Cavemen: From GEICO Commercials to ABC Fall Line-Up

According to ABC's Fall Schedule, Cavemen is set to premier Tuesday, October 2, 8/7c. Cavemen is said to be based partly on the GEICO commercial, but takes on the issue of discrimination against cavemen by Homo sapiens. Three cavemen, Joel, Nick, and Andy have broken away from small clandestine Cavemen communities and ventured into the big city. ABC's website says the cavemen live in Atlanta, but Cavemen home page says the cavemen live in San Diego. Either way, the cavemen are coping with life, love, employment, and liberty in the modern world.

ABC viewers will find out how Caveman, Andy, Joel, and Nick, cope with adaptation to the modern world. Nick is a wary caveman who distrusts Homo sapiens. Joel is the most sophisticated of the cavemen. He boasts a good job and a beautiful homo sapien girlfriend. He and Nick have opposite perspectives about the evolution and acceptance of cavemen in modern society. Nick and Joel are joined by Andy, Joel's younger brother. Andy approaches the homo sapien world with gusto. He embraces the modern world and wants to live it up.

A glimpse of the cavemen's style and characters can be seen on several interview vignettes on ABC.com. Like the GEICO commercials, there are some funny spots in the interview vignettes. It will be interesting to watch the development of Cavemen. The show will have to produce more than whimsical characters to gain and retain viewers. Writers and producers will have to deliver laugh out loud comedy for Cavemen to survive prime time.

After watching the previews, I don't think the show offers the novelty and biting sarcasm that draws viewers to GEICO commercials. I agree with a post on the ABC Forum from bnamack, "This series will only seem like a rip-off without the genius timing and mannerisms of the original commercial actors." I don't expect the series to last. The cavemen don't look like the GEICO cavemen, nor do they look as authentic. Exceptional GEICO commercials have raised viewer expectations. I think hopeful viewers will be disappointed.