Even after rejection, the “Friends” creators persisted with David Lipper’s sitcom.
On their podcast How Rude, Tanneritos!, former Full House co-stars Jodie Sweetin and Andrea Barber revealed that actor David Lipper played the character of the joyful rocker Viper after NBC last-minute rejected a pilot screenplay.
The head of Warner Bros. Television told me, “Listen, we’re fans.” So far, so good. Lipper threatened to put the actor on another program if he participated in the family comedy’s series finale. I then landed a role on Full House.
The Secret Life of Harry Greene was the working title of the unproduced pilot, according to Lipper.
The comedian says, “It was an unbelievably funny show that starred me, and my characters were these little people with decent careers.” Our housemates included Hilary Swank, Tiffani Thiessen, Kaley Cuoco (who never got her big break), and my younger sister, Giovanni Ribisi.
The cast also features Giovanni Ribisi, Kaley Cuoco, Hilary Swank, and David Lipper.
Images credited to Getty, Amy Sussman, Michael Tullberg, Rodin Eckenroth, and Todd Owyoung (NBC via Getty).
You can find the three unaired portions of the Reality Check pilot on YouTube. Musical numbers from the ’90s apex, such as “Cannonball” by The Breeders, and cameos by A-listers from then and beyond complement the abundant comedic moments and complex character interactions. When that happened, what went wrong?
The makers of Reality Check were Kevin Bright, Marta Kauffman, and David Crane. Warner Bros. put Bright, Kauffman, and Crane’s buddies through their paces that season.
According to Lipper, “This was like a big, big thing—they thought this had a better shot than friends because we had huge test scores.” Testing is a process that studios go through before ordering a series.
According to Lipper’s account, they axed Reality Check “at the last second” because it was scheduled to air on Sundays between Married with Children and The Simpsons, although “we ranked the highest Warner Bros. pilot.” The reason for this was Fox’s acquisition of the football rights in the summer. Even if your show has more viewers than any other on the network, Sunday Night Football will still win.
As paradoxical as it may sound, Ribisi would have happily switched careers if Lipper, Cuoco, Swank, and themselves had the last say. For nine years, he played Phoebe Buffay’s stepbrother on Friends.
Candace Full House stars John Stamos as Uncle Jesse and Cameron Bure plays Viper, Jesse’s bandmate and erratic boyfriend. Lipper wouldn’t have landed the role if football hadn’t taken over Reality Check.
For Lipper, Barber said, “We got lucky.” What you lose, I feel. How wonderful an opportunity!
Additionally, Lipper discussed his near-miss with securing the role of Cody, the likeable meathead from Step by Step.
The actor claimed, “I and Sasha Mitchell played Cody, the van-dwelling cousin.” Mitchell is still not available for auditions. The producers informed Lipper that “Sasha’s absent,” and then they continued. We adore you because it’s yours to keep if he doesn’t show up in five minutes.
“Sasha Mitchell enters at 4:50,” he noted, though. “He says, ‘Hey!'” This place is immense; I am entirely confused. “Am I going to let this complete moron win?” I then said, “Wait, the character’s stupid.”
