sf/f TV development news - 2013

[RJDiogenes]

Wayward Pines does seem to evoke more Prisoner paranoia than Twin Peaks eccentricity. Hieroglyph has possibilities, but I just hope they're not really going to use that CW-style pop music in the show.

 

[Out Of My Vulcan Mind]

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

Drama:

FOREVER - Doctor Henry Morgan (Ioan Gruffudd), New York City’s star medical examiner, has a secret. He doesn’t just study the dead to solve criminal cases, he does it to solve the mystery that has eluded him for 200 years—the answer to his own inexplicable immortality. This long life has given Henry remarkable observation skills which impresses his new partner, Detective Jo Martinez (Alana De La Garza). Each week, a new case and their budding friendship will reveal layers of Henry’s long and colorful past. Only his best friend and confidant, Abe (Judd Hirsch) knows Henry’s secret. “Forever” stars Ioan Gruffudd as Henry, Alana De La Garza as Det. Jo Martinez, Barbara Eve Harris as Lt. Marcia Roark, Donnie Keshawarz as Detective Hanson, Joel David Moore as Lucas, and Judd Hirsch as Abe. “Forever” was written and executive-produced by Matt Miller (“Chuck,” “Las Vegas”). Dan Lin (“Sherlock Holmes,” “Gangster Squad”) and Jennifer Gwartz (“Veronica Mars,” “Cupid,” “Party Down”) are executive producers. “Forever” was directed by Brad Anderson and is produced by Warner Bros. Television.

MARVEL’S AGENT CARTER - “Marvel’s Agent Carter,” starring “Captain America’s” Hayley Atwell, follows the story of Peggy Carter. It’s 1946, and peace has dealt Peggy Carter a serious blow as she finds herself marginalized when the men return home from fighting abroad. Working for the covert SSR (Strategic Scientific Reserve), Peggy must balance doing administrative work and going on secret missions for Howard Stark all while trying to navigate life as a single woman in America, in the wake of losing the love of her life – Steve Rogers. Inspired by the feature films “Captain America: The First Avenger” and “Captain America: The Winter Soldier,” along with the short “Marvel One-Shot: Agent Carter.” Starring Hayley Atwell as Agent Peggy Carter, “Marvel’s Agent Carter” was written by Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely. Executive producers are Tara Butters, Michele Fazekas, Christopher Markus, Stephen McFeely, Chris Dingess, Kevin Feige, Louis D’Esposito, Alan Fine, Joe Quesada, Stan Lee and Jeph Loeb. “Marvel’s Agent Carter” is produced by ABC Studios and Marvel Television.

THE WHISPERS - Aliens have invaded Earth by using our most unlikely resource to achieve world domination—our children. As the kids unwittingly help these unseen enemies, the clock counts down in this suspenseful race to save humanity. “The Whispers” stars Lily Rabe as Claire Bennigan, Barry Sloane as Wes Lawrence, Milo Ventimiglia as John Doe/Drew Bennigan, Derek Webster as Jessup Rollins, Brianna Brown as Lena Lawrence, Catalina Denis as Dr. Maria Benavidez, Kylie Rogers as Minx Lawrence and Kyle Harrison Breitkopf as Henry. “The Whispers” was written and co-executive-produced by Soo Hugh, with Amblin TV co-producing. Executive producers are Steven Spielberg, Justin Falvey, Darryl Frank and Dawn Olmstead. “The Whispers” was directed by Mark Romanek and produced by ABC Studios.

Comedy:

GALAVANT - Screenwriter/executive producer Dan Fogelman (“Crazy, Stupid, Love,” “Tangled,” “Cars”) teams up with Broadway and Hollywood award-winning musical team—composer Alan Menken (“The Little Mermaid,” “Aladdin,” “Beauty and the Beast”) and lyricist Glenn Slater (“The Little Mermaid,” “Tangled”)—for a musical comedy fairytale of epic proportions. Once upon a time, the dashing hero, Galavant (Joshua Sasse), lost the love of his life, Madalena (Mallory Jansen), to the evil King Richard (Timothy Omundson). Now, our fallen hero is ready to take revenge and restore his “happily ever after.” But it won’t be without a few twists and turns along the way. “Galavant” stars Joshua Sasse as Galavant, Timothy Omundson as King Richard, Vinnie Jones as Gareth, Mallory Jansen as Madalena, Karen David as Isabella and Luke Youngblood as Sid. “Galavant” was written by Dan Fogelman, who also serves as executive producer. Executive producers are Alan Menken, Glenn Slater and Chris Koch. “Galavant” was directed by Chris Koch. Abbey C Studios Ltd. produces “Galavant” for ABC Studios.

