Pilot (The Drew Carey Show)
"Pilot" | |
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The Drew Carey Show episode | |
Episode no. | Season 1 Episode 1 |
Directed by | Michael Lessac |
Written by | |
Production code | 475095 |
Original air date | September 13, 1995 |
Guest appearances | |
| |
"Pilot" is the
The pilot was written by series co-creators Carey and
Plot
The episode opens with
Later at the Warsaw Tavern, Drew is hanging out with his friends when Mimi walks in and confronts him. Drew talks to her honestly about why she did not get the job, telling her that her attitude is the problem and she has to deal with the fact that her looks might stop her from getting some jobs. Mimi does not like Drew's advice and leaves the bar. Needing to fill the cosmetics position quickly, Drew believes he has found an ideal candidate in Natalie (Natasha Silver) until Kate turns up to apply for the job. Drew admits that he is worried that Kate will hate him if he has to fire her. However, Mr. Bell insists Drew hire Kate, having seen her in the lobby and Drew agrees. Kate later comes to Drew's house to ask him, Lewis and Oswald, which perfume samples to promote. The episode ends with Drew playing pool in his garden in the rain, while the others watch through the window.
Production
Conception and writing
"It's a weird feeling, doing a television pilot. Especially if you're the star and co-creator like I was. It's like it's all on your head if it fails. I felt like if it failed, Bruce Helford (who I wrote it with) would get another writing job with no problem, but what would happen to me?"[1]
—Carey on his fears that the pilot would not sell.
Drew Carey and Bruce Helford co-created The Drew Carey Show.[2] Having worked together twice before on The Good Life and Someone Like Me, Carey joined up with Helford and told him he wanted to develop his own show.[3] They each came up with various ideas and created The Drew Carey Show.[3] Carey later told a group of television critics at the network launch that the series was originally going to be called The Drew F...ing Carey Show, saying "We were going to call it The Drew F. Carey Show and see if anybody at home could figure it out!"[4]
The show revolved around the life Carey would have lived if he had not become a stand-up comedian. Carey told Helford that he thought he would have been employed in a mid-level management job, which was a relatable job for most Americans at the time.[5] Carey wanted a show that was about regular people.[5] He also wanted to set the show in Cleveland as it was his hometown and it was not getting a lot of attention.[5] Carey and Helford drove to the city together in January 1995 to do some research.[2] They toured the local bars to try to get the right look for the show's bar the Warsaw Tavern. Carey and Helford also heard the song "Moon Over Parma" in one of the bars and it was used during the title sequence.[6]
Carey and Helford co-wrote the pilot episode together.
Casting
Carey plays a fictionalized version of himself. Drew is an assistant director of personnel at the Winfred-Lauder department store.[9] Carey explained "I wanted a white-collar job with no authority and a bad boss. Someone to do all the work and get no credit. He could've worked in a bank, in insurance."[9] Carey said it was "a no-brainer" on settling on the character, saying "It's just me."[9] While Christa Miller was trying out for the role of Drew's close friend Kate O'Brien, ABC thought she might be too inexperienced for the role and they asked to see her appearance in the Seinfeld episode "The Doodle". The episode had yet to be aired and Miller had to beg the show's co-creator Larry David for a rough cut to show to ABC.[5] Miller went on to secure the role of Kate and Helford considered her to be the only person right for the role.[5]
The role of Mimi Bobeck went to
Filming
The pilot was shot in April 1995 and directed by
Reception
The episode finished joint 29th among 108 prime-time shows in the
"Pilot" received mixed reviews from television critics. Ray Richmond from the Los Angeles Daily News branded the show a "Friends clone", but praised Carey, calling him "the season's quirkiest, most uproarious talent".[22] He also thought that he was "immensely lovable".[22] Richmond added "The pilot never quite clicks, but you can feel the potential. And spread inside an Ellen/Grace Under Fire sandwich, it'll be difficult for it to miss."[22] Lon Grahnke from the Chicago Sun-Times thought the show would be a "probable hit" based on the "Pilot".[23] He also observed that the show is "a Cleveland variation of Friends, and thought the early time slot was a turn off, as it required the language to be toned-down.[23] David Zurawik from The Baltimore Sun awarded the episode a C+ and branded it "a blue-collar Friends.[24]
The Boston Globe's Frederic M. Biddle gave the episode one and a half stars and commented "Carey always keeps you watching, although he's always threatening to be funnier than he is. But more than any other Friends ripoff, this show's supporting actors slow down the central character – they're set decoration. Comic scenes involving the full cast build, then trip over themselves."[25] Alan Pergament, writing for The Buffalo News, included The Drew Carey Show in his Top 10 new shows, noting "Carey is a lovable goof and his male buddy show has the chance of becoming the male version of Designing Women."[26] Pergament cited the lack of prominent female characters and "a reliance on too many risque-language jokes" as the weaknesses of the show.[27] The Washington Post's Tom Shales found the episode funny, adding "The Drew Carey Show bucks all the prevailing sitcom trends and does it endearingly."[28]
Tony Scott, a critic for Variety, thought the characters were "amiable enough", but they needed "sharper dialogue and fresher observations."[16] Scott did not think the carpool segment worked, but he liked the opening sequence in the bar. He also praised Lessac's direction, calling it "inventive".[16] Peter Weiniger from The Age was prepared to give the series a chance based on the episode, saying "Like most American sitcoms, The Drew Carey Show has its share of snappy one-liners but it gives the impression of trying a little too hard. To be fair, this is the first of a series, and we have yet to see the characters develop. Even Seinfeld took a little time to become essential viewing."[29]
References
- ^ Carey, p.152
- ^ a b c Pierce, Scott D. (September 27, 1995). "Drew Carey is quite happy with his television 'marriage'". Deseret News. Retrieved December 26, 2013.
