#19 - Clerks: Unaired Pilot

Dante? Randall? I'm not sure it even matters who is mean't to be which

TV shows based on films whether you love or hate them usually have some link, something indentifial about them - MASH, Clueless, Limitless, Buffy The Vampire Slayer etc. - the shows might not always be completely linked to the movie, but like I said you can just tell...

Which is not really true at all about the 1995 unaired pilot based on Kevin Smith's debut and breakthrough movie which I believe the movies' Dante (Brian O'Halloran) and Randall (Jeff Anderson) auditioned for and even got turned down for (seriously you'd think you'd want the films actors reprising there roles) and it's not just the lack of actors or any involement from Kevin Smith, it... just feels nothing like Clerks.

It's not even because it's not in black and white or it's recorded in front of a studio audience... it... it just doesn't capture anything of the film, take away the Clerks title and it's just a generic sit-com about the employees of a convienence store.

Dante and Randall are here (Andrew Lowery and Jim Breuer) which where quite interchangeble as far as I'm concerned, notably absent is the films most iconic characters Jay and Silent Bob (unsurprisingly Kevin Smith had zero to do with this) which is even if they did recast and softened them up for TV you have to question why they are not there (or similar obvious replacement characters).

Some of the cast you might end recognizing from other work including Breuer who went on later the same year (1995) to be on Saturday Night Live and there's a small-role for Keri Russell who has had a decent career.

Overall just watch it as a curio because even without the Clerks. connection it's just a generic comedy pilot that would have fizzled out quickly if it made it to air. .