Meet the Neighbors

Last updated

"Meet the Neighbors"
The Neighbors episode
Episode no.Season 1
Episode 1
Directed by Chris Koch
Written by Dan Fogelman
Original air dateSeptember 26, 2012 (2012-09-26)
Running time22 minutes

"Meet the Neighbors" or "Pilot" is the pilot episode of the American television science fiction sitcom The Neighbors . It was slated to air on the American Broadcasting Company (ABC) on September 26, 2012. The episode was written by Dan Fogelman, and directed by Chris Koch. The episode generally received negative reviews.

Contents

The concept of The Neighbors was devised by Fogelman, who previously wrote the films Cars , Cars 2 and Tangled . Although it is a comedy series, its script was cited as potentially being too complex for mainstream American television. Fogelman conceived The Neighbors after a visit to the gated community where his mother lived.

Production

Conception

Dan Fogelman devised the concept of the series, which was previously entitled Down to Earth. It was described as a sitcom about "a New Jersey family that moves into a gated community occupied exclusively by extraterrestrials." [1] Fogelman previously wrote the films Cars , Cars 2 and Tangled . [2] The American Broadcasting Company (ABC) picked up the pilot episode of The Neighbors in October 2011, with a pilot commitment. [2] Chris Koch signed on to direct the pilot episode. [2] The show was originally produced for ABC Studios and Warner Bros. Television, but Warner Bros. Television was replaced by company Kaplan Entertainment. Dan Fogelman, Chris Koch, Jeff Morton and Aaron Kaplan executive produced the episode. In May 2012, the show renamed to The Neighbors, and production of the program was green-lit. [3] "Pilot" was written by Fogelman. [2]

Fogelman conceived The Neighbors after visiting his mother, who lived in a gated townhouse community, and stated, "you could reach out of my mom's bathroom window and touch her neighbor's bathroom window", but they never spoke to or knew each other, and the idea was "who are these people that she's living between?", and what if they were all aliens? [4] He claimed that family is the best part of humanity, and he kept "exploring stuff". [4] Fogelman wants The Neighbors to be a show that "the whole family can watch together". He said: "It's high concept but I do want to ground it as a family sitcom". [5]

The show's premise has been described as "goofy", and has been considered as a "high-concept" show by Entertainment Weekly . [6] At the semi-annual press tour in Beverly Hills, ABC Entertainment President Paul Lee stated that The Neighbors has "high-concept nature", but "love[d]" it. [6] The Neighbors was originally stated to premiere at 9:30 p.m. on Wednesday, but ABC decided to air it in 8:30 time interval. In response to this, Lee claimed that "8:30 p.m. suited the show better" as "there's so much pressure [to perform] after Modern Family ". The 9:30 p.m. slot was replaced with Suburgatory . [6] Lee wants it to be on the air for a long time, and claimed that Suburgatory would better fit in the 9:30 slot. [7] Lee praised Fogelman, calling him a "wondering writer"; he thinks he will give a "smart piece of storytelling". [8]

Casting

Simon Templeman obtained the role of Wilt Chamberlain, the leader of the aliens. SimonTempleman.jpg
Simon Templeman obtained the role of Wilt Chamberlain, the leader of the aliens.

In December 2011, Jami Gertz, Simon Templeman, Toks Olagundoye and Tim Jo obtained roles in the series. [9] It was announced that Gertz would play Debbie Weaver, the matriarch of the human family, Templeman would play Wilt Chamberlain, the leader of the aliens, Olagundoye was cast as Jackie Joyner Kersee, the matriarch of the lead alien family, and Jo would appear as Joe Montana, the son of the alien family. [9] Wilt Chamberlain was originally the lead alien Larry Bird. [10]

In January 2012, Clara Mamet, Ian Patrick and Isabella Cramp garnered roles in the series. Mamet garnered the role of Gertz's teenage daughter, while Patrick and Cramp got kid roles. [11] Later that month, Lenny Venito obtained the lead role as Marty Weaver, the father of the human family. [12]

