“CBS has committed to shoot a comedy pilot called ‘Genius Bar,’ written by two former producers of ‘That ’70s Show,'” Nellie Andreeva reports for The Hollywood Reporter.
“Based on an idea by consumer marketing expert Krishnan Menon, the project explores the interactions between people who work at a place similar to the Genius Bar at the Apple stores and the cool, hip and beautiful employees at a nearby Abercrombie & Fitch-type store,” Andreeva reports.
Andreeva reports, “The pitch, from writers Josh Sternin and Jeff Ventimilia, drew strong interest from ABC, CBS and NBC and — after some spirited bidding — landed at CBS.”
Full article here.
If they have a “Genius Bar” show inspired by Apple Retail Stores and they end up “selling” Dells and Zunes due to hefty product placement checks from Dull and Mafiasoft, we will…
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10. Phew! Okay:
Listen, all we have to say (for now) is that they had better be selling Macs and iPods in that store. Apple should do whatever it takes to make sure they are “selling” Apple products in this show (especially in case it’s a hit).
Related articles:
Wired’s Kahney: Apple’s retail stores are genius – May 02, 2006
Mac Geniuses are the soul of the growing network of Apple retail stores – January 27, 2005
Apple SoHo morphing into Genius Pickup Bar? – November 17, 2004
wow, first post maybe?
lol mdn mw: race, as in its a race between dell apple m$ for product placement.
I suspect Apple will never let this see the light of day.
MDN word: theres – There’s another lawsuit waiting to happen.
Listen, all we have to say (for now) is that they had better be selling Macs and iPods in that store. Apple should do whatever it takes to make sure they are “selling” Apple products in this show (especially in case it’s a hit).
I don’t think thats going to be a big issue. Whenever Hollywood needs a computer for a scene, they more likely than not choose a Mac.
Its a style issue with them,
Besides, I don’t think the show will be so much about stupid customer questions, as it will be about the goings on behind the scenes, interspersed with stupid customer questions. It’ll be a platform for all the computer jokes ever written.
But I could be wrong.
of course this opens up a huge possibility for sterotyping and giving people preconceived ideas about what its like to work and go to a genius bar. than may not fly with Apple if it appears to be negative.
Then again, if they don’t reference Apple at all, then Apple really can’t do sh1t about it.
This sounds like a horrible show. Truly, truly horrible
I suspect Apple will never let this see the light of day.
Why not?
Apple should approach the networks with an ultimatum to the effect of “Either we can beat each other bloody in the courts, or you can have the Genius Bar can be an actual Apple Store, with placed products and prominent Apple logos”.
Any chances?
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Anybody interested in stupid customer questions might like to check out:
http://www.rinkworks.com/stupid/
To quote the index page:
“The following is a large collection of stories and anecdotes about clueless computer users. It’s a baffling phenomenon that in today’s society an individual, who might in other circumstances be considered smart and wise, can sit down in front of a computer screen and instantly lose every last shred of common sense he ever possessed. Complicate this phenomenon with a case of “computerphobia,” and you end up with tech support personnel having phone conversations that are funny in retrospect but seem like perfectly valid motives for wild machine gun shooting sprees at the time. You will read stories in this file that will convince you that among the human race are human-shaped artichokes futilely attempting to break the highly regarded social convention that vegetables should not operate electronic equipment. And yet, amidst the vast, surging quantities of stupidity are perfectly excusable technological mishaps — but that are amusing nonetheless. After all, even the best of us engages in a little brainless folly every once in a while.
Most of these stories are true. Some happened to me personally. Some happened to friends of mine. Some are considered urban legends, but even most of these are more likely to have happened in some form or another than not. Skeptics look at such stories and doubt their truth. But reason, common sense, and experience tell me that if you sit someone who isn’t computer literate (even a smart someone) down in front of a computer, you’re bound to accrue anecdotes no less outrageous than these. You’d be surprised.”
