March 6, 2003
Big show. Good part. Coupling is a hit British sitcom that NBC is trying to re-create American-style, and would be the heir-apparent to Friends if it can get on the air. This pilot would be a re-shoot. NBC put together 23 minutes of disappointment back in the fall, hoping to streamline it into mid-season this year. But for whatever reason, it did not turn out to be the huge success they had banked on. So, back to the drawing board with 3 of the 6 characters. Yes, 6 characters, 3 men, 3 women, all in their early 30s, all "friends," if you will. As I said, it would be the heir apparent.
The audition was brutal. It's 15 pages of material. That's one-third of an actual show. And the third scene, about six pages worth, is basically a monologue, trying to pick up a woman but doing it badly. But despite the challenges of the material, I'd say I really nailed it today. They laughed in the right spots and they even laughed in some of the auxiliary spots. Good honest, appreciative laughs. It was a fun audition. (I guess the increased difficulty adds to the enjoyment of doing it well, too.)
It went so well, in fact, that they want me to test tomorrow. That's quick. Quick is good. Except for one thing...
The Nicole Sullivan Project wants me to test tomorrow, too.
Below is an excerpt from an email I wrote to a friend regarding the situation...
Nicole's pilot tests tomorrow and they want me to test for the role of WES, the brother of the lead. The whole cast is Nicole, her husband, her husband's three brothers, Nicole's sister, and one of the brother's wife. That's a lot of folks. The order of importance of the characters, from the pilot anyway, appears to be
Nicole
So I would be in a race for fourth, maybe third depending on how the show unfolds.
The other pilot is called Coupling, and is about 6 early-30-something friends who all hang out as friends. Think Friends. The order of importance of the characters appears to be a 6-way tie for first. Think Friends. Are you thinking Friends? OK, stop thinking Friends and pay attention.
Both shows are offering the same amount of money. But not really. Both shows are offering, let's call it, "100" for the pilot and "50" per episode. But not really. The second show, Coupling, is a pilot for Universal and they have a non-negotiable policy of paying half of the pilot fee for making the show and half of the pilot fee if they hold the actors past June. Of the two pilots I have done that did not go to series, both shows released their actors on the day they announced their fall line-ups, i.e. late May. So the chances of seeing the second 50 are slim. UNLESS the show goes to series, then you see lots of money, of course. So is it 100 vs. 100? Or 100 vs. 50? I don't know.
Which show will get on the air, if either? That is a great question, I am glad you finally stopped thinking about Friends. The answer? I don't know. That is a crappy answer.
Nicole is a "CBS Star" these days because she is currently on and under contract to King of Queens and Les Moonves is a fan of hers. It certainly could become part of CBS' Monday night line-up very easily. Then again, the number of holes in CBS' Monday night line-up is somewhere between zero and one. The night does fine as is, but you have to think they would try to launch a new show on Monday in the fall to take advantage of the strength of the night.
Coupling is a relationship show about 6 urbanites. NBC has a show like that but it is in its final season. They would love to get something like it to take its place and rule Thursday night. The odds of that actually happening? Also, somewhere between zero and one. But the odds of them TRYING to accomplish that are considerably higher. If this show has potential, it seems like a great candidate. That would be a very good show to be on, especially since they would probably plug it into the Thursday night line-up somewhere.
Which show am I likely to get? Well, the odds of me getting Nicole's show are pretty good. I would say I have front-runner status. So testing for that would be the safer bet. Still, at the end of the day, you never know what the network is going to respond to, despite what the producers and one of your good friends might think. The odds of me getting Coupling are not as good, but they said they are taking 5 people to test, 3 of whom are the real contenders, including me. So, somewhere around a 33% chance?
Can I do both? I am trying to figure that out right now. Nicole is discussing things behind the scenes and I am awaiting her call. It may not be possible, though, and that means making a decision between the two. That will not be an easy decision.
So that's where things stand.