2011-12 pilot buzz thread
- Thread starter Temis the Vorta
- Start date
I ws part of a discussion on this forum, about a sitcom, where two men posed as women, to move into an apartment complex.
http://nymag.com/daily/entertainment/2011/04/tv_pilots_2011.html#photo=25x84691
Ill avoid it
http://nymag.com/daily/entertainment/2011/04/tv_pilots_2011.html#photo=25x84691
Ill avoid it
Seemed like it.
Well, I guess what I mean is everything is magic based. Lights, cars, the "internet" it's all magic based. Their CSI people use magic to sort of "see" the crime, etc.
Science seems to be an unknown thing. At least, to the general public.
True, the cast can. But, I wonder if a show like this will last on a network that might have a higher number demand than SyFy does.
I hope this makes it.Wanna see SMG back in action on TV.
Looks like Fridays 8pm could be the most likely destination for the SMG drama. Hope it has better luck than Medium and Chaos
Since they've gotta put something on Fridays, they might as well put an SMG show on - she at least has a chance of luring her fans to watch or at least DVR the thing. But CBS tends to kill everything it touches (at least in terms of being anything I'd want to watch).
That one has Sucre from Prison Break in it, right? Sounds like one of the worst shows of the season if not the decade.
At best, I can see it pulling a Chuck - latching onto a smallish but loyal audience. Assuming NBC continues to have a pack of flop shows, maybe not-much-better-than-skiffy numbers will be good enough?
If NBC had a roster of upcoming shows that looked like they'll kick ass in ratings, I'd be less sanguine. But they've got several shows that are just as kooky as 17th Precinct, and no more likely to survive, plus I think Wonder Woman is headed for a Bionic Woman redux. Remember, this is the network that gave Heroes four seasons for no reason other than sheer desperation. The bar is not high!
I think NBC's most likely hits are Smash and Prime Suspect. Playboy will fizzle because it's on broadcast, which means it will suffer in comparison with Mad Men for quality and porn for sex (to put it lightly, what are they thinking???) A Mann's World will be a painful, embarrassing trainwreck (competing with Sucre in Drag for worst new show). That leaves plenty of room on the schedule for one or two genre shows from the five NBC might greenlight that just limp along from season to season.
But cast or no cast, if I were a soulless NBC suit, putting 17th Precinct up against the very similar sounding Grimm, I'd opt for Grimm. Trying to make a show work with a magic-vs-science theme as its dramatic conflict (with science being the "bad" one) sounds overly complicated to interest a network audience. First off, you have to explain what magic vs science even means, and then you've lost them before you even get to explaining why magic is the "good" option. Grimm is comparatively straightforward: the main character battles supernatural critters, just like Buffy. Yeah, that can work.
Looks like some of the pressure is off NBC: it appears there will be football in the fall after all.
Here's some indication that Comcast wants to swing for the fences. That probably means bye bye to Chuck, to make room for more new pilots being picked up. The "goofy" genre stuff would have more of a chance under a new regime that is sick of the pussyfoot approach. Even that crazy Western-Civil War-whatever series with Robert Knepper might have a shot!
And lastly, I love the way the article describes 17th Precinct as "a sci-fi detective show set in a magical city, starring Smallville's Kristin Kreuk." Good gort, with that cast, they highlight her? I forgot she was even in it!
TV is a cruel, cruel biz...
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Re 17th Precinct and Kings: the former at least has a much more straightforward and easily understood hook in its alternate world premise compared to the latter. I don't know if 17th Precinct will be successful, but it has a better shot than Kings in my opinion.
Yes, I agree, because it's magic and that's something people "understand." Kings was just an alternative world, and I think that put people off.
The cop-show elements are what people will understand. The magic will have to have arbitrary rules and that's where the risk lies. If they spend too much time explaining the rules, people get bored and tune out. If they spend too little time explaining the rules, people get confused and tune out.
^^^
The overall concept of a world ruled by magic and where science is seen as dangerous is easy to grasp. There likely won't be a complicated magic system - nothing beyond the sort of thing people are used to seeing in Harry Potter movies - so that aspect shouldn't be a problem.
