This is the second part of my preview of upfronts, the annual event in early May when broadcast networks present their upcoming television schedules to advertisers in NYC in the hope of creating interest in new/returning shows so companies buy airtime for commercials. This is usually when the fates of pretty much all your favorite shows will be revealed (renewed or canceled), which I went over here.
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 to order to series. There’s usually a glut of pilots to go through (here’s a list of pilots under consideration via The Hollywood Reporter and Variety), with the vast majority never seen by the public. In a minority of cases, some pilots get retooled and pushed for next year for the same or different networks.
Based on the descriptions, cast, and crew of the pilots under consideration, here are the pilots I think sound the best quality-wise or fitting and potentially benefitting 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 a show about “…a hard-working, religious young Latina woman whose family tradition and vow to save her virginity until her marriage…is shattered when a doctor mistakenly artificially inseminates her during a checkup” would wind up being a one of the most critically acclaimed shows of the season (airing on the CW no less), picking up a Golden Globe for star Gina Rodriguez along with a Peabody Award for the show amongst numerous other nominations and honors.
But, being the TV junkie that I am, here are my thoughts on the pilots.
In the last part of my upfronts preview (coming later this week/early next week), I will work my way through each individual broadcast network and opine how each one should schedule their 2015-16 television season to plug ratings gaps and build on ratings momentum. Backseat-executive-ing all the way.
**means picked up for series order**
ABC
Ugh, reading through these pilots was by and large an uninspiring experience, especially so in the case of ABC whose comedies seems to lean very heavily on audience’s potential nostalgia for former TV stars. And look how well that’s paid off in recent years with shows centered on Michael J. Fox, Sean Hayes, Katherine Heigl, Debra Messing, etc etc.
With that said, ABC comes into upfronts with a strong hand, granted they may end up with 3rd or 4th place finish in the ratings, but they have a good mix of current shows, from veteran shows still pulling in the ratings (Modern Family, Grey’s Anatomy, The Middle, Castle), to ably-performing middle-aged shows looking to add more seasons to their lucrative syndication value (Once Upon a Time, The Goldbergs, Scandal) and young break-out hits looking to keep up the momentum in future seasons (How to Get Away with Murder, Black-ish). Whereas other networks may be devoid of hits or have too many old (and therefore pricey) shows over the hump ratings-wise, ABC’s hits are spread evenly age-wise, allowing them to be able to straddle the line of caution and adventurousness when selecting pilots.
Comedy
•The King of 7B
Logline: “An agoraphobic recluse ventures outside for the first time in 20 years when he spies what could be his soul mate moving into the building across the street. Prentiss Porter will embark on an incredible journey of discovery right outside his front door in this ensemble comedy.”
Cast: Craig Ferguson, Carla Jiminez, Kirby Howell-Baptiste, Amir Talai, Marin Hinkle, Ione Sky (guest)
Had to wade through 8 of the most generic-sounding shows to finally read something that sounds new
•The Muppets
“A contemporary, documentary-style show that — for the first time ever — will explore the Muppets’ personal lives and relationships, both at home and at work, as well as romances, break-ups, achievements, disappointments, wants and desires; a more adult Muppet show, for kids of all ages.”
ABC is owned by Disney, and Disney is all about that synergy. After the relative box office disappointment of Muppets Most Wanted, Disney will strive to keep the Muppets in public consciousness and may figure the gang of felt animals may be better served by a television series
Drama
•The Advocate
“Tough, resourceful and at the top of her game, a type-A businesswoman (24’s Kim Raver) has a medical scare, only to be dangerously misdiagnosed. She experiences firsthand the hazards of the healthcare system. Shocking her friends and family, she leaves her career behind, becoming instead a brilliant and relentless advocate for anyone caught in the chaotic and ever-changing maze that is modern medicine.”
•Boom
“The biggest oil discovery in American history (bigger than Texas and as big as Saudi Arabia) has triggered a geopolitical shift and an economic boom in North Dakota on a scale not seen since the American 1849 Gold Rush. The drama tracks the epic pilgrimage of a young, ambitious couple (Chase Crawford) to the oil fields of the Bakken seeking their fortune and a better life — a classic tale with modern twists. As viewers follow their trials and tribulations in a modern-day “Wild West,” they negotiate a colorful ensemble of roughnecks, grifters, oil barons (Don Johnson), criminals and fellow prospectors against a stark and beautiful backdrop.”
The most ambitious-sounding of ABC’s crop of drama pilots
•Broad Squad
“Inspired by true stories, the drama follows the first four women to graduate from Boston’s Police Academy in 1978.”
Cast: Lauren Ambrose, Rutina Wesley, Charlotte Spencer, Cody Horn, Michael Gaston, Kenneth Mitchell, Alberto Frezza, Morgan Spector
•The Catch
“Centers on a gutsy female forensic accountant (The Killing’s Mireille Enos) who exposes fraud for a living and has finally found fulfillment both at work and in love until a case comes along that threatens to turn her world upside down.”
Executive Producer: Shonda Rhimes (i.e. Scandal, Grey’s Anatomy, How to Get Away with Murder)
First of all, more Mireille Enos wh00t wh00t. Second, this show comes from Shondaland i.e. the lady who has 3 hit shows on ABC (TGIT) right now, whatever Shonda Rhimes wants, Shonda gets.
