Do you ever wish you could go behind the scenes of your favourite TV show to see how it gets
made?
Some people would probably say no -- it might ruin the magic for them.
But most people would probably love to see what it’s like on the set of Game of Thrones
or The Walking Dead.
Is it really as exciting as they make it look in the finished product?
Here are 10 Behind the Scenes Facts You Never Knew About Popular TV Shows.
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The meth is actually candy in Breaking Bad
In Breaking Bad, Bryan Cranston plays Walter White, a high school teacher who turns to
crystal meth manufacturing when times get bad.
Wearing nothing but his underwear and a gas mask, White cooks up some primo product in
his trailer, which is tinted blue and actually looks kind of tasty.
But what was the meth ? According to a radio interview with Bryan Cranston, all the meth
was made of cotton candy-flavoured rock candy, and actors would often eat it during long
days on set, just to get a little bit of energy.
The kids who auditioned for Stranger Things had to read the script for Stand By Me
Stranger Things is a series that wears its influences on its sleeves, and one of those
influences is the classic 80s film Stand By Me, based on a novel by Stephen King.
Though it’s set in the 1950s, the film tells a story about a similar group of boys, who
travel out into the forest to see a dead body.
Apparently, the casting director had prospective actors read lines from the script to Stand
By Me while they were auditioning.
It was just that important that the new actors captured the same feeling as the older film.
Dan Harmon and Chevy Chase fought on the set of Community
The cult hit comedy Community attracted a devoted group of fans with its smart and self-aware
riffs on pop culture.
But even though the characters of the show were one big family, the drama behind the
scenes could get pretty brutal.
Chevy Chase, who played Pierce, a cranky old man from the study group, hated working for
Dan Harmon, who created the show.
The feud got so bad that Harmon was actually fired at the end of season 3.
But when Chase walked off the set at the end of season 4, NBC brought Harmon back to wrap
up the series.
The wreckage was a part of the score of Lost
Fans of the cult hit Lost know that the series begins with one heck of a plane crash, which
is pretty epic for a network TV series.
They might also know that the score, created by Michael Giacchino is a creepy, unsettling
affair that also leaves room for a lot of emotion attachment.
What they might not know is that Giacchino used actual pieces of that wreckage to use
for percussion on the show’s original score.
The wreckage was scavenged after the shoot and brought to the recording studio, where
Giacchino has his way with it.
Perhaps that’s why it’s so unsettling?
Parks and Recreation was originally a spinoff of The Office
A fast-paced mockumentary about about a workplace full of loveable -- but sometimes frustrating
-- human beings?
A boss who lacks self-awareness and is prone to embarrassing situations?
You could be describing The Office -- or you could be describing Parks and Recreation,
which was co-created by Greg Daniels, who also adapted The Office for American television.
In fact, he originally envisioned Parks and Rec as a spinoff to the hit Steve Carrell
show, but changed his mind after a few months of toying with idea in development.
Still, nobody would have been surprised if Dwight Schrute showed up in Pawnee at some
point.
Luck got cancelled because horses kept dying
Back in 2012, HBO thought it had another hit on its hand with Luck, a series about a horse-racing
track starring Dustin Hoffman.
The series was created by David Milch, the mastermind behind Deadwood and NYPD Blue.
The series premiered to good reviews, but it got cancelled anyway.
The reason?
The horses on set kept dying.
Two horses were euthanized after getting injured during the filming of the first season, and
when a third horse died during early production of the second season, HBO pulled the plug
on the show, citing health and safety concerns.
Larry David voiced George Steinbrenner on Seinfeld
When George Costanza gets a job with the New York Yankees in Seinfeld, his boss was a version
of the real life George Steinbrenner, though you never get to see his face and he sounded
a little different from the real thing.
If you’re wondering whose voice is coming from behind Steinbrenner’s chair, it’s
Seinfeld co-creator Larry David.
His voice might seem familiar now, given that David has starred in eight seasons of Curb
Your Enthusiasm, but at the time he was more of a behind-the-scenes figure.
Though maybe it convinced him he could be an actor?
Hank Azaria auditioned for the role of Joey in Friends
Most people probably know Hank Azaria best for his various voice roles on The Simpsons.
Moe, Chief Wiggum, Apu, Disco Stu…
It’s all Azaria.
But he also played Phoebe’s lover David on Friends, a scientist who ended their relationship
to move to Minsk.
He eventually returned to New York, but Phoebe ended up with Mike, played by Paul Rudd.
That wasn’t Azaria’s first rejection, however.
He also auditioned for the role of Joey… twice!
To be honest, though, we’re pretty glad Joey wasn’t played by the same person as
Comic Book Guy.
Game of Thrones has an unaired pilot
Game of Thrones is one of the most popular series on TV, but despite the chemistry of
the cast, it didn’t always look the way it does now.
In fact, HBO filmed an entire pilot with a different director and some different cast
members.
This version was directed by Thomas McCarthy, who also made the Oscar-winning Spotlight,
but maybe wasn’t quite the right choice for a Westeros-set drama.
Daenarys Targaryen and Catelyn Stark were played by different actors, too.
Still, HBO saw the promise, so they picked up the series and let DB Weiss and David Benioff
rewrite and reshoot the first episode.
We’re glad that they did!
Last suppers in The Walking Dead
Fans of The Walking Dead know that no one is safe.
Anybody on that series could die at any time.
Such is the nature of a zombie-infest post-apocalyptic world.
So do the cast and crew do anything to cope with the loss of a long-time colleague?
Actually, they do.
The night before filming a major death scene, the crew puts on a “Last Supper” for the
principal actors, giving the doomed actor a chance to eat whatever they want, just like
the prisoners on death row.
It’s really the least they can do for their soon-to-be-unemployed co-star.