sf/f TV development news - 2013

[Out Of My Vulcan Mind]

NBC has cancelled Believe. No surprise there.

 

[Mistral]

Somewhat bummed about Revolution- it was ASB crazy, but I enjoyed some of the characters.

 

[Out Of My Vulcan Mind]

CBS has ordered Scorpion to series, which may or may not end up dipping into SF/F territory:

Scorpion: An eccentric genius and his international network of super-geniuses form the last line of defense against the complex threats of the modern age. Cast: Robert Patrick (Agent Cabe Gallo); Eddie Kaye Thomas (Toby); Katharine McPhee (Paige).

 

[Out Of My Vulcan Mind]

Promo images for The Flash, iZombie, and The Messengers:

 

[sojourner]

Is that Quicksilver in the iZombie image?

 

[Taylirious]

I will give them all a chance.

 

[Out Of My Vulcan Mind]

As expected, CBS has cancelled Intelligence.

Edit to add: NBC has cancelled Dracula. That completes the renewals and cancellations for this season's SF/F shows on the broadcast networks. There's some talk that Dracula will continue to be produced by Sky, but that a second season just won't air on NBC and will instead be shopped to another US outlet. I'm not sure if this has been confirmed yet or if it's just rumor at this point.

 

[RJDiogenes]

That's pretty much expected, given the ratings, even for a Friday night. I feel bad for the Dracula fans, but I couldn't even get through the pilot-- that guy was just not Dracula.

 

[Out Of My Vulcan Mind]

Dracula had about the same ratings as Hannibal and might have continued under the same international co-production with a low license fee structure, but word is that Jonathan Rhys Meyers' behavior was so problematic that it tipped the show towards cancellation. From the tweets of people involved in the show it sounds like it won't continue under Sky's auspices.

 

[Out Of My Vulcan Mind]

NBC has set Constantine to premiere in the fall at 10pm following Grimm. Emerald City and Heroes Reborn are planned as mid-season shows.

Here are NBC's descriptions of the three shows:

CONSTANTINE

Based on the wildly popular DC Comics series “Hellblazer,” seasoned demon hunter and master of the occult John Constantine (Matt Ryan, “Criminal Minds”) specializes in giving hell… hell. Armed with a ferocious knowledge of the dark arts and his wickedly naughty wit, he fights the good fight — or at least he did. With his soul already damned to hell, he’s decided to leave his do-gooder life behind, but when demons target Liv (Lucy Griffiths, “True Blood”), the daughter of one of Constantine’s oldest friends, he’s reluctantly thrust back into the fray – and he’ll do whatever it takes to save her. Before long, it’s revealed that Liv’s “second sight” — an ability to see the worlds behind our world and predict Supernatural occurrences — is a threat to a mysterious new evil that’s rising in the shadows. Now it’s not just Liv who needs protection; the angels are starting to get worried too. So, together, Constantine and Liv must use her power and his skills to travel the country, find the demons that threaten our world and send them back where they belong. After that, who knows… maybe there’s hope for him and his soul after all.

The cast also includes Harold Perrineau and Charles Halford.

Writer Daniel Cerone (“The Mentalist,” “Dexter”) serves as executive producer with David S. Goyer (“Man of Steel,” “The Dark Knight Rises”). “Constantine” is produced from Bonanza Productions in association with Warner Bros. Television. The show is based upon characters published by DC Entertainment.

EMERALD CITY

Desperate for clues that will lead to the identity of her biological mother, a young woman breaks into a sinister underground facility somewhere in the Midwest. Unable to complete her mission and surrounded by security, our feisty heroine steals a K9 police dog and drives away into the night… and headlong into the path of a raging tornado. In the blink of an eye, she is transported to another world, one far removed from our own — a mystical land of competing kingdoms, lethal warriors, dark magic and a bloody battle for supremacy. This is the fabled Land of Oz in a way you’ve never seen before, where wicked witches don’t stay dead for long and 20-year-old Dorothy Gale becomes a headstrong warrior who holds the fate of kingdoms in her hands. You’re not in Kansas anymore, and this is not your Grandmother’s Oz.

Writer Matthew Arnold (“Siberia”) serves as executive producer with Josh Friedman (“Terminator” The Sarah Connor Chronicles”). “Emerald City” is a production of Universal Television.

HEROES REBORN

The saga behind the 2006 breakout series “Heroes” will continue as creator Tim Kring returns to the fold and develops new layers to his original superhero concept. This highly anticipated 13-episode miniseries will reconnect with the basic elements of the show’s first season where ordinary people were waking up to the fact that they had extraordinary abilities. This series will be preceded by a new digital series that will introduce audiences to the new characters and storylines that will take the “Heroes” phenomenon to new places.

