Nobody's Watching
Encyclopedia
Nobody's Watching is a television program that was never aired. It originated with and was written by Scrubs
creator Bill Lawrence
, as well as Neil Goldman and Garrett Donovan
, writers for Scrubs and Family Guy
.
was developed for the WB Television Network, but network executives passed on the show for the 2005 schedule
after test audiences seemed to be confused by its premise. However, in June 2006, the pilot was leaked onto YouTube
, and quickly attracted attention from viewers around the world. On July 3, a report in the New York Times suggested that the show could yet make it to a full series, thanks to the positive response from YouTube viewers. During the Friday, July 21, 2006 airing of Last Call with Carson Daly
, guests Neil Goldman
, Taran Killam
, and Paul Campbell
called NBC
president Kevin Reilly on air, who seemed to confirm a pickup for the series. He later recanted, but a deal was struck to produce webisodes. Webisodes of varying length were released consistently until January 12, 2007. In an interview with TV Squad, Lawrence divulged that NBC would air a live TV special in March 2007. However in February 2007, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported that executive producer Bill Lawrence had voiced concerns that the show would not be aired, and this was eventually confirmed by an NBC spokesperson who said "the project is not going forward." Additionally, Lawrence said that the actor's contracts would expire at the end of February. There has been no live TV special as of December 2010.
"Derrick" and "Will" have been extras on other NBC produced series such as Days of our Lives
and Scrubs
.
, named Derrick (Taran Killam
) and Will (Paul Campbell
), who send a home video to every network, claiming they can produce a better sitcom than the ones currently being broadcast. The WB takes them up on this offer. Derrick and Will are taken to The WB studios, where they meet the head of The WB, Jeff Tucker (Paul Adelstein
), Creative VP Roy Ingold (Bob Clendenin
), and Tucker's assistant, whom he introduces as Jill Something (Lauren Bittner). Tucker tells them to create their own sitcom, while working in various sitcom-related sets. In addition, a reality show will be made about their sitcom's birth. Thus, the pair has a camera crew following them around The WB studios, when they are not on the sets, and a live studio audience, when they are working on the sets.
After setting the scene, the rest of the episode focuses on Derrick and Will's first day trying to come up with a sitcom. Over the course of the episode, they hire Jill Something as their assistant and make a pity-hire of Mandy (Mircea Monroe
), who had just been fired from The WB gift shop. Meanwhile, Tucker and Ingold interfere by trying to introduce narrative conflicts into the show. Tucker tells Derrick he'd rather continue the show without Will and demand that Mandy kiss Will, even though she prefers Derrick.
The title of the show is explained in the last scene: The cast is hanging out in the sitcom set, with the live audience reacting as if it's an actual show, which Mandy thinks is weird but is told to just pretend that "nobody's watching". Will says that "nobody's watching" is a perfect name for the sitcom they are developing (thus, Nobody's Watching is the name of the fake sitcom in the fake reality television show, Nobody's Watching). Derrick protests that "nobody's watching" is a terrible name, because critics will constantly ridicule them with comments like "nobody's watching Nobody's Watching!" He declares that you'd be insane to name a television show that. This is immediately followed by the announcer saying "Next week, on Nobody's Watching!..."
for hours). He was accepted to the University of Notre Dame
but went to community college instead because he was afraid to leave home. Though he was a nerd back in school (described as "indoorsy" by Will so Derrick's feelings wouldn't be hurt) and a self-confessed "25-year-old single loser who works in his dad's mini-mart", Derrick has a more tough guy persona than Will and refuses to share his feelings on camera or with Will, while Will frequently goes to a "weird, overly emotional place". Both he and Will worked at Derrick's dad's convenience store after graduation, but Derrick seems more adverse to that fact than Will. He is also very ambitious, saying without hesitation that he would drop Will from the project if the network thought he wasn't working out. His reason for this betrayal is that if he loses the sitcom deal, he isn't optimistic enough to recover from the loss and try again, while the more popular, more handsome, and more charismatic Will would recover quickly and go on to do better things. Derrick and Will also have a 15-year-old game of 'made ya' look!' that Derrick is currently winning by seven looks; they spread the game to include Jill and Mandy, who fall for it every time.
Will: Will is Derrick's best friend. The two became best friends when Will had to hang out at Derrick's house after school because his mom worked overtime at the Cracker Barrel
. Will doesn't have a father, which Derrick tries not to mention because it seems a sensitive issue, but Will at first doesn't seem to have any qualms about it; he mentions his dad's absence almost too casually, with phrases like, "I'd call my dad right now if I had one" and constructing his favorite game ('made ya' look!') around it: "Made you look! I don't have a dad!". Later, it's revealed that famous television fathers, such as 'Uncle Phil' from Fresh Prince of Bel Air, were Will's father figures growing up; when he first meets Alan Thicke, who played the father on Growing Pains, he accidentally calls him 'Dad'. Will is described as a "typical jock" (while Derrick was "indoorsy"), but is anything but typical when it comes to the stereotype; he isn't unintelligent but rather charmingly oblivious. Unlike Derrick, Will is also overly optimistic, overly emotional, and overly sympathetic; he is unafraid to tell Derrick how much he loves him and would rather have fun and fool around on set than concentrate on the sitcom. Jeff Tucker and Roy Ingold decide to secretly focus a portion of the sex appeal on the show on Will, because Will is so good looking (he is described as "boyishly handsome" and "playfully yummy" by the execs). Will is a huge fan of Growing Pains
, much to Derrick's annoyance. Will's primary father figure, was in fact Dr. Jason Seaver.
Jill Something: Jill was Jeff Tucker's assistant, but now works with Will and Derrick on the sitcom project. She is methodical, business-like, and like Derrick, very ambitious. Even though she is only 24, she has already been the personal assistant of two network execs in Hollywood. Even though Will and Derrick are technically her employers, she takes on the dominating role on the project, much to Derrick's annoyance; Will, on the other hand, continually asks her permission to do things (such as walking around the office barefoot). Will also ignores Jill's professionalism and often urges her to fool around with him on set. Jill makes it known that she's had to work hard to get where she is because she refuses to climb the corporate ladder the easy way by exploiting her femininity, but Derrick is also quick to point out she's never formed an emotional connection with anyone while working either. He also knows that Jill secretly wants to have a boss that appreciates her, which she apparently thought Tucker did until he let her switch jobs so easily. Jill admits to Will, who she's made a connection with, that she has never had a friend that was as close to her as Will is to Derrick but she always wished she did. It is unclear if Jill's last name really is 'Something' or if her boss just couldn't remember her name when introducing her.
Mandy: Derrick's love interest and former WB giftshop employee, Mandy was fired after she insisted that men wouldn't buy underwear that said 'Smallville
' across the front (though Will immediately insists that he would buy ones that said 'Everwood
'). Mandy moved out to Hollywood to live with her previous boyfriend, who turned out to be an abusive carjacker, and has been living there a month when she is hired by Will and Derrick. Will met her while she soaking wet after being caught in the lawn sprinklers and sobbing; he dubs her 'wet girl' and immediately hires her out pity. She then goes to the WB wardrobe department to get dry clothes, where Jeff Tucker has the wardrobe director dress her in revealing clothing. This revealing clothing gets Derrick's attention, and instead of getting mad at Will for hiring her, he lets her stay and begins to harbor a crush on her. Jill dislikes Mandy because Mandy claims that she's had to work hard at life and Jill makes it clear later that Mandy's stunning face and body has made life a lot easier for her. It's revealed in the third act of the pilot episode that Mandy is actually an actress planted within the reality show to create more sex appeal, though her story about the abusive boyfriend is true. It's also implied that over the last year, Mandy has had extensive makeovers and plastic surgery to improve her previous look (which was so ugly, it provoked a "yikes!" out of Ingold). Despite this, Mandy finds she really does have feelings for Derrick, but the network execs push her to kiss Will because he's better looking. It is revealed in the pilot's epilogue, that Mandy and Derrick kiss in the studio bathroom in what would have been the second episode.
Jeff Tucker: the WB's ruthless network head, he decides to film Will and Derrick's sitcom-within-a-sitcom. He also decides to film himself and his VP Roy Ingold so the audience at home can see how networks pull the strings on reality shows. He set up Derrick and Will's show to be sponsored by Snapple
, and pulls out the drink for product placement when he can. At one point, he tries to create drama on the show by telling Derrick the plug on the project will be pulled if Will doesn't leave and encourages Mandy to kiss Will even though she has a crush on Derrick. He relishes the power of his high position and, at one point, Derrick's rhetorical, "Oh, God, thank you," is met by Tucker with a "You're welcome." Tucker is revealed to have a fondness for prostitutes on camera by Ingold. In the pilot's epilogue, Tucker reveals he's been taking some heat for not having a minority character of the show and he has Will and Derrick interview dozens of black men to become their 'office manager' to help with their sitcom. The character is named after Jeff Zucker
, president of NBC
.
Roy Ingold: Ingold is creative VP at the WB and is Tucker's right-hand man. He secretly dislikes the callous and cold-hearted Tucker but constantly plays sidekick to him. He is uncomfortable around the television camera filming his boss and him, and Tucker is always quietly but sternly reminding him to stop staring at the camera. The character is named after Jeff Ingold, Senior Vice President of Comedy Development at NBC
.
style, as if Will and Derrick are on a reality TV show. The program's plot actually relies on many instances of "breaking the fourth wall," with Derrick and Will frequently communicating with the studio audience. In addition, there are many references to other popular sitcoms such as Yes, Dear
(Will and Derrick's euphemism for the word "shit"). In the pilot episode, Derrick and Will even find their way onto (a replica of) the Central Perk set and meet James Michael Tyler
(Gunther from Friends
), although Jill simply brushes him off. Later in the episode, Will runs into James L. Avery Sr. (Uncle Phil from The Fresh Prince of Bel Air), Tom Bosley
(Howard Cunningham from Happy Days
), and Alan Thicke
(Dr. Jason Seaver from Growing Pains
).
Nobody's Watching uses its laugh track
in a nonstandard way. It is only used in the scenes featuring the studio audience and the recording of the sitcom within the sitcom. As the studio audience are, in effect, extra cast members, there are instances where their laughter - or otherwise - doesn't relate to the action the viewer is shown. Examples in the pilot episode include a scene where Alan Thicke performs to the studio audience in the background while the main scene of Will talking to Jill takes place in front of the camera. In another scene the main characters can react to the audience's reaction, which prompts Jill, after insulting Gunther, to apologize. When they see the tape of Derrick betraying Will, the audience moans disapprovingly, which prompts Derrick to call them "drama queens." And in another scene, Will and Derrick enjoy naming random states and seeing how many people in the audience cheer to show state pride.
A great deal of the humor stems from the many layers on which the fourth wall is broken. Will and Derrick think they are making a sitcom, and think that the live studio audience and the sets are part of a "making of" reality TV show, though Tucker has told his VP Roy that the reality TV show is the real show, and has no serious plans to make Will and Derrick's sitcom. Will and Derrick constantly overact, which during extended "sitcom mode" sequences seems odd. However, scenes in Tucker's office are also shot as part of the reality show, though he tries to downplay this by never acknowledging the cameras (a mistake Roy constantly makes). However, several times they break through a second fourth wall, talking not only to the viewers of the sitcom-style live studio audience, but straight to the actual viewers of the real series.
Scrubs (TV series)
Scrubs is an American medical comedy-drama television series created in 2001 by Bill Lawrence and produced by ABC Studios. The show follows the lives of several employees of the fictional Sacred Heart, a teaching hospital. It features fast-paced screenplay, slapstick, and surreal vignettes...
creator Bill Lawrence
Bill Lawrence (producer)
William Van Duzer Lawrence IV is an American screenwriter, producer, and director best known as the creator of Scrubs and co-creator of Cougar Town. Lawrence is married to the actress Christa Miller whom he cast in both television series; they have three children together...
