Analysis of this years' pilot season.
Looks like ABC and FOX did the best job this year. My favorites by network:
ABC
Halleluljah - Drama set in the town of Hallelujah, Tenn., which is being torn apart by the forces of good and evil and whose fortunes change when a mysterious, charming drifter (Jesse L. Martin) arrives in town bringing justice, peace and possibly faith.
Pro: Rare show with a non-white lead. Con: Gospel music can get annoying.
The River - Horror drama in the mold of Paranormal Activity that centers on a family that travels to deep in the Amazon region to locate and rescue their missing father.
Pro: We need more horror on TV (NBC's lineup doesn't count). Con: If they insist on giggly cam, it could wear out its welcome fast.
Poe - A crime procedural following Edgar Allan Poe, the world’s very first detective, as he uses unconventional methods to investigate dark mysteries in 1840s Boston.
Pro: It's different. Is Lee Pace too tall for the lead? Con: Somehow I can't see this one surviving pilot season, much less in the Nielsens.
Grace - Dysfunctional family drama set in the world of professional dance, telling the story of a famed choreographer (Eric Roberts) who sleeps with his dancers and has three daughters with different mothers – with one of the daughters stepping in as manager to save dad’s dance studio.
Pro: Just watched All That Jazz for the first time - if that's the idea, I'm sold. Con: Can Eric Roberts carry a show? I'd rather see someone like Peter Coyote in the lead.
Don't Trust the Bitch in Apt 23 - An earnest, optimistic girl from the heartland (Dreama Walker) is forced to move in with a sexy, unstable New York City party girl (Krysten Ritter) who has the morals of a pirate.
Pro: Krysten Ritter should steal the show. Con: May be too girly/catty, and they'll have to lose the name.
CBS
Person of Interest - Crime drama centered on an ex-CIA agent, presumed dead, who teams up with a reclusive billionaire to prevent violent crimes in New York City.
Pro: Michael Emerson plays the billionaire. Con: This sounds like a fun, out-of-control vigilante scenario but on CBS it could end up too vanilla. Tossup: Jim Caveziel has just been cast as the CIA agent; does he have the edge for the role?
NBC
REM - An Inception-style thriller centering on a cop (Jason Isaacs) who wakes up after an accident to find he is living in two different realities.
Pro: Mindfuck scenarios are usually fun. Con: Jason Isaacs strikes me as more the character actor/supporting type than the lead. A lot depends on who else is in the cast. Also, change the name back to Sand Men.
17th Precinct - Fantasy drama set in the fictional town of Excelsior, where magic and supernatural elements rule over science.
Pro: Ron Moore usually comes up with interesting stuff; Stockard Channing is great in anything. Con: Stop casting so many BSG vets, it's too distracting! Two is enough.
Also, that's a terrible name.
Grimm - Dark but fantastical cop drama about a world in which characters inspired by Grimm’s Fairy Tales exist, starring David Giuntoli as a detective who starts to see humans as beast/animals and discovers he has a mandate to protect “humans” from the beasts.
Pro: If this scenario is about the creatures that inspired fairy tales rather than fairy tales themselves, it could be a lot of fun rather than corny. Con: I can't see NBC picking up this and 17th Precinct both.
Brave New World - Workplace comedy that follows a group of unusual characters at Pilgrim Village, a theme park that specializes in recreations of New England in 1637.
Pro: With a premise like that, how can they miss? Ed Begley Jr. should be a hoot. Con: Can't think of one, unless it's that the premise is too limited.
FOX
Exit Strategy - Spy thriller about a team of five experts deployed by the CIA after an operation goes bad to extract the involved agents before it’s too late, with Ethan Hawke and Megan Dodds playing the leads.
Pro: I'm in the market for a solid kick-ass action series. Ethan Hawke is a good choice for the lead. Con: Could get repetitive.
Touch - A father (Kiefer Sutherland) discovers that his autistic, mute son is communicating with him through a complex series of numbers and may even be able to predict events before they happen.
Pro: Kiefer Sutherland. Con: Could be mawkish.
Alcatraz - A crime drama set at the country’s most infamous prison on Alcatraz Island and involving a team investigating the mysterious disappearance of its 1960s inhabitants in the present.
Pro: Interesting, diverse cast (Sam Neill, Jorge Garcia, Parminder Nagra) and it sounds different. Con: Hard to tell right now what it's really about. Period drama in flashbacks? Sci fi? Relatively straightforward cop show?
Locke & Key - A suspense thriller based on the graphic novel of the same name by Joe Hill, following a family in crisis as it moves into a haunted house full of “secrets, dangers and wondrous opportunities.”
Pro: Interesting scenario, love the cast (Miranda Otto, Nick Stahl, Sara Bolger), my favorite broadcast pilot this year. Con: Cancellation bait.
CW
Well, if I have to choose one...
Secret Circle - Based on the book from the The Vampire Diaries author L.J. Smith, drama tells the story of a young woman (Britt Robertson) who moves to a new town and discovers that not only is she a witch and part of a secret coven, but also the key that will unlock a centuries-old battle of good vs. evil.
Pro: Rooting for witches to kick the vampires' pasty asses. There will be vampires, right? Con: Inevitable witch-vampire-werewolf love triangle.
That's just for broadcast. I'll go dig up some info on cable pilots because they're always the most interesting.
