Commercials into TV shows

[JerryBaloney]

Continuing with this week's topic...

First, I think everyone who keeps saying that Cavemen is the first TV show based from a string of commercial, are forgetting the show "Hey, Vern" staring Ernest P. Worherl (as played by Shakespearean trained Jim Varney).
Ads with Ernest annoying his neighbor Vern were used to pitch numerous local & regional businesses for years before it was spun off into movies, and then eventually the CBS Saturday morning show "Hey, Vern".


Now for my idea. Locally here in Portland there is a series of ads for a car dealer which claims that their cars come equipped with a "Trunk Monkey". I'm not sure if these are used by dealers in other areas too. In the ads the monkey does things like bribe a cop who is writing the driver a ticket, and beat a car thief with a tire iron, whose body he then drops off a bridge. (Youtube evidence)
I think the Trunk Monkey would make a great action show. The Trunk Monkey works with the GPS system in the car to find small towns in trouble, who he then helps out by fighting bad guys with his tire iron. Not to mention he has to leave a trail of broken monkey lover's hearts along the way, as he rambles on to each new adventure. However, the twist is that the car's driver (a traveling salesman) has no clue what's going on, or that the monkey is even active. Everything about the car and the salesman's laptop are controlled by the monkey. This also causes him to be the least successful salesman with the company, and thus always get the worst sales route thru the "badlands".

[Amplituden]

When I was a kid there was ads for a car dealer named Mel Farr.

He dressed up like superman and they did a bad chroma-key so it looked like he was flying through the air in an effort to lower prices.  He called himself "Mel Farr Superstarr".

This would make a pretty good TV show I think.

JK

[Ason]

Hey, I remember that!

and that other one
"Me and dog want you to go to tel-e-graph roaaaaaaad riiiiight nowwwww
get.a.good.deal."

[emdasher]

I was surprised nobody went with the Sonic ads with the couple sitting in their car at the drive-in talking about different Sonic menu items.

Each new item that they order reveals a new facet to their loveless relationship.

[bruce]

Oh I can't wait till they make a live action version of those esurance ads. Wait they already did it was called Alias.

[masterofsparks]

How about the Crazy Eddie's ads from the 80s? I don't know if those played outside of New England/East Coast. Or, for the Midwesterns, there's always the Buddy's Carpet ads, where the pitchman looked and sounded like a crank-addled Don Knotts.

[samir]

Those Alltel commercials, with the four dorky guys who aren't as cool as Chad from Alltel and therefore end up getting into shenanigans, those'd make for an terrific TV experience.

[buffcoat]

Tom Carvel.

[ian]

McGruff

[Jixby Phillips]

Dane Cook talking about Baseball!

Here is how you do it:

Dane Cook is a normal regular everyday dude, who is desperate to get home in time to watch the game. But every episode a new obstacle gets in his way! Like family! or a date! And the episode is about him trying to overcome these obstacles in order to get home to watch his favorite sport around!

Every episode ends the same way. Dane turns on the TV, and we segue into A REAL BASEBALL GAME! Yes, this show would be shown before baseball! Then during the game, between commercials they can cut to Dane in his apartment going "oh man, This is great!" (he thinks everything going on is great no matter what, he has no team allegiances) and then perhaps at the end of the game Dane can have a little cap at the end that might resolve some hanging plot issue.

Another idea: Appalachian State University: The Series

[youtube=425,350]pVENWl8uBeg[/youtube]

Basically, the idea is you take that video and make it the opening sequence. Then it'd just be a dramedy about the goings-ons on the campus. But the kicker is, it'd be really really good.

[Tim K in DC]

Tom Carvel.

YES!

[youtube=425,350]3urwTGqxwZ0[/youtube]

[dave from knoxville]

I posted this elsewhere, but I can't find it, so I wonder if I sent it before I turned off the computer. If so, apologies. If not, I want a weekly show called "Apply Directly To the Forehead".

[Shaggy 2 Grote]

Tom Carvel.

YES!

I picture this as a surreal, Sid & Marty Kroft world with Cookie Puss and Fudgie the Whale and whatever other weird kidney-shaped characters on those commercials.  And Tom would be chainsmoking, of course, with a cigarette that perpetually looked like it was going to ash into a vat of soft-serve.

[Topher]

I'd like to pitch a show based on the  The Olive Garden commercials, but with a different twist than the ideas mentioned on TBS this week.

Instead of a traditional sit-com or drama, I'd film it like Fantasy Island/The Love Boat.  Every week, that poor hostess would have a different group of diners (played by a different group of B-List actors) come in, not just to eat, but to have their wildest wishes fulfilled.   I can just see the hostess explaining to Tattoo (vern troyer) that the party of one who was just seated (Meredith Baxter Birney) wants "to spend one last evening with her dead husband (Anthony LaPaglia)" and "unlimited bread sticks." 

[JonFromMaplewood]

There's a nasty life insurance ad on lately, and the spokesperson is talking to you while walking down the street. He keeps seeing visions of catastrophe as he talks to you...like first he sees a nice suburban house, and then the next minute it's in flames...or a car and then it's wrapped around a telephone pole.

I think this could be a great show...kinda Dead Zone, kinda X-Files.  The conflict would be: Is he simply seeing the future, OR CAUSING IT?

-Jon from Maplewood