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Contest Searchlight was a four-episode fictional comedy television series that aired in 2002 on the Comedy Central network. It was a documentary-style parody or mockumentary of the HBO network's non-fictional series Project Greenlight. Contest Searchlight starred Denis Leary and Lenny Clarke, playing slightly fictionalized versions of themselves, as TV producers holding a nationwide contest to select a new television series to produce for the Comedy Central network. When none of the proposed submissions prove acceptable, Leary and Clarke end up combining several of the finalist's proposals to produce a new, semi-improvised ensemble sitcom entitled "Jesus and the Gang." The new show ostensibly stars New York theatre and television actor Peter Gallagher, but when Gallagher is hit by a car during the filming of a network promotion, the lead role is shifted to comedian Patrice O'Neal. During rehearsals for the premiere episode, the actors, crew and producers all start fighting each other, and "Jesus and the Gang" is permanently shelved. As noted above, Contest Searchlight was shown in a pseudo-documentary style, and there was no laugh track or other obvious sign that this was, in fact, a fictional series. Following Peter Gallagher's exit from the show, both he and Comedy Central received a number of panicked calls from viewers who believed that Gallagher really had been hit by a car.
Seasons
Episode 1
Episode 1
30m
Denis Leary Seeks out to find another celebrity to be an executive producer with him for a show to give 1 person a chance to have their T.V. show Idea become a reality There are lots of people trying out and then it gets cut down to 10 then to 3 We get to here the remaining three contestants ideas Amber Gross's Idea 4 friends in new work( all religious) who meet up and talk about religious things. Then she says that Jesus comes. it seems she had changed her idea for her show because one of the executive producers says she had nothing to do with jesus the day before. Mike Lombardi's Idea 5 roomates living in manhatten in a place called SHEWS. His idea is basically 30 minutes of improvisation. Carmine's idea His idea consists of an animated movie he had made before. 5 guys in a beach house for the summer. Everyone in the room has a hard time picking the winner In the end they all pick Mike's Idea ""Shews""
Episode 2
Episode 2
30m
Mike gets introduced to the whole gang of the Shew's show crew and they tell him about how they are combing his show with amber's idea. Lenny Clarke gave denis leary, the episode before, a rehab number and denis actually called it and went there. Denis Leary had went out and higherd Amber to be his ""eyes and ears"". So the show is left with Lenny Clarke to be an executive Producer....and Jim Serpico goes nuts on Lenny Mike ends up going along with the changes everyone had made Then comes the casting call...They all give names(everyone hates mikes casting idea)....and Lenny Clarke and another try going for Colin Quin(without telling these others) They end up choosing Peter Gallagher as JESUS Jimmy Burke as Rob Danielle Schneider as Mia Mary Birdsong as Alicia and Adam Ferrara as David Everyone is ready for the shooting of the show and in comes Colin Quin...everyone starts arguing and Jim Serpico and Colin actually get in a fight!! They do start shoot the show and Jimmy B
Episode 3
Episode 3
30m
The cast for ""Jesus and the Gang"" changes some for now the Role of Jesus will be played by Patrick O'neal The Crew highers Adam Roth to be the composer for the Jesus and the Gang theme song. But no one likes his song so denis leary and another make their own which what do ya know gets put as the theme song. Everything goes great in the rehersal but when they actually start shooting with people from Comedy Central there watching. A spinkler goes off over the set and gets all the props wet, you see off set there are things getting electicuted and out comes stumbiling Partick Oneal(Jesus) and he falls to the floor.
Episode 4Latest episode
Episode 4
30m
Patrice is missing and Jesus and the gang is suppose to start taping today. Eddie Brill has to do stand up for an audience that has been waiting hours to see the taping of Jesus and the Gang and people end up leaving but a comedy central page ends up getting a bus full of kids to come in and watch. Eddie Brill takes the role of Jesus since Patrice is absent and Colin Quin refuses to accept jim's apology. The kids the comedy central page brought in were all deaf and then in comes Patrice ready to go but realizes eddie is out there and he is confused. Patrice walks in on the set and screws everything up. Everyone is arguing and fights break out! Adam Ferrara punches mike right in the nose and breaks it! Denis and Lenny take off and the whole Show is CANCELED!
