Adam and I are back for the SECOND time this month! You see, we’ve got a long list of shows to cover, and there are only 12 months in a year. So, if we’re gonna gain some traction, we’re going to have to move to a twice-monthly schedule to get all of our ideas out. Now, here’s how things are going to go: Our main episode every month will be what you’re already used to, where we discuss a show that we feel hasn’t gotten enough attention in popular culture. Our second episode, however, will sort of cover a range of different topics and themes. Initially, we’re going to focus on TV pilots that weren’t picked up for one reason or another.
If you’re not familiar with the concept of a TV pilot, it’s where networks place an order for a studio to create a “proof of concept” episode of a proposed series. In many cases, the cast, character names, and sets will differ from what audiences might see if the show is ordered to series by the network. There was a time when networks would air these things once, just to test the waters, and then the tapes would be thrown into a vault in Burbank somewhere. Thanks to the internet, however, we now have access to many of those, as well as some that have never seen the light of day. That’s the case with this first outing, as we discuss a 1986 sitcom from the creators of Fox’s Married…with Children, called She’s With Me.
She’s With Me was a starring vehicle for actress Dinah Manoff (Empty Nest) and model Jerry Hall (Batman), as something of an 80s interpretation of Laverne & Shirley. Manoff’s Edie is a mousy, 30 year old recent divorcée, who sells makeup door to door in NYC. One day, she knocks on the door of Maris, played by Hall, who’s a gorgeous model going through relationship trouble with her rock star boyfriend – the same rock star with whom Edie happens to be obsessed. It’s a comedy of errors, as Edie goes over to “help” Maris break up with him, with designs to take him for herself. In all the chaos, a new friendship is formed. Maris is used to “Pretty Privilege”, so she’s not used to people being honest and direct with her, and she appreciates meeting someone like Edie, who has no problem telling it like it is. Meanwhile, Edie is surprised to learn that gorgeous peoples’ lives aren’t as perfect as one might think. It’s a really tight pilot, so you really have to wonder why the networks passed on it at the time. Plus, you’ve got to wonder what the ramifications might have been had the show been picked up to series. And that’s exactly what we talk about! So, check it out here, or wherever you get your podcasts!
