Prime Time is precarious and at any time the top shows can be cruelly yanked from glory by an audience's hand (or euthanized by their own creators). These series all had their moment in the sun, and now serve as milestones of Prime Time's past.
How It Works
- Anyone, anywhere submits a pilot that is five minutes or less.
- The creators of the prime time shows watch all submissions.
- They pick the best ones to be screened.
- At the screening, a live audience watches the new pilots and new episodes of the prime time shows.
- The audience votes. Top 5 shows become the new prime time lineup.
- Repeat.
Professor Street
created by
Willy Roberts, Mike Manasewitsch
The audience wanted a second episode of "Professor Street"... but the USPS sabotaged it, and the show missed the screening, and was thus cancelled by default. A tale of woe.
First screened: 2005-05-30 at UCBT
Last screened: 2005-05-30 at UCBT
Cat News
created by
Julie Klausner
"Cat News" debuted at #1 and won hundreds of fans, but after just two months, its creators put it to sleep with an episode that broke the five-minute limit and thus was not eligible for renewal. Some mourned the loss of a beloved friend... but what's that they say about cats having nine lives? "Cat News" was produced by Julie Klausner.
First screened: 2005-03-28 at UCBT
Last screened: 2005-05-30 at UCBT
The Fun Squad
At first a simple kids' show filled with nut-punches and farts, "The Fun Squad" pushed against its self-imposed boundaries with each new episode. It was just barely nudged out of prime time in the notoriously competitive April 2005 screening, but it will live forever in fond viewers' hearts.
First screened: 2005-02-03 at Variety Underground
Last screened: 2005-04-25 at UCBT
Roboto Supremo
created by
Victor Varnado
No video available
Sci-fi is a tough genre to pull off. At one time a serious contender with "Gemberling" for the position of 102's resident sci-fi hero, "Roboto Supremo" imploded under the pressures of its own production by episode 3.
First screened: 2005-03-03 at Variety Underground
Last screened: 2005-04-25 at UCBT
Locked in a Closet
created by
Tony Carnevale
After its second episode soared to #1, "Locked in a Closet" immediately plummeted like Icarus into the salty depths of cancellation. Is it impossible to make a lasting series about a guy locked in a closet? The world may never know.
First screened: 2005-02-03 at Variety Underground
Last screened: 2005-03-28 at UCBT
Change Up
created by
Sean Taylor
Despite its dramatic and sensitive "very special episode," the audience benched "Change Up" after two shows. The reason? They probably wanted more Pikachu.
First screened: 2005-02-03 at Variety Underground
Last screened: 2005-03-03 at Variety Underground
Lightning Brains
created by
Ed Mundy, Mack Williams
"Lightning Brains" had a brief tenure on 102, but it holds a certain honor as the first out-of-state show to be picked up by the NYC audience.
First screened: 2005-02-03 at Variety Underground
Last screened: 2005-03-03 at Variety Underground