"The TV Set" gives a humorous inside look at making TV shows

If you’ve ever wondered why great TV shows sometimes get cancelled or why shows such as Cop Rock ever make it on the air at all, then you don’t want to miss the new film The TV Set, opening April 6 in a theater near you.

I don’t often talk about films here, as this is a TV site. But, when it’s a film about “the sausage making involved in the TV pilot process,” well, the rules change.

Here’s why you should see this film: Jake Kasdan directed and Judd Apatow produced. Kasdan and Apatow were two of the creative minds behind Freaks and Geeks, one of the funniest TV shows ever made. Kasdan has said that film’s script is somewhat based on his experiences with Freaks and Geeks and the networks. So, we might actually get an inside look as to why the network fools cancelled such a brilliant show, before it had the chance to become a ratings winner. (Regular Tube Talk readers know my obsessive love for Freaks and Geeks and that I’ve never really gotten over my unrelenting anger that the show was cancelled so quickly.)

The TV Set has an impressive cast and some familiar TV faces: David Duchovny, Sigourney Weaver, Ioan Gruffudd, and Justine Bateman, to name a few. It also has a hilarious promotion tag: “The place where dreams are cancelled.”

Here’s the official description for the film:
A hair-raising comedy of art and compromise, THE TV SET follows an idealistic writer (Duchovny) as he tries to navigate his TV pilot down the mine-laden path from script through production, to the madness of prime-time scheduling – all while trying to stay true to his vision. Along the way, he has to juggle the agendas of a headstrong network president (Weaver), volatile young stars, a pregnant wife, and an ever-optimistic personal manager.


For more information on The TV Set, check out the official Web site
and check out the video trailer below.

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