Failed TV Pilots #27 - Reckless and Feckless

Reckless and Feckless – retro ‘tec thriller Despite having all the essential ingredients for a successful detective series, Reckless and Feckless only got as far as one poorly received pilot programme. The show, named after the two main characters, featured a pair of detectives – one of them a maverick, the other a supposedly bumbling fool. It was set in the 70s to give it some bang-up-to date retro chic which also had the advantage of allowing the script writers to get away with large amounts of swearing. Bob Reckless’ eating disorder and Bob Feckless’ shock of red hair gave them an opportunity to be incredibly offensive whilst retaining “period authenticity” about the only two characteristics about which it is still deemed acceptable to be unacceptably insulting. It was set in a glamorous Police department (in this case – forensic accounts) and shot in exotic offshore tax haven locations (the pilot was partly filmed on the Isle of Man). The pair’s 1967 Hillman Imp ticks the box for the distinctive ride, or what media types call an "iconic" car, that all the top TV detectives have. There was no obvious female love interest story line, the inference being that the couple were married to the job, or maybe there was some lingering underlying mutual desire, a fact which is hinted at occasionally through the pilot. Wast it a bromance or something more? The soundtrack too, ticked all the relevant retro boxes. Featuring artists like Bowie, T Rex, Captain Beefheart and The Wurzels it roots the audience firmly in the newly hip 1970s. Problems surfaced with the ending of the pilot which saw the duo gunned down whilst investigating VAT fraud in downtown Douglas, IOM. In a shambolic and poorly planned raid, they burst in on an armed gang sharing out bullion. They die in a hail of gunfire after exchanging some typical dialogue: Bob Reckless: “Where’s my f***ing gun, you ginger c***?” Bob Feckless: “What f***ing gun? We’re accountants not the SAS, you dozy fat b****? I’ve got a slide rule somewhere” Hoodlum 1: “Let ‘em have it, Knuckles” Cue slow motion slaughter scene. TV executives cited the death of the two main characters as being principal reasons, amongst a whole host of other ones, as to why the show will not go into production. Frustrated producers have been quoted as saying “what’s good for Taggart’s goose is not good for our gander”. The audience feedback was that they really liked the gratuitous swearing, enjoyed the extreme violence at the end, were happy with the implied homosexuality but were turned off by the explicit accountancy scenes.