Pajama Men launch sitcom bid

With Andrew Maxwell, Glenn Wool and more

Inventive sketch duo The Pajama Men are to make their own sitcom – after their scripts were rejected by major broadcasters.

Shenoah Allen and Mark Chavez were commissioned four times in four years to produce scripts for the BBC, HBO and Ridley Scott's company Scott Free.

But after none made it to air, the pair have now turned to crowdfunding to raise at least $25,000 for their new sitcom 'about a man who does all the wrong things for the right reasons, and the brother in law who's always rolling his eyes'.

And the gimmick of Brothers In Law is that all the characters are created with the varied application of gaffer tape on to the pair's faces. And some of the more surreal flights of fantasy will be covered by animation.

The supporting cast also includes a raft of familiar comedy faces, such as Glenn Wool, Andrew Maxwell, Gemma Whelan, and Australia's Ronny Chieng.

In their fundraising video on Kickstarter, Allen and Chavez said: 'Over the years we've been commissioned to write several television scripts for companies like BBC, HBO and Scot Free, but we haven't got those scripts made into actual shows. Why? I suppose they were too weird, too high concept, too complex. I think they are great. So what we are going to do now is just make it ourselves.'

Described as 'Arrested Development meets Bob's Burgers with the mysterious slant of Twin Peaks', the show revolves around Scott, whose weekly newspaper is failing so badly that he's forced to run operations out of his own home, and his criminal brother-in-law trying his best to help make the business work.

In 2010, the Pajama Men were commissioned by independent production company Big Talk to write a TV show based on their live work. It was to be directed by Paul King, who worked with the Mighty Boosh and helmed the recent Paddington movie.

The following year, the pair were commissioned to write a screenplay by Scott Free, again with director Paul King attached.

In 2012, the BBC commissioned the Pajama Men to write two episodes of a series based on their live work; and in 2013 HBO commissioned them to write a television pilot, this time with director James Bobin, who worked on Flight Of The Conchords The Muppets.

But none of the projects came to anything, which is why they have turned to doing it themselves.

They aim to raise enough money to fly the cast to their home town of Albuquerque, where they hope to start shooting in February, and to hire filming equipment.

Their aim of $25,000 – which they have a month to raise – will fund one episode, with $40,000 funding two and $60,000 for three. Any more will go on marketing, up to $100,000 for four episodes.

'And what is this "marketing"?' they wrote on Kickstarter. 'Our goal with this series is ultimately to get it seen by as many people as would enjoy seeing it. And barring a network picking up the show (which very well could happen) it will take money to create a new online home for this series and drive people to that site.'

Here is their Kickstarter video: