sf/f TV development news - 2013

[Enterprise is Great]

Ron Moore Thriller ‘Helix’ Nears Series Order At Syfy

[Hugo Rune]

In relation to that I am wondering if Moore has latched onto the original spec pilot as something he wants to work on and develop, or whether he will do what he did with Auchebaum's "sentient robot" script which he took the central premise and then completely overhauled into Caprica.

Either way, it's Moore, so I am there for the first season at least, but given Moore wrote the original outline/draft for what became that horrid The Thing prequel, I'm wondering if he's seen another way of telling the same story and jumped on it - given that script was about, well, finding something bad at a Pole and trying to stop it from reaching the rest of the world...


Hugo - Skeptical but intrigued

[Temis the Vorta]

Since they just cancelled his show, maybe they can give David Straitharn a role on Helix.

[Christopher]

Hugo Rune wrote:

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In relation to that I am wondering if Moore has latched onto the original spec pilot as something he wants to work on and develop, or whether he will do what he did with Auchebaum's "sentient robot" script which he took the central premise and then completely overhauled into Caprica.

You mean Remi Aubuchon's pitch? The decision to merge that with Moore & Eick's BSG prequel originated with the Universal Television executives, rather than being something Moore did on his own initiative. So it's not predictive of what might happen here.

Still, there's no telling how much can change between an initial proposal -- specifically a spec one -- and the final work.

[Temis the Vorta]

Maybe not technically sf/f, but close enuf. CBS comedy from the guy who did My Name Is Earl:

Garcia’s single-camera pilot Super Clyde centers on a meek, unassuming fast food worker who decides to become a super hero.

[lennier1]

Temis the Vorta wrote:

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Maybe not technically sf/f, but close enuf. CBS comedy from the guy who did My Name Is Earl:

He already proved with Earl that he can turn a crazy idea into an entertaining show. Deserves a chance.

[JD]

^I loved Earl, and I love Raising Hope, so I'll definitely be checking that one out.

[Enterprise is Great]

Earl was great until they sent him to prison. Then it was pretty much downhill after that. Super Clyde could be good if it's more like pre prison Earl.

[Temis the Vorta]

Happy MLK Jr Day and Obama Second Inaugural! Apres today, le deluge.

I'm too lazy to sort through the titles to find the genre shows but I'd expect sf/f shows and ones based on famous characters to do well based on this:

With the fall producing only three series that can qualify as hits, NBC’s Revolution, the CW’s Arrow and CBS’ Elementary, the networks are back to the drawing board and appear on track to order a number of pilots that will be on par with last year’s haul of 89

[Temis the Vorta]

Kind of a supernatural/Western/modern day series picked up to pilot at NBC:

Based on the Oni Press graphic novel, The Sixth Gun is the story of six mythical guns in the Old West. When the Sixth Gun, the most powerful and dangerous of the group, resurfaces in the hands of an innocent girl named Becky Montcrief, dark forces reawaken. Vile men thought long dead set their sights on retrieving the gun and killing Becky. Only Drake Sinclair, a self-serving gunfighter, stands in evil’s way.

I also noticed mention of The Strain at FX - can't recall if that one's been spotted before, but here's the description:

drama based on Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan's horror trilogy, about a vampiric virus that has infected New York and the battle of mammoth proportions that follows

So just an average day in the Big Apple.

EDIT: Two more genre pickups at FOX. I assume the second one is some kind of alt reality premise.

Described as a modern–day supernatural thriller based on The Legend Of Sleepy Hollow, it follows Ichabod Crane as he partners with Sleepy Hollow’s local female sheriff to solve the mysteries of a town ravaged by the battle between good and evil.

Based on the book by the same name, Delirium is about a young girl who falls in love in a society where love is seen as a defense.

[sojourner]

"A defense" against what?

[Greg Cox]

sojourner wrote:

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"A defense" against what?

I'm guessing that was supposed to be "disease."

[Temis the Vorta]

I thought that meant, psychological defense, but here's the description of the book it's based on:

They say that the cure for Love will make me happy and safe forever. And I’ve always believed them. Until now. Now everything has changed. Now, I’d rather be infected with love for the tiniest sliver of a second than live a hundred years smothered by a lie.

Doesn't that belong on the CW?

Here's a longer descrption in much the same vein:

Lena Haloway is content in her safe, government-managed society. She feels (mostly) relaxed about the future in which her husband and career will be decided, and looks forward to turning 18, when she’ll be cured of deliria, a.k.a. love. She tries not to think about her mother’s suicide (her last words to Lena were a forbidden “I love you”) or the supposed “Invalid” community made up of the uncured just beyond her Portland, Maine, border. There’s no real point—she believes her government knows how to best protect its people, and should do so at any cost. But 95 days before her cure, Lena meets Alex, a confident and mysterious young man who makes her heart flutter and her skin turn red-hot. As their romance blossoms, Lena begins to doubt the intentions of those in power, and fears that her world will turn gray should she submit to the procedure. In this powerful and beautifully written novel, Lauren Oliver, the bestselling author of Before I Fall, throws readers into a tightly controlled society where options don’t exist, and shows not only the lengths one will go for a chance at freedom, but also the true meaning of sacrifice.

Might be interesting as a novel, but I can't see that working out on broadcast, particularly on male-skewing FOX. Anyway, moving on quickly...ABC pickup.

The Returned is based on the debut novel by Jason Mott, which is slated to be published next September by Mira Books...The drama explores what happens when the people you have mourned and buried suddenly appear on your doorstep as if not a day’s gone by? The lives of the people of Aurora are forever changed when their deceased loved ones, RETURN.

[RJDiogenes]

Described as a modern–day supernatural thriller based on The Legend Of Sleepy Hollow, it follows Ichabod Crane as he partners with Sleepy Hollow’s local female sheriff to solve the mysteries of a town ravaged by the battle between good and evil.

Another historical character in the modern world. Next up: A reboot of The West Wing starring Thomas Jefferson.

Based on the book by the same name, Delirium is about a young girl who falls in love in a society where love is seen as a defense.

Sounds like it could be an episode of the new Twilight Zone, but not an ongoing series.

[stj]

^^^Thomas Jefferson? Wiencek's new book, Master of the Mountain, shows us an historically accurate Jefferson series would have to be on cable. They could run it back to back with Game of Thrones.