television pilot
A television pilot (also known as a pilot or a pilot episode and sometimes marketed as a tele-movie), in United States television, is a standalone episode of a television series that is used to sell a show to a television network or other distri ...
.
Plot
The story follows Chicago police detective Stanley Poochinski (played by
Peter Boyle
Peter Lawrence Boyle (October 18, 1935 – December 12, 2006) was an American actor. Known as a character actor, he played Frank Barone on the CBS sitcom ''Everybody Loves Raymond'' and the comical monster in Mel Brooks' film spoof ''Young Fra ...
English bulldog
The Bulldog is a British breed of dog of mastiff type. It may also be known as the English Bulldog or British Bulldog. It is of medium size, a muscular, hefty dog with a wrinkled face and a distinctive pushed-in nose.Terrace, Vincent ''Encyclopedia of Television Pilots, 1937–2012'' (2013)(27 May 1990) Kup on Sunday ''
Chicago Sun-Times
The ''Chicago Sun-Times'' is a daily newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Since 2022, it is the flagship paper of Chicago Public Media, and has the second largest circulation among Chicago newspapers, after the ''Chicago T ...
'' ("A proposed series about a dog, titled 'Poochinski,' failed to make the cut.")
Fate
NBC decided not to pick up the series, but subsequently did air the pilot, on July 9, 1990. In recent years, the show's premise has been recognized as one of the most bizarre in television history. On July 10, 2018, ''
The Last Podcast on the Left
''The Last Podcast on the Left'' is a weekly podcast on the Last Podcast Network featuring comedian and podcast host Ben Kissel, podcast producer and researcher Marcus Parks, and comedian and actor Henry Zebrowski, all of whom are longtime frien ...
'' aired the pilot in its entirety on their live stream on the
dult swim
Dult is a village in Batala in Gurdaspur district of Punjab State, India. It is located from sub district headquarter, from district headquarter and from Sri Hargobindpur. The village is administrated by Sarpanch an elected representati ...
and often abbreviated as s is an American adult-oriented night-time cable television Television channel, channel that shares channel space with the basic cable network Cartoon Network and is programme ...
VH1
VH1 (originally an initialism of Video Hits One) is an American basic cable television network based in New York City and owned by Paramount Global. It was created by Warner-Amex Satellite Entertainment, at the time a division of Warner Commun ...
Chicago Tribune
The ''Chicago Tribune'' is a daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States, owned by Tribune Publishing. Founded in 1847, and formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" (a slogan for which WGN radio and television ar ...
Entertainment Weekly
''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cul ...
George Newbern
George Young Newbern (born December 30, 1964) is an American actor, best known for his roles as Charlie in the ABC show ''Scandal'' and Bryan MacKenzie in ''Father of the Bride'' (1991) and its sequels ''Father of the Bride Part II'' and '' Fath ...
as Det. Robert McKay
* Amy Yasbeck as Frannie Reynolds
*
Frank McRae
Frank McRae (March 18, 1941 – April 29, 2021) was an American film and television actor, and a professional football player.
Early life
McRae was born in Memphis, Tennessee. He graduated from Tennessee State University with a double major i ...
as Capt. Ed Martin
*
Brian Haley
Brian Carlo Haley (born February 12, 1963) is an American actor and comedian. His stand-up act is characterized by playing his all-American looks against manic outbursts and absurd situations. As an actor, he may be best known for his roles as Vee ...
as Sgt. Shriver
*
Peter Boyle
Peter Lawrence Boyle (October 18, 1935 – December 12, 2006) was an American actor. Known as a character actor, he played Frank Barone on the CBS sitcom ''Everybody Loves Raymond'' and the comical monster in Mel Brooks' film spoof ''Young Fra ...