"Shangri-La Plaza" was musical-comedy pilot

Television 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...

 made for CBS-TV in 1990. It was the first TV show set in a mini-mall

Strip mall

A strip mall is an open-area shopping center where the stores are arranged in a row, with a sidewalk in front. Strip malls are typically developed as a unit and have large parking lots in front...

.

The all-sung “Shangri-La Pizza” was directed by Nick Castle

Nick Castle

Nick Castle is an American actor, screenwriter and film director, best known for his role as Michael Myers in Halloween. He also co-wrote Escape from New York with his friend, John Carpenter.-Early life:...

 and written and created by Mark Mueller

Mark Mueller

Mark Mueller is an American songwriter whose career spans pop music, television, film and stage. A two-time winner of the ASCAP Pop Award for writing one of the Most Performed Songs of the year, he’s had three Billboard Top Ten singles and one #1 Adult Contemporary hit...

 and Nick Castle. It starred The Office’s Melora Hardin

Melora Hardin

Melora Diane Hardin is an American actress, best known for her roles as Jan Levinson on NBC's The Office and Trudy Monk on USA's Monk.-Early life:...

, Chris Sarandon

Chris Sarandon

Chris Sarandon is an American actor who was married to actress Susan Sarandon between 1968 and 1979. He is best known for playing Prince Humperdinck in the film The Princess Bride, the vampire Jerry Dandridge in Fright Night and Detective Mike Norris in the first entry of the Child's Play series,...

 and Broadway’s original Beast and Javert (of “Beauty and the Beast

Beauty and the Beast (musical)

Beauty and the Beast is a musical with music by Alan Menken, lyrics by Howard Ashman and Tim Rice and a book by Linda Woolverton, based on the 1991 Disney film of the same name. Seven new songs were written for the stage musical...

” and “Les Misérables

Les Misérables (musical)

Les Misérables , colloquially known as Les Mis or Les Miz , is a musical by Claude-Michel Schönberg, based on the novel of the same name by Victor Hugo....

”) Terrence Mann

Terrence Mann

Terrence Vaughan Mann is an American actor, director, singer, songwriter and dancer who has been prominent on the Broadway stage for the past three decades...

, a two-time Tony Award

Tony Award

The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes achievement in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ceremony in New York City. The awards are given for Broadway...

 Nominee for Best Actor. It also featured the very young tap dancing phenomenon Savion Glover

Savion Glover

Savion Glover is an American tap dancer, actor, and choreographer. As a learning prodigy, he was taught by notable dancers from previous generations. Glover is currently interested in restoring African roots to tap...

 in one of his first television appearances.

The pilot was filmed on location in an actual mini-mall at the corner of Vineland Avenue and Burbank Boulevard in North Hollywood, California.

The entire episode is now available in three parts on 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....

. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LhOa_i12GtY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YxNajXNRsRc&feature=related http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KtvV7KRICOQ&feature=related