Robert Cohen - comedy writer

Robert Cohen - comedy writer

By Daniel Robert Epstein
Jun 18, 2004

Rob Cohen is another one of those extremely talented Canadians that is always behind the scenes writing or producing. He is not a high profile talent like Ben Stiller, David Cross or even Dana Gould. But that hasn’t stopped him from writing on some of the most popular shows of this comedy generation. From the Flaming Moe’s episode of The Simpsons to The Ben Stiller Show [for which he won an Emmy] to this fall’s new primetime animated show, Father of the Pride.

All those shows were primarily someone else’s vision and Cohen seems to thrive the most on shows that he is intimately involved with as producer and writer. 1998’s Super Adventure Team was co-created by Cohen with Dana Gould and ran for one season on MTV and still has a thriving cult following. This past year Cohen produced a pilot called D.O.T.S., which didn’t get picked up by NBC. Luckily all you Coheninites will be able to see the pilot next month at Beth Lapides’ Other Network in Los Angeles.

Check out the website for The Other Network

Daniel Robert Epstein: How did you get hooked up with The Other Network?
Rob Cohen: I’ve known Beth [Lapides] and Greg [Miller] for a couple of years. Also a lot of friends of mine have pilots that don’t make it to air so they play there. That’s how it came about.
DRE:
There definitely seems to be a distinct thread of people who show their stuff there. Is it because of the people that Beth knows?
RC:
Yes, it’s the people they contact. Obviously every year there are so many shows that don’t make it on air or don’t last. So they have a group of people they know and call from that massive pool of failed pilots.
DRE:
I saw that you are having something called D.O.T.S. show there next month. Is that new?
RC:
It’s from this season. It’s a pilot for NBC that is basically a workplace ensemble sitcom like Taxi or Barney Miller about meter maids. We made it, it tested great, everyone loved it but it didn’t get picked up. I’m happy people will get to see it.
DRE:
Do you get reasons why NBC didn’t pick it up?
RC:
No, you never really get a reason. If you're testing is in the toilet then you understand why. This year there are so few comedies so there are only a few spots.
DRE:
Was the show too edgy?
RC:
Not at all, it was a very standard sitcom with four cameras. It wasn’t According to Jim but a throwback to 70’s sitcoms. The combination of very few slots because of all the reality shows and also they had prior commitments because Joey and Father of the Pride were guaranteed to be on the air. That eats up more space.
DRE:
Who is in D.O.T.S.?
RC:
Steve Hytner [Bania from Seinfeld], Stephen Dunham [from DAG] and a bunch of unknowns like Erin Hershey Presley and Davenia McFadden. We lucked out in getting people who didn’t have a lot of TV character baggage, it was great.
DRE:
Who owns D.O.T.S.?
RC:
I think it’s owned by NBC and Gavin Polone’s company, which is called Pariah Entertainment Group.
DRE:
Are guys like you who write scripted comedies freaked by all the reality TV shows?
RC:
I was just having this conversation with another TV writer named Andy Gordon. I think some people are completely freaked out but I think it’s shortsightedness on the network’s part. It’s a quick fix to problems they are partially responsible for. They are the ones who develop the scripts and pay money for the pilots then suddenly they are blaming the comedy writers for there being no good shows. But they are the ones who develop it from stage one. Also they’ve put on and kept on so much crap that the public has rightfully gotten tired of it. So when you get something like The Apprentice that’s a quick soap operey thrilling thing, but it can’t last. I even watch some reality shows. But comedy is where the money is in TV. It syndicates faster and dramas don’t make a lot of money so I think they will eventually come around again.

People seem to love reality shows right now. Variety shows were all the rage for a while and then The Cosby Show turned things around.
DRE:
Did you see The Nick & Jessica Variety Hour?
RC:
Part of it. What I liked about that was they treated it like a Sonny and Cher kind of thing and they did a good job. They weren’t trying to cure cancer but just do a goofy show.
DRE:
Where do you keep your Emmy?
RC:
It’s on a shelf in my office of my house next to a Mr. Spock doll.
DRE:
What sketches did you have on The Ben Stiller Show?
RC:
Tons of them. Amish Studs, Die Hard, a bunch of the COPS parodies, Pig Latin Lover, Jake Steele Marionette Cop.
DRE:
Jake Steele Marionette Cop was so weird.

