This is the first part in my preview of upfronts, the annual event in May when broadcast TV networks present their upcoming television schedules to advertisers in NYC in hopes of creating interest in new/returning shows so companies will buy airtime during these shows for commercials.
For the uninitiated, pilot season is the late-Winter-to-Spring scramble when broadcast networks (CBS, NBC, FOX, ABC, CW) sift through their pilots (first episode) to decide which ones are good enough that it’s worth ordering more episodes of. There’s usually a glut of pilots to go through (I got the below pilots from The Hollywood Reporter’s annual list), the vast majority of which are never seen by the public. In a few cases, pilots get retooled and pushed for next year for the same or different network.
Based on the descriptions, cast, and crew of the pilots under consideration, here are the pilots that sound intriguing or fitting their respective networks. OF COURSE just judging by the descriptions, cast, and crew without seeing the actual pilot is going into this process semi-blind. Who would’ve thought four seasons ago that a contemporary prequel to Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho would still be such a delight to watch four years in.
But, being the TV junkie that I am, here are my thoughts on the pilots.
**means picked up for series order**
ABC
Comedy
•Downward Dog
“Based on the web series of the same name, centers on a woman, Nan (Allison Tolman) and her dog. The twist is that it features a Modern Family-style confessional device — for the dog.”
This sounds real fucking not good, but dammit who am I to turn down more screentime for Allison Tolman (Molly Solverson from season 1 of Fargo).
•Hail Mary
Logline: A young small-town mayor named Mary Wolf (Happy Endings’ Casey Wilson) has dysfunctional siblings, a dying father, disgruntled citizens, a nearly bankrupt town and the mafia breathing down her neck. Only a miracle can help her — so she fakes one. Based on the Austrian Broadcasting Corp. series Braunschlag, created by David Schalko.
Even shows starring Casey Wilson that aren’t entirely successful are still semi-enjoyable (see: NBC’s Marry Me from last year). Also, this one has Retta from Parks & Rec, which I’m hoping plays the role of the mob. This could work.
•Pearl
Logline: When a larger-than-life family matriarch finds out she has cancer, she becomes intent on controlling and orchestrating every aspect of her family’s life before she dies.
Cast: Candice Bergen, Zachary Knighton (Happy Endings), Kathleen Rose Perkins (Episodes)
Candice Bergan and Kathleen Rose Perkins (who is enjoyable in Showtime’s Episodes). Sure, I’ll give it a shot.
•The Second Fattest Housewife in Westport
Logline: A family comedy narrated by Katie, a strong-willed mother raising her flawed family in a wealthy town filled with “perfect” wives and their “perfect” offspring.
Only for the name
Drama
•Conviction
Logline: Tells the story of Carter Morrison (Agent Carter’s Hayley Atwell), the brilliant but ne’er-do-well daughter of a former president, who is blackmailed into taking a job as the head of Los Angeles’ newly created Conviction Integrity Unit. She, along with her team of lawyers, investigators and forensic experts, work together to examine cases where there’s credible suspicion that the wrong person may have been convicted of a crime.
I’m torn, if this gets picked up it’ll most likely mean the superb-but-lightly-watched Agent Carter gets cancelled. But even if this isn’t picked up, Agent Carter doesn’t look likely to return for a third season. I’m interested in this solely for Hayley Atwell. Also, on one hand, one of Conviction’s Executive Producers worked on Netflix’s Jessica Jones; but on the other hand, another Executive Producer worked on FOX’s The Following.
•The Death of Eva Sofia Valdez
Logline: An immigrant who rose from rags to riches, Eva Sofia Valdez (Suits’ Gina Torres, in second position), is a celebrated Miami entrepreneur and a champion for immigrant rights. But her success is fueled by an insatiable ambition that could destroy her family, a vendetta against the lover who betrayed her, and ghosts from the past who threaten to reveal the dark sacrifices Eva Sofia made to attain the American Dream. Described as MacBeth with a Cuban twist.