, as well as Neil Goldman and Garrett Donovan
Neil Goldman and Garrett Donovan
Neil Goldman and Garrett Donovan are a television writing team who have worked on television comedies Family Guy and Scrubs. Their most recent project was the television pilot Nobody's Watching, which they created and wrote with Scrubs creator Bill Lawrence.The character on Family Guy named Neil...
, writers for Scrubs and Family Guy
Family Guy
Family Guy is an American animated television series created by Seth MacFarlane for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series centers on the Griffins, a dysfunctional family consisting of parents Peter and Lois; their children Meg, Chris, and Stewie; and their anthropomorphic pet dog Brian...
.
Program history
The pilotTelevision pilot
A "television pilot" is a standalone episode of a television series that is used to sell the show to a television network. At the time of its inception, the pilot is meant to be the "testing ground" to see if a series will be possibly desired and successful and therefore a test episode of an...
was developed for the WB Television Network, but network executives passed on the show for the 2005 schedule
2005-06 United States network television schedule
This was the United States broadcast television schedule on all six commercial television networks for the fall season beginning in September 2005. All times are Eastern and Pacific.This would be the final season of broadcasting for both UPN and The WB...
after test audiences seemed to be confused by its premise. However, in June 2006, the pilot was leaked onto YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
, and quickly attracted attention from viewers around the world. On July 3, a report in the New York Times suggested that the show could yet make it to a full series, thanks to the positive response from YouTube viewers. During the Friday, July 21, 2006 airing of Last Call with Carson Daly
Last Call with Carson Daly
Last Call with Carson Daly is an American late night talk show that is broadcast on NBC. The show is hosted by Carson Daly, the half-hour show featuring celebrity interviews, documentary-style coverage of a topic, and musical performances. Last Call airs weeknights at 1:35 a.m. Eastern / 12:35 a.m....
, guests Neil Goldman
Neil Goldman and Garrett Donovan
Neil Goldman and Garrett Donovan are a television writing team who have worked on television comedies Family Guy and Scrubs. Their most recent project was the television pilot Nobody's Watching, which they created and wrote with Scrubs creator Bill Lawrence.The character on Family Guy named Neil...
, Taran Killam
Taran Killam
Taran Hourie Killam is an American actor and comedian best known for his television work on shows such as The Amanda Show, Scrubs, Wild 'N Out, MADtv and currently on Saturday Night Live.-Early life:...
, and Paul Campbell
Paul Campbell
Paul Campbell is the name of:* Paul Campbell * Paul Campbell * Paul Campbell * Paul Campbell * Paul Campbell...
called NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
president Kevin Reilly on air, who seemed to confirm a pickup for the series. He later recanted, but a deal was struck to produce webisodes. Webisodes of varying length were released consistently until January 12, 2007. In an interview with TV Squad, Lawrence divulged that NBC would air a live TV special in March 2007. However in February 2007, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported that executive producer Bill Lawrence had voiced concerns that the show would not be aired, and this was eventually confirmed by an NBC spokesperson who said "the project is not going forward." Additionally, Lawrence said that the actor's contracts would expire at the end of February. There has been no live TV special as of December 2010.
"Derrick" and "Will" have been extras on other NBC produced series such as Days of our Lives
Days of our Lives
Days of our Lives is a long running daytime soap opera broadcast on the NBC television network. It is one of the longest-running scripted television programs in the world, airing nearly every weekday in the United States since November 8, 1965. It has since been syndicated to many countries around...
and Scrubs
Scrubs (TV series)
Scrubs is an American medical comedy-drama television series created in 2001 by Bill Lawrence and produced by ABC Studios. The show follows the lives of several employees of the fictional Sacred Heart, a teaching hospital. It features fast-paced screenplay, slapstick, and surreal vignettes...
