Topic: Tom's TV Pilots marathon

[Dragonfire]

I read something or heard it on tv...last week I think.  Nickeleodeon is going to start airing some of their old shows again..and Clarissa Explains It All is one of them.  I can't remember what the others are now. 

[Tom]

Columbo: Season One (1971/United States) IMDb | Wikipedia Universal Studios Home Entertainment (United States) Length: 725 min. Video: Full Frame 1.33:1 Audio: English: Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo Subtitles: English, French, Spanish

Plot:
It's the landmark series that inspired an entire genre. Now, television's greatest detective, Columbo, comes to DVD for the first time in this deluxe collector's set. Starring Peter Falk in his 4-time Emmy®-winning role as the cigar-chomping, trench coat-wearing police lieutenant, this 5-disc collection includes every fascinating episode from the series' first season. Also included are the two original Columbo movies: Prescription: Murder and Ransom for a Dead Man. Columbo's first season features legendary guest stars like Robert Culp, Ray Milland, Eddie Albert, Suzanne Pleshette, Don Ameche, Leslie Nielsen and Roddy McDowall. It's no mystery why Columbo: The Complete First Season is the DVD set crime fans have been waiting for!

Columbo
1.01 Prescription: Murder (1968-02-20)
Writer: Richard Levinson (Screenwriter), William Link (Screenwriter), Richard Levinson (Original Material By), William Link (Original Material By)
Director: Richard Irving
Cast: Peter Falk (Lt. Columbo), Gene Barry (Dr. Ray Flemming), Katherine Justice (Joan Hudson), William Windom (Burt Gordon), Nina Foch (Carol Flemming), Virginia Gregg (Miss Petrie), Andrea King (Cynthia Gordon), Susanne Benton (The Blonde), Ena Hartman (Nurse), Sherry Boucher (Air Hostess), Anthony James (Tommy)

This first episode of Columbo wasn't original thought of as a pilot of a series. It was a standalone TV movie based on a play. But Peter Falk's Columbo was so good, that he got a series based on this movie three years later.
Generally you already see the Columbo we know in the series. The major difference is, that Columbo seemed better groomed here. But his other trademarks are already here. Even his antagonist recognizes his personality traits already. Pretending to be more stupid than he his to trick him up.

Rating:

[Tom]

The Comeback: The Complete Only Season (2005/United States) IMDb | Wikipedia (United States) Length: 376 min. Video: Full Frame 1.33:1 Audio: English: Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo, Spanish: Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo, Commentary: Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo Subtitles: English, French, Spanish

Plot:
For fallen star Valerie Cherish - former B-list sitcom actress desperate to revive her career - no proce is too high to pay for clinging to the television spotlight. Valerie agrees to be the subject of an intrusive reality television show, with cameras following her every move as she lands the part of "Aunt Sassy" in a tedious new sitcom, Room and Bored.

Lisa Kudrow stars in this uncomfortably funny and insightfully biting comedy series from writer Michael Patrick King (Sex and the City).
In the spirit of reality television, there seems to be no end to the humiliating circumstances Valerie Cherish will endure, all in the name of fame.

The Comeback
1.01 The Comeback (Pilot)
Writer: Michael Patrick King (Writer), Lisa Kudrow (Writer)
Director: Michael Patrick King
Cast: Lisa Kudrow (Valerie Cherish), Malin Akerman (Juna), Robert Bagnell (Tom Peterman), Lance Barber (Paulie G), Robert Michael Morris (Mickey), Laura Silverman (Jane), Damian Young (Mark Berman), Kellan Lutz (Chris), Jason L. Olive (Jesse), Kimberly Kevon Williams (Shayne), Jim Bentley), Bill Escudier (Milo), Kim Fields (Herself), Marla Garlin), Nathan Lee Graham (Peter), Marilu Henner (Herself), Lillian Hurst (Esperanza), Andres Londono), Morann Peri), Jonathan Stark), Tom Virtue (Assistant Director), James Burrows (Himself (uncredited))

This series is the raw footage of a fictional reality TV series about the comeback of a has-been actress played by Lisa Kudrow. I liked the behind the scene stuff of the sitcom she has started to be part of. But I am not much of a fan of the reality TV style.

