Saturday 29 December 2018

Bonus: K-9 and Company Out-Takes


Hello, this is a bonus episode featuring extended or deleted conversations from the K-9 and Company episode. Join Jimmy, Martin and Owen as they talk British soap operas, Doctor Who and seeing a former Doctor in a supermarket. Contains some bad language because we're adults and swearing is cool. 

Listen to "Drop The Pilot Podcast" on Spreaker.

Friday 21 December 2018

K-9 and Company (1981)

                               

Martin and Owen of the Extended Edition podcast who also happen to be Doctor Who fans join me to talk about the pilot for K-9 and Company. The spin-off features Sarah Jane Smith teaming up with the Doctor's faithful metal companion, K-9. And it's set at Christmas, so, yay, timing! Link to the pilot on Dailymotion is below...

Listen to "Drop The Pilot Podcast" on Spreaker.
View the pilot on Dailymotion

Friday 7 December 2018

Christmas in Tattertown (1988)


Tysto returns to help me tackle Christmas in Tattertown, a weird animated special that aired on Nickelodeon and was intended to be the pilot to a series set in the titular town. We talk about the animation, the odd character design, the humour and, as it's the season, our favourite Christmas movies and specials.We also answer the age old (well, since 1988) question... is Die Hard a Christmas movie?  Sorry if you are listening to this in July or if you hate Christmas. Next week, a special bonus feature length episode...

Listen to "Drop The Pilot Podcast" on Spreaker.



Friday 30 November 2018

BONUS: Jimmy and Martin Talk Rubbish.


Since it is nearly Christmas, as a gift to you, here are extended conversations from the Pryde of the X-Men episode that would have made the episode itself far too long. Ramblings about 80s cartoons,toys, digital versus hand drawn animation, Hanson and British comics (sorry American listeners).  Plus swear-words that were censored from the original. Safe to say, this episode is not safe for work. Whatever that actually means. Who listens to podcasts or looks at pictures or whatever at work, anyway? Shouldn't you be... you know... working? Old man Jimmy, out!


Listen to "Bonus Episode: Jimmy and Martin Talk Rubbish." on Spreaker.

Friday 23 November 2018

X-Men: Pryde of the X-Men (1989)


In honour of Stan Lee, Martin joins me to discuss the animated pilot to an X-Men series that never happened. It has an Australian Wolverine, Kitty Pryde is nothing more than a damsel in distress and there is a moment where Professor X moves his leg. We discuss two of those things as well as Nightcrawler being creepy and the adding or amplifying powers to suit the story. Enjoy!

Listen to "Drop The Pilot Podcast" on Spreaker.



Saturday 10 November 2018

Drop the Pilot- Peep Show (2005)


Owen returns to talk about the first bizarre attempt at an American version of the Channel 4 sit-com Peep Show. Why bizarre, I hear you ask, well simmer down and I'll tell you. And get out of my head! The Americans, in all their wisdom forgot the "peep" part of the show. Yup, no POV shots here so it's just a generic sit-com. And as the original is one of Owen's favourite shows, he gets a little bit worked up and I get annoyed at just how poorly structured this mess is.

Listen to "Drop The Pilot Podcast" on Spreaker.

Friday 26 October 2018

Drop the Pilot-The Omen (1995)



Boo! For Halloween week, Tysto and I talk about The Omen, a pilot (loosely) based on the 1976 movie. Yeah, there isn't a lost pilot for a Halloween TV series. Anyway, rather than be about a child being primed to be the Antichrist, this version of The Omen tells the shenanigans of a demon that jumps from person to person, like The Hidden (from the same director) or Wes Craven's Shocker. So join us, won't you, as we tear apart a pilot we both actually kind of like...

Listen to "Drop The Pilot Podcast" on Spreaker.


Sunday 30 September 2018

Drop the Pilot- Marlowe (2007)


Martin returns to talk about the rather bland Marlowe, an updated telling of the classic Raymond Chandler character, Philip Marlowe. I try to get through the somewhat complicated plot as quickly as possible... well, we think it's complicated, Martin was ill with the flu and I wasn't really interested in it. Enjoy! Oh, the podcast is now available on Spotify, hooray! 


               


Saturday 22 September 2018

Where's Rodney? (1990)




Or: What the F*** Did I Just Watch? Tysto returns for possibly the final time after this bizarre pilot vehicle for comedian Rodney Dangerfield. A kid, who idolizes Dangerfield can summon him at any time. The real Dangerfield, from anywhere he may be. It's a baffling premise but we have a fun discussion about it. The pilot is available to watch on Dailymotion, only, I'm afraid, the link is below.

