I was a member of the live studio audience when this sitcom pilot was shot. Between takes there was a comedian who got up and bantered with the crowd. He was approximately ten times funnier than the show.
The details have gotten cloudy in my brain, and I can't guarantee total accuracy, but I remember that Corbin Bernsen played an abrasive video store owner (confined to a wheelchair, for reasons I don't believe were ever explained) whose estranged son showed up to work for him. Other characters included an obnoxious East Indian employee at the store who became the sworn enemy of Bernsen's son--in other words, he was set up as the character who will trade dumb insults with him for the duration of the show. And there was a cute young female love interest who, in the only remotely funny bit, unexpectedly reveals that she's a lesbian.
I remember that only one scene required a second take (do they always shoot sitcoms this fast?). And basically, it just wasn't funny. The jokes were nothing special, and there was little to distinguish it from hundreds of other mediocre sitcoms. As most of the action took place in a tiny one-room video store, it was hard to see how this show could have lasted long without falling into monotony. So I wasn't surprised at all that VERONICA'S VIDEO never got aired.
One final memory: At one point during the taping, the audience was admonished for not laughing enough, which should tell you something.
The details have gotten cloudy in my brain, and I can't guarantee total accuracy, but I remember that Corbin Bernsen played an abrasive video store owner (confined to a wheelchair, for reasons I don't believe were ever explained) whose estranged son showed up to work for him. Other characters included an obnoxious East Indian employee at the store who became the sworn enemy of Bernsen's son--in other words, he was set up as the character who will trade dumb insults with him for the duration of the show. And there was a cute young female love interest who, in the only remotely funny bit, unexpectedly reveals that she's a lesbian.
I remember that only one scene required a second take (do they always shoot sitcoms this fast?). And basically, it just wasn't funny. The jokes were nothing special, and there was little to distinguish it from hundreds of other mediocre sitcoms. As most of the action took place in a tiny one-room video store, it was hard to see how this show could have lasted long without falling into monotony. So I wasn't surprised at all that VERONICA'S VIDEO never got aired.
One final memory: At one point during the taping, the audience was admonished for not laughing enough, which should tell you something.