Rating:

[Tom]

Community: Season One (2009/United States) IMDb | Wikipedia Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (United States) Length: 536 min. Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 1.78 Audio: English: Dolby Digital 5.1, Commentary: Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround Subtitles: English

Plot:
Smooth talking ex-lawyer Jeff Winger has got a lot to learn, and he's come to Greendale Community College to avoid every bit of it. Unfortunately for Jeff, he's not the only misfit to enroll here, and people in need have an odd way of finding each other. First, his fake study groupn becomes a real study group. Then, over the course of a strange year from Mexican Halloween to the final "Tranny Dance" — including bad trips, great debates, drunk dials, food fights, epic paintball battles and sinister chicken finger conspiracies — the group becomes a family, something Jeff never wanted, but clearly needs.

Starring Joel McHale ("The Soup"), Ken Jeong (The Hangover) and Emmy® Award winner Chevy Chase.

Community
1.01 Pilot Episode
Writer: Dan Harmon (Created By), Dan Harmon (Writer)
Director: Anthony Russo, Joe Russo
Cast: Joel McHale (Jeff Winger), Gillian Jacobs (Britta Perry), Danny Pudi (Abed Nadir), Yvette Nicole Brown (Shirley Bennett), Alison Brie (Annie Edison), Donald Glover (Troy Barnes), Chevy Chase (Pierce Hawthorne), John Oliver (Professor Duncan), Jim Rash (Dean Pelton), Patricia Belcher (Cafeteria Lady)

A good first episode which introduces the characters in a nice way.

Rating:

[Tom]

Corner Gas: Season One (2003/Canada) IMDb | Wikipedia (Canada) Length: 290 min. Video: Full Frame 1.33:1 Audio: English: Dolby Digital 5.1, English: Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo Subtitles:

Plot:
Consider this your deed to the laughter-rich plains of Dog River, Saskatchewan. Thanks to a cast of way less than thousands you'll find more hilarity in this little box than a pick-up truck full of jerry cans.

Dreamt up by prairie son Brent Butt, he stars as Brent Leroy, the town's number one and only gas jockey. He and the rest of the Dog River locals get up to a whole lot of nothing in the middle of nowehre actually. And that's where it all happens. At Corner Gas, Canada's number one roadside attraction.

Corner Gas
1.01 Ruby Reborn
Writer: Brent Butt (Created By), Brent Butt (Writer), Mark Farrell (Writer)
Director: David Storey
Cast: Brent Butt (Brent Leroy), Gabrielle Miller (Lacey Burrows), Fred Ewanuick (Hank Yarbo), Eric Peterson (Oscar Leroy), Janet Wright (Emma Leroy), Lorne Cardinal (Davis Quinton), Tara Spencer-Nairn (Karen Pelly), Nancy Robertson (Wanda Dollard), Mark Farrell (Man), Andrea Runge (Waitress)

This is a series I enjoyed throughout. The first episode has already the characters established very well. They already have found their stride here.

Rating:

[Tom]

The Cosby Show: Season One (1984/United States) IMDb | Wikipedia Carsey-Werner Distribution, UrbanWorks Entertainment (United States) Length: 527 min. Video: Full Frame 1.33:1 Audio: English: Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo Subtitles:

Plot:
The Cosby Show appeared on NBC from 1984 to 1992, becoming one of the most popular programs in the history of television. The series depicted a close-knit and prosperous African American family (The Huxtables) that dwelled in New York City. Dr. Heathcliff Huxtable, OB-GYN (Bill Cosby), and his attorney wife Clair (Phylicia Rashad), a happily married, dual-profession couple, had aspirations of raising their five children in an uplifting, positive environment. The Huxtables were truly a groundbreaking family for television.

