I don’t think you could come up with a more perfect thing to illustrate the completely low-stakes and probably boring as shit existences of southern Indiana couples than for this to be what leaves them “completely shocked”
Off work sick today and chilling with Tales of the Gold Monkey — what a fun blast from the past!
Remember that series? The 2-hour pilot (1 1/2 hours without ads) was classic 80s TV — back when almost every show got a movie-length pilot to test the concept, cast, and chemistry.
Sometimes the series went ahead as-is, but other times they made changes. In the pilot, "Bon Chance" Louie (the witty, shady French owner of the Monkey Bar and local magistrate) was played by Ron Moody. Then Roddy McDowall took over for the full series.
What a masterstroke! McDowall made him so likable and charming — he perfectly rounded out the ensemble with Stephen Collins, Jeff MacKay, and Caitlin O’Heaney.
Pilots are making a bit of a comeback (see The Pitt), and with tighter budgets these days, I reckon they’ll become popular again for risk reduction.
Who else loved Tales of the Gold Monkey back in the day? 🐒✈️
Ansari: I didn’t think I could be shocked by anything he does, but he was literally handed a bipartisan housing bill that would lower costs on a silver platter. It was such an easy win for him at a time when he’s so unpopular because of his cover-up of the Epstein files and this illegal war he screwed up. He could’ve said, “I did this big housing bill,” and because he is so committed to rigging the election, he chose to blow it all up. Their party is a mess. Trump is a joke.