10 Terrible TV Pilots That Led To Otherwise Great Shows
6. Life's Too Short
Advertisement
The main issue I had with the pilot of Ricky Gervais Lifes Too Short was how little I cared about Warwick Davis. He wasnt funny and he wasnt entertaining. He was plain and dull, even when trying to bounce off of Gervais himself. The only thing that stood out in a rather boring pilot episode was Liam Neeson. To be honest I nearly gave up on the series entirely after this one first episode, but as the series progressed, eventually culminating in the recent Easter special, it became funny. I wasnt a big fan of the show relying heavily on Cheryl, the ditzy secretary, played by Rosamund Hanson, for a cheap laugh or two, but she was actually pretty funny at times, and seeing Warwick complain continuously about his lack of fame was particularly amusing. The Easter special was undoubtedly the best episode though, largely due to the comedic stylings of Keith Chegwin, Les Dennis and Shaun Williamson. Its one of those shows that spent too long establishing context in its pilot episode that it was just horribly mundane, something which the show managed to save as it progressed.