gets her own sitcom?
And Geico's insurance rates ARE NOT the cheapest! by Red43jes	May 4th, 2007 09:41:14 AM
I ended up going with USAA (I'm military)...hell, before I went to USAA, I had Erie Insurance, after moving to Pa.
This just in by Jor-El23	May 4th, 2007 09:48:44 AM
the sky is blue...stay tuned for more obvious news as it develops.
Unfrozen Caveman Lawyer by Pardon_My_Zinger	May 4th, 2007 12:13:23 PM
The recurring SNL sketch featuring the late, great Phil Hartman - this seems to be what this idea is ripping off. Maybe not the commericals, but the idea for a series. Thankfully, Hartman in his infinite wisdom knew not to expand the sketch beyond the seven minutes or however long they were per show.
"Real Men of Genius" by monster2Bpitied	May 5th, 2007 03:26:37 AM
Coming this fall to ABC.
Go to www.cavemanscrib.com for the original... by chrisd	May 6th, 2007 01:15:31 AM
cavemen. Great!
"Real Men of Genius" - UGGGGGH!!! by Pardon_My_Zinger	May 6th, 2007 10:00:39 AM
I HATE that series of radio spots with the burning intensity of a thousand suns. HATE IT HATE IT HATE IT. Every times one comes on the radio at work, I turn the volume all the way down. And the singing - oh my God, that horrible forth-rate faux bar band quasi-Springsteen crap which we had to deal with during the mid- and late 80's (and this is from someone who generally loves 80's music and culture). Regardless of how bad this Caveman pilot supposedly is, before I heard another one of those radio spots I'd rather watch the pilot. A THOUSAND TIMES.
Cool concept, wrong actors by notmade4tv	Oct 3rd, 2007 12:22:51 PM
It's nothing against the current actors, but the original characters in the commercial did it for me. The commercial would not have been a hit without the actors who portrayed the cavemen characters. Why the hell didn't ABC stay with the same actors. FYI to ABC; if the show fails, then it is your fault. Don't mess with a good thing. KISS, keep it simple stupid. Stay with what works.
Tiny House would have been a better choice by Rskid	Oct 10th, 2007 09:14:54 AM
New reality tv, Geico commercial "Tiny House" has more potential than Cavemen.

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Ugh!! Derek Flint Calls ABC’s Geico CAVEMEN Pilot ‘Astoundingly Awful’!!

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