The TV Zone

"Cavemen:" Is there more idiotic idea in the recent history of television
than this show? Three hairy guys, Joel, Nick and Andy, who have trouble scoring dates in a sitcom (no laugh track – this isn’t a Fox show, after all) which was directly inspired by a commercial?

There is, in fact, a more idiotic idea - CBS's "Viva Laughlin," but that's another blog.

Because of the breathtaking inanity of this series, I was drawn to the session on Wednesday's press tour. I had to hear what the creators – some of whom had also written and directed the inspired commercials - had to say. Had to understand why this was on ABC's schedule, and whether the business of TV entertainment was as bankrupt as I'm pretty convinced it is.

I'm happy to say, I was pleasantly surprised. The creators of the show pushing this nonsense seem like pretty nice guys (hey, a pay check's a paycheck.) They've clearly tried to think this idea out, and justify its existence. I liked the actors, too - especially Nick Kroll, who plays a cavie named "Nick." Kroll’s a New York-based actor/author (he co-wrote "Bar Mitzvah Disco: The Music May Have Stopped But the Party’s Never Over") and is clearly bright enough to know how ridiculous all this must look

. He probably had the best quips of anyone on the entire press tour. (Said one critic, getting ready to ask a question, "I hate to beat a dead horse..."

Said Nick, "That's episode two..." )

Maybe Kroll should write the show.

The creators were all on hand: Bill Martin, Mike Schiff, Will Speck, Josh
Gordon, and Joe Lawson. (Lawson, Martin and Schiff are seasoned TV pros, having worked on shows like “3rd Rock from the Sun”). Like all TV creators, they're articulate, thoughtful and even erudite - and then you stop to realize, "Good God, they're talking about a caveman sitcom."

Gordon: "You know, history is written by the winners, and clearly homo Sapiens have portrayed cavemen as losers in the genetic battle as stupid and unevolved..."

(I plead guilty.)

Speck: "We knew we'd be under a lot of scrutiny but I think it just makes
our job a little harder. I think we all believe in this as a show as a platform
to sort of speak about a fish out of water experience, or what it feels like
to want to belong to something and to feel misunderstood. When we were
making the commercials [that's right, the guys who made the terrific
commercials are making the terrifically silly show too] we just felt like there were
more stories to tell. It starts in the purest place, which is for us feeling
like there's love and affection for these characters..."

(Thank God, someone will).

Schiff: "Unfortunately, in our society, if you pick an offensive stereotype
of any kind, it's going to bump into some ethnic group...If there were cavemen
in our world and people were, as they would likely be, be looking down on
them, what would be the things you would associate with the cavemen? You know,
thick-headed, primal, not as sophisticated or cultured as us..."

(Sophistocated or as cultured as WHOM?)

They also insisted this wouldn't be about race relations - even though they (or
ABC) decided to set it in Atlanta, the heart of the old South.

This bad boy from GEICO does not appear in series.

Other questions that were answered:

- How long does it take to put on the makeup? Three hours (longer for body hair.)

- Does GEICO have any role? No creative or commercial involvement.

- Are there cavewomen? They'll show up by episode five.

- Are there gay cavemen? Yes, but apparently no African American or Asian
cavemen.

- Will they reference other cavemen, like the unfrozen caveman lawyer? Yes, and they’re bugged by cultural touchstones like “The Flintstones.” .

- Why aren’t the guys in the GEICO commercials in the show? They've got other
gigs.

-Why don’t they shave? Cavies hate other cavies that shave, and call them “shavers.”

Finally, let's give the last word to the very funny Kroll (and in the unlikely event this show succeeds, he’ll be a key reason):

A critic was joking about how the characters in fact look a little bit more like Neanderthals rather than the Cro-Magnons they are supposed to represent.
Said the critic, "Given this failure..."

Said Kroll: "FINALLY, finally, someone is saying it...!!!!"

Sartorially challenged cavemen, from BBC series, "Walking with Cavemen." No role in ABC series.