Broadcast and reception

Ratings

"Pilot" is scheduled to air on ABC on September 26, 2012, after Modern Family . In Canada, it will air on Saturday at 10:00 p.m. on CTV network in the fall of 2012 after the Crimetime Saturday block. [13]

Critical response

The Neighbors received negative treatment at the upfront for the program. [5] [6] Writing for the San Francisco Chronicle , David Wiegand thought that The Neighbors did not look "promising" as it has a high-concept show. Weigand compared it to the National Broadcasting Company (NBC) science fiction comedy series 3rd Rock from the Sun , claiming that the series' creator made it so different from Third Rock From the Sun, that it is "weird". [14] He stated that if The Neighbors garnered low ratings, it could possibly be replaced with Family Tools , an ABC comedy that is scheduled to air in mid-season. He compared it to other comedies set to air on the same channel writing that those are better than The Neighbors. [14] According to Weigand, The Neighbors seems like Outsourced , which aired for one season on NBC. [14]

Other reviews were more positive. Dave Walker from The Times-Picayune thought that The Neighbors was a "fish-out-of-water"; he called it a "potentially comedic" show. [4] Rob Owen, a Pittsburgh Post-Gazette critic, claimed that he has "interest in high-concept shows"; he also "laughed a good bit at the pilot episode". [5] His concern was "how long they can keep up the jokes. Seeing the unusual way aliens do the dishes in the pilot is hilarious. But that gag only works the first time. After that, it's stale." [5]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">TV Land</span> Pay TV channel in the United States

TV Land is an American pay television channel owned by Paramount Global through its networks division. Originally a spinoff of Nick at Nite consisting exclusively of classic television shows, the channel now airs a combination of recent and classic television series, original scripted series and limited theatrically released movies. The network is headquartered at One Astor Plaza in New York City.

<i>Up All Night</i> (TV series) American television sitcom

Up All Night is an American television sitcom created by Emily Spivey that aired on NBC from September 14, 2011, to December 13, 2012. The show starred Christina Applegate, Will Arnett, Jennifer Hall, Luka Jones, and Maya Rudolph.

<i>Last Man Standing</i> (American TV series) American television sitcom (2011–2017, 2018–2021)

Last Man Standing is an American sitcom created by Jack Burditt. It aired from October 11, 2011, to March 31, 2017, on ABC, and then again from September 28, 2018, to May 20, 2021, on Fox. The show starred Tim Allen as an executive at a sporting goods store chain headquartered in Denver, Colorado, who is a married father of three daughters and a grandfather to his eldest daughter's son. Last Man Standing was a joint production by 21 Laps-Adelstein Productions, NestEgg Productions, and 20th Television.

<i>Suburgatory</i> American television sitcom (2012–2014)

Suburgatory is an American television sitcom created by Emily Kapnek that aired on ABC from September 28, 2011, to May 14, 2014. The series originally aired on Wednesday nights at 8:30/7:30 Central following The Middle. The title is a portmanteau, devised by former CNN Senior Producer Linda Keenan, of the words "suburban" and "purgatory". On May 9, 2014, Suburgatory was canceled by ABC after three seasons.

<i>Animal Practice</i> 2012 American TV series or program

Animal Practice is an American sitcom television series which aired on NBC from August 12 to November 28, 2012, on the network's Thanksgiving 2012 television schedule. The series premiered after the end of the 2012 Olympic games and was produced by Universal Television and American Work. The series starred Justin Kirk and is set at a veterinary office. The series was canceled on December 3, 2012, due to low ratings, and replaced by Whitney on November 14, 2012. In addition, the final three episodes were released on NBC.com and Hulu on November 20, 2012.