The Cosby Show was an instant smash hit, holding TV's #1 slot for a record five consecutive years (1985 to 1990), and it remained in the Top 20 shows of all eight seasons it was on NBC. The Cosby Show's popularity was so intense that it has carried over into the 21st century, and in 2005 The Cosby Show is as relevant as it has ever been. The Huxtable's are adored around the world.

The Cosby Show
1.01 Pilot Presentation
Writer: Ed. Weinberger (Writer), Michael Leeson (Writer), Ed. Weinberger (Created By), Michael Leeson (Created By), Dr. William H. Cosby Jr., Ed.D. (Created By)
Director: Jay Sandrich
Cast: Bill Cosby (Cliff Huxtable), Phylicia Ayers-Allen (Clair Huxtable), Lisa Bonet (Denise Huxtable), Malcolm Jamal-Warner (Theo Huxtable), Tempestt Bledsoe (Vanessa Huxtable), Keshia Knight-Pulliam (Rudy Huxtable), Todd Hollowell (Rafael), Keith Reddin (Mr. McManus)

I grew up with the Cosby Show. I loved watching it. It's still one of the better sitcoms from the 80s. I especially love the scenes between Cliff and Theo in this pilot. It's classic how Cliff demonstrates Theo with Monopoly money, how "regular" people live. And Cliff's comeback after Theo tells his father, he should love him even if he was only regular people is great. Theo giving a typical sitcom speech and Cliff telling him that it's the dumbest thing he had ever heard.

Rating:

[Tom]

Cosplay Complex (2002/Japan) Wikipedia (United States) Length: 88 min. Video: Full Frame 1.33:1 Audio: English: Dolby Digital 5.1, Japanese: Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo Subtitles: English

Plot:
Meet Chako and her friends from the Cosplay Association at East Oizuki Academy! They're the hottest new cosplay team in Japan...fresh from a winning streak of local battles, they're set to sweep the Cosplay World Series!

Yeah, right.

In reality, Chako and her friends are barely able to keep their club alive at all. Feeble club membership and a lack of sponsorship might be the end of their cosplay dreams before they can even start. But don't you dare underestimate this group of spunky girls! They'll survive a barrage of pervy newcomers, cosplay rivalries, costume disasters and dating mishaps in order to reach their ultimate goal of competing in the World Series. The clothing flies as the girls suit up (and strip down) for Cosplay Complex!

Kosupure Complex
.01 The Cosplay Club is Born!
Writer: Juzo Muzuki (Original Material By), Noboru Kimura (Screenwriter)
Director: Shinichirou Kimura
Cast: English Vocal Cast), Larissa Wolcott (Chako (voice)), Samantha Inoue Harte (Delmo (voice)), Jenny Larson (Reika (voice)), Carla Witt (Maria (voice)), Tiger Darrow (Athena (voice)), Corey Gagne (Gorou (voice)), Jessica Smolins (Jenny (voice)), Payton Hayslip (Sachiko (voice)), John Minnich (Kosuke (voice)), Arthur Tilotson (Ikebukuro (voice)), Sara Farr (Additional Voices (voice)), Robert S. Fisher (Additional Voices (voice)), Samantha Garcia (Additional Voices (voice)), Paul Garza (Additional Voices (voice)), Ira Henderson (Additional Voices (voice)), Alysson Wyatt (Additional Voices (voice)), Japanese Vocal Cast), Sakura Nogawa (Chako Hasegawa (voice)), Rie Kugimiya (Delmo (voice)), Saeko Chiba (Maria Imai (voice)), Ai Shimizu (Athena Imai (voice)), Akeno Watanabe (Jenny Matel (voice)), Chiaki Takahashi (Reika Aoshima (voice)), Yuki Masuda (Sachiko Arii (voice)), Susumu Chiba (Gorou Bandai (voice)), Takahiro Sakurai (Kosuke Tamiya (voice)), Kenichi Ono (Ikebukuro (voice)), Yoshiaki Matsumoto (Announcer (voice)), Tomohiro Tashiro (Cosplayer A (voice)), Yumiko Kouzu (Cosplayer B (voice))

This is a three episode OVA series. A stupid one at that. I only have it in my collection because it was part of a cheap double-pack with another series I wanted to check out.

