I always loved “Barney Miller,” a cop show/sitcom made from 1975 to 1982 and still one of the greatest TV themes of all time.
The best part of the show was it’s ensemble casts, one being the main players, the police, and the other ensemble cast, the criminals, victims and lawyers who were the guest stars. It was genius.
The show rarely left the set of the squad room, with all the cop action happening off-screen. At that time the idea must have seemed preposterous before it hit the air and probably after. A cop show with no action and it’s also a comedy? A sitcom shot before a live audience?
What was great about the show was all the stories that could happen with all these characters, Barney Miller playing a large or small role in all of them.
I wrote a movie called “Sue Happy” that had a large ensemble cast, with the story rotating around one main character. The feedback from my manager at the time was “no one makes comedies with large ensemble casts.” I got lots of rejections on that one.
I thought it was the perfect setup: get bigger name actors to work for a day or two and shoot multiple scenes that appear throughout the movie. At the time, I was alone in that thought.
When I started outlining Vampire Mob, Barney Miller and “Sue Happy” popped in my head - writing a story around an ensemble of characters with a lead who we follow throughout seemed like the perfect fit.
Vampire Mob’s two seasons includes the work of 22 actors and one dog.
I love an ensemble.
-
vmobeternity liked this
-
vampiremob posted this
