Cavemen

No points for mind-blowing originality, but at least this show is a fresh take on current trends in society. "Cavemen" reminds me a lot of "Friends", only written for the audiences of 2007, not 1997. I'm sick and tired of all the cookie-cutter sitcoms these days, which usually fall into one of two categories. Either they're rehashes of the family-based comedy (Everybody Loves Raymond, Full House - you get the point), or they try to be so incredibly original that you can barely understand them (like It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia). It's nice to see a well-enough executed show that isn't trying to be too hip, or sharp and cynically witty, without being too cute for its own good. I think "Cavemen" will grow on people, mostly because it highlights the funniest parts of their own experiences.

Last month, A co-worker of mine was watching this show on his computer during a lunch break. I remember hearing that it was one of the worst shows ever. However, it started becoming a daily thing during our lunch hour to watch an episode of "Cavemen". I found it to be quite humorous. It's seems as if you need to be halfway intelligent to understand the whole meaning of it, which is most likely why ABC had to can it. The characters are all very likable, and the storyline is pretty funny. You see, the average U.S citizen found the commercials commercials to be funny because they were short, and easy to understand. But when screen writers got together and created a show, it had to be more complex, and vivid. This show was simply never given a fair chance.

Every new fall line-up show deserves, at least, my "3 strikes and you're out" policy. I give a comedy 3 chances to make me laugh, that is, 3 complete episodes. After Episode 1, I actually said to the TV,"Cancelled tomorrow". It was that bad. I have now watched the first 4 episodes of "Cavemen" and have yet to manage even a smirk. Not a titter, a guffaw, a chortle, as a matter of fact, no facial movement at all. I will continue to punish myself by watching every future episode because I am convinced that I am clearly missing something in this show. I'm simply not "getting" it, but I believe that a comedy on a major TV network in prime-time, just HAS to be funny; but there are no laughs from me YET. There's just no way that ABC would put on the least funniest comedy of all time at 8:00 p.m. I KNOW there has got to be an inside joke that just isn't jiving with my brain. I've read each of the previous comments, I "get" the social aspect of it, but, WHERE ARE THE JOKES ???? I shall continue suffering for at least 30 minutes a week, until I have a light-bulb moment and smack myself in the head shouting "Eureka".

When I first heard of this show coming out, I was actually looking forward to it. I knew I had to watch it with an open mind, which I did last night. It wasn't roll on the floor funny, but I had a few chuckles. I can see this show struggling for a bit before finding a comfortable funny format. I am going to give this show a chance for the first season. If after that I still feel 5/10 about it, I'll stop watching.

So, yeah, the first episode was nothing to write home about, but everyone should check out this series at least once. The plot of the pilot was actually a decent story.

Overall response, I'm still neutral on it. The show can still prove bad and it can still prove good.

So why does this show suck? Unfortunately, that really is the only question, because there is no doubt that it does.

For those unfamiliar with the premise of the show, the doomed-to-be-shortlived series Cavemen focuses on a number of Neanderthals and their struggle to exist in modern day America and is based on the characters featured in a series of television ads for Geico Insurance. The concept is solid and there is every reason to think it could be executed successfully.

I had to think about it for awhile, but then the tagline from the commercials -- something to the effect of "We're not that much different from you" provided me with the key to the show's suckiness. Even though cavemen/Neanderthals are actually a different species than humanity, the title characters of this show, it turns out, are exactly the same as those of us who are boring jerks.

Maybe its my background as a game writer -- rather than a soulless, hack, committee-based writer from California -- but this show had so much potential, and none of it has been realized. To start with, the producers should have focused on the fun things that would make cavemen different from us.

What could conceivably be funny, for example, about giving them occupations like perpetual grad student and furniture store clerk, when they would have more compellingly been drawn to things like subterranean utility workers and guides at cave parks? Why would they play prosaic games like squash, when a whole episode could be devoted to them trying get hunting licenses to go after game with spears? A show like this could write itself, and it takes some willfully bad writing to make it quite so crappy and boring.

Another tiresome aspect of this show is an attempt to portray the cavemen as being subjected to a number of stereotypes associated with various human minorities. Yawn! This has been done so many times before, and never more drearily than this. And, as noted previously, Neanderthals really are a different species, so using them as a metaphor for racial stereotyping is both uncompelling and off the mark.

Responses are welcome, including those from anyone who wants to tell me why I'm wrong. I'd like to enjoy this show and am just sorry that I have thus far been unable to.

Michael J. Varhola, Skirmisher Online Gaming Magazine