Sure
**Designated Survivor**
Logline: Centers on a lower-level U.S. cabinet member (Kiefer Sutherland) who is suddenly appointed president after a catastrophic attack during the State of the Union kills everyone above him in the presidential line of succession. The series is described as a family drama wrapped around a conspiracy thriller about an ordinary man in an extraordinary situation.
Cast: Kiefer Sutherland, Natasha McElhone, Maggie Q, Kal Penn, Italia Ricci, Adan Canto, LaMonica Garrett
Without having actually watched this yet I’ll go ahead and say Battlestar Galactica already did this particular plotline better
•The Jury
Logline: The anthology series is described as 12 Angry Men meets podcast Serial, The Jury follows a single murder trial as seen through the eyes of the individual jurors, exploring the biases and experiences that influence the jurors’ judgment, and how their preconceptions change along the way.
Like Conviction, I mention this bland-ish-sounding drama only because it stars The Good Wife’s Archie Panjabi. I mean, a Kalinda Sharma spin-off sounds better, but I’ll take this for now.
•Marvel’s Most Wanted
Logline: A second spinoff from Agents of SHIELD, the drama follows the adventures of Bobbi Morse (aka Mockingbird) and Lance Hunter.
Synergize baby
•Broken (formerly untitled Meaghan Oppenheimer)
Logline: A ruthless Dallas divorce attorney’s life begins to unravel when her emotionally damaged, love-addicted sister resurfaces triggering self-destructive tendencies and exposing long-hidden family secrets.
Cast: Anna Paquin, Penelope Ann Miller, Blair Underwood, T.R. Knight, Charity Wakefield, Thad Luckinbill, Zeb Sanders, Enrique Murciano
40% chance it works, 60% chance it’s a forgettable bland piece of nothing
CBS
Comedy
•My Time/Your Time
Logline: Based on Avital Ash’s web series 7P/10E, the comedy the relationship of a young couple (Jane Levy, Nicholas Braun) as they begin dating long distance.
**Untitled Kevin James (13-episode production commitment)**
Logline: A newly retired police officer (Kevin James) looks forward to spending more quality time with his wife (Erinn Hayes) and three kids (Taylor Spreitler) but figures out he faces more challenges at home than he ever did on the streets.
•Untitled Matt LeBlanc comedy (formerly I’m Not Your Friend)
Logline: A contractor (Matt LeBlanc) learns that raising his kids is more challenging than expected when his wife (The Office’s Jenna Fischer) goes back to work.
Not particular optimistic given the middling results the last time CBS made a comedy starring a former Friends star, but this’ll probably be picked up for the name recognition and that CBS-owned Showtime’s Episodes (in which LeBlanc stars) is nearing the end of its run and CBS probably wants to stay in business with him
Drama
•Drew
Logline: A contemporary take on the character from the iconic Nancy Drew book series. Now in her 30s, Nancy (Person of Interest’s Sarah Shahi) is a detective for the NYPD where she investigates and solves crimes using her uncanny observational skills, all while navigating the complexities of life in a modern world.
Sounds like another cookie-cutter CBS procedural to me, but this comes with built in “brand awareness” as they say, plus there’s more buzz surrounding this than most other pilots given the diverse casting for Nancy Drew. Name the show “Nancy Drew” instead of “Drew” though ffs, lest it get confused for a show starring Drew Carey
•MacGyver
Logline: A reimagining of the television series of the same name, following a 20-something MacGyver (X-Men: Apocalypse’s Lucas Till) as he gets recruited into a clandestine organization where he uses his knack for solving problems in unconventional ways to help prevent disasters from happening.
•Training Day
Logline: Described as a reimagining that begins 15 years after the 2001 film left off, the reboot centers on an idealistic young African-American police officer (Justin Cornwell) who is appointed to an elite squad of the LAPD where he is partnered with a seasoned, morally ambiguous detective (Bill Paxton).
