Conan O’Brien’s Failed Sitcom With Batman Star Was Canceled After One Episode, And It’s Perfect

By Robert Scucci
| Published 18 seconds ago

Adam West has always been best known for his legendary dry humor, and it’s one of the reasons the 1960s Batman series is so much fun to watch. It’s equal parts camp and deadpan, and Adam West was born to play this version of the Caped Crusader. Most of the Golden Era Simpsons writing staff celebrated the guy for being so easy to write bits for, which is why he voiced a fictionalized version of in the Season 4 episode, “Mr. Plow.” One of those Golden Era writers was Conan O’Brien, and his adoration of West’s on-screen persona manifested in a one-off TV pilot that never got picked up: 1991’s Lookwell.

The series was conceptualized and produced by O’Brien and Robert Smigel, with Lorne Michaels serving as executive producer. For a show with as much potential as Lookwell, we only ever got the one episode, which at the time ended up becoming the “second-lowest-rated television show of all time.” Thankfully, Lookwell’s legacy has long surpassed its initial reputation and rightfully secured cult status over the decades.

There are copies of Lookwell floating around online, lifted from broadcasts on the now-defunct Trio network, but it’s incredibly difficult to find clean versions of the original pilot. While the versions we have easy access to are pretty much the real deal, there are some alternate jokes and soundtrack changes that were likely made because of rights issues after the show was unceremoniously shelved.

He’s Not A Detective, But He Played One On TV

Lookwell centers on titular character Ty Lookwell, portrayed by Adam West, and he couldn’t be more perfect for the part. Ty is a washed-up actor best known for his work on Bannigan, not to be confused with Brannigan, another, more popular show that he has nothing to do with. He waxes poetic about Shakespeare and teaches an acting class to pass the time while showing up to auditions dressed like Fonzie, even though nobody is interested in casting him. He’s completely delusional and justifies his dry spell by suggesting that “these things take time.” Meanwhile, his nephew Matt, who’s merely visiting to try the whole Hollywood thing, is receiving countless voicemails from Kevin Costner, Francis Ford Coppola, and Steven Spielberg, begging for a callback. He’s an exceptionally gifted actor, and we never see him on screen.

What truly drives Lookwell’s personality is his inflated sense of self. He played a detective on TV and was even given an honorary badge by the local precinct in 1972. He carries the badge, which is encased in acrylic, everywhere he goes and uses it to try solving real crimes, much to the chagrin of every officer on duty. More often than not, his instincts lead him to the wrong places in silly disguises as he inadvertently ruins planned sting operations orchestrated by actual officers who know what they’re doing. When things somehow work out in his favor, he smugly pats himself on the back, making it known that the police would be helpless without his invaluable sleuthing skills.

Characters like Ty Lookwell, who lack any semblance of self-awareness, are difficult to portray because the actor has to fully commit to the bit without ever breaking the illusion. Adam West, a former superhero actor, understood the assignment and brought his signature deadpan delivery to the premise. He’s stone-faced and stoic even when he’s dressed like a homeless man at a fundraising event, loudly declaring that the sidewalk is his bed even though everybody in the room knows he’s actually failed actor Ty Lookwell wearing a silly costume. He never cracks a smile or looks inward for even a second. He simply lounges around his house watching reruns of Bannigan while eating “Firm Pops,” the frozen treats that “tighten your skin.”

What Could Have Been

Had Lookwell been pitched at a different time, it might have had a fighting chance. It was simply too ahead of its potential audience, one that would be molded by the Simpsons mania that was slowly consuming the world. It’s profoundly stupid, but also incredibly cerebral. Like Golden Era Simpsons, there are plenty of sight gags and visual jokes you’ll miss if you blink, and it boasts the kind of quick-witted exchanges Conan O’Brien has built an entire career around since the pilot was shelved after airing its only episode.

That lone episode is still incredibly difficult to find in its original form, and the versions circulating online have abysmal playback quality. Presently, there’s an HD upscaled version available on YouTube that looks surprisingly great, and it’s absolutely worth 23 minutes of your time if you’re a diehard fan of The Simpsons and everything Conan O’Brien has brought to the table since first showing up on the scene in the late 1980s as a writer for SNL. It’s a relic from another era, and it’s a shame we never got a full series out of Lookwell, but at least it still exists for us to enjoy decades later.