Rating:

[Rogmeister]

I liked The Cosby Show.  Of course, they made changes after the pilot.  They remodeled the house (sets).  and there was one bit of dialogue of note in the pilot...

Claire: Cliff, why do we have 4 children?
Cliff: Because we did not want 5...

Of course, then Cosby decided he did want a fifth child on the show...so they created college student Sondra.

[Tom]

Crime Traveller: The Complete Series (1997/United Kingdom) IMDb | Wikipedia (United Kingdom) Length: 392 min. Video: Full Frame 1.33:1 Audio: English: Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo Subtitles:

Plot:
Meet the most unconventional investigative duo of any time - JEFF SLADE and HOLLY TURNER, in the mystery adventure series Crime Traveller.

Sleuths come and go, working on intuition, luck and clues, but Slade and his science officer colleague Holly are armed with something extra in their fight against crime - their very own Time Machine.

Invented and developed over the years by Holly's father, quantum physicist Professor Fredrick Turner, the Time Machine is a bizarre mixture of DIY technology, but it works. Unfortunately the Professor disappeared during one of his time travel experiments, leaving his daughter convinced that he is still out there somewhere, stuck in another dimension.

Holly is now in charge of the Professor's extraordinary legacy, which is kept hidden in her apartment. When Slade, a charming maverick detective, discovers the Time Machine's existence, he convinces Holly to use it in order to solve major crimes. The scene is set for a rollercoaster ride, through the present and the past.

High speed chases and intriguing puzzles are solved with the aid of their unreliable Time Machine, in this stylish, fast-paced drama.

Crime Traveller
1.01 Jeff Slade & The Loop of Infinity
Writer: Anthony Horowitz (Created By), Anthony Horowitz (Writer)
Director: Brian Farnham
Cast: Michael French (Jeff Slade), Chloe Annett (Holly Turner), Sue Johnston (Grisham), Paul Trussell (Morris), Richard Dempsey (Nicky), Bob Goody (Danny), Terrence Hardiman (Guy Lombard), Leonard Preston (Mark Redding), Fiona Curzon (Barbra Lombard), Gresby Nash (Michael Lombard), Trevor Steedman (Silberman), Sion Tudor Owen (Mr Wilson), Rebecca Deren (Mrs Wilson), Phil Atkinson (Policeman), Ronald Nunnery (Betting Man)

Shortlived time-travel series. I enjoyed watching it. Especially the later episodes.
You can find my review of the series here.

Rating:

[Tom]

The Critic: The Complete Series (1994/United States) IMDb | Wikipedia Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment (United States) Length: 520 min. Video: Full Frame 1.33:1 Audio: English: Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround, Commentary: Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo Subtitles:

Stars:
Jon Lovitz as Jay Prescott Sherman/Woody Allen/Himself (voice)
Nancy Cartwright as Margo Sherman (voice)
Christine Cavanaugh as Marty Sherman (voice)
Gerrit Graham as Franklin Sherman (voice)
Judith Ivey as Eleanor Sherman (voice)

Plot:
From the producers of "The Simpsons" comes this hilarious animated sitcom about Jay, a New York movie critic and cable television host.

Pudgy and balding, Jay is not a well-liked man. His unsympathetic boss makes his life miserable, his ex-wife hates him, his adoptive parents barely tolerate him, and even the makeup lady treats him with disgust.

Fortunately for Jay, he has his 11-year-old son Marty and one very unlikely friend, Jeremy Hawke, the Australian film hunk.

Jon Lovitz provides Jay's distinctive voice as a single father who searches for happiness while satirizing life and the movies in this irreverent comedy.

The Critic
1.01 Pilot
Not really funny. At least the pilot episode. I don't remember much about the rest, only that it was not memorable.

