In Raptor, Tony Janning, Rich Kuras, and Sandeep Parikh remind us of something we may have forgotten: Dinosaurs are scary. Dead scary. They also teach us something new about their abilities as storytellers, creating an exciting show about cut-throat inter-office politics.
Dave Hartman's second Prime Time show's unspoken premise was simple: Vote for me, and every month, I will bust my ass on mind-blowing visuals, channeling the resultant sleep-deprived schizophrenic breakdown into the story and characters. The result was a truly magickal blend of refined technical expertise and stream of conscious mythology. As with all of Hartman's stuff, Magick Haus was a particular favorite among internet viewers, but the live audience foreclosed on the property in February of 2005, perhaps feeling free to do so because of their knowledge that the creatively addicted Dave Hartman will always be back for more abuse.
A charming hostage-situation show that strutted into Prime Time on a shocking gimmick, Not Without My Fucking Country lasted for two months in the 2007 season of Channel 101, falling out in August and proving the long-standing myth that dudes kissing are more powerful than shit jokes.
After a long stint of failed and top failed pilots, Wade Randolph cracked back into Prime Time with a mesh of live-action & cartoon reminiscent of Roger Rabbit or perhaps Cool World. When the judge who created a town for murderers is framed for murder and sent to Murder Town, he becomes Sheriff.
Hollywood Stuntman Derek Lightning was in search of the perfect Hollywood stunt when he lost his memory. Tracked by investigative reporter Tab Wilson and wanted for a series of crimes that he didn't commit, he now searches the greater Los Angeles area for his own identity.
Dohar strutted into 2nd place in July of 2006, a powerful effort from Willy Roberts, Mike Manasewitsch, and resident 101 composer Ryan Elder. Loincloths, Taxidermy, and Dragonforce may not sound like a recipe for success, but the clever writing and intense action sequences made the live audience wild.
Over the years, Channel 101 has grown into an elaborate community of talented people who work together on pilots, developing fruitful and interesting collaborations. To contrast, Mike McCafferty has thrown all notions of camaraderie and teamwork out the window for the one-man-band production, Quest. On the surface, the show is a journey for raisins, but at it's core it is an experiment in form: demonstrating that you don't need an ensemble of actors and elaborate locations to tell a good story. You don't even need a crew. You just need a McCafferty and a Camcorder.