<i>The Neighbors</i> (2012 TV series) American sitcom television series

The Neighbors is an American television science fiction sitcom that aired from October 27, 2012, to May 12, 2014, on ABC. The story line revolves around a family of humans living in a community of extraterrestrials. The series was created by Dan Fogelman, who also served as executive producer. Chris Koch, Jeffrey Morton, and Aaron Kaplan served as co-producers, and the first season was produced by ABC Studios and Kapital Entertainment.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Toks Olagundoye</span> Nigerian actress

Olatokunbo Susan Olasobunmi Abeke "Toks" Olagundoye is a Nigerian actress known for playing Jackie Joyner-Kersee on The Neighbors, Hayley Shipton on Castle and Olivia Finch on Frasier. She also voices Nanefua Pizza on Steven Universe, Mrs. Beakley on DuckTales, Countess Cleo on Carmen Sandiego, Zamfir on Castlevania and Mel Medarda on Arcane.

<i>Super Fun Night</i> American television sitcom (2013–2014)

Super Fun Night is an American television sitcom that aired on ABC from October 2, 2013, to February 19, 2014. The series was broadcast during the 2013–14 television season on ABC in the Wednesday night 9:30 pm (ET/PT) slot after Modern Family. The series stars and was created by Rebel Wilson; it was green-lit by ABC for a series order pick-up on May 10, 2013. On May 9, 2014, ABC canceled the series after one season.

<i>Instant Mom</i> 2013 American TV series or program

Instant Mom is an American sitcom produced for the NickMom block on the Nick Jr. Channel. It was developed by Howard Michael Gould and stars Tia Mowry as a stepmother of three children alongside her husband.

Tim Jo is an American television and film actor, he is most famous for playing "Reggie Jackson" on the ABC comedy, The Neighbors.

Black-ish is an American sitcom television series created by Kenya Barris. It aired on ABC from September 24, 2014, to April 19, 2022, running for eight seasons with 176 episodes. Black-ish follows an upper class well-off black family headed by Andre "Dre" Johnson, a successful advertising executive, and his wife Rainbow "Bow", an anaesthesiologist. The show revolves around the wealthy Johnson family as they juggle personal, familial and sociopolitical issues, particularly in trying to reconcile their desire to stay true to their black identities with their choice to live in a wealthy, suburban white neighborhood.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joshua Sasse</span> British actor

Joshua Sasse is a British actor. He is known for playing Sir Gary Galavant in ABC's Galavant (2015-2016). Other credits include The Big I Am (2010), Frankenstein's Army (2012), Rogue (2013–2014), The Neighbors (2014), No Tomorrow (2016–2017), Monarch (2022), Love Is in the Air (2023), and Outrageous (2024).

<i>Imaginary Mary</i> American fantasy comedy television series

Imaginary Mary is an American live-action/animated fantasy sitcom television series created by Adam F. Goldberg, David Guarascio and Patrick Osborne that aired on ABC from March 29 to May 30, 2017. The series is executive produced by the creators and was greenlighted to series order on May 12, 2016. A first-look-trailer was released on the same day. ABC reduced the number of episodes from thirteen to nine on September 28, 2016.

Speechless is an American television sitcom that aired on ABC from September 21, 2016, to April 12, 2019. Created by Scott Silveri and co-executive produced with Christine Gernon, Jake Kasdan, and Melvin Mar, the 20th Century Fox Television/ABC Studios co-production was greenlighted to series order on May 13, 2016. A first-look trailer was released on the same day. Starring Minnie Driver, John Ross Bowie and Micah Fowler, the sitcom explores the serious and humorous challenges a family faces with a teenager with a disability. On September 29, 2016, the series was picked up for a full 22-episode season. An additional episode was ordered on December 13, 2016, for a 23-episode season. On May 10, 2019, ABC cancelled the series after three seasons.

<i>American Housewife</i> American television sitcom (2016–2021)

American Housewife is an American television sitcom created and written by Sarah Dunn and co-executive produced with Aaron Kaplan, Kenny Schwartz, Rick Wiener, and for the pilot only Ruben Fleischer. The show, which premiered on ABC on October 11, 2016, is a Kapital Entertainment–ABC Signature co-production.

