“Eagleheart,” a loose, inspired parody of “Walker Texas Ranger,” is the best original live-action series The Cartoon Network has produced, and comes darn close – rivaling even “The Venture Bros.” and “Lucy, Daughter of the Devil” -- to being the channel’s funniest original series of any stripe.
Its pilot, airing 11:59 p.m. Thursday night, comes from Conan O’Brien’s production company and was scripted by Michael Koman and Andrew Weinberg, veterans of “Saturday Night Live,” “The Colbert Report,” “Important Things With Demetri Martin” and “Late Night With Conan O’Brien.”
The new series stars Chris Elliott, who worked for O'Brien's "Late Night" predecessor David Letterman for years, first as a writer-performer on "Late Night" and later as a supporting player on Worldwide Pants' "Everybody Loves Raymond." This marks Elliott's first lead role in a sitcom since the 1990-1992 Fox series "Get A Life."
“Eagleheart” could be the funniest thing Elliott’s been involved with since “Groundhog Day.”
In tonight’s installment, “Get Worse Soon,” his lawman character goes to hilariously extraordinary lengths to avenge the deaths of some former partners.
Next week’s episode, “Creeps,” may or may not have inspired SNL’s latest digital short:
The project mutated a great deal on its way to the small screen. Here’s how the Hollywood Reporter described it in 2009:
… centers on a low-level television executive sent to Texas to produce the action series "Eagleheart." He finds himself stuck in a never-ending power struggle with his temperamental star/creator/exec producer (Elliott), a veteran action star past his prime who uses the show as a soapbox for his right-wing politics and conservative paranoia.
That show was shot last year but it’s NOT the final product that arrives tonight. There is no television executive, and Elliot does not play an actor. All we get to see is what was originally to be the show within the show.
I'm sorry to learn the backstage elements have been excised, but I must say what survives is wholly DVR worthy.
11:59 p.m. Thursday. The Cartoon Network.
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