.
Plot
The show is about two friends from Union, OhioUnion, Ohio
Union is a city in Montgomery and Miami Counties in the U.S. state of Ohio. The population was 6,419 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Dayton Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:Union is located at ....
, named Derrick (Taran Killam
Taran Killam
Taran Hourie Killam is an American actor and comedian best known for his television work on shows such as The Amanda Show, Scrubs, Wild 'N Out, MADtv and currently on Saturday Night Live.-Early life:...
) and Will (Paul Campbell
Paul Campbell (Canadian actor)
-Life and career:From 2004 to 2006 he portrayed Billy Keikeya on the reimagined Battlestar Galactica. Campbell's character was a personal assistant to President Laura Roslin....
), who send a home video to every network, claiming they can produce a better sitcom than the ones currently being broadcast. The WB takes them up on this offer. Derrick and Will are taken to The WB studios, where they meet the head of The WB, Jeff Tucker (Paul Adelstein
Paul Adelstein
Paul Adelstein is an American television and film actor, best known for the role of Agent Paul Kellerman in the television series, Prison Break, and his current role as pediatrician Cooper Freedman in the series Private Practice....
), Creative VP Roy Ingold (Bob Clendenin
Bob Clendenin
Robert Treman "Bob" Clendenin is an American actor known for portraying Carl Dawson in the TBS series 10 Items or Less and Roy in the failed pilot turned Internet series Nobody's Watching....
), and Tucker's assistant, whom he introduces as Jill Something (Lauren Bittner). Tucker tells them to create their own sitcom, while working in various sitcom-related sets. In addition, a reality show will be made about their sitcom's birth. Thus, the pair has a camera crew following them around The WB studios, when they are not on the sets, and a live studio audience, when they are working on the sets.
After setting the scene, the rest of the episode focuses on Derrick and Will's first day trying to come up with a sitcom. Over the course of the episode, they hire Jill Something as their assistant and make a pity-hire of Mandy (Mircea Monroe
Mircea Monroe
Mircea Monroe is an American actress and model.Monroe's first professional acting job was in the New Line film, Cellular. Since then, Monroe has appeared in various films, and pilots for The WB and Fox, starred in the Fox show Drive, and guest starred on TV shows, including Freddie, Scrubs, and...
), who had just been fired from The WB gift shop. Meanwhile, Tucker and Ingold interfere by trying to introduce narrative conflicts into the show. Tucker tells Derrick he'd rather continue the show without Will and demand that Mandy kiss Will, even though she prefers Derrick.
The title of the show is explained in the last scene: The cast is hanging out in the sitcom set, with the live audience reacting as if it's an actual show, which Mandy thinks is weird but is told to just pretend that "nobody's watching". Will says that "nobody's watching" is a perfect name for the sitcom they are developing (thus, Nobody's Watching is the name of the fake sitcom in the fake reality television show, Nobody's Watching). Derrick protests that "nobody's watching" is a terrible name, because critics will constantly ridicule them with comments like "nobody's watching Nobody's Watching!" He declares that you'd be insane to name a television show that. This is immediately followed by the announcer saying "Next week, on Nobody's Watching!..."
Characters
Derrick: Derrick is twenty-five and plays straight man to Will's wacky naiveté. Although the two were social opposites, they bonded through watching television (they can talk about an episode of SeinfeldSeinfeld
Seinfeld is an American television sitcom that originally aired on NBC from July 5, 1989, to May 14, 1998, lasting nine seasons, and is now in syndication. It was created by Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld, the latter starring as a fictionalized version of himself...
for hours). He was accepted to the University of Notre Dame
University of Notre Dame
The University of Notre Dame du Lac is a Catholic research university located in Notre Dame, an unincorporated community north of the city of South Bend, in St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States...
