''Cavemen'' is an American
sitcom
A sitcom (short for situation comedy or situational comedy) is a genre of comedy produced for radio and television, that centers on a recurring cast of character (arts), characters as they navigate humorous situations within a consistent settin ...
that aired on
ABC from October 2 to November 20, 2007. The show was developed by
Joe Lawson,
Josh Gordon and Will Speck, based on the
GEICO Cavemen TV commercials, which were also written by Lawson. It was described by the network as a "unique buddy comedy that offers a clever twist on stereotypes and turns race relations on its head", and is set in
San Diego, California
San Diego ( , ) is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a population of over 1.4 million, it is the List of United States cities by population, eighth-most populous city in t ...
. The show earned an extremely negative reception, becoming regarded as one of the
worst television shows of all time.
Plot
In the series,
cavemen
The caveman is a stock character representative of primitive humans in the Paleolithic. The popularization of the type dates to the early 20th century, when Neanderthals were influentially described as "simian" or "ape-like" by Marcellin Boul ...
were never really fully supplanted by modern humans, but integrated into ''
Homo sapiens
Humans (''Homo sapiens'') or modern humans are the most common and widespread species of primate, and the last surviving species of the genus ''Homo''. They are Hominidae, great apes characterized by their Prehistory of nakedness and clothing ...
'' civilization as a separate species sub-group. Cavemen are a small but widespread minority group that have been present in every global civilization since the dawn of recorded history (a montage scene in the opening credits shows Cavemen in Egyptian hieroglyphs, when
George Washington
George Washington (, 1799) was a Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father and the first president of the United States, serving from 1789 to 1797. As commander of the Continental Army, Washington led Patriot (American Revoluti ...
crossed the Delaware River, standing with
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln (February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was the 16th president of the United States, serving from 1861 until Assassination of Abraham Lincoln, his assassination in 1865. He led the United States through the American Civil War ...
, participating in the space program, etc.). Effectively, Cavemen form another ethnic minority in the modern world, which faces several prejudices from ''Homo sapiens'' (sometimes referring to humans by the derogatory term "Smoothies" in reference to their relative lack of hair, or "Sapes" in reference to their species). Although these cavemen self-identify as
Cro-Magnon
Cro-Magnons or European early modern humans (EEMH) were the first early modern humans (''Homo sapiens'') to settle in Europe, migrating from western Asia, continuously occupying the continent possibly from as early as 56,800 years ago. They in ...
, their facial appearance and physical anatomy is reminiscent of the
Neanderthal
Neanderthals ( ; ''Homo neanderthalensis'' or sometimes ''H. sapiens neanderthalensis'') are an extinction, extinct group of archaic humans who inhabited Europe and Western and Central Asia during the Middle Pleistocene, Middle to Late Plei ...
.
Some Cavemen attempt to pass as ''Homo sapiens'' by shaving off their body hair - other Cavemen call them "Shavers".
The central humor of the show is that Caveman characters are not brutish primitives, but fully integrated into white-collar jobs; the central Cavemen characters are effete modern city-dwellers. They must also endure racial epithets such as "Magger", a pun based on "Cro-Magnon".
The series focuses on three Cavemen roommates who share a condo: Joel, his brother Andy, and their cynical and self-absorbed roommate Nick.
According to producer Joe Lawson, the show was originally going to be set in
Newport News, Virginia
Newport News () is an Independent city (United States), independent city in southeastern Virginia, United States. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 186,247. Located in the Hampton Roads region, it is the List of c ...
, due to its proximity to the water. The setting then changed to
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...
and finally
San Diego, California
San Diego ( , ) is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a population of over 1.4 million, it is the List of United States cities by population, eighth-most populous city in t ...
.
Cast
Main
*
Bill English
Sir Simon William English (born 30 December 1961) is a New Zealand former politician who served as the 39th prime minister of New Zealand from 2016 to 2017 and Leader of the New Zealand National Party, leader of the New Zealand National Party, ...
as Joel Claybrook
*
Nick Kroll
Nicholas Kroll (born June 5, 1978) is an American actor, comedian, writer, and producer. He is known for the FX (TV channel), FX comedy series ''The League'' (2009–2015), creating and starring in the Comedy Central series ''Kroll Show'' (20 ...
as Nick Hedge
*
Sam Huntington
Sam Huntington (born April 1, 1982) is an American actor. He is best known for his roles as Josh Levison on the Syfy series '' Being Human'' (2011–2014), Mimi-Siku in the Tim Allen vehicle '' Jungle 2 Jungle'' (1997) and Jimmy Olsen in the ...
