I just made an astounding discovery you guys! And by discovery I mean my friend hipped me to a clip of a pilot from a never-picked-up show from 1999. Tomato, tomahto. The show in question is called Heat Vision and Jack and it was created by Ben Stiller back when he was funny. Zach informed me that the show is actually something of a cult phenomenon, and though it never enjoyed formal DVD release, the resourceful among us can find bootleg copies of it at the finest comic book stores.

The show reminds me a little of Garth Marenghi's Darkplace (if you haven't watched that, please don't talk to me until you do) except instead of British people and ghosts and a haunted hospital, we have Jack Black as a former astronaut whose brain expanded to three times its normal size when he got too close to the sun on a mission, Jack's talking motorcycle Heat Vision (voiced by Owen Wilson) who inexplicably used to be his unemployed roommate, and Ron Silver, who plays himself and also NASA's bad guy hired gun. How Fox didn't pick up this gem back in the day is one of the enduring mysteries of television, but I suspect that it has something to do with the fact that it showed potential for being good. Take a look at this incredible episode featuring a not-yet-frightening-looking Christine Taylor as the foxy sheriff and Victor Schiavelli (R.I.P.) as the line-cook-turned-alien Paragon. Friggin' awesome.

Tags: Ben Stiller, Christine Taylor, Fox, Garth Marenghi's Darkplace, Heat Vision and Jack, Jack Black, Owen Wilson, Ron Silver, Victor Schiavelli