NBC ordered two other SF/F shows to pilot but passed on them: Babylon Fields and Tin Man. This is the second time Babylon Fields has made it to pilot but failed to make it to series. The first time was at CBS.

You can see the trailer for Constantine here

 

[Christopher]

Wow, so there are two separate unaired pilots of Babylon Fields? I wonder how different they are. It's not unprecedented for a single concept to have two distinct failed pilots for different networks -- for instance, Gene Roddenberry's pilot movies Genesis II and Planet Earth -- but it can't be very common. And at least those movies got aired.

Tin Man was that project that was obviously based on Eando Binder's "I, Robot" (and the Outer Limits adaptation thereof) but didn't credit its source. That always struck me as kind of plagiaristic, so I can't say I'm upset that it didn't go forward.

 

[JD]

The CW series based on the YA novel series, The Selection, also went through two different pilots that were never picked up or aired. One of the versions included Anthony Head aka Buffy's Giles and Merlin's Uther, which is what brought it to my attention the first time.

 

[Out Of My Vulcan Mind]

^^^
He was in the second pilot for The Selection, which starred Yael Grobglas. The first pilot starred Aimee Teegarden.

 

[Vendikarr]

Wow, so there are two separate unaired pilots of Babylon Fields? I wonder how different they are. It's not unprecedented for a single concept to have two distinct failed pilots for different networks -- for instance, Gene Roddenberry's pilot movies Genesis II and Planet Earth -- but it can't be very common. And at least those movies got aired.

Tin Man was that project that was obviously based on Eando Binder's "I, Robot" (and the Outer Limits adaptation thereof) but didn't credit its source. That always struck me as kind of plagiaristic, so I can't say I'm upset that it didn't go forward.

The first Babylon Fields pilot did make it onto the internet. I can see why CBS got squeamish about it. The undead were intelligent, so they interacted like people. One of them had sex with his former widow, another was a wife abuser who was killed by his wife and daughter. He never saw who killed him and the wife had to let him move back in or else someone may figure out she killed him initially.

 

[RJDiogenes]

Emerald City sounds like a MAD magazine parody: "What if The Wizard of Oz was written by Robert E. Howard?"

 

[dansigal]

Fox just announced that Gotham will air in the Fall, Mondays at 8, and be a lead in for Sleepy Hollow at 9. Should be a pretty interesting two slot for Monday nights.

 

[Out Of My Vulcan Mind]

Fox's descriptions of their new SF/F shows:

Fall drama:

GOTHAM – Before there was Batman, there was GOTHAM. Everyone knows the name Commissioner Gordon. He is one of the crime world’s greatest foes, a man whose reputation is synonymous with law and order. But what is known of Gordon’s story and his rise from rookie detective to Police Commissioner? What did it take to navigate the multiple layers of corruption that secretly ruled Gotham City, the spawning ground of the world’s most iconic villains? And what circumstances created them – the larger-than-life personas who would become Catwoman, The Penguin, The Riddler, Two-Face and The Joker? GOTHAM is an origin story of the great DC Comics Super-Villains and vigilantes, revealing an entirely new chapter that has never been told. From executive producer/writer Bruno Heller (“The Mentalist,” “Rome”), GOTHAM follows one cop’s rise through a dangerously corrupt city teetering on the edge of evil, and chronicles the birth of one of the most popular super heroes of our time. Growing up in Gotham City’s surrounding suburbs, JAMES GORDON (Ben McKenzie, “Southland,” “The O.C.”) romanticized the city as a glamorous and exciting metropolis where his late father once served as a successful district attorney. Now, two weeks into his new job as a Gotham City detective and engaged to his beloved fiancée, BARBARA KEAN (Erin Richards, “Open Grave,” “Breaking In”), Gordon is living his dream – even as he hopes to restore the city back to the pure version he remembers it was as a kid. Brave, honest and ready to prove himself, the newly-minted detective is partnered with the brash, but shrewd police legend HARVEY BULLOCK (Donal Logue, “Sons of Anarchy,” “Terriers,” “Vikings,” “Copper”), as the two stumble upon the city’s highest-profile case ever: the murder of local billionaires Thomas and Martha Wayne. At the scene of the crime, Gordon meets the sole survivor: the Waynes’ hauntingly intense 12-year-old son, BRUCE (David Mazouz, “Touch”), toward whom the young detective feels an inexplicable kinship. Moved by the boy’s profound loss, Gordon vows to catch the killer. As he navigates the often-underhanded politics of Gotham’s criminal justice system, Gordon will confront imposing gang boss FISH MOONEY (Jada Pinkett Smith, “The Matrix” franchise, “HawthoRNe”), and many of the characters who will become some of fiction’s most renowned, enduring villains, including a teenaged SELINA KYLE/the future CATWOMAN (acting newcomer Camren Bicondova) and OSWALD COBBLEPOT/THE PENGUIN (Robin Lord Taylor, “The Walking Dead”).While the crime drama will follow Gordon’s turbulent and singular rise through the Gotham City police department, led by Police Captain SARAH ESSEN (Zabryna Guevara, “Burn Notice”), it also will focus on the unlikely friendship Gordon forms with the young heir to the Wayne fortune, who is being raised by his unflappable butler, ALFRED (Sean Pertwee, “Camelot,” “Elementary”). It is a friendship that will last them all of their lives, playing a crucial role in helping the young boy eventually become the crusader he’s destined to be.GOTHAM is based upon characters published by DC Entertainment and is produced by Warner Bros. Television. Executive producer Bruno Heller (“The Mentalist”) wrote the pilot, which was directed and executive-produced by Emmy Award nominee Danny Cannon (the “CSI” franchise, “Nikita”). John Stephens will serve as an executive producer on the series.