- ^ a b Harris, Will (July 17, 2012). "Drew Carey remembers when The Tonight Show really meant something". The A.V. Club. Retrieved December 27, 2013.
- The Newcastle Herald. Retrieved December 28, 2013.
- ^ Warner Home Video.
- ^ Heldenfels, Rich (April 22, 2007). "'Drew Carey' episodes are love letter to Cleveland: Season 1 DVD set has lots of laughs, few extras". Akron Beacon Journal. Archived from the original on June 10, 2014. Retrieved December 28, 2013.(subscription required)
- ^ Grahnke, Lon (September 10, 1995). "A Circle of "Friends" Defines TV Forecast". Chicago Sun-Times. Archived from the original on March 25, 2016. Retrieved December 27, 2013.
- ^ Carey, p.106
- ^ The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 26, 2013.
- ^ Lynch, Jason (June 7, 1999). "Line Drive". People. Retrieved December 25, 2013.
- ^ Kingston Whig-Standard. Retrieved December 25, 2013.
- ^ Knutzen, Elrik (July 9, 2000). "Comedy Rules For Ryan Stiles". The Morning Call. Retrieved December 25, 2013.
- ^ SModcast.com. Archived from the originalon 2014-01-03.
- ^ a b c Rauzi, Robin (March 30, 1997). "Walking the Prank". The Sun-Herald. Retrieved December 26, 2013.
- ^ Johnson, Tricia (November 12, 1999). "Ian Gomez: Never Been Mellow". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved December 29, 2013.
- ^ a b c d Scott, Tony (September 13, 1995). "Review: 'The Drew Carey Show'". Variety. Retrieved December 23, 2013.
- ^ a b "Drew Carey's Cleveland". The Plain Dealer. Archived from the original on October 12, 2012. Retrieved December 27, 2013.
- ^ "'Drew Carey' marks 100th episode". CNN. April 19, 1999. Retrieved December 27, 2013.
- ^ a b c "'Drew Carey' bar has little resemblance to its inspiration". The Cincinnati Enquirer. January 2, 2000. Retrieved January 24, 2014.
- ^ Grahnke, Lon (September 20, 1995). "'Jeff' Loses Early Edge In Ratings". Chicago Sun-Times. Archived from the original on June 10, 2014. Retrieved December 24, 2013.(subscription required)
- ^ Coe, Steve (September 18, 1995). "Fox debuts strong, CBS doesn't". Broadcasting & Cable. Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved December 25, 2013.(subscription required)
- ^ a b c Richmond, Ray (September 10, 1995). "Wednesday 8 to 9 P.M." Los Angeles Daily News. Archived from the original on June 10, 2014. Retrieved December 24, 2013.(subscription required)
- ^ a b Grahnke, Lon (September 10, 1995). "TV's Best – and the Rest". Chicago Sun-Times. Archived from the original on March 28, 2015. Retrieved December 24, 2013.(subscription required)
- Baltimore Sun. Retrieved December 24, 2013.
- ^ Biddle, Frederic M. (September 13, 1995). "Prefab 'Central Park' lays shaky foundation for CBS". The Boston Globe. Archived from the original on March 27, 2016. Retrieved December 24, 2013.(subscription required)
- ^ Pergament, Alan (September 13, 1995). "'Murder one' heads list of top 10 shows". The Buffalo News. Archived from the original on April 10, 2016. Retrieved December 24, 2013.(subscription required)
- ^ Pergament, Alan (September 3, 1995). "ABC's move from kiddie coms likely to keep network at No. 1". The Buffalo News. Archived from the original on March 7, 2016. Retrieved December 24, 2013.(subscription required)
- ^ Shales, Tom (September 17, 1995). "Fall TV preview: The pick, and the litter". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on November 18, 2018. Retrieved December 25, 2013.(subscription required)
- ^ Weiniger, Peter (November 28, 1996). "Previews". The Age. Retrieved December 26, 2013.
- Carey, Drew (1997). Dirty Jokes and Beer: Stories of the Unrefined. ISBN 978-0-78-688939-6.
External links
- "Pilot" at IMDb