The overall concept of a world ruled by magic and where science is seen as dangerous is easy to grasp. There likely won't be a complicated magic system - nothing beyond the sort of thing people are used to seeing in Harry Potter movies - so that aspect shouldn't be a problem.
It's explained pretty easily in the show, shouldn't be a problem.
Ultimately, it's just a question of how many people are interested in magic in a police procedural in an alternate world.
Here's the problem: people like procedurals because they like all the gritty details (at least that's how I understand it - I don't like the genre myself). If the details are made up and arbitrary, will people still care long enough to learn the new fake rules?
^^^
That is an open question, but the show (if it's picked up) at least won't shoot itself in the foot right from the start by having a fuzzy core premise.
That is an open question, but the show (if it's picked up) at least won't shoot itself in the foot right from the start by having a fuzzy core premise.
I think the show will be more for people who are fans of genre. From what I read... it wasn't so much about the rules of magic, but the how does magic make this world work. For example, power plants... are literally plants that supply your home with power.
So, it's more about the details and differences of the world.
But, I don't see those that are really into CSI necessarily also watching this. But, I do see the people who watch maybe Supernatural or the Dresden Files being interested.
Yeah I'm not sure people who like cop shows would like magical stuff. They like the fact that the stories are realistic and could happen in their community. They're probably the same people who watch shows like True Crimes, ID, etc. So I guess it's important not to turn off fantasy fans with too much cop elements.
That sounds like a death sentence for a network show.
Neither of which ever got ratings that a halfway respectable broadcast network would tolerate. (So it all depends on whether NBC becomes a halfway respectable broadcast network ever again).
Pushing Daisies was a detective/fantasy show, and struggled in the ratings despite being of very high quality in every way. I am very skeptical whether there are enough fantasy or sci fi genre fans to support the 10M viewership level needed for network survival.
That sounds cute in a Pushing Daisies kind of way, but I doubt that sort of thing will get viewers to tune in every week.
Yep.
Neither of which ever got ratings that a halfway respectable broadcast network would tolerate. (So it all depends on whether NBC becomes a halfway respectable broadcast network ever again).
Yep.
Yep.
Exactly. I appreciate NBC's desire to have genre shows... hell and ABC's. But, then, when they have hopes it will get Lost like numbers... that's when it drives me crazy.
Lost didn't LOOK like a genre show... and for a little bit didn't ACT like a genre show--ok, ok, there were smoke monsters.... But it didn't have magic (unless you count the finale--zing!).
So, we'll see. If it airs, I'll check it out. Like Grimm, Powers, Poe. It'll be sad if they have high expectations... they have to know they can't possible be realistic expectations.
10 million as the viewership level to support network survival? Did you post this from 10 years ago?
Powers is in development at FX, so it'll have a much better shot at success given that ratings standards are much lower on cable. I think we're transitioning to a point where more esoteric programming will have a better shot on the broadcast networks, too, as cancellation thresholds are drifting ever lower, but that sort of programming needs to be rooted in a clear premise and backed up with engaging characters played by a charismatic cast - one or both of those elements have been lacking in a lot of the SFF shows the networks have tried out in recent years. Also, the networks should try out more SFF shows that are episodic rather than fully serliazed, since episodic shows generally have a better shot at success on broadcast television.
I'm marking the numbers back up, on the (probably rash) assumption that the likes of NBC will ever get shows that will return to the old standards. Maybe I should just accept that the current standards are permanent?
The problem is, networks probably won't accept it. They'll cancel a show with 6-7M viewers under the delusion that they can get 12M with something else. How long will it take them to admit that those days are gone forever?Yeah, cable is where my hopes for genre shows are all going now. Kyle Chandler in the lead is a good start, he'll bring over his fanbase. I wonder when they're going to cast anyone more.
The danger to that is sf/f on broadcast needs to get the genre audience if they're going to have any viewers at all, and genre viewers have gotten used to serialization. Cop shows and sitcoms lend themselves to episodic structure, but for sf/f there's no advantage. By trying to appeal to two divergent audiences, networks might just appeal to neither.
I'm so excited reading that article. Hope Syfy is trying to do better.