as Andy Claybrook
[ ]
*
Kaitlin Doubleday as Kate McKinney
*
Jeff Daniel Phillips as Maurice
*
Stephanie Lemelin as Thorne
*
Julie White as Leslie McKinney
[ ]
Recurring
*
John Heard as Tripp McKinney
* Evan Shafran as Nathan
*
J. P. Manoux as Glen
*
Kim Director as Heather
*
Stephanie Courtney
Stephanie Courtney (born February 8, 1970) is an American actress and comedian, best known for playing the advertising character Flo (Progressive Insurance), Flo in television and radio commercials for Progressive Corporation beginning in 2008. ...
as Diane
Production history
Conception
In March 2007,
ABC gave a pilot order to a script written by
Joe Lawson which was inspired by the
GEICO Cavemen advertisements. Lawson would be executive producer alongside
Guymon Casady
Guymon Patrick Casady (born 12 March 1969) is an American media executive, producer and talent manager. He was executive producer of the television series ''Game of Thrones, The Terror (TV series), The Terror'' and ''Ripley (TV series), Ripley'' on ...
,
Daniel Rappaport
Daniel Rappaport is an American producer.
He is a founding partner, with Guymon Casady, of leading talent management firm Management 360.
Filmography
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rappaport, Daniel
Living people
1970 birt ...
,
Will Speck and Josh Gordon
Will Speck (born December 31, 1969) and Josh Gordon are an American filmmaker duo who generally work in the comedy genre. They have directed six feature films together. Their accolades include an Academy Award nomination.
Speck and Gordon me ...
. Gordon and Speck also developed the series with Lawson and directed the
pilot
An aircraft pilot or aviator is a person who controls the flight of an aircraft by operating its Aircraft flight control system, directional flight controls. Some other aircrew, aircrew members, such as navigators or flight engineers, are al ...
.
[''Development Update: Friday, March 2']
The Futon Critic
/ref> Later in the same month, Bill Martin and Mike Schiff joined the staff as executive producers. ABC gave the series an early pick-up and a 13-episode order on May 11, 2007.
Casting
When the pilot was approved by the network in March, it was unclear if the original actors, Jeff Daniel Phillips and Ben Weber, who played the cavemen in the advertisements, were going to be part of the series. This was not to be when it was later reported that Nick Kroll
Nicholas Kroll (born June 5, 1978) is an American actor, comedian, writer, and producer. He is known for the FX (TV channel), FX comedy series ''The League'' (2009–2015), creating and starring in the Comedy Central series ''Kroll Show'' (20 ...
, Kaitlin Doubleday, and Bill English
Sir Simon William English (born 30 December 1961) is a New Zealand former politician who served as the 39th prime minister of New Zealand from 2016 to 2017 and Leader of the New Zealand National Party, leader of the New Zealand National Party, ...
had all landed roles in the series in the same month.[''Development Update: Friday, March 30']
The Futon Critic
/ref> Dash Mihok
Dashiell Raymond Mihok (; born May 24, 1974) is an American actor and director known as Brendan "Bunchy" Donovan in Showtime's ''Ray Donovan''.
Early life
Mihok was born in New York City, the son of theater actors Andrea Mihok (née Cloak) and ...
and Stephanie Lemelin were respectively cast in April as Jamie, Joel's younger brother, and Thorne, a party girl. John Heard rounded out the regular cast when he was chosen to play Trip in the same month. Mihok was replaced by Sam Huntington
Sam Huntington (born April 1, 1982) is an American actor. He is best known for his roles as Josh Levison on the Syfy series '' Being Human'' (2011–2014), Mimi-Siku in the Tim Allen vehicle '' Jungle 2 Jungle'' (1997) and Jimmy Olsen in the ...
and the character of Jamie was renamed Andy in July. Tony Award
The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ce ...
winner Julie White was also promoted to a regular cast member as Kate's mother in the same month.
In July 2007 it was announced that Phillips had been cast for the series.[My Way](_blank)
/ref> He subsequently appeared in the first broadcast episode playing Maurice, a friend of the three main characters.
Pilot episode controversy
The initial limited screening of the pilot episode was met with a less than favorable reception. The pilot was accused of being racist as some critics thought the Cavemen were being used as a metaphor for African-Americans and other minorities. The series subsequently underwent a major creative "retooling", which included changing the show's venue from Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...
to San Diego, California
San Diego ( , ) is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a population of over 1.4 million, it is the List of United States cities by population, eighth-most populous city in t ...
