late-night TV

[cellio]

While setting a videotape I caught a bit of a show I hadn't previously heard of, Eye for an Eye. Initially it looked like any other court-with-actual-people show (Judge Judy et al). The first clue that this was not the case was that the judge goes by the name "Extreme Akim". The second was his verdict in the custody dispute over a parrot: whichever litigant eats more worms in the courtroom obviously loves the bird more and so will win custody. I can't make this stuff up. (I also didn't continue watching after that, but I assume the plan was to carry out the verdict immediately.)

Comments

[siderea]

What, the bailiff didn't have a sword to cut the bird in half with?

[grouchyoldcoot.livejournal.com]

Well, of course it could be normal American culture. We shouldn't rule out the possibility that it was a sketch from Saturday Night Live or Mad TV, though. When was it on?

[cellio]

The bird testified by videotape; it wasn't present for the proceedings.

[cellio]

It wasn't on a network station. It was on channel 3, which my cable company says is "leased access/community bulletin". If it was a joke, they were also dedicated enough to it to carry it through a commerical break.

(Around 11:40 last night. I haven't tried to look it up in the TV listings in yesterday's paper, and didn't at the time think to check the cable-provided ones.)

[siderea]

*snrk*

[siderea]

Google to the rescue:

National Lampoon Production “Eye For An Eye” Adds New Major Markets; San Francisco, Dallas Latest to Feel the Gavel


National Lampoon®, Inc. (OTCBB: NLPN) and Atlas Worldwide Syndications & Distributions announced today that their co-produced reality courtroom television series “Eye for an Eye,” has cleared several new major markets on the heels of a very successful showing at the National Association of Television Production Executives Conference (NATPE) in Las Vegas. “Eye for an Eye,” which stars "Extreme Akim" and Kato Kaelin and is slated to become a strip in September of 2005, cleared Dallas, St. Louis, San Francisco, San Diego, Las Vegas, Tulsa, Louisville, Albuquerque and Tucson last week. [...]

P.S.

[siderea]

http://www.eyeforaneyetv.com/

[siderea]

I'll note that this in no way addresses the question "So is it a farce or not?"

[cellio]

Well, it sure sounds like they're getting real people to agree to wacky handling of their cases. The treatment is farcical, but it doesn't sound like it's a complete fabrication. There are probably enough people out there who are happy to take their 15 minutes of fame that way...

But hey, wacky programming on the generic cable channel. Who'd'a thought?

(I did go to their web site and look up the local listings, which are not Saturday night at 11:30, so I don't know if this airing was a one-shot, a showing not included on their web site, or aliens playing with the cable signal.)