I was trolling around Youtube when I stumbled across this gem: The unaired pilot episode of The Elvira Show. It's a tragedy that this show never made it out of the pilot stage, it was genuinely good.
The shows stars Cassandra Peterson as the iconic Elvira, a witch living in Kansas. Elvira sets up shop in town as a fortune teller who also sells love potions. When her customer falls ill, Elvira suddenly finds herself being investigated by the town police. Things are further complicated when Elvira's long lost niece moves in and discovers that she too is a witch.
This show should have gotten a chance. It was genuinely funny and raunchy but in a non-sleazy way. It seemed like a grown up version of Sabrina The Teenage witch: complete with wacky aunts and talking cats. Cassandra Peterson has a knack for the comedic and it especially shows in the pilot episode. Her chemistry with Katherine Helmond, who played her aunt was off the charts. Those two ladies need to do another project together, they work too well together not to.
Unfortunately this show was shopped around to CBS, which was obviously the wrong channel for this type of show. Too bad it wasn't shopped around when Fox was on the air. The show would have been perfect for the fledgling channel and might have gotten a proper shot. Unfortunately this show debuted a year before the network began.
If you're an Elvira fan, go to Youtube and look up the pilot. It's a fun way to pass the time.