Honestly, at this point, CBS is probably better off plowing through prior IP to mine for potential shows than trying to come up with their own look-alike procedurals. I mean, they’re already doing that this year with their current crop of rookie dramas: Supergirl, Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders, Code Black, Rush Hour, Limitless which are based on a comic book, current CBS show, documentary short, movie, and movie respectively. Network television has given up on original TV shows not based on any pre-existing IP because the risk/reward is just not worth it to them.
CW
CW renewed its entire slate of shows currently airing, which means it has less room than usual for new shows on its schedule even though there’s a couple of potentially intriguing prospects among its pilots
Drama
•Frequency
Logline: In this reimagining of the New Line Cinema film, a female police detective (The Flash’s Peyton List) in 2016 discovers she is able to speak via a ham radio with her estranged father (also a detective) who died in 1996. They forge a new relationship while working together on an unresolved murder case, but unintended consequences of the “butterfly effect” wreak havoc in the present day.
•No Tomorrow
Logline: When a risk-averse, straight arrow, female procurement manager (Tori Anderson) at an Amazon-like distribution center falls in love with a freewheeling man who lives life to the fullest because he believes the apocalypse is imminent, to comedic and poignant results they embark on a quest together to fulfill their individual bucket lists. Based on the Brazilian format.
•Riverdale
Logline: Set in present day and based on the iconic Archie Comics characters, Riverdale is a surprising and subversive take on Archie (KJ Apa), Betty (Lili Reinhart, Surviving Jack), Veronica (Camila Mendes), Jughead Jones (Cole Sprouse, The Suite Life of Zack and Cody), Josie (Ashleigh Murray) and their friends, exploring the surrealism of small town life — the darkness and weirdness bubbling beneath Riverdale’s wholesome façade. Based on the characters from Archie Comics.
Greg Berlanti is already behind the CW’s 3 biggest shows along with CBS’s Supergirl and NBC’s Mysteries of Laura and Blindspot. Keep in business with him
•Transylvania
Logline: In 1880, a headstrong young woman (Laura Brent) in search of her missing father ventures from NYC to Transylvania where she teams with a wrongfully disgraced Scotland Yard detective (Luke Allen-Gale). Together they witness the births of the most famous monsters and villains in history.
•Untitled Mars drama
Logline: A team of explorers arrive on Mars to join the first human colony on the planet, only to discover that their predecessors have vanished. Led by a woman whose husband is among the missing, the colonists are forced to change their mission from exploration and settlement to investigation and survival, while navigating the hostile planet and their own personal demons.
This honestly sounds intriguing, let’s just hope it’s done well
FOX
FOX has the opposite problem as CW in that, with American Idol ending, the network has a whole lot of real estate to fill up with shows, which they’re hoping will have a better success rate than the past season’s crop of new shows.
Comedy
•Chad: An American Boy
Logline: A 14-year-old boy (SNL’s Nasim Pedrad) in the throes of adolescence is tasked with being the man of the house, which leaves him with all the responsibilities of being an adult without any of the perks.
With a premise like that and starring Nasim Pedrad, how could I NOT be at least a little bit curious with how this pans out?Pushed off-cycle
•Charity Case
Logline: When Hailey (Courteney Cox) inherits her late billionaire husband’s charity, she quickly finds that changing the world is far less glamorous than she had imagined.
To have Courteney Cox’s name to plaster in ads promoting the show does half the heavy lifting in trying to get a new show noticed amidst the glut of premieres come September. Whether it’s any good is an entirely different thing.
•The Enforcers
Logline: A female buddy comedy about two wildly different single mothers with dreams of being police officers who find themselves partnered as inspectors in the Code Enforcement Department. Instead of fighting crime, they have been relegated to handling petty code breaking, like noise complaints, tree trimming and water misuse.
Cast: Christine Woods, Niecy Nash, Ian Gomez, Ryan Hansen, Matt Oberg
FOX probably wants to stay in business with Niecy Nash, whom many critics singled out as a highlight in the otherwise-awful Scream Queens. Being recently Emmy-nominated for HBO’s Getting On doesn’t hurt.