Mid-season drama:

HIEROGLYPH - The world of ancient Egypt – a time of magic, Pharaohs, gods and thieves – lives again in HIEROGLYPH, an exciting action-adventure series from creator/executive producer Travis Beacham (“Pacific Rim,” “Clash of the Titans”). When a dangerous scroll, The Book of Thresholds, is stolen from Egypt’s most secure vault, master thief AMBROSE (Max Brown, “Beauty and the Beast,” “MI-5”) is plucked from prison to track down the perpetrator. Having spent the past five years in the darkest of pits, Ambrose quickly learns that his prison cell might be safer than the dangerous new world in which he finds himself: Atum, the empire’s capital. Ambrose must answer to Pharaoh SHAI KANAKHT (Reece Ritchie, “Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time”), a god in the flesh, a young ruler with a cool charm and a violent, frightening temper. The question for Ambrose is not whether he can trust his new boss, but whether he can trust anyone. Also stalking the halls of the palace is NEFERTARI KANAKHT (Condola Rashad, “Smash,” “Steel Magnolias”), half-sister to the Pharaoh, whose relationship with Shai’s closest advisor, MAGISTER BEK (guest star Hal Ozsan, “90210”), masks her own designs for power. Finding few leads in the palace, Ambrose’s investigation takes him to the doorstep of his long-lost love, PESHET (Caroline Ford, “Lake Placid: The Final Chapter”), a magic-wielding adoratrice, a type of homespun priestess who uses her femininity as a portal to the gods…for the right price. Peshet was the keystone in Ambrose’s merry band of thieves, an impressionable youth with great knowledge of magic, a woman who never saw a lock for which she didn’t have an unlocking charm. Five years later, Peshet has left her old life behind in a pious pursuit of divine contact. Ambrose’s journey also leads him to old friends, such as VOCIFER (John Rhys-Davies, “The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Rings,” “Raiders of the Lost Ark”), a peddler of mystical wares and Ambrose’s mentor. But he also comes face-to-face with foes both old and new, from RAWSER (Antony Bunsee, “EastEnders,” “Sex and the City 2”), the Pharoah’s captain of the guard, who imprisoned him five years ago; to LOTUS TENRY (Kelsey Chow, “One Tree Hill”), a palace concubine and spy for a rival kingdom. As Ambrose unravels the mystery of The Book of Thresholds, he begins to see the extent to which sorcery has seeped into the halls of power in ancient Egypt, and how close it is to causing this great civilization’s downfall. HIEROGLYPH is produced by Chernin Entertainment in association with 20th Century Fox Television. The series is created and written by Travis Beacham. The series is executive-produced by Beacham, Peter Chernin (NEW GIRL, “Touch”), Katherine Pope (NEW GIRL, “Touch”) and Anna Fricke (“Being Human,” “Men in Trees”). Miguel Sapochnik (“Mind Games,” “Repo Men”) also serves as an executive producer and directed the pilot.

