Weezer’s Rivers Cuomo’s Life is Now Officially a Comedy. No, Really. It Is.

This may be a new golden age of television, but most of the super-cool stuff is happening on cable.  The traditional networks, bound by FCC rules about language and content and beholden to the whims of advertisers, are not having such a great time.  They have two choices: play it safe and go with more of the same-old, same-old–or they can be a little more daring in their programming fare.

Fox is by far the most innovative (reckless?) of the four major networks.  Who else would commission a comedy pilot based on the life of Weezer’s Rivers Cuomo?

Actually, this isn’t such a dumb idea when you start thinking about it.  Rivers’ has led a rather colourful life.  I’ve interviewed him many times (and I wrote part the liner notes for Weezer’s Red album) and I’ve always found him to be an interesting character sometimes bordering on–okay, I’ll say it–cartoonish.  And I mean that the most affectionate way possible.

When you consider what Rivers went through with his wonky leg and his hiatus from the band to attend Harvard, you realize that you have the  potential for a semi-autobiographical comedy.  In fact, that last bit about going Harvard–a disillusioned pro musician gives it all up to go back to school–is a central part of what’s called DeTour.

The Hollywood Reporter describes the show thusly:  “It tells the story of a 30-something rock star who, unable to rationalize his success and worried that he may not have the tools to repeat it, walks away from the spotlight at the height of his fame in an effort to rediscover the parts of his life he missed while he was busy becoming a massive success.”

Fox has ordered what’s called a “put-pilot,” which means that it’s very, very likely to get a shot on the schedule.