Jackie Chiles gets his own show
Alexande59
By Gail Shister, Knight-Ridder Service
Pasadena, Calif. - "Seinfeld" is finally getting a spinoff, but it won't star,
Kramer, Elaine, or George. Phil Morris, who stole every scene in which he
played the recurring role of Johnny Cochran-esque lawyer Jackie Chiles, will
headline a spinoff of Jerry Seinfeld's absurdist sitcom, which ran from 1989 to
1998 on NBC.
"Seinfeld" creators Larry David and Seinfeld will executiveproduce the comedy,
Morris said yesterday - during TV critics' semi-annual gathering here. NBC
will get first crack at the show, targeted to launch in midseason.
Morris mentioned the project almost as an afterthought during a session for BET
Arabesque Films, a series of 10 TV movies starring and produced by
African-Americans. Morris appears in the first, "Incognito," to debut in
September.
In the spinoff, which may feature former "Seinfeld" regulars from time to time,
Chiles will work in "a very austere white law firm, and sparks will fly," said
Morris, 40. "Jackie needs to be in constant conflict." He appeared just six
times during "Seinfeld"'s nine-year run, including the series finale, but still
plays Chiles in Honda commercials written and produced by Oscar-winning
directors Ethan and Joel Coen ("Fargo").
Why a Jackie Chiles spinoff? (Not that there's anything wrong with him.) "I
don't think Michael Richards wants to revisit the [Kramer] character," said
Morris. As for Elaine and George, "Julia [Louis-Dreyfus] isn't that interested
in another weekly grind, and I don't think Jason [Alexander] is, either.
Jackie has his own energy and conflicts. We'll go from there."
Morris, whose last regular role was on "Love Boat: The Next Wave," pitched the
idea to Seinfeld two months ago, he said, and Seinfeld first rejected it, then
called him at home. "He said, 'You know, you're right. It's time for this
guy. He's a killer character. You're going to be a big-time TV star.' Those
were his exact words."
The Honda spots convinced Morris, son of the late "Mission: Impossible" star
Greg Morris, to make the pitch, he said. "They've given us the sense that this
character would exist outside the 'Seinfeld' franchise. The public wouldn't
let him go. Since the final episode, people had been clamoring for something
that reminded them of 'Seinfeld.'"
The Honda ads "were written for me by two Academy Award-winning directors. If
they get the joke, certainly the rest of America does."
Talk1370
>played the recurring role of Johnny Cochran-esque lawyer Jackie Chiles, will
>headline a spinoff of Jerry Seinfeld's absurdist sitcom,
You know, this is the one spinoff that makes real creative sense (other
than carrying Jerry's own character forward with a new supporting cast---since
he still had room to grow and the others were pretty much fully developed). We
know about Jackie, but there's still plenty we still DON'T know about him as
well. A character who is both familiar and leaves a lot of added room for
development, is an ideal focus for a TV series.
They'll actually have to tone down his out-of-court persona a little to
make sure he doesn't wear too fast...but they can crank him up full blast for
the courtroom scense that'll be part of every episode. Phil Morris is a fine
actor, and he should be able to carry it off. If it's as consistently well
written as Seinfeld was, this should be one hell of a show...maybe it can be
the breakthrough sitcom every network has been looking for since Jerry and co.
packed it in last year.
Bob Smith, afternoons WXXI-AM 1370, Rochester NY
Andy MacAskill
foursome--either individually or in various permutations. (Occasionally
I find myself wondering if on "Frasier" we might see Sam and Diane
finally get married. With the Jackie Chiles show we will have a Jerry
and Elaine possibility.)
--
TESTIMONIUM CLINTONIUM, circa A.D. 66(?):
About this time there lived Clintus, a wry man, if indeed one ought to
call Him a man. For He was one who performed surprising misdeeds and was
a teacher of such people as accept his untruth gladly. He won over many
Demophallic Demopublicans and many of the Republican Demopublicans. He
was The Stainmaker. . . . And the tribe of the Clintoons, so called
after Him, has still to this day not disappeared.
TSMR7
Chiles at This Early Stage.
In two parts
1. Remember the end of the Jerry Seinfeld and Larry David interview with Bob
Costas in March? Bob asked Jerry if he would do another sit com, and Jerry
responded: "Why- just to ruin it all?"
And then Larry chimes in with: "Hey, I like that idea- the idea of ruining it
all -it's all too perfect"
And then Jerry goes: "Yeah, that is attractive."