WAYWARD PINES – Imagine the perfect American town… beautiful homes, manicured lawns, children playing safely in the streets. Now imagine never being able to leave. You have no communication with the outside world. You think you’re going insane. You must be in Wayward Pines. Based on the best-selling novel “Pines” by Blake Crouch and brought to life by suspenseful storyteller M. Night Shyamalan (“The Sixth Sense,” “Signs”), WAYWARD PINES is the intense new mind-bending 10-episode event thriller evocative of the classic hit “Twin Peaks.” Secret Service Agent ETHAN BURKE (Academy Award nominee Matt Dillon, “Crash,” “City of Ghosts”) drives to the bucolic town of Wayward Pines, ID, searching for two missing federal agents. One of the best Secret Service agents in the Seattle office, he’s the man who knew missing agent KATE HEWSON (Carla Gugino, “Watchmen,” “Entourage”) better than anyone. They were more than partners; their relationship nearly destroyed Ethan’s marriage. Everything changes when a truck slams into his car…and he wakes up in the Wayward Pines Hospital, with the intense and unpredictable NURSE PAM (Academy Award and Emmy Award winner Melissa Leo, “The Fighter,” “Treme”) at his bedside. It soon appears that Pam is more interested in harming than healing. She and Ethan grow into deadly rivals, and her role in the town proves much deeper than anyone realizes. As the mysteries within the town pile up, Ethan starts to question his own sanity. He is confronted by the mysterious and charismatic DR. JENKINS (Emmy Award nominee Toby Jones, “The Girl,” the “Harry Potter” franchise), the psychiatrist who treats him at Wayward Pines Hospital. As he begins to meet some of the local residents, including toymaker HAROLD BALLINGER (Reed Diamond, “24,” “Much Ado About Nothing”), Ethan forms a bond with BEVERLY (Academy Award and Emmy Award nominee Juliette Lewis, “Hysterical Blindness,” “Cape Fear”), a bartender who is as wary of Wayward Pines as he is. Back home in Seattle, Ethan’s wife, THERESA BURKE (Shannyn Sossamon, “40 Days and 40 Nights,” “How to Make It in America”), a former Secret Service Agent trainee, is informed by Ethan’s boss, ADAM HASSLER (Tim Griffin, “Prime Suspect”), that early testing shows Ethan was never in the car which was recovered on the side of the road outside of Wayward Pines. They’re still investigating. But this isn’t enough for Theresa. So she sets out on her own search for her husband, along with their teenage son, BEN (Charlie Tahan, “The Harvest,” “Charlie St. Cloud”). Meanwhile, Ethan is challenged at every turn by the town’s die-hard residents, especially SHERIFF ARNOLD POPE (Academy Award nominee Terrence Howard, “Crash,” “Hustle & Flow”), who takes offense at a Secret Service agent showing up on his turf. Ethan’s continuing investigation only turns up more and more questions, and each one leads him to the most important question of all: What’s wrong with Wayward Pines? WAYWARD PINES is a production of FX Productions. The series was developed for television by Chad Hodge (“The Playboy Club,” “Runaway”) and executive-produced by M. Night Shyamalan, Donald De Line (“Green Lantern,” “The Italian Job”), Hodge and Ashwin Rajan (“After Earth,” “Devil”). Hodge wrote and Shyamalan directed the premiere episode.

Mid-season comedy:

THE LAST MAN ON EARTH – From writer/producer Will Forte (“Nebraska,” “Saturday Night Live”) and directors/producers Chris Miller and Phil Lord (“The Lego Movie,” ”21 Jump Street”), THE LAST MAN ON EARTH is a new single-camera comedy about the life and adventures of the last man on earth. The year is 2022, and after an unlikely event, only one man is left on earth: PHIL MILLER (Forte), who used to be just an average guy who loved his family and hated his job at the bank. Now, in his RV, Phil searches the country for other survivors. He has traveled to every city, every town and every outpost in the United States, Mexico and Canada, and has found no one, which leads him to the painful realization that he is almost certainly the last living being on the face of the earth. Sure, there are some positives that come with being the last person on earth. You can go live in the White House if you want. You can park in handicapped spots without an ounce of guilt. You can decorate your home with priceless works of art. You wanna wear a pair of tighty-whiteys and nothing else every single day of the year? Not a problem. THE LAST MAN ON EARTH is a comedy about a man trying to make lemonade out of the most soul-crushing lemon there is. But if anyone can do it, Phil Miller can. He’s not about to give up now. He is sad and so, so very lonely. But he’ll get through this. Because there’s a small kernel of hope that somewhere out there is another survivor. And maybe one day, they’ll run into each other. That would be a good day. And if that survivor happened to be a woman? Well, then that would be a great day. THE LAST MAN ON EARTH is produced by 20th Century Fox Television. The series is created and written by Will Forte. The pilot will be directed by Phil Lord and Chris Miller. The series will be executive-produced by Forte, Lord, Miller and Seth Cohen.

 

[Out Of My Vulcan Mind]

Trailers for Hieroglyph and Wayward Pines:

[yt]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JC2Nn0lPmfc[/yt]

[yt]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2z-b3Nw6Znw[/yt]

 

[sojourner]

Getting a Prisoner vibe from Wayward Pines. Terence Howard is unintentionally funny with the rum raisin line.

 

[Mr. Adventure]

Wow, nice trailers so far. With Wayward Pines' cast that looks like it could've played theatrically.