Running pilot list for broadcast networks.
Looks like ABC and FOX did the best job this year. My favorites by network:
ABC
Halleluljah - Drama set in the town of Hallelujah, Tenn., which is being torn apart by the forces of good and evil and whose fortunes change when a mysterious, charming drifter (Jesse L. Martin) arrives in town bringing justice, peace and possibly faith.
Pro: Rare show with a non-white lead. Con: Gospel music can get annoying.
The River - Horror drama in the mold of Paranormal Activity that centers on a family that travels to deep in the Amazon region to locate and rescue their missing father.
Pro: We need more horror on TV (NBC's lineup doesn't count). Con: If they insist on giggly cam, it could wear out its welcome fast.
Poe - A crime procedural following Edgar Allan Poe, the world’s very first detective, as he uses unconventional methods to investigate dark mysteries in 1840s Boston.
Pro: It's different. Is Lee Pace too tall for the lead? Con: Somehow I can't see this one surviving pilot season, much less in the Nielsens.
Grace - Dysfunctional family drama set in the world of professional dance, telling the story of a famed choreographer (Eric Roberts) who sleeps with his dancers and has three daughters with different mothers – with one of the daughters stepping in as manager to save dad’s dance studio.
Pro: Just watched All That Jazz for the first time - if that's the idea, I'm sold. Con: Can Eric Roberts carry a show? I'd rather see someone like Peter Coyote in the lead.
Don't Trust the Bitch in Apt 23 - An earnest, optimistic girl from the heartland (Dreama Walker) is forced to move in with a sexy, unstable New York City party girl (Krysten Ritter) who has the morals of a pirate.
Pro: Krysten Ritter should steal the show. Con: May be too girly/catty, and they'll have to lose the name.
CBS
Person of Interest - Crime drama centered on an ex-CIA agent, presumed dead, who teams up with a reclusive billionaire to prevent violent crimes in New York City.
Pro: Michael Emerson plays the billionaire. Con: This sounds like a fun, out-of-control vigilante scenario but on CBS it could end up too vanilla. Tossup: Jim Caveziel has just been cast as the CIA agent; does he have the edge for the role?
NBC
REM - An Inception-style thriller centering on a cop (Jason Isaacs) who wakes up after an accident to find he is living in two different realities.
Pro: Mindfuck scenarios are usually fun. Con: Jason Isaacs strikes me as more the character actor/supporting type than the lead. A lot depends on who else is in the cast. Also, change the name back to Sand Men.
17th Precinct - Fantasy drama set in the fictional town of Excelsior, where magic and supernatural elements rule over science.
Pro: Ron Moore usually comes up with interesting stuff; Stockard Channing is great in anything. Con: Stop casting so many BSG vets, it's too distracting! Two is enough.
Also, that's a terrible name. Grimm - Dark but fantastical cop drama about a world in which characters inspired by Grimm’s Fairy Tales exist, starring David Giuntoli as a detective who starts to see humans as beast/animals and discovers he has a mandate to protect “humans” from the beasts.
Pro: If this scenario is about the creatures that inspired fairy tales rather than fairy tales themselves, it could be a lot of fun rather than corny. Con: I can't see NBC picking up this and 17th Precinct both.
Brave New World - Workplace comedy that follows a group of unusual characters at Pilgrim Village, a theme park that specializes in recreations of New England in 1637.
Pro: With a premise like that, how can they miss? Ed Begley Jr. should be a hoot. Con: Can't think of one, unless it's that the premise is too limited.
FOX
Exit Strategy - Spy thriller about a team of five experts deployed by the CIA after an operation goes bad to extract the involved agents before it’s too late, with Ethan Hawke and Megan Dodds playing the leads.
Pro: I'm in the market for a solid kick-ass action series. Ethan Hawke is a good choice for the lead. Con: Could get repetitive.
Touch - A father (Kiefer Sutherland) discovers that his autistic, mute son is communicating with him through a complex series of numbers and may even be able to predict events before they happen.
Pro: Kiefer Sutherland. Con: Could be mawkish.
Alcatraz - A crime drama set at the country’s most infamous prison on Alcatraz Island and involving a team investigating the mysterious disappearance of its 1960s inhabitants in the present.
Pro: Interesting, diverse cast (Sam Neill, Jorge Garcia, Parminder Nagra) and it sounds different. Con: Hard to tell right now what it's really about. Period drama in flashbacks? Sci fi? Relatively straightforward cop show?
Locke & Key - A suspense thriller based on the graphic novel of the same name by Joe Hill, following a family in crisis as it moves into a haunted house full of “secrets, dangers and wondrous opportunities.”
Pro: Interesting scenario, love the cast (Miranda Otto, Nick Stahl, Sara Bolger), my favorite broadcast pilot this year. Con: Cancellation bait.
CW
Well, if I have to choose one...
Secret Circle - Based on the book from the The Vampire Diaries author L.J. Smith, drama tells the story of a young woman (Britt Robertson) who moves to a new town and discovers that not only is she a witch and part of a secret coven, but also the key that will unlock a centuries-old battle of good vs. evil.
Pro: Rooting for witches to kick the vampires' pasty asses. There will be vampires, right? Con: Inevitable witch-vampire-werewolf love triangle.
That's just for broadcast. I'll go dig up some info on cable pilots because they're always the most interesting.