but went to community college instead because he was afraid to leave home. Though he was a nerd back in school (described as "indoorsy" by Will so Derrick's feelings wouldn't be hurt) and a self-confessed "25-year-old single loser who works in his dad's mini-mart", Derrick has a more tough guy persona than Will and refuses to share his feelings on camera or with Will, while Will frequently goes to a "weird, overly emotional place". Both he and Will worked at Derrick's dad's convenience store after graduation, but Derrick seems more adverse to that fact than Will. He is also very ambitious, saying without hesitation that he would drop Will from the project if the network thought he wasn't working out. His reason for this betrayal is that if he loses the sitcom deal, he isn't optimistic enough to recover from the loss and try again, while the more popular, more handsome, and more charismatic Will would recover quickly and go on to do better things. Derrick and Will also have a 15-year-old game of 'made ya' look!' that Derrick is currently winning by seven looks; they spread the game to include Jill and Mandy, who fall for it every time.
Will: Will is Derrick's best friend. The two became best friends when Will had to hang out at Derrick's house after school because his mom worked overtime at the Cracker Barrel
Cracker Barrel
Cracker Barrel Old Country Store, Inc. is an American chain of combined restaurant and gift stores with a Southern country theme. The company was founded by Dan Evins in 1969 and its first store was located in Lebanon, Tennessee, where the company is now headquartered...
. Will doesn't have a father, which Derrick tries not to mention because it seems a sensitive issue, but Will at first doesn't seem to have any qualms about it; he mentions his dad's absence almost too casually, with phrases like, "I'd call my dad right now if I had one" and constructing his favorite game ('made ya' look!') around it: "Made you look! I don't have a dad!". Later, it's revealed that famous television fathers, such as 'Uncle Phil' from Fresh Prince of Bel Air, were Will's father figures growing up; when he first meets Alan Thicke, who played the father on Growing Pains, he accidentally calls him 'Dad'. Will is described as a "typical jock" (while Derrick was "indoorsy"), but is anything but typical when it comes to the stereotype; he isn't unintelligent but rather charmingly oblivious. Unlike Derrick, Will is also overly optimistic, overly emotional, and overly sympathetic; he is unafraid to tell Derrick how much he loves him and would rather have fun and fool around on set than concentrate on the sitcom. Jeff Tucker and Roy Ingold decide to secretly focus a portion of the sex appeal on the show on Will, because Will is so good looking (he is described as "boyishly handsome" and "playfully yummy" by the execs). Will is a huge fan of Growing Pains
Growing Pains
Growing Pains is an American television sitcom about an affluent family, residing in Huntington, New York, with a working mother and a stay-at-home psychiatrist father raising three children together, which aired on ABC from September 24, 1985 to April 25, 1992.-Synopsis:The show's premise is based...
, much to Derrick's annoyance. Will's primary father figure, was in fact Dr. Jason Seaver.
Jill Something: Jill was Jeff Tucker's assistant, but now works with Will and Derrick on the sitcom project. She is methodical, business-like, and like Derrick, very ambitious. Even though she is only 24, she has already been the personal assistant of two network execs in Hollywood. Even though Will and Derrick are technically her employers, she takes on the dominating role on the project, much to Derrick's annoyance; Will, on the other hand, continually asks her permission to do things (such as walking around the office barefoot). Will also ignores Jill's professionalism and often urges her to fool around with him on set. Jill makes it known that she's had to work hard to get where she is because she refuses to climb the corporate ladder the easy way by exploiting her femininity, but Derrick is also quick to point out she's never formed an emotional connection with anyone while working either. He also knows that Jill secretly wants to have a boss that appreciates her, which she apparently thought Tucker did until he let her switch jobs so easily. Jill admits to Will, who she's made a connection with, that she has never had a friend that was as close to her as Will is to Derrick but she always wished she did. It is unclear if Jill's last name really is 'Something' or if her boss just couldn't remember her name when introducing her.
Mandy: Derrick's love interest and former WB giftshop employee, Mandy was fired after she insisted that men wouldn't buy underwear that said 'Smallville
Smallville (TV series)
Smallville is an American television series developed by writers/producers Alfred Gough and Miles Millar based on the DC Comics character Superman, originally created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. The television series was initially broadcast by The WB Television Network , premiering on October...