 

[Out Of My Vulcan Mind]

Trailers for Forever, The Whispers and Galavant:

[yt]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3LXp8W4wqyU[/yt]

[yt]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6X9vTnb83U4[/yt]

[yt]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m0TuKSES0iw[/yt]

 

[RJDiogenes]

This is the first I've heard of Galavant. The musical aspect of it is very interesting, so I might give it a try. The humor seems a little tired, though.

Agent Carter is something I'm quite interested in. A woman adventurer in the post-Rosie the Riveter Era could be fantastic, if they know how to do it right.

 

[AvBaur]

I didn't find the Galavant trailer as funny as it seems to think it is, but as a life-long fan of Disney musicals, I'm definitely going to watch the pilot, at the very least.

Really looking forward to Agent Carter, too.

As far as the rest is concerned, nothing really stands out yet.

 

[sojourner]

Now I know why Tim had the "jesus hair" when they did the post finale talk show for Psych.

 

[TheSeeker]

Agent Carter is something I'm quite interested in. A woman adventurer in the post-Rosie the Riveter Era could be fantastic, if they know how to do it right.

I totally agree. Done right, this could be amazing.

I didn't find the Galavant trailer as funny as it seems to think it is

Same here. My friend thinks they were going for a Monty Python feel but I'm not sure they really hit the mark.



Surprisingly, the trailer I liked the most was Forever. I am intrigued, even if it does seem a bit like New Amsterdam.

 

[Out Of My Vulcan Mind]

TNT announced its new development slate. It includes the following SF/F shows:

Breed
Producers: Invention Film Co, Nicky Weinstock, Scott Winant (True Blood), John Scott Shepherd (Save Me, Life or Something Like It)
Writer: John Scott Shepherd (Save Me, Life or Something Like It)
This atmospheric, supernatural drama centers on a volatile race of creatures who are committing brutal murders in the Pacific Northwest, and the reluctant FBI investigator who pairs with a female assassin to track them. Breed mixes suspense, excitement and humor to create an exhilarating ride full of unexpected moments and unforgettable characters.

Kali
Producers: Steve McPherson (Wonder Monkey Entertainment), Gonzague Requillart (La Parisienne D’images), Harley Peyton (Dracula, Friends with Benefits)
Writer: Harley Peyton (Dracula, Friends with Benefits)
Awakened on a train with no memory of who she is or how she got there and then discovering that a chip has been implanted in her brain to transform her into a powerful human weapon, Kali must embark on a harrowing journey of survival and redemption. She will find herself at the center of two warring teams fighting to control her as she begins the battle to take back her life. Based on a French web series.

The Shop
Producers: James Middleton (Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles), Jaime Paglia (Eureka), Robbie Thompson (Supernatural)
Writer: Robbie Thompson (Supernatural)
Studio: Universal Cable Productions
Based on characters created by Stephen King, this supernatural thriller centers on The Shop, a mysterious organization that once exploited the pyrokinetic abilities of a young girl named Charlie McGee. Twenty years after bringing the organization to its knees in a blaze of fire, Charlie has been tracked down by one of its former members, Henry Talbot. Talbot introduces Charlie to a group of people just like her, all products of The Shop with their own unique abilities. It turns out The Shop is very much alive, bigger and badder than ever, and its dark experiments are unleashing terrifying new entities on the world. It’s now up to Talbot, Charlie and the rest of the team to find The Shop and destroy it for good.

 

[Out Of My Vulcan Mind]

Trailers for TNT's The Librarians (mostly footage from the original telemovies) and Proof:

[yt]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xw1SjnEKkL0[/yt]

[yt]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xC0PrxXaoRg[/yt]

 

[Out Of My Vulcan Mind]

Trailer for CBS's Extant:

[yt]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PcmB-BoY1j0[/yt]

 

[Mr. Adventure]

Are these longer trailers a new thing? I like them but I don't remember seeing so many before.

