‘Andor’ Showrunner Says We Need A ‘Star Wars’ Sitcom
Between movies, novels, animations, video games, comic books and streaming TV shows, the Star Wars universe has been expanding ever since the original George Lucas film hit theaters in 1977. But Tony Gilroy, the showrunner for the Disney+ series Andor, thinks there’s room in the galaxy for even more.
“I always fantasized that the show would break new ground, that someone would be able to make a three-camera sitcom in Star Wars or a horror movie,” Gilroy said in an interview with SFX Magazine, via Movieweb. And why stop there? “I think the first thing I said to Kathy (Kennedy, head of Lucasfilm) when she said they wanted to open a line, was, ‘Could you do a courtroom drama?’ And why not? We’ve worked really hard on Andor to make our lane, and it’s up to other people now to find another way to do it.”
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If Andor could pave the way for more realistic, grittier Star Wars tales, Gilroy reasons, why couldn’t someone else imagine a hilarious sitcom set in that same universe? Here’s one reason: Star Wars-themed sitcoms have been tried before, with lukewarm degrees of success. Here are four comedy shows that, for better or worse, used Star Wars as an inspiration.
Quark
Quark was more of a Star Trek parody but landing a prime-time slot in early 1978 had everything to do with the cosmic blockbuster from the previous summer. Quark tried to capitalize on Star Wars, even naming one of its initial episodes, “May the Source Be With You.” But the comedy was tepid, and the show lasted only eight episodes, failing to cash in on Star Wars' popularity.
Mork & Mindy
Star Wars directly inspired the comedy that introduced the world to Robin Williams. Happy Days creator Garry Marshall instructed his writers to come up with a funny spaceman character to appease his Star Wars-obsessed son. After Williams killed on a Happy Days cameo, a sitcom quickly followed. Mork & Mindy’s charms rested solely on the shoulders of Williams, with comedy that had little to do with intergalactic intrigue and everything to do with an alien’s ignorance about Earth customs.
Homeboys in Outer Space
What can you say about this short-lived sitcom that one critic described as “Star Trek meets Amos 'n' Andy?” The show’s dismal ratings and terrible reviews didn’t help future showrunners convince the powers-that-be that a Star Wars-style sitcom would win over viewers.
Star Wars Detours
Is Gilroy aware that an officially sanctioned Star Wars sitcom has already been created? Maybe not, because even though Lucasfilm Animation collaborated with the Robot Chicken gang on Star Wars Detours, the animated parody never aired. Thirty-nine episodes were produced, but they’ve been in storage ever since Disney acquired Lucasfilm. Maybe Star Wars Detours will see the light of day at some point, but until then, promotional clips have leaked for your viewing pleasure.
