Seriously? OMG! WTF?

Undateable is already doing the unthinkable by going live every week on the East Coast, and now they decided to take it even further. NBC announced that not only will they go live at 8p ET every Friday night; they will also do a live show for the West Coast. That’s right, they will do two live shows every week, which hasn’t been done since, heck I don’t know when, if ever.
Why are they doing this? I am assuming that the cast and crew really enjoy what they are doing and want to keep this sitcom on the air. Actually a few weeks ago, Ron Funches, who plays Shelly, told me just that when I asked him how he reacted when they found out they would be doing the whole 3rd season live. He said, “We were just very excited that we were going to be able to come back. It was always up in the air, so just knowing we were going to come back, come back in the fall with a bunch of support, is nice.” Then he added, “If we have to do it live, if we have to do it underwater, then we’ll do it that way.” As of now, there are no plans to do the show underwater. But how cool would that be?
One thing they are doing is they are interacting with the fans on social media and promoting the show even on their days off. Funches explained why they are interacting with their fans by Tweeting, using Periscope and even a real phone (313-525-2014), “We’ll be just doing anything we can to keep this show alive and in people’s minds.” Then he added, “That is what it has been all about. The only we survive, is that we have a lot of fans online that get the word out. We are not going to run away from that now. We are fully invested in it. That’s how we are alive, fans are like we like this show.”
For the most part, Undateable is Funches first big role and he is loving his time on the set. He described it as, “It is a lot of fun, especially if it is always something you wanted to do your whole life. You are like, oh man, this is cool. Because sometimes you are like this is for real and then you look up and, oh no, this is real fake.” One thing he can’t fake is his friendship with everyone there. He told us he loves that he gets paid to come in and chat with his friends.
We are happy, he’s getting paid to make us laugh with his signature giggle every week. His giggle is just one of the many reasons to tune in, but there are so many others. What other show would do Summer Nights like that? What show would go live not once, but twice every week? What show would give us new ways to have fun with friends like Slow Motion Celebration? There’s just so much to enjoy and the risks they are taking by going live every week shows how far they are willing to go to get us to watch. Because actors don’t like us to see them mess up, and already this season we have seen all but one of them screw up. Don’t worry Brent Morin is making up for that one person who hasn’t. Poor Brent!
So tune in tonight to see if this is the week that Bianca Kajlich will finally break. More importantly tune in for a show that will make you laugh and laugh and laugh some more. I promise you will it enjoy so much, you will want to have a Slow Motion Celebration when it is done and so much more!

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.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c2G4KgMjYmc
Back in 1992, Fox did the unthinkable and aired all live episodes during the second season of Roc. Now 23 years later, NBC will be doing the same thing with their only returning sitcom Undateable. That’s right for Undateable’s third season Chris D’Elia, Brent Morin, Bianca Kajlich, Ron Funches, Rick Glassman, David Flynn and Bridgit Mendler will do what they did on Tuesday night and go live for every episode.
No matter what religion you are, please pray for Kajlich, Flynn and Mendler because they are going to need them to get through those 13 episodes with D’Elia, Funches, Glassman and Morin. Also pray for Bill Lawrence and Adam Sztykiel, they might currently be the best looking television producers out there in the TV world with their full heads of hair, but after next season they might have a whole new look.
Seriously, if any sitcom could handle going live, it is Undateable. They have the best team to handle the pressure and bring the craziness week and week.
Now I get what Bill Lawrence was talking about when he told me last week that the network’s President Robert Greenblatt loves live television. This was probably always in the cards and I am glad Greenblatt played this hand.
Lastly, NBC also renewed The Mysteries of Laura and Night and Night Shift.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r6cmCYa46vI
If you look at Bill Lawrence’s resume, you will see it is very impressive. It includes writing, producing and/or creating Friends, Spin City, Scrubs, Cougar Town, Ground Floor and most recently Undateable. When he worked on Scrubs, he filmed a musical episode, which was a high note for his career. Tonight at 9p on NBC his co-Exectutive Producer Adam Sztykiel and him are going to try live television with Undateable. How does Lawrence feel about it, “I love live television; I’ve never tried it before.” But he elaborated, “It’s hysterical how hard it is for the people that truly have to work it. I don’t think I will ever do it again.”
Was it their idea to do a one-hour live episode? Bill Lawrence said the idea came from the Head of the Network, Bob Greenblatt. He is a fan of live television (hence the live musicals every December), and he’s also fan of the four comics on the show and thought they could do it. Lawrence added that it also came about because of the way that they tape the show. He explained, “The first scene they do as scripted and the other one they do anyway that they want.” If someone comes up to Bill and/or Adam after that show and says that they loved the line that Chris or anyone else says, the two Executive Producers will say is, “Thank you!”
Now we know how it came about, what can we expect from it? Lawrence described it as, “The show is half scripted, half variety. A lot of music, a lot of standup, a lot of Improv, a lot of fear from us of what those guys are going to do.” Adam hinted what they’re afraid the actors might do, “Very blue, that can become very expensive on a live show.” Then he added, “Nobody wants to see a perfect show.” Lawrence on the other hand, says, “Part of the fun of this show, we don’t mind these guys doing what they will with it. We have talented performers who aren’t comics that can ride the wave with them and that is part of the fun.”
Besides the 7 series regulars (Chris D’Elia, Brent Morin, Bianca Kajlich, Ron Funches, Rick Glassman, David Fynn and Bridgit Mendler) taking part on tonight’s episode, there are a slew of celebrities who are also going to walk into the bar tonight. Bill talked about the guest stars, “We got lucky! Some people from my past, some of these comics have such fan bases. We have some screwy giant guest stars, international recording stars, bananas.” Bananas is right, Ed Sheeran and Victoria Justice are going to sing on it and Zach Braff, Donald Fasion, Kate Walsh, Scott Foley and Christa Miller are some of the actors who are announced to also be part of it.
But having guest stars on tonight’s episode kind of scares him. Bill explained in the past, “If the comedians say something and people don’t laugh hysterically they will never say it again. No matter what you do, so maybe next time we did a scene in front of the audience they will say something different and the guests actors line will no longer make sense and they are like huh?.” Adding, “He’s not sure Bob (Greenblatt) is ready for that.” Although with several rehearsals leading up to tonight’s show, the guest stars might be more prepared for it.
Lawrence in a way is prepared for tonight because he shared with me that he grew up with Saturday Night Live. He loves when a cast member accidentally slips up a little bit, but when they slip up a lot it becomes like come on. He said that Undateable is different because, “While on most shows the actors have your back, he says the comics want to see if they can make the non-comics mess up. The comedians will be like I am going to make you laugh and there is no possible way you are getting through this. Their goal is too screw each other up!” Although two of the comedians told us, they were not planning to do anything tonight. We shall see.
When it comes to what we see on taped nights, Bill spoke about those episodes too. When you watch those episodes, you might see the actors laughing at each other. He explained that happens because the laughing actor had no idea what was coming out of the other person’s mouth. Some people think it is a choice, but the producers have no choice but to go with that take because they don’t have time to do it over and over again. Tonight, the actors have scripted lines, but they also have parts when they can Improv. We, the viewer, won’t know which is which, but we might have a clue when you see an actor suddenly break into laughter.
After an hour of singing, comedy, giggles, and mayhem, Lawrence feels, “People are either going to like it or think it is insane.” And if they think the latter, Adam said, “It’s a win either way for us, that’s kind the strength of the show, is our tape nights. They are riotously funny because they are unpredictable.”
The only words, I take away from those final two quotes are insane, riotously funny and unpredictable. That is enough to get me to tune in, is it enough to make you watch?

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