 

[Out Of My Vulcan Mind]

Are these longer trailers a new thing? I like them but I don't remember seeing so many before.

They do seem to be longer this year. CBS's trailer for Madam Secretary is five minutes and 25 seconds long. Here's the trailer for CBS's Scorpion (another very long trailer):

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

Looks like it's going to stay out of SF/F territory, at least at first.

 

[Mr. Adventure]

Was that a trailer or the entire pilot? lol

 

[Enterprise is Great]

Is there really a reason to watch the Madam Secretary or Scorpion pilots? It seems like both trailers give the whole plot away.

 

[Bob The Skutter]

ITV have commissioned a post-apocalyptic sit-com called Cockroaches.

Daniel Lawrence Taylor (Uncle, Hunderby) and Esther Smith (Cuckoo 2, Skins) play Tom and Suze, two nineteen-year-olds both dreaming of the future. When nuclear war strikes, they do the thing we’d all do if we knew we were about to die. They have sex. Unfortunately, they then survive. Awkward.

Ten years later, they emerge from the basement in Suzes’ house as two twenty-nine year olds wandering the wasteland where England used to be.

Cockroaches is a comedy about what happens after a nuclear holocaust. It's about those things that can survive anything: laziness, boredom, ex-boyfriends who are still stupid. And love.

It’s also about those absurd ideas on which our society is built. Like, how do you decide who’s in charge? Do you re-establish the idea of money? What do you teach children? Is Cannibalism really such a bad idea if you’re really really hungry?

http://www.itv.com/presscentre/press-releases/cockroaches-arrive-itv#.U3ToJiixkdU

 

[Out Of My Vulcan Mind]

The SF/F drama shows on the broadcast networks in the 2014-2015 season (a new record number):

Supernatural, season 10 (CW, Tuesday, 9pm)
The Vampire Diaries, season 6 (CW, Thursday, 8pm)
Grimm, season 4 (NBC, Friday, 9pm)
Once Upon a Time, season 4 (ABC, Sunday, 8pm)
Person of Interest, season 4 (CBS, Tuesday, 10pm)
Arrow, season 3 (CW, Wednesday, 8pm)
Beauty and the Beast, season 3 (CW, mid-season)
The 100, season 2 (CW, Wednesday, 9pm)
Agents of SHIELD, season 2 (ABC, Tuesday, 9pm)
The Originals, season 2 (CW, Monday, 8pm)
Resurrection, season 2 (ABC, Sunday, 9pm)
Sleepy Hollow, season 2 (Fox, Monday, 9pm)
Agent Carter, season 1 (ABC, mid-season)
Constantine, season 1 (NBC, Friday, 10pm)
Emerald City, season 1 (NBC, mid-season)
The Flash, season 1 (CW, Tuesday, 8pm)
Forever, season 1 (ABC, Tuesday, 10pm)
Gotham, season 1 (Fox, Monday, 8pm)
Heroes Reborn, season 1 (NBC, summer 2015)
Hieroglyph, season 1 (Fox, mid-season)
iZombie, season 1 (CW, mid-season)
The Messengers, season 1 (CW, mid-season)
Wayward Pines, season 1 (Fox, mid-season)
The Whispers, season 1 (ABC, mid-season)

Summer 2014:

Under the Dome, season 2 (CBS, Monday, 10pm)
Extant, season 1 (CBS, Wednesday, 9pm)

SF/F shows ordered to pilot this season but passed on by the networks:

Babylon Fields (NBC)
Clementine (ABC)
Supernatural: Bloodlines (CW)
Tin Man (NBC)

 

[Christopher]

^Hmm, the only schedule conflict there with a show I might want to watch is between Person of Interest and Forever. But I'm not sure I'd actually be interested in Forever. And of course that's not accounting for non-genre network shows like Elementary, or for cable shows.

 

[RJDiogenes]

Mostly occult and fantasy-- hardly anything that could be called SF, even by stretching the definition.

Is there really a reason to watch the Madam Secretary or Scorpion pilots? It seems like both trailers give the whole plot away.

The shows keep getting shorter and the trailers keep getting longer.

 

[Out Of My Vulcan Mind]

Trailer for Syfy's Ascension:

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

 

[Vendikarr]

Trailer for Syfy's Ascension:

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

So it's a period piece set in space? Interesting concept.