Cavemen

When I first saw the Geico commercials, I was floored by the quality of their writing and acting. When I heard they were being made into a sitcom I was very happy and filled with anticipation, unlike most everyone else. The public seemed bound and determined to hate this series before even seeing the first episode. Their reviews seem to be based on their preconceptions and not on what they actually saw.

What I saw left me ambivalent at first, but ultimately satisfied. The great news is, it's just like the commercial. In this case, that's a very good thing. The hipness and sardonic humor are all still there. I'll go out on a limb and say that this is better writing than the normal sitcom audience can appreciate. The actors pulled off their lines as beautifully as the commercial's actors.

The show comes with problems that will initially hamper it. The first episode we saw was obviously not the pilot, so we got no introductory development. It's going to be hard to tell these guys apart, but we'll get used to them over time. The stress these characters radiate in their struggle to cope with homo sapiens culture make them hard to warm up to. Especially Nick, who has a real chip on his shoulder (though this allows him to have the shows most bitingly cynical lines). And dare I say that the dry humor is too subtle and sophisticated to allow the series to succeed? Will enough people appreciate it? I doubt it.

Then there's the question of whether this series is really a parable about racial tensions and stereotyping. Its creators went to lengths to deny it, but its scenario makes it almost inevitable. Frankly, I think I saw some of it in the first episode. I sensed that the writers were ambivalent about whether to go in this direction and take on the issue. Their uncertainty came through in the script. We'll have to wait and see what they decided to do.

This series looks like it will fulfill my hopes, though everyone else seems to wish it would just go away. I'm already anticipating buying it on DVD when it's cancelled. If you people don't want it, then I'll gladly take it. Future generations will know that I knew a good thing when I saw it.

For comedy it wasn't funny. Perhaps I was unable to relate to it. I just don't get it.

Plot Premise: A group of cavemen who are modernized and live amongst us but feel racial prejudice or pressure from society. Although i doubt it is that deep nor witty enough to encapsulate the above theme. The best guess would be a statement on black and white relations in the United States in a non controversial medium - the cavemen?? 3 brothers or friends live together each with radically different personalities and interests. They try to venture out in modern society and comment on or experience disastrously the modern society as modern cavemen in which the comedic outcomes only reinforce societies' stereotypes. The main character tries to engage the homo-sapient (white?) world with a regular love interest but is chastised as an uncle tom with the same comedic outcome from his efforts.

Nothing good to say about it.

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.

Geico commercials using the Cavemen were funny in the beginning. Actually, only the Duck with Mango Sauce spot was funny. Now they're tired & really not funny. Same with the show. The pilot seemed like the 7th episode. We assume that Cavemen live & breathe among us which eliminates any humor. There was no introduction to why they are here. I really think the script was well-written though, but maybe for the 7th episode. It was funny that "Wikipedia" was under construction. If Joe Lawson wrote the script, he belongs in Hollywood. It was very inside, insightful and well written. But any mystery or drama associated with Cavemen living amongst us was not there. The problem is that they made humans so sterile to accepting the Cavemen that it falls flat. Because there are no bad guys or conflicts in the comedy, it just won't work. They may not be walking upright in the near future. Just my thoughts for what they're worth.

OK, my wife doesn't get the Geico commercials. She just doesn't see the humor in them. I, on the other hand, find them hilarious.

This show will garner the same response. I liked how it kept to the dry humor and urban sophistication of the commercials; but I am sure some will find it slow and unfunny. That's too bad, as TV could use a few more comedies that aren't gag-dependent. I enjoyed how no one questions the existence of cavemen in modern times, and how the are the target of prejudice but for no real reason. Each caveman is a unique character and functions in modern society better than the "saps" (homo sapiens).

I will be sad if this show doesn't survive, I for one will watch it ever week and if the series maintains the entertainment level of the first show than I am really looking forward to it. However, I get the feeling this one won't survive, which will be a shame...