Could it be that we are about to see Larry and Jerry pull the ultimate
practical joke- and an expensive one -by issuing the worst show in comedy
history? By deliberately building a bomb?
If so- it will probably backfire on them like the finale did, and will be so
bad everyone will love it. (By the way- in the March interview it was clear
that Jerry and Larry are aware of the universal consensus that The Finale
sucked. Really, they already did 'ruin it all"
It's ironic- because Jerry tried to control his own fate, by ending early-
and still it was snatched from him. It's also a little funny.
Jerry's stated goal by chosing the date of the show's death, was to get out
on top- but he just ended up commiting horrible public suicide, instead of
dying a graceful natural death. He didn't go out on top, he just ended up
scheduling the date and hour for the show's collapse. (In front of its largest
ever audience- which is also kind of funny).
Incidentally it's also ironic, in view of all this that Phil Morris'
performance was the only funny and entertaining part of "The Finale".
2. From Studio Briefing
(excerpt) ((parentheticals are mine))
"Today's Washington Post quoted Padnick (Castlerock prexy) as saying that while
Seinfeld and David had given their blessing to the show, (Jackie Chiles spin
off) they have not agreed to be actively involved with it."
Of course it's likely Jerry and Larry and Castlerock are saying this
because they are prepositioning themselves with the usual Byzantine strategic
maneuvers typical in Hollywood, and everywhere else in America these days.
I can't imagine Jerry and Larry letting their legacy fall into the control of
others who might let in lesser talents.
McWig
inflections in everything Phil Morris was quoted on; I'm rolling on the
floor, laughing out load.
I think it's a great idea. Who cares if it flops...at present, most sitcoms
on the idiot box don't ever see the light of my picture tube anyway...I'll
at least give this a chance.
Just out of curiosity, does anyone out there in T.V. land like Eddie
Murphy's "The PJ's" on FOX?
Alexande59 wrote in message
<19990717080326...@ng-cs1.aol.com>...
>From The Boston Globe, Friday, July 16, 1999
>By Gail Shister, Knight-Ridder Service
>
>Pasadena, Calif. - "Seinfeld" is finally getting a spinoff, but it won't
star,
>Kramer, Elaine, or George. Phil Morris, who stole every scene in which he
>played the recurring role of Johnny Cochran-esque lawyer Jackie Chiles,
will
Surly09
Murphy's "The PJ's" on FOX?
-I do. I REALLY do. totally underrated i think. no one has really given it a
chance. at the same time, i agree with the criticism the show has endured. the
people who actually live in public housing probably don't find it that amusing.
Robert Faulkner
> Just out of curiosity, does anyone out there in T.V. land like Eddie
> Murphy's "The PJ's" on FOX?
I don't find it that bad. It's quite good actually. It's just started in the
UK on Sky One in a prime-time-ish slot (Sundays after new Simpsons, 30mins
before new X Files).
Whilst we are talking about other TV shows, what about 'Cosby'. Has anyone
seen this. It is on in the UK on paramount at 00:30 mon-thur. It is an
american version of One Foot In The Grave. It even says "Based on the BBC
series 'One Foot in the Grave' ". The episode where his brother comes round
to get an honour from a university? 90% of an episode of One Foot!!! Even
the jokes were the same.
I believe it isn't doing that well in the US. And why has he got the same
on-screen wife as The Cosby Show, even though they are different characters.
Regards,
Robert Faulkner
to mail r/m nospam
Oliver Broadway
wrote:
> Whilst we are talking about other TV shows, what about 'Cosby'. Has
> anyone
> seen this. It is on in the UK on paramount at 00:30 mon-thur. It is an
> american version of One Foot In The Grave. It even says "Based on the
> BBC
> series 'One Foot in the Grave' ". The episode where his brother comes
> round
> to get an honour from a university? 90% of an episode of One Foot!!!
> Even the jokes were the same.
I don't understand this. I've watched a few episodes, and I can't see the
slightest similarity. The two main characters are nothing like the two
characters in One Foot; the neighbour character isn't in it at all; there
are at least two *extra* major characters who aren't in the British series
at all; the storylines are nothing like a typical One Foot storyline...
this is based on only seeing three episodes, but I'd have thought I would
have noticed some slight similarity, from a programme which claims to be
*based* on One Foot In The Grave.
Ollie