Every once in a while there's a pilot that comes along that amuses you to no end but just doesn't end up getting ordered by the network. Nobody's Watching was one, and Lookwell another, but one that I think that never got a chance was the wacky reality/comedy hybrid The Papdits, from creator Ant Hines, one of the writers on the current #1 movie in America. (That would be Borat, of course.)So, it's no coincidence that following the HUGE opening this weekend of Borat that CBS has launched the twenty-plus minute pilot of The Papdits on its broadband network Innertube. The pilot, made available today for free streaming to all visitors of Innertube, follows a fictional Kashmir family as they travel around on a cross-country RV expedition of the United States, interacting with real people along the way.
The series originally began life at FOX, at the time under Gail Berman's reign, which gave the project, from Ant Hines, Tom Nunan, and Cathy Schulman, a six-episode commitment back in November 2004. Those episodes were ultimately produced but never aired and the series quickly died once its champion Gail Berman departed for Paramount. Last year, CBS decided to resurrect The Papdits, with a view to redeveloping the concept for either CBS or UPN, but then passed on the show, which while hysterical, was felt to be too out there for mainstream audiences. (Hmmm, curious that 20th Century Fox felt the same way initially about Borat, downgrading its release to only 800 screens.)
But CBS' Nancy Tellem didn't want The Papdits to just die. "The response was really positive," she told Variety. "We wanted to figure out a way to get it out there, instead of letting it go to one of those dead-pilot places." The decision was made to put the series on Innertube, but wait until they could synergize the launch of The Papdits with that of Ant Hines' Borat film.
Which brings us to today. The Papdits has gone live on Innertube and I think America is ready for its very own Ant Hines series (Hines also recently signed a development deal with CBS for a new comedy series). While the Innertube launch will most likely NOT lead to The Papdits getting a network slot, the success of the first installment could lead to the rest of the series streaming online.
So check it out. And let me know what you think.
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