• Associated Press via BusinessWeek, Friday, July 27, 2007 11:30 AM

The pilot for ABC's new "Cavemen" is being overhauled, at least partly, because of questions about stereotypes -- and the problems of turning an ad into a series. The Geico TV spots that inspired the show feature evolved, albeit shaggy cavemen annoyed at misconceptions about their level of intelligence. The series is set to roll in October, and it follows a trio of Cro-Magnons trying to make it in contemporary society.

Moreover, there was no intention to have the Cavemen represent any minority.

But the pilot is being re-shot, ABC says, because it jumped too far into the characters before they had been properly established. "If the show works, it will work because people care about these three guys under a lot of makeup and ... can relate to their problems and find them charming," says producer Mike Schiff. While it is unusual for ad characters to get shows of their own, it is far from unprecedented. The CBS comedy "Baby Bob" starred a talking baby who had had been in ads.

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