Keeping with the caveman topic, here is one of those ideas that probably sounded better in a boardroom than it played out on TV…
Back in the mid-2000s, GEICO struck gold with their caveman commercials. The whole joke was simple: “So easy, a caveman could do it.” But instead of cavemen being dumb, they were actually smart, modern, and completely fed up with being the punchline. That dry, almost uncomfortable humor is what made those ads stick. You didn’t laugh at them, you kind of laughed at how relatable their annoyance was.
And like a lot of popular ad campaigns, it didn’t take long before someone thought, “Let’s turn this into a show.”
So in 2007, Cavemen hit primetime on ABC. The idea was to expand the joke into a full sitcom—cavemen living in modern society, dealing with jobs, dating, and social issues, all while navigating the stigma of that famous slogan.
The problem was, what worked in quick 30-second bursts didn’t really translate into full episodes. The commercials were funny because they were short, subtle, and a little awkward. Stretch that out to 20+ minutes, and suddenly the joke starts to wear thin.
The show also leaned more into the “social commentary” angle—basically treating the cavemen like a misunderstood group facing prejudice. Interesting idea, but it felt heavier than what people signed up for when they remembered those ads.
End result? The show didn’t last. It was canceled after just one season.
But here’s the funny part—while the TV show faded pretty quickly, the original caveman commercials are still remembered today. They’re one of those rare ads where people instantly know exactly what you’re talking about.
So yeah, a simple insurance slogan turned into a cultural moment… and then into a TV experiment that didn’t quite survive evolution.