The 2018–19 network television schedule for the five major English-language commercial broadcast networks in the United States covers the prime time hours from September 2018 to August 2019. The schedule is followed by a list per network of returning series, new series, and series canceled after the 2017–18 season.

The Conners is an American television sitcom created by Matt Williams for ABC as a direct continuation of the series Roseanne. The series is produced by Werner Entertainment, with Bruce Helford serving as executive producer and features actors John Goodman, Laurie Metcalf, Sara Gilbert, Lecy Goranson, Michael Fishman, Emma Kenney, Ames McNamara, Jayden Rey and Jay R. Ferguson.

"Keep On Truckin'" is the pilot episode of the American spin-off sitcom The Conners. It aired in the United States on ABC on October 16, 2018. The episode was directed by Andy Ackerman, and written by Bruce Helford, Dave Caplan, and Bruce Rasmussen. This is the first episode not to feature the show's previous star Roseanne Barr.

References

  1. ↑ O'Connell, Michael (June 18, 2012). "Fall TV Pilot Preview: ABC's 'The Neighbors'". The Hollywood Reporter . Prometheus Global Media . Retrieved July 30, 2012.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Andreeva, Nellie (October 28, 2011). "ABC Picks Up Dan Fogelman Alien Comedy With Pilot Production Commitment". Deadline Hollywood . PMC . Retrieved July 30, 2012.
  3. ↑ Seidman, Robert (May 11, 2012). "ABC Picks Up Comedies 'The Neighbors' and 'The Family Tools' and Dramas 'Nashville,' 'Red Widow' and 'Zero Hour' + More". TV by the Numbers . Zap2it. Archived from the original on May 14, 2012. Retrieved May 11, 2012.
  4. 1 2 3 "ABC's 'The Neighbors' lands a family in alien territory". NOLA.com. July 28, 2012. Retrieved August 25, 2012.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Owen, Rob (July 27, 2012). "PRESS TOUR: Defending ABC's 'The Neighbors'". Communityvoices.sites.post-gazette.com. Retrieved August 25, 2012.
  6. 1 2 3 4 Ross, Dalton. "ABC defends WTF alien sitcom 'The Neighbors' | Inside TV | EW.com". Insidetv.ew.com. Retrieved September 22, 2012.
  7. ↑ "Breaking News - ABC at TCA: Lee "Optimistic" About "Modern Family" Negotiations". TheFutonCritic.com. July 27, 2012. Retrieved September 22, 2012.
  8. ↑ "President of ABC Paul Lee Interview". Collider. July 28, 2012. Retrieved September 22, 2012.
  9. 1 2 Andreeva, Nellie (December 11, 2011). "Pilot Castings: Four In Dan Fogelman Comedy, Jeff Eastin Drama Adds One". Deadline Hollywood. PMC. Retrieved July 30, 2012.
  10. ↑ "Producer Dan Fogelman On 'The Neighbors' And Name Recognition: TCA". Deadline Hollywood. July 27, 2012. Retrieved September 22, 2012.
  11. ↑ Andreeva, Nellie (January 20, 2012). "Kevin Nealon To Star In NBC Comedy Pilot 'Isabel', Continue On Showtime's 'Weeds'". Deadline Hollywood. PMC. Retrieved July 30, 2012.
  12. ↑ Andreeva, Nellie (January 27, 2012). "TV Castings: Lenny Venito To Star In ABC's Dan Fogelman Pilot, Graham Patrick Martin Cast In 'Closer' Spinoff". Deadline Hollywood. PMC. Retrieved July 30, 2012.
  13. ↑ May 31, 2012, 1:57 pm Updated: May 31, 2012, 2:19 pm (May 31, 2012). "CTV Fall TV Schedule 2012-13: Major Changes, Major Stars". Huffingtonpost.com. Retrieved September 22, 2012.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  14. 1 2 3 Wiegand, David (July 27, 2012). "TCA: ABC, easy as 1, 2, 3 and more | @WaitWhat_TV | an SFGate.com blog". Blog.sfgate.com. Retrieved September 22, 2012.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.