Listen to "Drop The Pilot Podcast" on Spreaker.


Pilot on Dailymotion

Friday 14 September 2018

Battletoads (1992)


Owen returns to chat about an animated pilot, Battletoads, based on a video game. A game that Owen has played and that I barely knew existed. We talk about, generally, the extreme laziness of the whole thing from the poor animation to the bored voice actors. Also, S&M outfits and phallic shaped towers in a kid's cartoon. The pilot is available on Youtube, officially by the company that now owns DiC properties (link below).

Listen to "Drop The Pilot Podcast" on Spreaker.


Friday 7 September 2018

Drop the Pilot- Collector's Item (1958)


Tysto is back again to talk about the oldest pilot the podcast has tackled yet. And the first in black and white. It stars Vincent Price as an art gallery owner and Peter Lorre as a forger who work together to... solve crimes? We're not 100% sure, really. The pilot can be found on Youtube in three installments (links below).

Listen to "Drop The Pilot Podcast" on Spreaker.

Part one on Youtube
Part two on Youtube
Part three on Youtube

Monday 6 August 2018

Short Hiatus


Hello listeners, the show is taking August off due to unforeseen circumstances and will return with new episodes in September. Join us then, will you? Hopefully.

Wednesday 25 July 2018

Drop the Pilot-Heat Vision and Jack (1999)

Martin from Extended Edition returns to talk about one of the most famous failed pilots of all time. You'd think this means we are running out of pilots to talk about but nope, still got 100+ of the buggers kicking about the internet. We chat about the usual, the cast, the music, Ben Stiller mugging and I decide that this is it for spoof pilots for now. If not forever.

Listen to "Drop The Pilot Podcast" on Spreaker.
                                 

Thursday 19 July 2018

Clarissa Now (1995)



Jen from the Pilot Inspectors podcast returns to talk about the 1995 pilot Clarissa Now, the proposed CBS sequel to the Nickelodeon show Clarissa Explains It All. We talk about the new setting, the lack of characters from the original and wonder why Clarissa seems to be a different character when this was made just a year after the first show ended. Which is odd, especially considering the same creators are involved.  In a first for this podcast, we have a pilot that my co-host had actually watched when it aired on TV back in 1995.

Listen to "Drop The Pilot Podcast" on Spreaker.

Wednesday 11 July 2018

Baffled (1973) PART TWO

                                                       
Tysto is still here, talking about Baffled and the mystery that has gripped us all will finally be solved... does Tysto finally understand what is going on? Reminder, this thing got a cinema release in the UK in the 70s. It was released on DVD here in 2010. It has probably even aired on TV in the UK over the years too, I'm not sure. It never aired in the US.

Listen to "Drop The Pilot Podcast" on Spreaker.

Wednesday 4 July 2018

Baffled (1973) PART ONE

                                                           
Tysto returns to talk about a pilot with a very apt name, Baffled. Leonard Nimoy stars as a race car driver who receives psychic powers somehow and becomes a paranormal investigator. And this wasn't picked up! This is one of those episodes that we encourage you to watch the pilot first if only to appreciate just how lost in the plot Tysto gets. As this is a feature length pilot, this episode went a little long so will be split into two parts. 

Wednesday 27 June 2018

Drop the Pilot- Star Patrol! (2000)


Martin of the Extended Edition Podcast joins me to talk about the Star Trek spoof Star Patrol which was directed by Johnathan "William Riker" Frakes. We chat about the tired humour, the casting and talk about the practicality of a cast member having fake wings on their back on a weekly basis. We also ramble towards the end because, why not?

Wednesday 20 June 2018

Drop the Pilot- Inner Tube (1987)



David Misch returns to the show to discuss his Muppet TV show pilot directed by Jim Henson that wasn't picked up. A half hour script is reduced to ten minutes of screen time and David tells us why, as well as other amusing anecdotes. Hey, remember a few episodes ago, where I posted a photo of David and Kermit the Frog on this here blog? He talks about his time on that movie, Muppets Take Manhattan too. Enjoy!

Wednesday 13 June 2018

Drop the Pilot- Bunco (1977)


Tysto is back to have a chinwag about the 1977 cop show pilot Bunco starring Robert Urich and a moustache-less Tom Selleck. In an ongoing theme, Tysto and I have varying opinions on this although I don't disagree with him too much. We both agree that these cops are useless, so that's something. Bunco was released on home video in the mid-80s to cash in on Selleck's fame as Magnum. This thing isn't even feature length but it got a videotape release. Check out the very 80s cover that really doesn't go with the show at all. And on Beta!