. The pilot episode has remained unaired on ABC.
Reception
In terms of reception from the media the show was "critically savaged". The ''Chicago Tribune
The ''Chicago Tribune'' is an American daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Founded in 1847, it was formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper", a slogan from which its once integrated WGN (AM), WGN radio and ...
'' listed it as one of the 25 worst TV shows ever, and Adam Buckman of the ''New York Post
The ''New York Post'' (''NY Post'') is an American Conservatism in the United States, conservative
daily Tabloid (newspaper format), tabloid newspaper published in New York City. The ''Post'' also operates three online sites: NYPost. ...
'' declared the show "extinct on arrival." Ginia Bellafante of ''The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'' wrote "I laughed. But I laughed through my pain. Cavemen'',' set in some version of San Diego where people speak with Southern accents, doesn’t have moments as much as microseconds suspended from any attempt at narrative."
Other critics were more forgiving: Pulitzer Prize
The Pulitzer Prizes () are 23 annual awards given by Columbia University in New York City for achievements in the United States in "journalism, arts and letters". They were established in 1917 by the will of Joseph Pulitzer, who had made his fo ...
-winning columnist Dorothy Rabinowitz said that the show "has its charms... The chief source of that charm is the unmistakable hint of wit in the writing. Only a hint – but it's steady, which is enough to seduce."
In 2010, TV Guide Network
The American cable television, cable and satellite television network Pop (American TV channel), Pop was originally launched in 1981 as a barker channel service providing a display of localized electronic program guide, channel and program listin ...
listed the show at #22 on their list of ''25 Biggest TV Blunders'', arguing that basing a TV show on a commercial was a bad idea from the beginning.
Broadcast
Produced by ABC Studios
ABC Signature was a production arm of the American Broadcasting Company (ABC), which is a subsidiary of Disney Television Studios, a sub-division of the Disney Entertainment business segment and division of The Walt Disney Company. The studio's ...
and Management 360, the series originally aired alongside '' Carpoolers'' on Tuesday nights at 8:00 pm Eastern/7:00 pm Central. The series was placed on hiatus during the Writers Guild of America strike, and canceled before the strike ended. A total of 13 episodes were produced. The final six episodes never aired in US markets but did however air in Australia.
Post-cancellation
After the show's cancellation, a Geico commercial was aired during Super Bowl XLII in which two cavemen watched television, switched it off, and had an exchange about ''Cavemen''.
All 13 episodes were originally supposed to be released on DVD in 2008; however, plans were put on hold.
List of episodes
Weekly ratings
In the following summary, rating
A rating is an evaluation or assessment of something, in terms of a metric (e.g. quality, quantity, a combination of both,...).
Rating or rating system may also refer to:
Business and economics
* Credit rating, estimating the credit worthiness ...
is the percentage of all households with televisions that tuned to the show, and " share" is the percentage of all televisions ''in use at that time'' that are tuned in.
Unless otherwise cited, the overnight rating and share information comes from Zap2It The following week, the Nielsen numbers from TVWeek.com. Additional ratings information, including the 18–49 rating, comes from BroadcastingCable and finally weekly overall ratings come from ABC Medianet
Seasonal ratings
Seasonal ratings based on average total viewers per episode of ''Cavemen'' on ABC:
+ Information is current as of January 7, 2008.ABC Medianet
Worldwide premieres
*2007: United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand
New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...
*2008: France, Germany, Sweden
Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...
, Mexico
Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...
, Italy, Greece
Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...
, India
India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
, Japan
Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...
, Thailand
Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...
and Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles of the Caribbean Sea in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean. It shares a Maritime boundary, maritime border with Puerto Rico to the east and ...
Overseas distribution
*Aired on Channel Seven in Australia in 2008.
*Aired on Comedy Central
Comedy Central is an American Cable television in the United States, cable television channel, channel owned by Paramount Global through its Paramount Media Networks, network division's Paramount Media Networks#MTV Entertainment Group, MTV Ente ...
in the Netherlands
, Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...
in 2008.
References
External links
*
{{Will Speck and Josh Gordon
2000s American single-camera sitcoms
2007 American television series debuts
2007 American television series endings
Alternate history television series
American English-language television shows
American fantasy comedy television series
Prehistoric people in popular culture
Television series by ABC Studios
GEICO
Television shows set in San Diego
Fiction about Neanderthals
Works based on advertisements
Television series about cavemen
American Broadcasting Company sitcoms