Rating:

[Tom]

Crusade: The Complete Series (1999/United States) IMDb | Wikipedia Warner Home Video (United States) Length: 576 min. Video: Full Frame 1.33:1 Audio: English: Dolby Digital 5.1, Commentary: Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo Subtitles: English, French, Spanish

Plot:
2267 A.D. The battle is won, the war may be lost. After fending off the fierce attack of Drakh combatants, Earth faces an unseen yet even greater foe. The Drakhs have left behind a microbial biogenetic plague that will destroy all life on the planet in five years if a cure isn't found.
From Babylon 5 creator J. Michael Stracyzinski comes an exciting 13-part adventure about the race to find that cure - an urgent and hazardous quest that sends an Earthforce expedition across the reaches of space to explore technologies more advanced than Earth's. The race is on. The perils are many. And savvy, real-tomorrow issues and potential technologies underlie every episode, thanks to production input from forward-looking thinkers at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. The future begins-or ends-here!

Crusade
1.01 War Zone
Writer: J. Michael Straczynski (Original Characters By), J. Michael Straczynski (Writer)
Director: Janet Greek
Cast: Gary Cole (Captain Matthew Gideon), Tracy Scoggins (Captain Elizabeth Lochley), Daniel Dae Kim (Lieutenant John Matheson), David Allen Brooks (Max Eilerson), Peter Woodward (Galen), Marjean Holden (Dr. Sarah Chambers), Carrie Dobro (Dureena Nafeel), Alex Mendoza (Trace Miller), Tim Thomerson (Senator McQuate), Chris Comés (Aide), Maggie Egan (ISN Anchor), Don Fischer (Captain Henson), Mark Hendrickson (Drakh Captain), Elijha Majar (Crew #1), Rebecca Markham (Sam), Brook Parker (Lieutenant Ross), John Sanderford (Mr. Ames), Will Schaub (Jenson), Otto Stürcke (Ensign)

First I had planned to watch the B5 movie "A Call to Arms", which sets up the premise of this series. But then I decided to watch the first episode on the Crusade DVD set instead because here the characters for the series are introduced.
This episode didn't really keep my interest. I found it rather boring.

Rating:

[Tom]

Ctrl+Alt+Del: The Animated Series: Season One (2007/Canada) Wikipedia (United States) Length: 62 min. Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 1.78 Audio: English: Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo, Commentary: Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo Subtitles: English

Plot:
Prepare to enter a dazzling world of video games and humor as the first season of Ctrl+Alt+Del: The Animated Series comes to DVD. Using the inspiring and groundbreaking new technology called "Animatrionic Comic-o-motion 2D", we are able to breathe life into previously stationary characters for the first time ever!

Join Apathy Award winner Ethan, along with Golden Snow Globe nominees Lucas and Lilah and an all-star ensemble cast for action, adventure and laughs!

Ctrl+Alt+Del
1.01 This means war (2006-02-01)
Writer: Tim Buckley (Writer)
Director: Ryan Sohmer
Cast: Eric Hunt ( (voice)), Dan Dunlap ( (voice)), Jessica Wachsman ( (voice)), Chris Parson ( (voice)), Dave Mitchell ( (voice))

A web animation series based on a web comic. The creator did this as a kind of an experiment. For an amateur production it was really fun.

Rating:

[Tom]

Curb Your Enthusiasm: Season One (2000/United States) IMDb | Wikipedia HBO Video (United States) Length: 347 min. Video: Full Frame 1.33:1 Audio: English: Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround, French: Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround, Commentary: Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround Subtitles: English, French, Spanish

Plot:
Larry David, co-creator and executive producer of the long-running hit comedy series "Seinfeld," tackles a new subject - himself. He's got it all: a loving wife, good friends, a successful career, a great home...what could go wrong for Larry David?

Surrounded by an eclectic mix of real and fictional re-creations of his friends, acquaintances and outright enemies, prone to speaking the unspeakable, and honest to the point of insensitivity, Larry David is a walking victim of misunderstandings and missed opportunities.