•Making History (formerly untitled Sharpe/Lord & Miller, aka In Time)
Logline: Centers on three unlikely friends find an even less likely way to travel through time, irreversibly complicating their personal lives in 2016, as the great moments of the past collide with today’s popular culture — with hilarious and quite disastrous results.
Cast: Adam Pally, Leighton Meester, Yassir Lester (writer on Carmichael Show, Girls)
FOX already ordered to series one of the pilots from Phil Lord & Christopher Miller, the writer-director-producer powerhouse duo behind such hits as Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs; The LEGO Movie; Last Man on Earth; 21 & 22 Jump Street, etc etc. Going two-for-two will only strengthen the bond between Fox and this lucrative pair
•The Mick
Logline: The comedy revolves around a hard-living, foul-mouthed woman Kaitlin Olson (It’s Always Sunny) who moves to affluent Greenwich, Conn., to raise the spoiled kids of her wealthy sister who has fled the country to avoid a federal indictment. She quickly learns what everyone else already knows: other people’s children are awful.
This will be quite a groundbreaking show if it gets ordered to series for being the first show to star a bird
**Son of Zorn (animated/live-action pilot presentation)**
Logline: Centers on an animated Barbarian father who comes home for the first time in 10 years to his live-action son and ex-wife. He finds that reconnecting with his family, struggling through his mundane office job and dealing with the banality of suburban life is much harder than waging actual war in his distant, animated world.
Cast: Jason Sudeikis, Cheryl Hines, Tim Meadows, Artemis Pebdani, Johnny Pemberton
•Untitled Laura Steinel comedy (aka HR)
Logline: Centers around Jane (Judy Greer), who is caught between trying to manage her charmingly incompetent human resources department and a new eccentric CEO (Patton Oswalt) who dreams of bringing the New Jersey plastics plant into the future.
Only for you, Patton Oswalt, only for you
Drama
•24: Legacy
Logline: The new take features an all-new cast of characters and will be structured in the same style of the original series. Legacy revolves around a military hero’s (Corey Hawkins, Straight Outta Compton) return to the U.S. and the trouble that follows him back — compelling him to ask CTU for help in saving his life, and stopping what potentially could be one of the largest-scale terror attacks on American soil.
See above note about IP
•The Exorcist
Logline: A modern reinvention inspired by William Blatty’s 1971 book, the drama is a propulsive, serialized psychological thriller following two very different men tackling one family’s case of horrifying demonic possession, and confronting the face of true evil.
On one hand, I’m more optimistic about this than most of the other pilots. On the other hand, TV hasn’t delivered on a quality true horror show in, erm, ever?
**Prison Break**
Logline: A new chapter based on the original series about a guy determined to prove his convicted brother’s innocence and save him from death row by creating an elaborate plan to escape from prison.
•Recon
Logline: A rookie FBI agent (Revolution’s Tracy Spiridakos) embeds herself in a suspected terrorist family.
I mean this could be alright…maybe…possibly…
**Shots Fired**
Logline: Explores the aftermath of racially charged shootings in a small town in Tennessee. Sanaa Lathan stars an expert investigator who digs into the cases, alongside a special prosecutor (Stephan James) sent to the town by the Department of Justice. The pair must navigate the media attention, public debate and social unrest that comes with such volatile cases as they seek justice before the divided town erupts.
•Star
Logline: The Atlanta-set drama revolves around three girls who come together to form a band. Star details their rise to the top in a challenging business. While Empire is told from the point of view of music executives, Star will be told from the perspective of the artist.
Stay in business with Empire creator Lee Daniels, etc etc
NBC
Comedy
•Crunch Time
Logline: A hybrid game show/comedy that intercuts between a real game show and the scripted workplace that centers on an up-and-coming producer (Andrea Anders) trying to wrangle the volatile host (Craig Ferguson).