What did you think of The Ben Stiller Show DVD?
RC:
I think they did a good job.
DRE:
Is The Ben Stiller Show where you met Dana Gould?
RC:
Yes, he was acting in a sketch.
DRE:
Otto The Anti-Cupid.
RC:
Now he’s one of my best friends.
DRE:
You and Dana went to create Super Adventure Team. Do people still ask you about that?
RC:
When we were doing the show we got tons of email. We actually put all the shows on tape and were mailing them to people who wanted them.
DRE:
Do you consider yourself a cult writer?
RC:
No, I’ve just been lucky enough to work on stuff that I think is great. Super Adventure Team was a blast. If MTV weren’t such douche bags we would have done it for years.
DRE:
What did MTV do?
RC:
We did it back in 1998 and I don’t think they knew what they were doing. The show was so incredibly cheap, like $130,000 an episode. But they kept wanting to cut costs and they were giving us notes on puppets like they were actual actors. It was insane. They were treating it like Friends. It was frustrating because we really wanted to do more of them but they nickel and dimed us until we said forget it. There was an executive there, whose name I won’t mention, that was a total jack-off. We didn’t get along with him and because we didn’t bow to him when he gave us his thoughts, he said that they wouldn’t pick the series up again unless we cut the budget in half. We said no and we weren’t going to do anymore at all. He hated us and we hated him. We went to the San Diego Comic-Con that year and filled a room of people to watch the show
DRE:
Puppets seem to be big again with Crank Yankers and TV Funhouse is supposed to come back. Has anyone thought about bringing it back?
RC:
We’ve talked about it. But in a wonderful move and without telling us, MTV they sold the rights to our show to the people that do the Thunderbirds in England. We would have to redo the show and call it something else. But Matt [Stone] and Trey [Parker] are doing a marionette movie. Maybe our time with puppets is done.
DRE:
How were you involved with Father of the Pride?
RC:
I was a writer on the show but I only did three days a week on it through the whole 13 episodes.
DRE:
Are you writer that is in demand?
RC:
I fortunately have been able to work consistently. I consider myself very lucky because it’s a tough gig.
DRE:
How is Father of the Pride going to be?
RC:
I think it’s going to be cool. The animation is amazing and the scripts are really funny. I think the Siegfried and Roy characters are going to be huge breakout characters because they are insane and hilarious. The trick is, will NBC promote it right and will people want to watch a late night cartoon about Siegfried and Roy.
DRE:
Was it a big deal when Roy got mauled by one of his own tigers?
RC:
There was definitely a moment of freaked outedness but Jeffrey Katzenberg handled things great. We modified the pilot a little bit to quietly acknowledge the situation but it’s fine. The real Siegfried and Roy are really into the show so I don’t think it will be an issue.
DRE:
I’ve spoken with [Simpsons writer and show runner] Al Jean and he said he has heard people quote his lines from The Simpsons. Has anything like that happened to you?
RC:
People have quoted me lines I wrote from Flaming Moe’s and bugged me for the recipe for Flaming Moe. People don’t know who I am so they don’t approach me. There is stuff from The Ben Stiller Show people quote and the odd Super Adventure Team.
DRE:
How is it doing something more mainstream like Just Shoot Me?
RC:
I think with that stuff you have to appeal to a wider audience so you have a more standard format. You can’t write a part where the puppets run to the rocketship and battle a giant Abraham Lincoln. But it’s basically the same with the process being a little different. On a sitcom you're in a writer’s room, you schedule and then shoot it on Friday in front of an audience. With the Stiller Show or Super Adventure Team we were left on our own to make these little movies at our own pace as opposed to being locked into a structure. They both have their own merits and I like doing both.
DRE:
Where did you grow up?
RC:
Calgary, Alberta Canada.
DRE:
What influenced you?
RC:
SCTV and Monty Python are by far my two biggest comedy influences. That was what got my comedy taste going.

by Daniel Robert Epstein

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