Wednesday 6 June 2018

The Owl (1991)

John Pavlich  returns to hear me talk about the Tom Holland (Fright Night, Child's Play) directed action pilot The Owl. And probably wishes that he hadn't bothered. There is also a feature length version directed by "Alan Smithee" that was released on home video only in Europe We will be talking mainly about the Tom Holland version that actually aired on US TV but do cite the differences.

Wednesday 30 May 2018

Drop the Pilot- Not Another High School Show (2007)


I am joined by Jen from the Pilot Inspectors podcast to chat about the 2007 spoof sit-com Not Another High School Show. We talk about the jokes, the cast and the shows that the pilot spoofs. Jen also schools me on The O.C. which is what a lot of this show is based on. I watched it for Buffy and Dawson's Creek...  As Jen is new to the show, I try very super-duper hard to keep my Scottish accent in check. I probably fail miserably on occasion but we have a good chat nonetheless. 

Thursday 24 May 2018

Interview With the Co-Writer of Callahan!



On a very special episode of Drop the Pilot, I am joined by David Misch, the co-writer and producer of the subject of last week's episode, Callahan! David was kind enough to join me in a lively chat about how he got started in the business, the leads, the stunts and what he thinks works and doesn't work in the pilot. Links to David's Youtube channel and to his books available on Amazon US are below. Oh, David worked on the script for Muppets Take Manhattan and is credited as a "special consultant". Since I foolishly forgot to mention that in the interview here is a photo of him and Kermit on the set.  







Wednesday 16 May 2018

Drop the Pilot- Callahan. (1982)


My friend Tyso from Tysto Commentaries joins me again to talk about the goofy comedy pilot Callahan from 1982. It stars Jamie Lee Curtis and Ellis from Die Hard before he was Ellis from Die Hard. As a contrast to last week's episode, I actually like the pilot more than my guest does but that isn't actually difficult as Tysto hates this. I think he is being silly and not to be taken seriously, just like the pilot. In all seriousness, I don't think it is that bad... but it certainly does have problems. Next: A very special episode of Drop the Pilot...


Wednesday 9 May 2018

Drop the Pilot-B-Men (1989)


John Pavlich  joins me once again to discuss the actually rather enjoyable action comedy B-Men, written by Dave Thomas and directed by Steve Miner. John likes it slightly more than me but there are worse ways to spend your time. Like watching the Clerks pilot again. Nobody needs to do that. We talk about the music, the casting, the characters and my issues with how one is written. Like Evel Knievel, I love the score to this. Also, like Evel Knievel's kick ass theme, I have included the one to B-Men at the end of this podcast. Enjoy. Next episode, an early 80s pilot that surprisingly starred someone who was actually a movie star at the time...



Thursday 3 May 2018

Drop the Pilot-Clerks (1995)



Part-time Youtuber and Kevin Smith fan, Owen Ward joins me to discus the baffling Kevin Smith-less sit-com pilot Clerks from 1995. We talk about the cast, the "humour" and basically just ponder, why? Oh, spoilers, it is not very good but we have a fun chat about it, so we hope you enjoy. Bonus bit of trivia I forgot to mention on the podcast, the end credits song is Soul Asylum's Can't Even Tell from the movie. The Kevin Smith directed music video features the cast from the film and thankfully not from this thing. I've linked to it below. This podcast contains mild foul language as I describe characters as part of the male anatomy. A lot. Oh and I state that I worked in a video store in the 90s. Which is false, it was the early 2000s. Fake News! Next episode: a pilot based on an original premise. A novelty, that, on this podcast...


Wednesday 25 April 2018

Drop the Pilot- The Robinsons: Lost In Space (2004)

 

My buddy Tysto, from Tysto Commentaries joins me again to celebrate the release of a new Lost in Space show on Netflix. Which only one of us have actually watched. However, we did both watch a 2004 pilot directed by John Woo. We talk about how it compares to the original show (which Tysto has seen more of than me) and the 1998 film (which he hasn't seen, but I have), I say catcher's matt instead of mitt and we wonder just where the heck Dr. Smith is. We've looked everywhere, even under the bed, he ain't there. . The pilot is available on Youtube and only in 5 parts, which is a tad annoying, sorry.



Pilot on Youtube (part one)
Pilot on Youtube (part two)
Pilot on Youtube (part three)
Pilot on Youtube (part four)
Pilot on Youtube (part five)

Wednesday 4 April 2018

Drop the Pilot- Tag Team (1991)


Professional magician and wrestling fan Leigh Milne joins me to chat about the actually not bad action comedy drama pilot Tag Team. It stars Jesse Ventura and Roddy Piper as disgraced wrestlers who decide to become police officers. We talk about the likability of the stars, why the show was cancelled and ponder what happened to the dogs. Warning: contains not one but TWO genuine Scottish accents. We try our very best to reign them in. Oh and this episode was plagued by audio problems. I have fixed them but there may still be a rustling sound on occasion as Leigh was using his phone to talk to me.

Bonus gifs-


Wednesday 21 March 2018

Drop the Pilot- Evel Knievel (1974)

Screen grab colour corrected by Tysto

My pal Tysto from Tysto Commentaries joins me again to chat about the 1974 unsold pilot based on the 1971 movie based on the life of stunt performer extraordinaire Evel Knievel. A young Sam Elliott stars and we discuss the lack of anything really happening, the badass theme tune and what the show could have been if it had continued. Cancelled after a few episodes, probably. Enjoy!



Saturday 17 March 2018

Wish Last Part Deux: 90s-Present

Oh No, Not THEM! (1990)


The Holy Grail of unsold pilots. This is the US version of classic British show The Young Ones but instead of 4 students, it only has 3 and sees Nigel Planer return as Neil. Nothing exists of this online apart from an opening sequence. There are no other clips or even photos but I want to see it so bad. It also has Jackie Earle Haley in it.

The Bakery (1990)
A pilot that follows a police precinct located in an abandoned bakery though three different time periods, the 60s, the 90s and 2000. The show would concentrate on race relations, obviously with the 60s but by 2000, white people are a minority group in L.A.

NYPD Mounted (1991)
A few years before NYPD Blue, Dennis Franz starred in this as a grumpy New York cop who is transferred to the Mounted Police. It's funny because he can't ride a horse!

Just Deserts (1992)
The pilot that mis-spells "desserts", this is about a demon that looks like Joel Grey who runs a hotel. The show would be an anthology type show in which certain guests would get their comeuppance for whatever reason. The pilot saw a sexist man wake up to discover that he has become a woman himself.

LAX 2194 (1994)

Or "The One That Almost Cost Matthew Perry His Role On Friends". This show is set in the future and stars Ryan Stiles as a weird accented robot. Directed by the Russo brothers who directed a bunch of MCU movies. 

Keys (1994)
A few years before they starred in CSI together, Marge Helgenberger and Gary Dourdan appeared in this. It tells the tale of a female investigator who returns home when a crime against a family reflects something that happened to her in the past.

The Prosecutors (1996)
The lives of three female prosecutors including one in a wheelchair played by Stockard Channing. From the clips I saw, Channing's character is pretty un-PC, which is probably why the show didn't get picked up. And why I want to see it.

Gotham (2012)
Fantasy show in which a female cop finds a magical world within New York. Don't know much about it but I do wonder what would have happened with the Batman origins show that would appear two years later.

The Vatican (2013)
Ridley Scott directed pliot that would have aired on Showtime. It follows Kyle Chandler as a progressive Cardinal from New York. Controversial before it was even shot, this was ditched and never aired.

Beverly Hills Cop (2013)

Another highly sought after pilot for me. This follows the son of Axel Foley who, to try to get out of the shadow of his dad in Detroit, transfers to Beverly Hills. Because, obviously that makes sense. Includes a cameo by Eddie Murphy and directed by Barry Sonnenfeld. I can only find behind the scenes photos of this thing (like the one above) but I want to see it, big time.


There are surely more and I am discovering new unsold pilots all the time so another part of this wish list may appear at some point.









Monday 12 March 2018

Wish List Part One: 70s/80s

A list of pilots that I just can't find anywhere but would really like to cover.


Fuzz Brothers (1973)


Louis Gossett Jr. and Felton Perry play police officer brothers who fight crime in a run down section of Los Angeles. Gossett Jr. actually has hair in this. HAIR!


The Orphan and the Dude (1975)

An odd couple, one black (Art Evens), the other white (Oliver Clark) share an apartment in L.A in this sit-com. Directed by James Frawly who went on to direct The Muppet Movie (1979)

The Ultimate Impostor (1979)
A spy has his memory wiped clean by the enemy so his boss puts him forward for an experiment in which information can be uploaded to his brain. This makes him learn absolutely anything in 11 minutes although he can only keep the info for 72 hours.

The Orson Welles Show (1979)

Talk show hosted by the screen legend where he interviews Burt Reynolds and the show has taped segments starring The Muppets. I have to see this. I mean, come on, now!

