I have a friend who loves the cavemen from the Geico commercials. The ad seems to be on all the time. It features cavemen (they look like rejects from the defunct TV series, “Land of the Lost”) who appear insulted by a Geico pitchman’s claim that the company’s website is so easy to use that “even a caveman can do it.” My friend used the line the other night when I asked him if he could help me reconfigure a program on my computer. “Of course,” he said, my request was so easy “even a caveman could do it.” (Silly me for not realizing cavemen were computer savvy.)
If you are like my friend and can’t get enough of the Gieco cavemen I have good news for you. Last week ABC announced it ordered a pilot for a comedy starring the Gieco cavemen. Its tentative title is: “Cavemen.” (How creative.)
According to show producers, the pilot will feature the cavemen as the “struggle with prejudice on a daily basis as they strive to live the lives of normal thirty-somethings in 2007 Atlanta.”
Studio executives say that the advertising copywriter who helped create the original Gieco ads will be responsible for writing the pilot. The pilot will then compete with others for a regular spot on air. It’s important to note that the pilot itself doesn’t guarantee a show will make it on a network’s line up. In fact, the majority of pilots don’t make it out of network execs’ viewing rooms.
I’m not a network bigwig with a crystal ball, and who knows, I may eventually regret saying this, but here goes… I think the odds are stacked against this pilot becoming a series. Why? It’s unusual for characters from an advertising campaign to segue into mainstream TV, though it’s not unprecedented. Remember the CBS comedy “Baby Bob?” The series featured a talking baby that had been used in several commercials, including ones for Quiznos—-the show bombed in its first season.
Touchstone Television is producing the “Cavemen” pilot. I suppose only time will tell if it gets the green light to go from pilot to series.
Naturally, my friend is keeping his fingers crossed, hoping to see more cavemen on TV.
I’m not.
How about you?
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