There’s a long history of TV shows changing drastically in the transition from pilot to full season. Directors change, scripts are revised, actors are replaced. But while most of these pilots never become public, there is one you can watch right now, and it features one of the last performances by Philip Seymour Hoffman, who was supposed to star in the Showtime series “Happyish.”
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The news comes from John Cameron Mitchell, who in 2013 directed the pilot which follows a depressed middle-aged advertising executive who gets a new and younger boss as he starts suspecting he will have to live just short of happy for the rest of his life, took to Instagram to share the previously unseen pilot. Mitchell said, “I directed the original unaired 2013 pilot of #Happyish, a Showtime comedy starring the brilliant #philipseymourhoffman in his last filmed role.” The pilot is just as bizarre as the finished product, with Philip Seymour Hoffman going to town with a double-stuffed Keebler elf in-between contemplating the lack of meaning in his life.
As you’d expect from the beloved actor, Hoffman effortlessly moves between the tonal shifts of the show while pulling off the more somber aspects of his character as well as you know, the Keebler elves bit from before.
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When Showtime finally premiered “Happyish,” Steve Coogan had replaced Hoffman, while Ellen Barking replaced Parker Posey and Bradley Whitford joined the cast instead of Rhys Ifans. Even though Kathryn Hahn did stay on the show, John Cameron Mitchell didn’t return to direct, as he Ken Kwapis took over directing the first episode. “Happyish” would only air 10 episodes before getting canceled by Showtime.
You can watch the episode below: