Fall TV: ABC's Cavemen

This fall, ABC has come out with a couple of great new shows. From the breakout hits, "Private Practice", "Dirty Sexy Money", and "Big Shots". ABC is also responsible for the highly anticipated show "Pushing Daisies" which will premier on Wednesday at 8pm EST. It also has returning hits like "Grey's Anatomy", and "Dancing with the Stars". Also the hit series "Lost" will be returning this January. With all these hits I guess ABC had to come up with a bad idea or two to even out the score.

What I don't understand is who thought of taking characters from a 30 second commercial and putting them in a half hour show? Just because something is funny for less then a minute doesn't mean that it will still have the same effect in a longer period of time. Then again shows from way back in the day like "Alf" and 'Dinosaurs" were huge hits for audiences under the ages of 13. So I would like to presume that is who ABC's targeted audience is for this show. However that idea conflicts with the commercials for this upcoming series. ABC commercializes this show along with carpoolers with a song called, "Make a man date for Tuesday night"! If I didn't know my husband better the idea of him watching this show would make me really question his intelligence. Luckily I know my husband well enough and he has no interest in watching a show based on such a preposterous idea. I mean what's next, a half hour show based on the Geico gecko? Why not he is pretty funny for 30 seconds too!

I can't predict how well "Cavemen" will do, but if I had to guess I wouldn't give it 3 months before the show will extinct. Then again the show "Dinosaurs" lasted a whole 3 years before it got cancelled. All I know is that the recipe for commercials are not the same as those for actual television programming. Commercials seem to work the more ridiculous there idea is. Then again there is a whole generation of television viewers that I know nothing about.

What I do know is a film I saw back in 1992 called, "Encino Man". 90 minutes of the caveman in modern day civilization was enough to last me a life time.