A Dog's Life (1979)

From the creator of All in the Family and The Jeffersons, this sitcom told life through a dog's perspective. And yes, as you can see from the photo, it does have grown up human beings dressed as canines to play the lead characters.

Ethel is an Elephant (1980) 
A sit-com in which a photographer shares his home with an abandoned cirus elephant. No, the elephant doesn't talk. This pilot was directed by John "Gomez Adams/father of Sean" Astin.

Ghost of a Chance (1980)
Shelley Long stars in this sit-com as a newlywed who gets visited by the ghost of her dead ex-husband.

Wishman (1983)
A drama in which a Doctor working in a lab decides to free a genetic experiment and take it home much to the chagrin of his wife, played by Linda Hamilton. I mean, look at that thing above, that is supposed to cute, it is terrifying. Also directed by James Frawley, this time after The Muppet Movie so he has no excuse.

Jake's Journey (1988)
Monty Python's Graham Chapman created, co-wrote and stars in this family comedy in which a modern day teenager is transported to an odd medieval past and is helped by a knight. This was the last role for Chapman and the last directorial project by Hal Ashby. They died in 1989 and 1988 respectively. The cast is full of UK talent like Rik Mayall, Peter Cook, Alexi Sayle, Griff Rhys Jones, Tony Slattery and Gabrielle Anwar.

Tarzan In Manhattan (1989)


Tarzan travels to New York to save his captured friend, Cheetah where he meets Jane, a cab driver. The star, Joe Lara also starred as Tarzan in an unrelated TV series in 1996. 



Wednesday 7 March 2018

Drop the Pilot- Fearless (2004)


John Pavlich returns to chat about the not entirely awful proposed WB series from 2004, Fearless. Based on the book series by the writer of Sweet Valley High this action drama tells the story of an FBI agent who doesn't have the fear gene. We talk about the cast, the coolness of the actual concept and how they are doing it wrong and contemplate why the show was pulled. You see, it was actually advertised on TV and on DVD releases of other shows (Smallville), had an actual day it was supposed to air and genuine cast photos like the one above. Better than the snapshots from VHS rips, like other shows I've covered, eh? Don't worry, that will return next time..... Oh, by the way, on top of the many things I probably get wrong in this episode, the most important one is me stating that the show is based on the spin-off of the books. Those books, Fearless FBI do exist but were published after this show would have aired, so they may actually have been more of a tie-in. Oopsie.

Saturday 24 February 2018

Drop the Pilot- Alligator Point (2003)


Tysto from Tysto Commentaries joins me again to discuss the show Nathan Fillion did for pilot season right after Firefly's untimely cancellation. We talk about the cast, the unfunny dialogue and the second attempt at the pilot six years later.We also discuss "will they, won't they" plots in shows such as Castle, Cheers and Moonlighting and small tangents spawn from that.  Tysto likes this more than me but we both think it is nobody's loss that it didn't get picked up. Apologies for the dodgy sound on this episode, hopefully it will be fixed for next time.  


Sunday 11 February 2018

Drop the Pilot- Red Dwarf USA (1992)




Martin Lejeune and Owen Ward from the Extended Edition podcast join me to discuss the two attempts at bringing classic British sit-com Red Dwarf to the US. We talk about the odd casting of Lister, the perils of adapting an existing show but not changing much and wonder if Rimmer is supposed to actually be a character in this or not.

Saturday 3 February 2018

Drop the Pilot- Coming to America (1989)




Eddie Murphy produces but smartly does not appear in this pilot that aired a year after the film was released. Join Tysto from Tysto Commentaries and myself as we talk about this bafflingly unfunny show. We discuss the comedy stylings of star Tommy Davidson, the now dated pop culture references and Tysto helpfully keeps telling me what other projects the cast members have done before and since. 

Saturday 27 January 2018

Drop the Pilot-Revenge of the Nerds (1991)


Join me and John Pavlich from the Sofa Dogs Podcast as we dive into the murky world of sitcoms based on hit movies. We discuss just how baffling this pilot is and ponder who is it aimed at while John is a lot kinder than I am on certain cast members. We both agree that Robbie Rist was absolutely the wrong choice for Booger, though, spoilers. This was my first attempt at my own podcast and I hadn't mastered editing yet, so this may be a bit rough sounding for some.


The Labyrinth (1986) Problem

 We're back, happy 2024! Jimmy and Jen ring in the New Year with a discussion on a childhood fave of the former. Is it a whimsical fanta...