https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RwIEWX2-wHM
Tonight at 8p ET and PT, NBC it’s time for the season premiere of Undateable Live, the first scripted show in over 20 years to do its whole season live. The last time that happened was in 1992. Back then, the internet was just a baby, cell phones were only used for calling people and tablets were things you wrote on with a pen. Well, a lot has changed since then and the show is going to use that to its advantage.
The show’s creator Adam Sztykiel explained, “For us it is a live show and for that to be worth doing, you’ve got to utilize that it is live.” Then he added, “One of the ways you can do that is involve the viewers and fans and also put out content the week leading up to the show and make it a live experience.”
There are several ways they are going to do that on Undateable Live. Every day at 7:30p ET they have been and will continue to use Periscope to show them prepping for the live episodes. Tonight just before the show goes live for an hour at 8p ET and then again for the West Coast audience at 8p PT, they will show you on Periscope what is happening behind the scenes. They will also be doing this during the commercial breaks.
There’s more, they will be Tweeting not only leading up to the episodes, but they will also be Tweeting during them. Executive Producer Bill Lawrence revealed that if you see an actor looking at their phone during the episode, chances are they are Tweeting a fan. Brent Morin, who plays Justin, said this is something he wished has happened when he was younger. He elaborated, “If I was a kid and I was watching Boy Meets World, I could Tweet Topanga and if she respond to me on camera, that would freak me out.” Be prepared to be freaked out because, who knows, maybe Bridgit Mendler, Ron Funches, Rick Glassman, Bianca Kajlich or David Fynn might Tweet you back in between lines.
There’s one more live interactive element that will be incorporated into tonight’s episode. Justin and Danny (Chris D’Elia) will get into a fight and one of their phone numbers will be given out live on television. That phone number is a real one and if you dial it quickly enough, you might be able to talk to one of the actors live on the show.
Those are just a few ways that you can interact with the cast during the episode, but there are things they are doing to make the show feel different. Lawrence said, “We wanted to do live, special, because the comics on the show are adept to rolling with the punches. Hopefully making the show seem dangerous and fun.” There are several ways they are planning to make it “dangerous” and “fun.” Lawrence revealed, “It is fun watching how gleeful the actors get because each one of them has a line that they know the other person is going to turn purple and panic when they say it.” You see, each actor has a line that another actor knows nothing about. Kind of like Morin didn’t know that Ed Sheeran was going to kiss him during last season’s live episode. Not only are there lines they don’t know about, the writers will be changing them up at the last minute to throw the actors for a loop.
Another way to prove that this show is done live every week is they will be writing current events into each episode. Unless they are psychic, there’s no way to fake that.
Lawrence knows, “It could be a disaster.” Thankfully, his co-EP Sztykiel keeps telling him, “If it’s a disaster, it is fun to watch.” So he is predicting at least two of the shows will be a disaster, and I predict that will be fun to watch. Morin’s take on it is, “There are a lot risks, this is not going to be a perfect show that is what is going to make it great.” In fact, he told us that he is praying someone (preferably D’Elia) has a meltdown.
Why not play it safe then, like so many other shows have done in the past? Lawrence had this to say about that, “A mistake would be this show is going to be live and you don’t notice it is live.”
Lawrence is hoping that there is something for everyone with all of the extra live elements. He said, “Our goal is if you are a flat-out TV nerd, like I am, and just want to watch the show, it is not going to seem like some weird show with too many bells and whistles that confuses you.” Then he added, “Or if you are like my daughter, who wants to decide what outfit Bridget wears or talk to Brent while he is getting ready for the next scene.” There’s something for them too.
Be prepared tonight at 8p ET and PT for Tweeting, Periscoping, flubs, zaniness and most importantly lots and lots and lots of laughs. That was already a given when they taped the episodes during the first two seasons. It’s going to be so much funnier now that it is live.
