Paid Programming
2009 · 11m · Comedy
Paid Programming is television pilot for Cartoon Network's late night programing block, Adult Swim. Paid Programming is a parody of infomercials, which was created and written by H. Jon Benjamin and David Cross, and features amateur actors from Central Casting. The pilot episode of Paid Programming premiered, unannounced, in the United States on November 3, 2009, and was then re-aired every Tuesday-Friday until December 4, 2009.
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Nobody's Watching
★ 5
Nobody's Watching is a television program that was never aired. It originated with and was written by Scrubs creator Bill Lawrence, as well as Neil Goldman and Garrett Donovan, writers for Scrubs and Family Guy.
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The Comedy Factory
1985
The Comedy Factory (no known affiliation with the comedy club of the same name) was a live-action, scripted comedy series that ran during the summers of 1985 and 1986 on ABC in the United States and CTV in Canada (who also oversaw production). The show revolved around comedians and actors acting out scenes from television pilots that had been passed on previously by ABC. Further information on the show is scarce and nearly every episode of the show is presumed lost; only the premiere episode, "Honey, It's the Mayor," is known to survive in its entirety (uploaded to YouTube).
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This Space for Rent
2006 · ★ 8
This Space for Rent is a Canadian dramedy on CBC starring Dov Tiefenbach that premiered on January 4, 2006 as a 'special' CBC pilot as part of its "Comedy Week". Tiefenbach plays Lucky Carroway, a recent university graduate and writer who finds that life after university is not as perfect as it might seem. The show begins shortly after his valedictorian speech, when his world comes crashing down after his first book is rejected by his literary agent. His life becomes worse as his arch-nemesis becomes a published author who appears in "Vancouver Magazine's" top 10 writers list. He becomes a recluse who constantly wears his graduation robe and plays video games all day. However, he quickly recovers by writing a vicious 'letter to the editor' to Vancouver Magazine where he decries the selection of his arch-nemesis as a top 10 writer. This letter angers so many readers of the magazine that they offer him a job as an anonymous "Hate Male" article writer. He lives in downtown Vancouver in a flat with several friends. Emily Hampshire plays a recent law school graduate named Iona Goldenthal, a binge drinker who must deal with the chauvinistic world of law. Rainbow Sun Francks plays a recent graduate named Barnaby Sharpe who majored in economics and Russian literature. He fails his first audition and ends up working at a Jar Heads, a Starbucks parody, as a "coffee jerk". Kea Wong plays Rumour Wong, a medical intern and Lucky's girlfriend, who must deal with Lucky's mental breakdown and reclusive nature. Jason Bryden plays Elliot Hayden, a mutual gay friend who speaks Mandarin and frequents Chinatown. He teaches English to immigrant children and acts as a foil to the rest of the characters.
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The Cosmopolitans
2014 · ★ 5.1
A dramatic comedy about a group of young American expats in Paris searching for love and friendship and an ocean of distance from their past.
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Cocked
2015 · ★ 2
The darkly comic tale of the Paxsons, a broken family working together—and against each other—in the most quintessentially American business, the business of guns. Emotionally armed, physically armed, and in the business of arming others, the Paxsons fight to save their family gun company and their individual sanity.
More info →1775
1992 · ★ 8
1775 was a 1992 pilot episode for a CBS situation comedy, similar in style to the BBC situation comedy Blackadder. Set in colonial Philadelphia during the run-up to the American Revolution, the series was to follow the exploits of innkeeper Jeremy Proctor and his family. The series was not picked up by CBS. A similar idea for a situation comedy was mentioned by Andrew Alexander in a commentary track for SCTV.
More info →Deal
2005 · ★ 7
Deal was a 2005 television pilot by Is or Isn't Productions as part of a two-year development deal for NBC. The comedy series was based on the life of Annie Duke, a professional poker player.
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Heat Vision and Jack
1999 · ★ 5
An astronaut with a medical secret is on the run from the evil Ron Silver and the rest of NASA, with the help of a talking motorcycle called Heat Vision. The failed pilot was originally ordered by FOX.
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Phoo Action
2008 · ★ 5
The high-kicking, high-action exploits of Buddhist Kung-Fu law enforcement officer Terry Phoo and feisty teen-rebel turned super-hero Whitey Action, who form an unlikely but effective crime-fighting team taking on Britain's super-vile, super-famous mutated criminals, The Freebies.
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Comedy Showcase
2007 · ★ 7
Comedy Showcase is a series of one-off comedy specials featuring some of Britain's fledgling comedy talent. Its format is reminiscent of the much earlier Comedy Playhouse. The format was replaced in 2012 by 4Funnies.
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Comedy Lab
1998 · ★ 7.5
Comedy Lab is a British television series which showcases pilots of experimental comedy shows. Series have been aired irregularly on Channel 4 and E4 since 1998. Several pilots first shown on Comedy Lab have gone on to spawn full series, most notably Trigger Happy TV, Fonejacker, That Peter Kay Thing, Meet the Magoons and FM. It also gave Jimmy Carr his first television appearance in Jimmy Carr's World of…Corporate Videos. The 2001 series features the episodes Knife and Wife, Orcadia, Daydream Believers: Brand New Beamer and Jimmy Carr's World of…Corporate Videos featuring Jimmy Carr. The 2008 series features the episodes Headwreckers, Mr and Mrs Fandango, Olivia Lee's Naughty Bits, Karl Pilkington: Satisfied Fool, Pappy's Fun Club, School of Comedy and Slaterwood. 2010's shows are iCandy, Happy Finish, Penelope Princess of Pets, Jack Whitehall Secret Census, Filth, Moviemash and Hung Out. The 2011 lineup includes: Anna & Katy, Totally Tom and Rick and Peter.
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