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.

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...