' across the front (though Will immediately insists that he would buy ones that said 'Everwood
Everwood
Everwood is an American drama television series that initially aired in the United States on The WB. The series is set in the fictional small town of Everwood, Colorado, and was filmed in Ogden, South Salt Lake, and Draper, Utah, except the series pilot which was filmed in Canmore, Alberta,...
'). Mandy moved out to Hollywood to live with her previous boyfriend, who turned out to be an abusive carjacker, and has been living there a month when she is hired by Will and Derrick. Will met her while she soaking wet after being caught in the lawn sprinklers and sobbing; he dubs her 'wet girl' and immediately hires her out pity. She then goes to the WB wardrobe department to get dry clothes, where Jeff Tucker has the wardrobe director dress her in revealing clothing. This revealing clothing gets Derrick's attention, and instead of getting mad at Will for hiring her, he lets her stay and begins to harbor a crush on her. Jill dislikes Mandy because Mandy claims that she's had to work hard at life and Jill makes it clear later that Mandy's stunning face and body has made life a lot easier for her. It's revealed in the third act of the pilot episode that Mandy is actually an actress planted within the reality show to create more sex appeal, though her story about the abusive boyfriend is true. It's also implied that over the last year, Mandy has had extensive makeovers and plastic surgery to improve her previous look (which was so ugly, it provoked a "yikes!" out of Ingold). Despite this, Mandy finds she really does have feelings for Derrick, but the network execs push her to kiss Will because he's better looking. It is revealed in the pilot's epilogue, that Mandy and Derrick kiss in the studio bathroom in what would have been the second episode.
Jeff Tucker: the WB's ruthless network head, he decides to film Will and Derrick's sitcom-within-a-sitcom. He also decides to film himself and his VP Roy Ingold so the audience at home can see how networks pull the strings on reality shows. He set up Derrick and Will's show to be sponsored by Snapple
Snapple
Snapple is a brand of tea and juice drinks which is owned by Dr Pepper Snapple Group and based in Plano, Texas. The brand was founded in 1972. The brand achieved some notoriety due to various pop-culture references including television shows.-History:...
, and pulls out the drink for product placement when he can. At one point, he tries to create drama on the show by telling Derrick the plug on the project will be pulled if Will doesn't leave and encourages Mandy to kiss Will even though she has a crush on Derrick. He relishes the power of his high position and, at one point, Derrick's rhetorical, "Oh, God, thank you," is met by Tucker with a "You're welcome." Tucker is revealed to have a fondness for prostitutes on camera by Ingold. In the pilot's epilogue, Tucker reveals he's been taking some heat for not having a minority character of the show and he has Will and Derrick interview dozens of black men to become their 'office manager' to help with their sitcom. The character is named after Jeff Zucker
Jeff Zucker
Jeffrey "Jeff" Zucker is an American television executive and former President and CEO of NBCUniversal.-Personal life:Zucker was born to Jewish-American parents in Homestead, Florida, near Miami. His father was a cardiologist, and his mother, Arlene, was a school teacher...
, president of NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
.
Roy Ingold: Ingold is creative VP at the WB and is Tucker's right-hand man. He secretly dislikes the callous and cold-hearted Tucker but constantly plays sidekick to him. He is uncomfortable around the television camera filming his boss and him, and Tucker is always quietly but sternly reminding him to stop staring at the camera. The character is named after Jeff Ingold, Senior Vice President of Comedy Development at NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
.
Format
The program is filmed in a mockumentaryMockumentary
A mockumentary , is a type of film or television show in which fictitious events are presented in documentary format. These productions are often used to analyze or comment on current events and issues by using a fictitious setting, or to parody the documentary form itself...
style, as if Will and Derrick are on a reality TV show. The program's plot actually relies on many instances of "breaking the fourth wall," with Derrick and Will frequently communicating with the studio audience. In addition, there are many references to other popular sitcoms such as Yes, Dear
Yes, Dear
Yes, Dear is a television sitcom that aired from October 2, 2000, to February 15, 2006, on CBS. It starred Anthony Clark, Jean Louisa Kelly, Mike O'Malley and Liza Snyder....
