Shaq and Flea play imaginary friends in Amazon’s new comedy pilot.
Amazon’s Fall 2015 “Pilot Season” is underway in the US, UK, and Germany. The way it works is that those with Prime memberships can stream a handful of new pilots for free, and the ones that wind up getting the best audience feedback have a chance of getting a first season pick up. Past pilots that have been picked up for series include Transparent, Bosch, The Man in the High Castle, Red Oaks, Sneaky Pete, and Mad Dogs. You can check out the current Pilot Season episodes here.
Plenty of TV shows have dealt with characters who have some form of dissociative identity disorder. United States of Tara and Wilfred are great examples of that, each with their own unique, insightful spin on the subject. In Amazon Studios’ new pilot project Highston, writer Bob Nelson (Nebraska), directors Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris (Little Miss Sunshine) and EPs Nelson, Sacha Baron Cohen (Borat), Todd Hoffman (Love Stinks) and Todd Schulman (Bruno) have added another twist to that concept, by making all the main character’s alter egos real-life celebrities.
The series follows Highston Liggens (played by newcomer Lewis Pullman), a chipper, mild-mannered 19-year-old whose circle of friends include the likes of Oprah, Stephen Hawking, Meryl Streep and Daniel Day Lewis — or at least Highston’s made-up versions of them. In actuality, Highston’s parents, Jean (24’s Mary Lynn Rajskub) and Wilbur (SNL’s Chris Parnell), are trying to commit their son for psychological testing, while Highston’s uncle (American Dad and Supernatural’s Curtis Armstrong) — who seems to be a little deranged himself — thinks he’s fine.
In the pilot, Highston’s new imaginary pals are Shaquille O’Neal and Flea, who make a mismatched but vibrant combo in this first episode. Paired with the malleable and otherwise well-adjusted Highston, the trio attempt to get Highston a job as a last-ditch effort before his parents insist he seek professional help. The results are pretty enjoyable, specifically the casual banter amongst the cast. Pullman in particular does a great job playing the ever-docile liaison between the people inside and outside his head.
Shaquille O’Neal, Lewis Pullman and Flea in Highston
Visually, there’s a distinct look and feel to the sets and costumes, which are intentionally dated-looking: big clothes, landlines, eggshell desktops, and an antique shop on every corner of Highston’s flyover town. (Highston might even be a period piece set in the ’90s — I’m not sure.) The show is quaint in a Raising Arizona, Napoleon Dynamite sort of way, which gives it a unique look compared to most other series.
That said, while the performances and art direction are solid, the humor is fairly conventional, and the pilot lacks an emotional punch. One thing Wilfred and Tara nailed right away was showing the darker side of DID. Highston, on the other hand, doesn’t really have that, at least not yet. While it’s somewhat refreshing to see a protagonist who’s unfazed by his mental illness, it’s also a little unbelievable that Highston never sees his imaginary friends as the nuisances they clearly are. Of course, there’s plenty of room to explore that down the line, if it gets picked up to series.
Amazon’s pilot for Highston offers an enjoyable half-hour of television, thanks to a clever premise and good performances. The antiquated, small-town vibe of the show also makes it stand out from other TV comedies. That said, the pilot is never laugh-out-loud funny, and the main character lacks depth. Given enough time (and a full-season order) that could change, but for now Highston remains a good-but-not-great entry in Amazon’s new pilot season.
