Geico Gone Wrong

Like many others, the Glass Man's been a big fan of Geico's various commercial campaigns over the years.

It all began with the cavemen and the fabled "I'll have the roast duck with the mango salsa" commercial. In the years since we've been inundated with various cavemen commercials, almost all of which have been amusing.

We've met the Gecko and the faux Geico CEO (or is it the real guy?). We've been introduced to the stack of money with eyes and, more recently, that guy who asks hypothetical questions (the "good night family" being my personal favorite in this category) and talks like someone out of an old movie. And it's all been pretty darn funny.

Until now.

Someone please explain to me what on earth is supposed to be funny about these new commercials pairing the Gecko with that dweeb at the radio station? Is it me, am I just being a wet blanket? Does anyone out there actually find this ad campaign amusing?

Considering their track record of success and the amount of audience testing that must go into producing any commercial for mass consumption, it's really remarkable they would air such an awful series of commercials. And make no mistake, it's not that there was one misfire, this is an entire series gone wrong.

I don't know what to compare it. It's kind of like the moment your favorite tv show, a consistently smart, funny show, officially jumps the shark. Like the Armen Tamzarian episode of The Simpsons, in case anyone remembers that clunker.

Anyway, just had to get that off my chest. Curious as always to hear your thoughts.

- A.F.O.M.G..

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.