The Cavemen TV Launch

Tonights the night that the Cavmen TV show debutes..Get all the reviews and caveman news here.

Lead character Joel (Bill English) is engaged to a beautiful modern woman who loves him for the caveman that he is, though her family hasn't yet accepted him. Nick (Nick Kroll) is the cynical best friend who sees judgment everywhere and lashes out frequently. And Joel's little brother, Andy (Sam Huntington), is an easygoing fellow, perhaps a little slow on the uptake, who's oblivious to others' opinions of him.

The three guys consistently find themselves in situations where they have to deal with misunderstandings and stereotypes associated with cavemen. Most of the circumstances are outright gags -- don't expect much subtle humor here. What little depth the show has comes from its allusions to modern race relations. For example, when money goes missing at a party, all eyes immediately turn suspiciously toward the central trio -- the only cavemen in attendance -- pointing, albeit lightly, toward the embedded racism of mainstream society.

While the caveman gags may soon wear thin, the cavemen-as-minority formula is actually a good opportunity to discuss racial and other types of prejudice with your teens. The Cro-Magnons serve as a safe proxy for oppressed groups because they're so unreal, but their experiences can shine a light on what certain groups really go through. Of course, the danger here is that sometimes the show's lightweight approach to the serious subject of race ends up feeling like belittlement rather than examination. What do you think post your comment and we'll show the best

'Cavemen' Sitcom Makes Changes For First Show

'Cavemen' Sitcom Evolves Its Debut

LOS ANGELES (AP) — "Cavemen" had to undergo a pre-debut evolution. A new first episode with a new setting — San Diego instead of Atlanta — will air when the sitcom begins 8 p.m. EDT Tuesday.

ABC announced in July that the pilot didn't properly introduce the idea of Cro-Magnon buddies living in modern society and would be redone. The producers, meanwhile, found it difficult to fake Atlanta in the production based in Los Angeles.

Acknowledging they already faced skepticism about how the Geico insurance company TV commercials would translate to a series, executive producers Will Speck and Josh Gordon said this week they're hopeful that "Cavemen" will attract viewers and make them laugh.

"It feels like its origin is somewhat polluted, like it's taking advantage of something that's popular in the culture," Speck said, referring to the commercials. "But there's places to go (with the series) and specific stories to tell, and we feel really proud about the cast."

"Cavemen" stars Bill English, Nick Kroll and Sam Huntington. One of the original cavemen, Jeff Daniel Phillips, will appear as a recurring character.

The spots wittily depict shaggy-looking cavemen chafing at misconceptions about their sophistication and intelligence. The series follows another trio of Cro-Magnons battling bias as they try to fit into a world that believes (wrongly, as the show has it) they're extinct.

It's unusual for characters from an advertising campaign to move into shows of their own, but not unprecedented. The short-lived CBS comedy "Baby Bob" featured a talking baby that had been used in several commercials.

"Cavemen" will have to strike a different tone than that of the drier, low-key Geico commercials, said Speck and Gordon, who directed the original campaign written by Joe Lawson (also a series developer).

The pair, who teamed to direct the Will Ferrell big-screen comedy "Blades of Glory," still get a kick out of the concept of modern cavemen with relationships and jobs. One character works at an Ikea-like store called Norsbild.

The debut, which ABC said was still in production and unavailable for preview, finds one of the cavemen hiding from his buddies that he's dating a Homo sapiens woman. The producers were game when asked to describe scenes that might make viewers laugh.

"The cavemen playing squash is always really funny to us," Gordon said. He also cited a bit in which one of the hirsute cavemen (the actors undergo extensive makeup) is offended by someone's offhand remark about "The Flintstones."

In July, when the producers and cast attended the Television Critics Association meeting, they were asked if the prejudice the cavemen faced in the pilot — for instance, that they were athletically superior — was intended to echo the stereotyping that blacks face.

Not at all, the producers said, reiterating that position again this week. While the show is about how people treat minorities it has nothing to do with any specific real-life group, they said.
"We're creating a new fake group and having fun with what people think about cavemen," Gordon said. "For us, the primary focus is for people to think the show is funny and something different, much more so than thinking ... about what everything is standing for