Name of show
“Cavemen”

Timeslot
ABC, Tuesday 8 p.m.

Plot synopsis
As most know, “Cavemen” is based on the popular and funny TV spots for Geico, in which cavemen living in modern-day U.S. appear to be offended by an ad that reads, “So easy, a caveman could do it.”

The sitcom’s premise is that while Homo sapiens have evolved, small pockets of cavemen have existed in isolated communities, and now at least three of them are trying to integrate themselves into today’s San Diego.

The show focuses on Joel, a smart caveman with a present-day girlfriend named Kate (Kaitlin Doubleday), whose mother, Leslie (Julie White), owns the condo that Joel rents. He lives with his brother, Andy, who’s eager to fit in with the modern world, and with his best friend, Nick, who worries that he’s running away from his heritage.

Outlook
Most media people expect “Cavemen” to bomb, but if it does, it won’t be because of its timeslot. The Tuesday 8 p.m. slot is heavy on drama, and “Cavemen” and lead-out “Carpoolers” will be the only sitcoms occupying it.

There are no hit shows in that hour among adults 18-49 but each show performs solidly among its target audience. CBS has “NCIS,” which averaged a 3.5 among 18-49s last season, tops among shows in the timeslot, but its real strength is in total viewers. Fox has “Bones,” which averaged a 3.2 last season and should get a boost this year because it leads into the network’s huge hit drama “House,” while NBC has “The Singing Bee” and the first half hour of “The Biggest Loser” and CW has “Beauty and the Geek.”

The buzz
Among this season’s crop of new shows, “Cavemen” has received perhaps the most buzz within the media-buying community. Unfortunately for ABC, virtually all of it has been negative.

Most think it will be tough for the network to make a joke that works in a 30-second TV spot work for a 30-minute sitcom. Also, ABC has cast different actors than those featured in the commercials, and media people think that will also work against the show.

“I can’t even believe that’s even a show,” says one media researcher. “The one thing I couldn’t understand is that people know the cavemen from the Geico commercials, but they got totally different actors for the show. Why did they do that?”

Some think "Cavemen" could work as a biting racial satire, but that's not the show viewers will be getting tonight.

But all this said, ratings for the premiere at least could be decent just from all the bad buzz. It's week two and after that that matter, and no one is expecting it to be around much longer after that.

What critics are saying
“Watch ABC’s two new shows Tuesday, and you might throw in the towel on sitcoms altogether. ABC didn’t make its ‘Cavemen’ premiere episode available for review. But the since-scrapped pilot shown to critics this summer sure looked as if it had – can’t resist – primitive brains behind it.” – Diane Werts, Newsday

“The pilot’s entire plot hinges on the gag that cavemen are just like minorities: victims of negative stereotyping. In a couple spots it works, like when the boys debate whether or not it’s okay for them to use the derogatory term cro-magger when referring to each other. But unfortunately, the one-note joke doesn’t stay funny for long. If the revamped version is anything like the original pilot, this comedy just might be the worst half-hour of television in years.” – Kristin Veitch, E! Online

“Skeptical media buyers have predicted it will be among the first shows to crash and burn. ABC hasn’t supplied critics with advance copies of the show, preventing reviews on the day it premieres. And comedian George Lopez, whose sitcom was axed by ABC, has expressed his utter dismay. ‘So a Chicano can’t be on TV, but a caveman can?’ he asks incredulously. Despite all the derisive scorn, ‘Cavemen’ could draw robust ratings -- at least in its initial outing on Tuesday -- because many Homo sapiens nationwide figure to be curious.” – Chuck Barney, Contra Costa Times