(Will and Derrick's euphemism for the word "shit"). In the pilot episode, Derrick and Will even find their way onto (a replica of) the Central Perk set and meet James Michael Tyler
James Michael Tyler
James Michael Tyler is a US actor best known for his role as Gunther on the NBC sitcom Friends.-Biography:James Michael Tyler was born the youngest of six children on 28 May 1962 in Winona, Mississippi, US to a retired Air Force captain and a homemaker...
(Gunther from Friends
Friends
Friends is an American sitcom created by David Crane and Marta Kauffman, which aired on NBC from September 22, 1994 to May 6, 2004. The series revolves around a group of friends in Manhattan. The series was produced by Bright/Kauffman/Crane Productions, in association with Warner Bros. Television...
), although Jill simply brushes him off. Later in the episode, Will runs into James L. Avery Sr. (Uncle Phil from The Fresh Prince of Bel Air), Tom Bosley
Tom Bosley
Thomas Edward "Tom" Bosley was an American actor. Bosley is best known for portraying Howard Cunningham on the long-running ABC sitcom Happy Days. He also was featured in recurring roles on Murder, She Wrote, and Father Dowling Mysteries...
(Howard Cunningham from Happy Days
Happy Days
Happy Days is an American television sitcom that originally aired from January 15, 1974, to September 24, 1984, on ABC. Created by Garry Marshall, the series presents an idealized vision of life in mid-1950s to mid-1960s America....
), and Alan Thicke
Alan Thicke
Alan Thicke is a Canadian actor, songwriter, and game and talk show host. He is best known for his role as Jason Seaver, the patriarch on the ABC television series Growing Pains.- Early life :...
(Dr. Jason Seaver from Growing Pains
Growing Pains
Growing Pains is an American television sitcom about an affluent family, residing in Huntington, New York, with a working mother and a stay-at-home psychiatrist father raising three children together, which aired on ABC from September 24, 1985 to April 25, 1992.-Synopsis:The show's premise is based...
).
Nobody's Watching uses its laugh track
Laugh track
A laugh track is a separate soundtrack invented by Charles "Charley" Douglass, with the artificial sound of audience laughter, made to be inserted into television programming of comedy shows and sitcoms.The term "laugh track" does not apply to the genuine audience laughter on shows that shoot in...
in a nonstandard way. It is only used in the scenes featuring the studio audience and the recording of the sitcom within the sitcom. As the studio audience are, in effect, extra cast members, there are instances where their laughter - or otherwise - doesn't relate to the action the viewer is shown. Examples in the pilot episode include a scene where Alan Thicke performs to the studio audience in the background while the main scene of Will talking to Jill takes place in front of the camera. In another scene the main characters can react to the audience's reaction, which prompts Jill, after insulting Gunther, to apologize. When they see the tape of Derrick betraying Will, the audience moans disapprovingly, which prompts Derrick to call them "drama queens." And in another scene, Will and Derrick enjoy naming random states and seeing how many people in the audience cheer to show state pride.
A great deal of the humor stems from the many layers on which the fourth wall is broken. Will and Derrick think they are making a sitcom, and think that the live studio audience and the sets are part of a "making of" reality TV show, though Tucker has told his VP Roy that the reality TV show is the real show, and has no serious plans to make Will and Derrick's sitcom. Will and Derrick constantly overact, which during extended "sitcom mode" sequences seems odd. However, scenes in Tucker's office are also shot as part of the reality show, though he tries to downplay this by never acknowledging the cameras (a mistake Roy constantly makes). However, several times they break through a second fourth wall, talking not only to the viewers of the sitcom-style live studio audience, but straight to the actual viewers of the real series.