…in case anybody feels like a laugh.
Just to be clear… the above mentioned website isn’t mine, I just stumbled across it.
of course this opens up a huge possibility for sterotyping and giving people preconceived ideas about what its like to work and go to a genius bar. than may not fly with Apple if it appears to be negative.
Hmm…
Imagine texbook nerd geeks.
Or the Seinfeld Soup Nazi.
Or Steve Jobs wannabe’s in black turtlenecks.
Then again, the Abercrombie & Fitch-type next door could feature stylish-but-stupid Gen Y Britney sluts. Stereotypes work both ways here…
You know, forget A&F. There should be a Victoria’s Secret next door! =) But if SJ gets in the middle of things he’ll probably demand a GAP.
Geeks are “in” —-’bout time!
Nothing good can from associating Apple or its stores to a sitcom, which odds predict will fail in the first season. Apple should make sure the name is NOT Genious Bar, and their products should not be involved. Let’s face it, with a title like “Genius Bar” you know that the characters are going to be anything but geniuses. Probably more like a cross between “Slackers” and “Clueless”.
MDN: cant you do something about these “first post” idiots, i.e. pzarker? thats the last thing people want to see on your site.
pzarker – “wow, first post maybe? ” wow, who gives a crap? a speedy 10 minutes after article was posted.
One of our Apple stores in suburban St. Louis is directly across the mall from A&F! The fun part of the show could be making fun of the dorks at the Dell kiosks.
I always feel like a genius when I’m at a bar…
First Post Suck
And a beautiful day to you too idiot.
You want the forum to be only for people who think just like you? Are you sure? It must be nice to be perfect. If it makes “pzarker” happy to stumble onto first post place how is that taking anything away from your life.
Grow up, learn to play with others.
70’s connection-every time they make a Dell joke, they could say “Burn!”
Jewish connecion-Genius Bar Mitzvah
my hometown-Genius Bar-B-Q
Gay connection-Genius Bar Nothing
Chili’s connection-Genius Bar&Grill;
They need to have a Zune detector so everyone else in the store can point and laugh.
I hope they have a Steve look alike who ends up being the janitor. Would freak all the Mac Head customers out.
first post:
arent you failing at your own rule of growing up and playing with others? you seem to be an idiot also just like the other guys. everyone should have a wonderful day!
Speaking if the 70’s and “Burn”, having been that age during that period myself, I never haeard that phrase used. Until the TV show.
me either, except for “burn, baby, burn. Disco inferno”
Apple should make sure the name is NOT Genious Bar
What would you watch? “Microsoft Windows Vista Zune Media Player Experience Center”?
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If the show’s been pitched, the first several episodes have already been taped.
We’ll see what actually gets aired. Network TV sucks anyway, the last sitcoms I bothered to watch were Night Court and Cheers.
This sounds to me like a complete disaster waiting to happen. Is the Eye network really going to let ABC become the highest rated network this easily?
MW “Provide” – Meaning it would be incredibly hard for this proposed series to provide me with one laugh.
Who cares what about the show is about? Apple will get publicity anyway.
I get tired of MDN’s typical paranoid response to any article that doesn’t slaver over anything Apple. If Apple is stupid enough to try to stop the show, it will just be another bit of bad publicity, like trying to trademark Podcast, which wasn’t even their own name for it. The free publicity from that name sold iPods. If people stop using it, it will only hurt.
The same here.
Grow up!
Mel:
Apple might stop them because Apple has registered a “service mark” (same thing as a trade mark but for a service, not a product) for “Genius Bar”.
If there is no agreement between the show developers and Apple to allow them to use the service mark, Apple really has no choice but to force them to change the name.
For instance, if the show is a hit and they start selling merchandise saying “Genius Bar”, who gets the profit?
If the show portrays the people who work at the Genius Bar as idiots and tools, what does that do to the money and time Apple has invested in establishing the brand.
Contrary to popular opinion, all publicity is not good publicity.