Adventures in Babysitting

I watched this Pilot for the Un-Made series when it originally aired and I liked it then. Luckily I was smart enough to tape it so I watched it recently and I have to say I still think it was pretty good, for being a spin-off of an unforgettable movie starring Elizabeth Shue. It would have been a good television series in my opinion. Would have been better if Elizabeth Shue reprised her role. But oh well. If you like the movie, then you should like the TV Show Pilot.

I just found this pilot episode of an unsold TV series on YouTube and before watching it I couldn't help but think that although I liked the movie, I just couldn't see how or why they'd try to make a television show about it.

The first thing I noticed as I watched, and it didn't surprise me, is that the show is really NOT all that much like the movie. There is the ubiquitous laugh track AND the show plays like just another sit-com...things that make it totally like the sweet movie. The characters were more shrill (particularly the supposedly cute little girl) and subtle this show wasn't. It's so different that I really wish they'd not bothered naming it after "Adventures in Babysitting" and just made an original story.

So, despite all this, was it worth seeing and would it have made a good series? Not really. While the show is passable entertainment, you can't help but think how strange and contrived it would be if EVERY episode the kids got lost with their babysitters. Additionally, the show seemed to have limited appeal...like a Disney Channel show...and adults would have found the humor tedious.

Pilot pretty much goes like this: Chris comes over to babysit the two kids, goes to convenience store to visit semi heavyset friend, store gets robbed, Daryl is inside one of those vending machines/games with the robot arms that's supposed to grab a stuffed animal...they escape through the sewers (can't remember exactly how) have to run up a little ramp and eventually make their way back home, safe and sound. I remember watching this repeatedly when I was eight (I had taped it because it aired one night before Tracey Ullman) Reasons why I don't think this show would've worked:

1. Writers would've had to keep coming up with reasons for the parents to be gone for an entire evening. 2. Writers would've had to keep thinking of "adventures" for Chris and the kids (and I assume Daryl as well as Chris's best friend) to get into. 3. Can't exactly re-use anything but the living room set (unless a lot of action goes on in the convenience store...or, I guess, the sewer?). 4. This seemed brilliant when I was a kid, probably would seem ridiculous if I watched it now.

Still...would've been interesting to see how it might've gone.

I still remember this pilot as totally capturing the spirit of the movie. It was VERY good and a disappointment that it was passed over as a regular series. I would have loved following her adventures weekly. Sitcoms today are pretty much all about sex without telling a truly decent and interesting story. The idea that AIB could cram in a wacky new tale in 22 minutes every week would have been promising because the writers would have to work really hard.

Replacing Elisabeth Shue would have been hard but the actress they used was decent enough. I would like to have heard the Networks reason for passing on this. It's ten times better than the junk they have on today like BIG BANK THEORY.