Critics shut out of ‘Cavemen’ do-over
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Are “Cavemen” headed for extinction?
ABC’s new sitcom, inspired by the Geico insurance ads, is scheduled to debut at 8 p.m. Tuesday, but advance copies haven’t been made available to critics, leading some to suspect the show is DOA.
Not true, says an ABC spokesman. Copies haven’t gone out because they’re not done. “They’re not ready,” the spokesman said. “They want the finishing touches” completed before critics take a peek, and that won’t happen before the premiere. “That’s all there is to it.”
The show revolves around a clutch of hairy, prehistoric men who struggle to be understood in the modern world. It got a cool reception at the Television Critics Assn. press tour in Beverly Hills this summer for playing too much like a clunky racial allegory. Since then, one of the leads has been recast and the pilot reshot. New writers and consultants have also been brought on board.
ABC will find out soon enough whether the revisions work. Working heavily in the show’s favor: No other new program has such instant recognizability thanks to those TiVo-defying Geico ads.
The ABC spokesman has seen a rough cut, and admits to being biased, but says that naysayers may be surprised: “I think it’s funny.”
--Rene Lynch
