Oh, No! Not THEM! (partially found unaired American adaptation pilot of "The Young Ones"; 1991)
The Young Ones was a British "surreal sitcom" which aired from 1982 to 1984. The show helped to bring alternative comedy to television and is regarded as one of the greatest British sitcoms of all time. When the show became popular it was broadcasted stateside in the US on MTV in 1985. Shortly after, Fox Network wanted to adapt the series for an American audience.
The pilot was named "Oh, No! Not THEM!" and the plot consisted of the three flatmates trying to raise enough money for their landlord in order to pay the rent. Nigel Planer reprised the role of Neil. He was joined by Jackie Earle Haley and lesser known actor, Robert Bundy.[1] Unlike the original series, the pilot only had three main characters as apposed to four.
Planer is said to have had a horrible experience due to the cast and crew and thought negatively of the pilot, thinking the crew had made a "grubby Benny Hill" rather than a faithful adaptation. When the show was not picked up he was relieved to be let out of his contract.[2] The English punk band "Charged GBH" also made an appearance in the pilot as guest performers, likely in the same style as the original series which had a guest band in almost every episode.[3] The pilot was written and directed by David Mirkin who would later go on to co-create the surreal sitcom, "Get A Life" with Chris Elliott and Adam Resnick. Mirkin originally wanted Chris Elliot to be one of the actors on the project but declined and later became the lead actor for "Get A Life".[4] No footage or images of the pilot have surfaced as the pilot was never broadcasted on TV.
References
- ↑ Oh, No! Not THEM production credits
- ↑ Robert Llewellyn's book "The Man In The Rubber Mask"
- ↑ Ink 19 article about GBH
- ↑ Interview with David Mirkin