Cast: Craig Ferguson, Kyle Howard (My Boys), Kellee Stewart (My Boys), Andrea Anders, Caitlin McGee, Eugene Cordero
Team: W/EP Betsy Thomas (My Boys); EO Phil Gurin, David Janollari
Between the intriguing format and this looking like a reunion of the enjoyable TBS comedy My Boys, I’m far more intrigued by this than any other comedy in the current pilot season
**Good Place**
Logline: Centers on a woman (Kristen Bell) wrestling with what it means to be good.
Ordered for 13 episodes
•Imaginary Friend
Logline: The winner of NBC’s Playground comedy initiative, centers on Wendy (Megan Neuringer), an intelligent yet unmotivated woman who discovers a special and unexpected way of dealing with her mediocre life.
•Sunset PPL
Logline: The winner of NBC’s Playground Comedy initiative, the pilot centers on a group of millennial friends who struggle with their own made-up rules for personal and professional success.
At this point, developing a show from some Comedy initiative just might be more promising than whatever the audience-tested-to-death shmuck the corporate overlords try to make as blandly palatable as possible for a broad audience
•Untitled Amy Poehler/Charlie Grandy
Logline: After years of partying that earned him the “black sheep” label, Karl (Nico Evers-Swindell) returns home to compete with his brother for the family throne.
Executive Producer Amy Poehler, sold.
•Untitled Matt Hubbard
Logline: Loosely based on Hubbard’s life, the comedy centers on a guy (Chris Smith) who learns to manage the expectations and strong cultural traditions of his in-laws after he moves his family to his wife’s (Elizabeth Ho) hometown.
Cast: Jack McBrayer, Chris Smith, Elizabeth Ho, Francois Chau, Susan Chuang, Concetta Tomei
Team: W/EP Matt Hubbard (30 Rock); EP/showrunner Mike Schur (Parks and Recreation); EP David Miner;
Matt Hubbard, Mike Schur, Jack McBrayer. Sold
•The Trial
Logline: A serialized comedy following a young big-city lawyer (Nick D’Agosto) and his oddball defense team during a high-profile murder trial in a small southern town.
Cast: Nick D’Agosto, John Lithgow, Sherri Shepherd, Steven Boyer, Jayma Mays, Krysta Rodriguez
I want to say no, but the cast is decent
Drama
•Blacklist spinoff — set to air May 12 as a planted episode
Logline: Being kept under wraps.
Cast: Famke Janssen, Edi Gathegi, Tawny Cypress
Sure, why not. You already have a million Chicago [insert department name here] shows
•Chicago Justice (planted spinoff of Chicago PD; formerly known as Chicago Law)
Logline: A spinoff featuring ADA characters appearing on Chicago PD.
As I was saying…
**Taken**
Logline: A modern-day prequel to Luc Besson’s feature of the same name that starred Liam Neeson as a retired CIA operative Bryan Mills on a one-man mission to save his kidnapped daughter. The series will illustrate how a young Bryan (Vikings’ Clive Standen) develops his skills.
I’m gonna go ahead and predict this bombs. Taken only worked because of Liam Neeson, and even then to diminishing returns with the sequels
•Midnight, Texas
Logline: Based on the New York Times best-selling trilogy from Charlaine Harris, the drama is described as Twin Peaks meets True Blood in Midnight, Texas, a remote town where your neighbor could be a vampire, a witch, a werewolf and even an angel. Mystery, horror and romance combine to both enthrall and frighten any outsiders who decide to venture into this unusual place.
I’ve read so many pilot descriptions I’m at the point where I just go ‘eh, fuck it’
•Time
Logline: The high-octane drama follows an unlikely trio who travel through time to battle a master criminal intent on altering the fabric of human history with potentially catastrophic results.
Cast: Matt Lanter (90210), Abigail Spencer (Rectify), Goran Visnjic, Claudia Doumit, Paterson Joseph, Malcolm Barrett, Sakina Jaffrey
Team: W/EP Shawn Ryan
Shawn Ryan’s (The Shield, Last Resort, Terriers) gotta get another hit/quality show sooner or later…right?
Tuesday
Wednesday
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