Curb Your Enthusiasm
1.00 Larry David: Curb Your Enthusiasm
Writer: )
Director: Robert B. Weide
Cast: Interviews), * Jason Alexander), * Larry Charles), * Carol Leifer), * Richard Lewis), * Rick Newman), * Glenn Padnick), * Jerry Seinfeld), ), Linda Bates (HBO Production Team), Mark Beltzman (Mourner), Cynthia Caponera (Wife's Friend), Julie Claire (HBO Production Team), Donna Cooper (HBO Receptionist), Ed Crasnick (Larry's Suite Mate), Larry David (Himself), Jeff Garlin (Jeff Greene), Eric Scott Gould (Jeff Yerkes), Allan Havey (Himself), Cheryl Hines (Cheryl David), Michael Patrick King (HBO Publicist), Don Lake (HBO Director), Losmir Marin (Hotel Clerk), Susan Marque (HBO Assistant), Suzy Nakamura (HBO Production Designer), Mike Reynolds (Himself), Caroline Rhea (Herself), Stefanie Singer (HBO Receptionist), Suzy Soro (Herself), Larry Thigpen (HBO Production Team), Becky Thyre (Jeff's N.Y. Girlfriend), Judy Toll (HBO Executive), Allan Wasserman (HBO Executive)

This HBO special was the inspiration for the series. So I decided to watch it for this pilot marathon. Many elements for the series are already in place. Although this is build up more like a documentary. The characters are aware of the cameras and also give interviews.

Rating:

[Tom]

This finishes off my C's.

[Tom]

Dawson's Creek: Season One (1998/United States) IMDb | Wikipedia Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment (United States) Length: 567 min. Video: Full Frame 1.33:1 Audio: English: Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround, Commentary: Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround Subtitles: English, Korean, Portuguese, Spanish

Plot:
Kevin Williamson (the Scream movie series, I Know What You Did Last Summer) created this engaging drama, which chronicles a group of young friends' passage from adolescence to young adulthood in the small coastal town of Capeside, Massachusetts. Based on Williamson's own experiences growing up, "Dawson's Creek" focuses on 15-year-olds Dawson (James Van Der Beek) and Joey (Katie Holmes), who have been friends since they were five and are trying to cope with the way their friendship is changing now that their hormones are raging. Add to the mix their friend Pacey (Joshua Jackson) and the new girl in town, Jen (Michelle Williams), and you can count on extra twists to the drama in their already turbulent lives.

Filmed on location in Wilmington, Durham and Raleigh, North Carolina, this first season marks the beginning of an unforgettable journey that explores the agony and ecstacy of teenage life. Can the kids of "Dawson's Creek" really grow up without growing apart? Watch and find out!

Dawson's Creek
1.01 Pilot
Writer: Kevin Williamson (Created By), Kevin Williamson (Writer)
Director: Steve Miner
Cast: James Van Der Beek (Dawson Leery), Michelle Williams (Jen Lindley), Joshua Jackson (Pacey Witter), Katie Holmes (Joey Potter), Mary-Margaret Humes (Gail Leery), John Wesley Shipp (Mitch Leery), Mary Beth Peil (Evelyn Ryan), Nina Repeta (Bessie Potter), Nicole Nieth (Nellie Oleson), Mitchell Laurance (Mr. Gold), Leann Hunley (Tamara Jacobs), George Gaffney (Bodie), Ed Grady (Gramps), Ted King (Newscaster Bob), Rick Forrester (Big Guy), Evan Kelly (Roger Fulford)

When Dawson's Creek first started airing on TV, I ignored it. But when the first season reran I caught the episode "Detention" by chance and was hooked since. I then continued to watch the second season and had downloaded the third season when it originally aired in the US (30 MB real media video on dial-up). Though I lost interest in the fourth season. But now I have all seasons on DVD and watched it up to the fifth season. I have yet to watch the final season.
The pilot is still good. You can still see that it was something fresh for its time. Of course they have been a lot of Dawson-type shows since.

Rating: