Q: The object is to pitch a TV show idea to one of the networks, either broadcast or cable, in which your TV show's title is just one letter different from an existing show's title, past or present. Name your TV show and summarize it in 15 words or less.
Examples:
AMERICAN I DO'S — Hilarious misadventures of a bumbling wedding planner
YOU BET YOUR WIFE — Trivia contest, with wagering, to determine who knows more — husband or spouse
Entries will be judged on their sense, naturalness of wording, humor and overall effect. No more than three entries per person, please. The person who sends the best TV pitch will play the on-air puzzle in two weeks
Winner:
I Remember MOMA - Each episode focuses on a past exhibit or artist at the Museum of Modern Art
According to Will it was "chosen because of its originality, surprising letter substitution, naturalness of its description, and humor."
Runners-up:
Perks And Recreation
The O.C.D. Couple
Father Knots Best
Star Trek: The Next Veneration
Big Brothel
The Mary Tyler Moose Show
Beverly Sills 90210
Mayberry B.F.D.
The Punsters
The Incredible Hunk
The Incredible Hula
Little Souse on the Prairie
Let's Make a Meal
Saturday Night Jive
Lust in Space
Big Bong Theory
Get Kmart
PR
The Greatest American Herb
Who Waits to Be a Millionaire?
America's Next Top Mohel
As the World Burns
Hawaii Five-K [race]
Don't forget to get your final entries in by Thursday, June 14 by 3pm ET.
ReplyDeleteI notice from the examples that Will is allowing us to get creative with the spacing and punctuation too.
ReplyDeleteHolding out 'til Thursday.
ReplyDeleteHappy Sunday, everyone!
ReplyDeleteDo you suppose will Will accept Alice >>> Malice {Three Arizona waitresses take revenge on their customers}? It is "just one letter different from an existing show's title."
^^^ Oops, Will will.
DeleteI belive will Might, based on his wording.
DeleteLegoSeesTheBunkersMovingTo'Bama(Y'allInTheFamily)
Hey Lego, I like "Y'all in the Family."
DeleteCute, Lego. But is Bama ready for the Bunkers? Or for that matter, are they ready for us?
DeleteWith apologies to babies.
ReplyDeleteIs that an example of how String Theory works?
DeleteJan: Good one! He may be in over his head.
DeleteIt's the closest he'll come to using his noodle.
DeleteICYMI: From @allenwallace:
DeleteBreaking: Justify turns down invitation to White House. Asked why, the TripleCrown winner said “If I wanted to see a horse’s ass, I would’ve finished second.”
:)
DeleteLast week's offerings from cranberry et al were AMAZINGLY good. One of them should be the winner! Can't compete with those, but here are a few second-string offerings:
ReplyDeleteMAT MEN - A behind the scenes look at the WWE.
SOUTH PORK - A BBQ competition from Dixie.
SAVED BY THE BULL - An reality show from Pamplona.
TEXTER - The story of a millennial in a long-distance relationship.
Trump is dead wrong about the Canadian Prime Minister. His wealth was all obtained from ill gotten gains and he knows nothing about true dough.
ReplyDeleteJust_in time for another crisis, Trumpty was trying to Angel_a new deal. "E_mann,_u_el do what I want or I will pout and stamp my feet and hold my breath til my face turns blue!", said Trumpty, but the others Gius_eppe and ignored his threats and didn't A_be his childish demands. "Te_res_a tantrum like that was just undignified," everyone agreed.
DeleteYOUR SHOW OF SHOES
ReplyDeleteHome shopping segment featuring Imelda Marcos.
SOUL BRAIN
Sitcom that asks, "What if Sheldon Cooper had been black?"
FAMILY MATHERS
Reality show about the real-life family of the guy who played Beaver Cleaver.
THE S FACTOR
Talent competition in which all participants have a speech impediment.
THE DISCO KID
Modern-day western set inside Studio 54.
LOTSA MUCK
Sitcom about tourists who regularly visit the La Brea Tarpits.
THE FAT PATROL
"The Biggest Loser" spinoff in which overweight people are arrested before being forced to exercise.
HARD COPS
Reality show about police officers who are way too excited to arrest anyone.
TOP BEAR
Talent competition involving, Smokey, Yogi, Boo Boo, Fozzie, and the family in those Charmin ads.
MAKE ROOM FOR DIDDY
ReplyDeleteReality show about the family life of Sean "Puffy" Combs.
FLIP OR SLOP
ReplyDeleteCooking competition in which participants must prepare the perfect pancake.
UNDERCOVER BODS
ReplyDelete"Charlie's Angels" reboot, formerly called "The Bod Squad."
It's Always Sunni in Philadelphia- Four Muslim-American friends have zany adventures in Pennsylvania's most populous city
ReplyDeleteThe Twiwight Zone- a sci-fi antholoy series hosted by Elmer Fudd
Groping Pains- a game show where blindfolded contestants compete to identify sharp objects by touch
THE X-TILES
ReplyDelete12-part PBS documentary about certain difficult letters to get rid of on a Scrabble board.
THE X-FILET
Agents Mulder and Scully try to uncover the mystery behind "mystery meat".
MOST IN SPACE
Reality show about the majority of people here on Earth hired to colonize other planets.
GERMAN'S HEAD
ReplyDeleteDocumentary based on the film, "They Saved Hitler's Brain!"
HART TO HURT
ReplyDeleteReality show in which comedian Kevin Hart overdoes it working out in the gym.
I can't remember when something Will Shortz himself offered his millions of listeners was characterized by "...sense, naturalness of wording, humor and overall effect."
ReplyDeleteI would like to be the fly on the wall as he and his minions wade through thousands of "answers."
Doubtful that adding a letter would have been considered OK until WW's question above.
There is no way to know how the news from Singapore will be handled, but DJT is certain to monumentally blow the meeting.
DICK DYNASTY - Watch the Drump crime family lie, cheat and steal their way to the top.
ReplyDeleteSHART TANK - Hilarity ensues as contestants pass gas until the loser draws "mud"
ReplyDeleteWOW! Just saw that Larry Kudlow suffered a heart attack & is in Walter Reed Hospital. I don't like to joke about things like this (so I won't)... but all that tension in the White House is bound to take it's toll on people.
ReplyDeleteHow can you be serious at a moment like this? Have you no sarcasm?
DeleteBelieve me, the temptation is great!!
DeleteIt must be tariffying for him and his family.
DeleteHa!
DeleteI wonder how the tariff increases he supports will be applied to medical equipment that might be used to help him???
Can't say because they are stuck at the border.
DeleteCAN 54, WHERE ARE YOU?
ReplyDeleteAndy Warhol starts The Factory, props go missing, and hilarity ensues. Right after Masterpiece Theatre.
I came up with:
DeleteCAN 54, WHERE ARE YOU?
There are eight million port-a-potties in New York City. This one is missing.
LOL!!!
DeleteI really wish I had thought of that one.
ReplyDeleteCharles M. Schulz wasn't in Singapore, but Charlie Brown and Lucy with her football certainly were.
ReplyDeleteI am so happy, orange man has secured peace. I am already wearing my Kim Jong Un shirt! A bargain at any price???
DeleteBAR 54 WHERE ARE YOU?
ReplyDelete70s sitcom starring Steve Rubell as co-owner of an out-of-the-way New York discotheque/watering hole.
HEAT OF THE CLASS
An unconventional Sex Ed teacher causes trouble by making the students actually experience it firsthand.
SHARK TALK
ReplyDeleteAn interview show by, for, and about Puerto Rican gang members.
(Clearly a "West Side Story" reference and nothing against anyone from PR.)
It's certainly not P.C, but we had fun with "Leave it to Beaner." Neighborhood kids dodging chores and responsibilities by relying on the resident Mexican family. The catchphrase would always be accompanied by a musical sting and a window-pop.
ReplyDeleteLeave It To The Beaver – Bill Clinton and Monica Lewinsky debate #metoo.
DeleteLEASE IT TO BEAVER
DeleteInside look at the Stormy Daniels, Donald Trump negotiations.
LEAVE IT TO SEAVER
Delete...or, how the Mets won the 1969 World Series.
My mother taught me to never go shopping when hungry, or without a list of the things I wanted to come home with.
ReplyDeletetRump’s meeting with Kim demonstrates the importance of that lesson.
ACCORDING TO KIM
ReplyDeleteDocumentary on day-to-day life in North Korea.
RAWSIDE
Western in which cowboys learn wearing chaps a long time will make you chapoed.
IT'S ALWAYS RUNNY IN PHILADELPHIA
Food Network documentary on the cheese they use to make cheesesteaks.
CASKETS
Sitcom starring Zach Galifanakis as a weird funeral director.
I meant "chapped", not "chapoed". "Chapped" would also be a good title, too, come to think of it.
ReplyDeleteACCORDING TO KIM
ReplyDeleteAnalysis of what North Korea took away from the summit.
FOOD NETWORK
ReplyDelete"Lost in Spice"
From Jamaica to Thailand, wandering the wonderful world of aromatics.
FOX
"The Walloping Gourmet"
Celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay kicks his abusive stlye up a notch. Bam!
THE HISTORY CHANNEL
"The Little Pascals"
Young Blaise, his two siblings and their friends make mathematical mischief in seventeenth century Paris.
Will is looking for humor in his grading of the responses to his "creative" challenge this week.
ReplyDeleteCan you think of a time when the Puzzlemaster intentionally made you laugh? Chuckle? Smile?
JUDGE RUDY. Rudy Guiliani hears and delivers verdicts at the trials of Trump associates, both those who have plead guilty and those who have not.
ReplyDeleteFudge Judy: Clips show of cantankerous TV judge who manages to yell and insult without obscenities.
Delete1. Kukla, Fran and Ollie to KUKLA FLAN AND OLLIE. Two Mexican refugees attempt to enter the country with their innovative dessert recipe.
ReplyDelete2. CAN 54, WHERE ARE YOU?
There are eight million port-a-potties in New York City. This one is missing.
3. HOUSE OF CURDS
Cottage cheese can only be stacked so high and then it topples.
4.SERGEANT PRESS-ON OF THE YUKON
Nattily attired Canadian Mountie and his dog, King, relentlessly pursue a reliable dry cleaner.
5. RUN TIN TIN
Dorothy and Toto try motivating three companions to hurry so they can get to Oz.
6. MAUVE
A lite remake of The Color Purple for the calorie conscious.
The Defunders: A news program about Scott Pruitt, Alex Azar, Betsy DeVos and Ben Carson developing budgets.
ReplyDeleteThe Uncouchables: To fight obesity, personal trainers raid the homes of coach potatoes to implement fitness programs.
That’s So Riven: A reality show with contestants solving a series of puzzles to escape an isolated location.
I did not submit the following: Dr. Ox (if your life is a yoke, better call Ox) and The Douchables (four nice guys trying to remain nice in frat house).
PEEPEE’S PLAYHOUSE – Shocking undercover tapes of a New York real estate mogul in a Russian hotel room.
ReplyDeleteI did submit for the first time for a while:
ReplyDeleteHouse of Bards: Tristan Satyr muses the poetic justice that takes his rhyme Era_to the slammer.
Gel Smart: Agent Matwell overcomes entanglements and hairy situations in brushes with Kaos. Features comb of silence.
R*A*S*H: Wart-ime comedy about a mole in the foreign lesion who is abscess without leave.
I'm surprised and disappointed that none of the prolific pitchers here seems to have gotten The Call this week. Can't say we didn't try.
ReplyDeleteMe, too.
DeleteMy offerings:
Everybody Loves Raymond »»» Everybody Moves Raymond »»» Raymond's family helps him move to a new city every week.
The Flintstones »»» The Flintstines »»» Jewish cavemen and women navigate historical Flint, Michigan.
The Wonder Years »»» The Ponder Years »»» The inner life of people who are always thinking, thinking, thinking. . .
My favorite:
Black Mirror >>> Blank Mirror -- A new tv series with no reflection on you.
HOUSE OF CARBS - A Political Thriller set in a Waffle House
ReplyDeleteAMERICA MIDOL - Reality show featuring wives of big Pharma
C*A*S*H - The story of Michael Cohen, Trump's fixer
LANCING WITH THE STARS - Celebrity jousting contest
WREN THINGS WERE ROTTEN
ReplyDelete12-part PBS documentary proving Christopher Wren was not such a great architect.
RUN TIN TIN
Political drama in which a British cartoon character's friends nominate him for public office.
Belgian cartoon character. My mistake.
DeleteSATURDAY NIGHT LOVE – In Ringaskiddy, Ireland, the Viagra factory releases erotic fumes into the air – Whiff-a-Stiff!
ReplyDeleteTHE SIRE – Woman collects sperm donations from the intelligentsia to create a “bank” for genius babies.
CHEEKS – From bloomers to thongs, a PBS documentary about the sexuality of undergarments.
“Is it True What They Say About Dixie?”, vaudeville song by Phil Harris
ReplyDeleteIs it true what they do in Ringaskiddy?
Does one whiff make you stiff, like they say?
When you drive your car through town
Do you roll your windows down?
If you see a guy out walkin’
Does he ever wear a frown?
Does the breeze from the factory make you frisky?
Do they dance in the street singin’ songs?
Do they laugh, do they love, do they do it all night long?
If they do, that’s where I belong!
ROME IMPROVEMENT
ReplyDeleteSitcom about an amateur handyman's comically inept attempts to rebuild while Nero's still fiddling.
FRANKLIN AND BUSH
ReplyDeleteMisadventures of a time-traveling founding father who must help Dubya or never get back home.
WIND KINGDOM
ReplyDeleteSitcom about a royal family with severe gastrointestinal problems.
THE WANKING DEAD
ReplyDeleteBrains aren't the only thing zombies need sometimes.
LES DEAR
ReplyDeleteMade-for-TV biopic chronicling the marriage of guitar pioneer Les Paul and singer Mary Ford.
Nuked City: Fellers chew tobaccy; women wiki-wacky woo
ReplyDeleteQuantum Lear: Crazy old monarch time-travels, attempting to rectify his tragic history
Go Exit: John Nash must replay his humiliating loss to Martin Hansen until the final episode, in which he sees that he has finally won for a change, but tips the board over just as he is about to place the final stone. He immediately finds himself in the presence of Erwin Schrodinger, who asks him if he did it intentionally or unintentionally.
POT FOR WOMEN ONLY
ReplyDeletePanel discussion show involving female stoners. WEEP
Original title for "This Is Us"?
THAT WAS THE WEED THAT WAS
Panel discussion celebrating the history of marijuana, featuring Willie Nelson, Snoop Dogg, Cheech, and Chong.
THE NEW ROO REVUE
Sketch comedy show set in the Australian Outback.
NOT NECESSARILY THE JEWS
"Schindler's List"-based sitcom involving gentiles caught up in a case of mistaken identity.
If they could get away with "Hogan's Heroes", well...
BEEP
Sitcom revolving around the day-to-day life of the inventor of the answering machine.
If you think Hogan's Heroes is bad, try this show.
DeleteDIAGNOSIS MUDDER
ReplyDeleteDrama about a horse doctor working at a Seattle-based racetrack.(Rains all the time there.)
THE X-FILMS
Documentary about pornographic movies in the early days of the rating system.
THE WONDER BEARS
Gentle Ben, Smokey, and Fozzie band together to become superheroes.
WHOSE LINT IS IT ANYWAY?
Game show set in a laundromat.
Trading Spices -> partnered with a chef neighbors update each other's spice racks. Bye bye basil, hello cilantro.
ReplyDeleteBRAT SHAZAM
ReplyDeleteBackstory of Billy Batson which reveals that, in his childhood, he was very spoiled.
BAD MEN
ReplyDeleteCharlie Rose interviews Matt Lauer, Harvey Weinstein, Bill Cosby, and more. Conducted entirely from Prison.
Three submittals that weren’t chosen...
ReplyDeleteThe Good Fight—>The Good Eight - Having chosen quantity over quality, The Good EIght is inferior to The Magnificent Seven.
The Mod Squad—>The God Squad - A Priest, a Rabbi, and a Minister are divinely inspired to solve crimes.
Barney Miller—>Barney Killer - The purple dinosaur meets Dexter.
I can totally see Barney Killer. The back story would be some kid who was horribly damaged by Barney and seeks revenge with a machete and a dream.
DeleteMy submission...
ReplyDeleteTHE BIONIC LOMAN: Scifi sequel in which Arthur Miller's protagonist is resurrected as a literal "selling machine".
MR. ROGET'S NEIGHBORHOOD:It's a pulchritudinous day in the neighborhood for juveniles with expansive vocabularies.
ReplyDeleteForWard, I approbate!
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteNo way to edit a post, so had to do over:
ReplyDeleteThe answers posted here are so much more witty and fun than anything that could possibly be broadcasted on NPR. I do like my humor edgy and non-PC. Thanks everyone for a great couple of weeks!
For you, Jaxon:
Delete1. YOU BET YOUR WIFE
Each week tune in to see how Mormons spice up their dreary lives.
2. STAR DREK
Tune in to watch this rag tag bunch of stilted acting school dropouts pretend to act.
3. MARCUS WELBY, V.D.
You never knew having fun could be so giving.
4. SEA C*NT
Lloyd Bridges snorkels with a different mermaid slut each week.
5. P*SS AMERICA PAGEANT
This year Donald Trump and Stormy Daniels host choosing the new "Golden Shower Queen.
LOL! Thanks sdb!
DeleteBrackish: (National Geographic) series about estuaries with greater salinity than fresh water, e.g., Lake Pontchartrain, Mobile Bay.
ReplyDeleteGolumbo: (Amazon Prime) Rumpled Middle Earth detective with the catchphrase “One more thing, my Precious.”
My prediction for the "Father's Day Puzzle."
ReplyDeleteThink of a two-word phrase a child might shout when walking in the front door. Add WIT and rearrange all the letters to yield something the child might ask next:
HI DAD. I DID WHAT?
FLESH OFF THE BOAT
ReplyDeleteEach week Harvey Weinstein greets newly arrived Asian debutantes as they look for new opportunity.
Anyone ever find out who won this one?
ReplyDeleteI forgot and didn't end up submitting any of these:
ReplyDeleteHOUSE OF CARPS - a school of corrupt fish takes over the federal government
BLANK MIRROR - The Twilight Zone meets Twilight in anthology series about moody young vampires searching for their reflections
VESTWORLD - chaos ensues when the robots take other the vest factory
THE CLOWN - post-bellum British drama about the life of Sir Laughsalot, the House of Windsor's last court jester
Blaine –
ReplyDeleteI would like to email you. This is unrelated to this fortnight’s puzzle. Is there some way you can email me at the Email Address from my User Profile? I’ll get back to you.
Thanks.
Chuck
I'm not seeing an email address on your Blogger profile. I'll keep checking in case you update it.
DeleteBlaine –
DeleteWhen I look at my profile my email address is right there. So I don’t know how to fix the issue. Regardless, you can contact me at chuckquartzz@gmail.com (note two z’s).
Chuck
Sorry, but “Make the lie big, keep it simple, keep saying it and eventually they will believe it,” may be a bit cynical, but it doesn't warrant an apology from the school in whose yearbook someone wrote it. Even if it originated with Goebbels, there's nothing inherently racist or antisemitic about it. It's even been endorsed by any number of American leaders: "I am not a crook." "I did not have sex with that woman." "No collusion!"
ReplyDeletejan,
DeleteThanks for linking that.
Every time I think I have discovered the vast extent of stupidity in this country I am soon amazed at how wrong I was. And this idiot is the principal of the high school!
I think we all owe a huge debt of gratitude to Herr Goebbels for that enlightening quote. It is as true today as ever it was when first spoken, and we should all be aware of it. The student in question deserved to be valedictorian. He (Goebbels) also knew how to dress well too. Should we therefore consider that to be antisemitic?
Don't forget, it is Trump, who said Democrats are responsible for the mistreatment of refugee children arriving at our borders.
I keep thinking of how prophetic that movie "Idiocracy" really was.
DeleteThanks for this Jan,
DeleteHard to know which part is most ridiculous:
1) Implying the quote is anti-Semitic? The quote lays the groundwork for a proto-fascist authoritarian government, and for how to mislead the citizenry.
2) Portraying this as an anti-Semitic incident? The student apparently didn't know the source of the quote.
3) Ignoring the current context? It is more likely the student is aware of the current political context and the abuse of power.
4) Similarly to SDB, at some point even the most horrible person will likely say something that has truth to it.
It is well known that the people of India hated Jews thousands of years before Judaism existed. Even earlier for the Paleolithic people of what is now Ukraine.
The local morons are correct that this is a teaching moment. Goebbels had a rare moment of speaking the truth, and the lesson should be about how propaganda works on those who don't think. Including the people of Andover.
Over Andover Again!
DeleteMaybe they decided to HAndover their critical thinking skills.
DeleteJUDGE RUDY
ReplyDeleteWould this bitch be any improvement over the one we have now?
Judie Judy: Television witch can't decide which spell to use.
DeleteNPR's got the rundown for today's Weekend Edition Sunday up, but it doesn't include the puzzle segment yet.
ReplyDeleteIt's fixed now.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteNext week's challenge: This week's challenge comes from Mike Reiss, a writer for The Simpsons, who's a frequent contributor here. Think of a familiar hyphenated 7-letter word. The first 4 letters name a prominent American company, and the last 4 letters name a different prominent American company. What word is it?
ReplyDeleteWith regard to the coming challenge, I was fortunate to have gotten it already.
DeleteLast week's winner was "I Remember MOMA": Each episode focuses on a past exhibit or artist at the Museum of Modern Art.
ReplyDeleteWhat TV show is this one letter off from? "I Remember Mama" was a play, a movie, and a musical, but I don't think it was a TV show.
Will wrote: "We got 1,332 entries, averaging two to three program pitches each, or several thousand pitches altogether. I read them all."
Delete“I Remember Mama” was indeeed a tv show. I remember watching it.
DeleteThere was a TV series based on the same source material, but the series was called "Mama".
DeleteIn other words, the winning entry didn't meet the criteria of the challenge.
And, seriously -- "The Mary Tyler Moose Show" was one of Will's favorites?
Indeed, Philly C., the winning entry did not meet the guidelines stated — out of ~3000 or so entries. You’d think a quick DuckDuckGo search would be done on the title to discover this rather than relying on I Remember Mama.
DeleteThe show was indeed just called Mama. Even if we put that aside, where's the humor in "Each episode focuses on a past exhibit or artist at the Museum of Modern Art"?
DeleteHow about "MoMA's Family," a side-splitting look at the zany antics of the staff of the Museum of Modern Art?
DeleteIt's all Latin to me.
ReplyDeleteJust do it.
ReplyDeleteDuring the opening credits of the tv show, there was a female voice-over introducing the things she remembered about her childhood. It ended with: “. . . but most of all, I remember Mama."
ReplyDeleteThat is true, but the actual name of the series as it appeared on-screen was "Mama".
DeleteCorrect, I Remember Mama was not the title of the television show. This answer should be invalid.
Deletehttps://www.imdb.com/title/tt0041039/reference
Plus, I Dismember Mama, the '70s British horror movie already owns the rights to the greatest corruption of "I Remember Mama." I'd watch I Dismember MOMA, a movie about a hacker who wipes out MOMA's membership database.
Yes, but didn't I Dismember Mama go out on a limb?
DeleteI believe that would be the limb-ick system.
DeleteNow you're on a tear!
DeleteLeave It To Seaver -A long retired big-leaguer coaching his great grandson's Little League team, frustrated with six-year old pitching, takes it upon himself to "show ''em how it's done", and to the dismay of all involved, pitches a complete season of perfect games for his little guys.
ReplyDelete