Pilot (Life on a Stick)
Encyclopedia
"Pilot" is the pilot episode of the television show Life on a Stick
. It was written by Victor Fresco
, directed by Andy Ackerman
, and first aired on March 25, 2005. It followed American Idol
, with strong initial ratings which gave FOX its strongest numbers in six years. "Pilot" was delayed one day in its debut. On March 22, American Idol provided its viewers with an incorrect voting telephone number. On March 23, "Pilot" was replaced with an American Idol re-vote episode, and finally aired on the 24th.
s' house forever. He must also take his sister Molly under his wing, although why his parents consider him a good influence is never explained.
Laz returns to work at the Yippee Hot Dogs food court
restaurant
. He finds that working life
is no different than high school
with its cliques and power people. Laz and his friend Fred (also a Yippee employee) clash with their boss and attempt to start an employee rebellion, ultimately deep frying everything in their boss' office.
described the pilot as "more like a Nickelodeon show than a Fox production." Nat Gertler
noted that the main characters speak primarily in expository dialog
, which can sometimes work, but felt that these actors are unable to pull it off. Toni Fitzgerald of Media Life Magazine felt that Pilot was not funny, and that the second episode, "Liking Things the Way They Aren't," had a much funnier premise. "Pilot" debuted on the same day as the first episode of the US version of The Office
, with the former attracting 9.2 million viewers and the latter 11.2 million viewers.
Life on a Stick
Life on a Stick is an American sitcom that premiered on Fox on March 24, 2005. Thirteen episodes of the show were completed, but Fox only showed the first five before pulling the show due to poor ratings.-Premise:...
. It was written by Victor Fresco
Victor Fresco
Victor Fresco is an American television writer, producer and show creator. He is credited with creating the critically acclaimed television series Better Off Ted, which ran for two seasons on ABC. Fresco also created the FOX show Andy Richter Controls the Universe, for which he was nominated for a...
, directed by Andy Ackerman
Andy Ackerman
Robert Andrew "Andy" Ackerman is an American director and producer who is best known for his work on Seinfeld, The New Adventures of Old Christine and the HBO series Curb Your Enthusiasm...
, and first aired on March 25, 2005. It followed American Idol
American Idol
American Idol, titled American Idol: The Search for a Superstar for the first season, is a reality television singing competition created by Simon Fuller and produced by FremantleMedia North America and 19 Entertainment...
, with strong initial ratings which gave FOX its strongest numbers in six years. "Pilot" was delayed one day in its debut. On March 22, American Idol provided its viewers with an incorrect voting telephone number. On March 23, "Pilot" was replaced with an American Idol re-vote episode, and finally aired on the 24th.
Plot synopsis
The episode starts with Laz needing to find a job after leaving Yippee Hot Dogs, else he must leave his parentParent
A parent is a caretaker of the offspring in their own species. In humans, a parent is of a child . Children can have one or more parents, but they must have two biological parents. Biological parents consist of the male who sired the child and the female who gave birth to the child...
s' house forever. He must also take his sister Molly under his wing, although why his parents consider him a good influence is never explained.
Laz returns to work at the Yippee Hot Dogs food court
Food court
A food court is generally an indoor plaza or common area within a facility that is contiguous with the counters of multiple food vendors and provides a common area for self-serve dining. Food courts may be found in shopping malls and airports, and in various regions may be a standalone development...
restaurant
Restaurant
A restaurant is an establishment which prepares and serves food and drink to customers in return for money. Meals are generally served and eaten on premises, but many restaurants also offer take-out and food delivery services...
. He finds that working life
Career
Career is defined by the Oxford English Dictionary as a person's "course or progress through life ". It is usually considered to pertain to remunerative work ....
is no different than high school
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
with its cliques and power people. Laz and his friend Fred (also a Yippee employee) clash with their boss and attempt to start an employee rebellion, ultimately deep frying everything in their boss' office.
Reception
Lucio Guerrero of the Chicago Sun-TimesChicago Sun-Times
The Chicago Sun-Times is an American daily newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois. It is the flagship paper of the Sun-Times Media Group.-History:The Chicago Sun-Times is the oldest continuously published daily newspaper in the city...
described the pilot as "more like a Nickelodeon show than a Fox production." Nat Gertler
Nat Gertler
Nat Gertler is a writer who has written books about computers and comics, including The Complete Idiot's Guide to Creating a Graphic Novel...
noted that the main characters speak primarily in expository dialog
Exposition (literary technique)
At the beginning of a narrative, the exposition is the author's providing of some background information to the audience about the plot, characters' histories, setting, and theme. Exposition is considered one of four rhetorical modes of discourse, along with argumentation, description, and narration...
, which can sometimes work, but felt that these actors are unable to pull it off. Toni Fitzgerald of Media Life Magazine felt that Pilot was not funny, and that the second episode, "Liking Things the Way They Aren't," had a much funnier premise. "Pilot" debuted on the same day as the first episode of the US version of The Office
The Office (US TV series)
The Office is an American comedy television series broadcast by NBC. An adaptation of the original BBC series of the same name, it depicts the everyday lives of office employees in the Scranton, Pennsylvania, branch of the fictional Dunder Mifflin Paper Company...
, with the former attracting 9.2 million viewers and the latter 11.2 million viewers.
External links
- "Pilot" at the Internet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie Database is an online database of information related to movies, television shows, actors, production crew personnel, video games and fictional characters featured in visual entertainment media. It is one of the most popular online entertainment destinations, with over 100 million...
- "Pilot" at TV.comTV.comTV.com is a website owned by CBS Interactive. The site covers television and focuses on English-language shows made or broadcast in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland and Japan...