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During the last pilot development season, 5 actors bonded while shooting Downwardly Mobile for NBC, a sitcom starring Roseanne Barr. Now Jason Antoon, Mary Birdsong, Greg Cromer, Tricia O’Kelley, and Romy Rosemont come together on YouTube for Bitter, Party Of 5. Here’s Episode 1 where they start out calling NBC Entertainment honcho Bob Greenblatt’s office to learn whether their pilot was picked up and, well, you can guess the rest. But I applaud the pluck:
Editor-in-Chief Nikki Finke - tip her here.
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ya gotta love millennials who come to Hollywood and get told “NO” for the first times in their lives. WELCOME to HOLLYWOOD KIDS.. nuttin is final..EVER.
Uh, these folks are GenXers easily. Also, I respect their entrepreneurial spirit. They got rejected and decided to build their own thing. How is that not a good thing?
Now you know what NBC is all about..look at what they did to Las Vegas…i rest my case.
They’re lazy upstairs at NBC. Word is they barely read the scripts they’ve supposedly developed.
Have you ever seen so much dysfunction built on fear at a Network? They should actually read last years pilots.
Good writing makes good television. Hence Homeland, Breaking Bad, The Good Wife, Louie CK. NBC is so in love with concepts rather than good stories. It will be their undoing.
It’s about the basics guys. Stick to the basics and you will succeed. West Wing, ER were well written and today you would consider them cable because the writing is too smart. The writing of Chicago Code is an embarrassment. It make Mob Doctor look like genius.
Fun video. Shame NBC didn’t pick “Downwardly Mobile” up. So what if it wasn’t slick and wicked like the single cam’s they picked up. While the new comedies didn’t bomb. I think Downwardly Mobile would of gotten a lot of traction.
Looks like Greenblatt got it right.
If you don’t have pluck in this town you won’t get… arrested.
While I admire the spirit of it, they actually come off as desperate and terribly unfunny. If they were going to push the envelope this far, they should have least worked on a script for the situation, or just plain be way, way better at improv.
Love the milk and cookies…
This is pathetic.
Funnier than most of NBCs current line up
Who won premiere week last week?
Looks great. I was laughing at the interview. If they move around and show these five’s individual ups and comedic downs that’d be a show I’ll watch on HBO. Curb-style! Count me in!!!
Well that skit is kind of boring, but there is comedy gold to be mined from the TV development process. Someday, some network should realize their failed pilots can be monetized by throwing them together into a summer reality show – viewers can save one show from the axe, and the cast, writers and producers’ job is to convince the audience that their show deserves it most.
Of course, that means the suits’ egos must be put on a shelf long enough for one of their “rejects” to be crowned a winner, possibly become more popular than the lineup they actally greenlit, so this whole idea is a pipe dream, but wouldn’t it be fun?
Mary Birdsong sure cleans up good, doesn’t she? I only know her from Reno 911.
That’s a terrific idea! I watch all the pilots anyway, and I’m sometimes surprised by which ones get picked up. I bet the “regular viewers” would enjoy that peek behind the curtain and to “vote” like they do on AMERICAN IDOL.
Greenblatt was smart on this one… The best part of this was Rachel Harris. Sexy.
I love this and I look forward to more. At least its original and unpredictable.
NBC’s pick up were from hunger all the way around. Nothing daring or original. Look at what won Emmys. Homeland was passed on by NBC.
Network TV is produced like a recipe with these moronic studio execs and network execs trying to control every beat of story and character. “Who is he? Why did he do this? What is the back story? Should we like him more? Where is his mother?” No wonder people have turned off.
This why all network TV is terrible and getting worse.
That was so stupid and really lame. I thought it would be funny but it was just dumb and a waste of time. Why would they want to embarrass themselves like this? Five idiots who don’t deserve to have their show picked up. Did they really think Roseanne was still a real TV star? NBC isn’t that stupid. She is more trouble than she’s worth now.
Bitter actors… that’s unheard of.
Who really wanted to see Rosanne again on any show? Was it not over for her after her national anthem debacle , and her acknowledgement she has 23 diferent personalities. ( her defense for being rude to everyone she ever worked for or with) And , who advised John Goodman , a great actor with many options, to reunite with Rosanne , in a sad attempt to capture the magic of times long past. The sketch by the actors who also thought this was a great idea for a pilot , should just move on as quickly as possible. No reason for them to bring further attention to themselves or this already forgotten pilot. And frankly , prank phone calls to minimum wage workers answering the phone is not funny. And the peeps they answer the phone for , paid these new web series actors to shoot the pilot. Unlikely any of these actors will be do any series regular work at NBC any time soon. Sorry to rain on the party , I call it the way I see it !
I love it. Give em a deal at ABC!!
I understand “The CW” needs some talent.
hi there Not a fan- you’d be a perfect guest on our show! u sound extremely bitter! and i love it!
yours in bittery goodness,
mary
LOL! Kudos to you five for making your point: syndication potential depends on on-set chemistry. Sorry NBC didn’t see the potential.
Name five actors unlikely to ever work on network TV again….
I think theyre all currently working on network television. Perhaps YOU should start Bitter, Party of 1?
right on, downwardly stupid! embrace your inner bitter!
let it all out!
yours in bittery goodness,
mary birdsong
Give ‘em hell, mary!
Downwardly mobile was actually a very good show. I was really hoping it would have been picked up to series. Was fun to see Roseanne and John Goodman back in a show together.
who are these losers?
Bitter. Yes. Funny. No.
Ssfan –If you’ve watched most failed pilots you’d know there is no gold there. Occasionally a good one slips through, but they are usually pretty bad. Besides, the fact is it would be a nightmare to try to do what you’re talking Bout. For one thing you have to pay every actor and writer when you air the pilots. Plus as soon as they are not ordered, all of the actor’s are released from their contracts and are free to pursue other projects. The odds of everyone being available are unlikely.
I really enjoyed this. Kudos to actors who don’t take NO as an answer and just say f*** it and put themselves out there like that.
This had an energy that’s better than MOST of NBC shows.
Looking forward to watching this web series.
So, does NBC have anybody on the phones originally from America?