The Gary Cohen Show

Leafing through Metsblog last night I saw a post about a proposed television show for SNY, courtesy of Mets Police, called "How I Met the Mets."

It's an interesting concept, actually, one that you could definitely see Major League Baseball getting into. It's baseball history meets John Q. Public... why not?

More than anything though, seeing that post inspired me to start a dialogue that I think could lead somewhere special. I'm talking about an idea for an SNY show that's been rattling around in my head for a few years now.

The Gary Cohen Show.

I need help fleshing out the idea, but the basic premise is a Seinfeld meets Dr. Katz: Professional Therapist meets Curb Your Enthusiasm. Scripted scenario meets improv.

The show would follow the trials and tribulations of straight-laced everyman Gary Cohen, professional dad by day to ... FIVE?!?! kids, holy smokes, SNY television personality by night, his family, and his wacky band of coworkers. There's Keith, the loose canon/comic foil. Ron, the soulful intellectual. Howie, the only person who truly understands him. And Kevin, the new guy -- fresh-faced, ambitious, and secretly plotting to steal Gary's job.

But the sustaining force of the show would be Gary Cohen himself. See Gary attend a PTA meeting, dole out fatherly advice, or talk about his college days as a lute-playing free spirit on the grounds of Columbia University (with BFF and broadcasting partner George Stephanopolous!).

OK, so the plot devices are kind of a work in progress, but that's no matter. Ultimately, this is a show about a guy like any other guy, only he happens to have a really cool job that takes him all around the country, but through it all he manages to stay grounded and maintain a certain serenity that is both soothing and engaging for audiences.

It's an idea whose time has come. What do you say, SNY? Email me, let's talk.

- A.F.O.M.G.