•The Kingmakers
“When his sister is found dead during her freshman year at an elite Ivy League university, a young man adopts a new identity to infiltrate the school and its century-old secret society — consisting of privileged students, ambitious faculty and high-profile alums — in order to investigate her death.”
Not personally very interested, but it’s a semi-sort-of-spin-off from Revenge and the buzz is this stands a decent shot of getting picked up
•L.A. Crime
“A character-driven, true-crime procedural anthology that explores sex, politics and popular culture across various noteworthy eras in L.A. history. Season one focuses on two LA cops in search for a Bonnie & Clyde-esque serial killing team amid the rock-and-roll, coke-infused revelry of the 1980s Sunset Strip.”
The anthology game is hot right now (True Detective, Fargo, American Horror Story), get in on it before another network does
•Kings and Prophets
“An epic Biblical saga of faith, ambition and betrayal as told through the eyes of a battle-weary king (Ray Winstone), a powerful and resentful prophet and a resourceful young shepherd on a collision course with destiny.”
•Original Sin
“The return of a local politician’s (Joan Allen) young son (The Way, Way Back’s Liam James), formerly presumed dead after disappearing more than a decade earlier, sends shockwaves through his tight knit family. But as the mysterious young man is welcomed back into his community, the neighbor (Andrew McCarthy) sitting in jail for his murder is released and the cop responsible is forced to re-examine what truly happened so many years ago.”
After Joan Allen’s fantastic turn on the final season of The Killing, and a similar-sounding role, I want to see this just for her. It may be a heaping pile of dog dung, but she’ll probably be the least dungy of the lot
•Quantico
“A group of young FBI recruits, all with specific reasons for joining, battle their way through training at the Quantico base in Virginia. As we intercut between their hidden pasts and their present training, we also flash-forward to the near future, where one of the recruits will turn out to be a sleeper terrorist responsible for the most devastating terrorist attack on U.S. soil since 9/11.”
Not really high hopes for this, but that twist entices me just enough
CBS
Remember what I said above about some networks having too many old shows deep into their run and not enough new hits to take their place? That’s CBS. Most of CBS’s hits from the 2014-15 season are only modest hits, and while CBS has gone ahead and renewed much of its freshmen shows, some of them have plummeted in the ratings (ahem, Madam Secretary). Yes, CBS is the undisputed leader when it comes to total viewership, and all its new shows do very well in overall viewership. Total viewership, however, does not dictate how much advertisers are willing to pay for a commercial spot, it’s the all-important 18-49 demo rating that determines the price advertisers are willing to pay to air a commercial. The 18-49 rating is exactly what it sounds like, the percentage of those aged 18-49 watching a show. By virtue of having the most-watched shows, CBS often also had the most highly-rated shows in the 18-49 demo. However, as its shows age and go through the natural cycle of shedding viewers deeper into its run and launches shows that skews much older and only rate modestly in the 18-49 demo, CBS is at a crossroads; it’s been at a crossroads for probably a couple seasons now and have a couple more to go before things get detrimental. They need a breakout hit on the scale of Empire, How to Get Away with Murder, The Blacklist, The Flash, Gotham (to an extent) and not the millionth incarnation of NCSI: Jamaica: SD: SUV::
CBS needs a buzzy show that breaks through to all ages and help slow the perception it’s a stodgy, old, criminal-show-porn network. Still, you’ll notice a few on-brand shows here since you can’t push away your current clientele all at once while chasing another demographic, just ask JCPenny.
(Btw, depending who you ask, the reasoning will vary for why the 18-49 demo is so highly sought after by advertisers, from we’re just forming our brand connections to we talk more about what we buy. There’s really no concrete reason that’s been settled on. And yes, there’s been some complaints that those 50+ get shafted and ignored when they usually have more discretionary income. Go figure.)
While some networks may exhibit more patience with older-skewing shows, the 18-49 demo is still the almighty yardstick for a show’s renewal/cancellation prospects. Many a show that pulled in a decent amount of viewers but ranked poorly in the 18-49 demo have been axed in seasons passed (Harry’s Law, Body of Proof))
Comedy
•Angel From Hell
“When Amy (Glee’s Jane Lynch) enters Allison’s (Maggie Lawson) life and claims to be her guardian angel, they form an unlikely friendship and Allison can’t be sure if Amy is an angel or just nuts.”
Cast: Jane Lynch, Maggie Lawson, Kyle Bornheimer, Kevin Pollak
People like Jane Lynch, she’s like tall Ellen
•Happy Life
“Joe is a family man (Wings’ Steven Weber) who struggles with the fact that everyone around him is pursuing their dreams and enjoying their lives more than he is.”
On-brand for CBS, sounds less bad than the other pilots
•Super Clyde — redeveloped from 2013
“A meek, unassuming fast-food worker finds his calling.”
This comes from Greg Garcia. It is single-camera format. Greg Garcia makes good single-camera comedies (Raising Hope, My Name is Earl). CBS Probably wants to keep a relationship with and make good with Garcia after cancelling his previous show halfway through its second season (The Millers). Chances look good
Drama
•Code Black
“A medical drama set in the busiest and most notorious ER in the nation (formerly L.A. County) where the extraordinary staff confronts a broken system in order to protect their ideals and the patients who need them the most.”
CBS is apparently on the hunt for a medical procedural. This one stars Oscar & Tony-winning actress Marcia Gay Harden (who was totally the best part of ABC’s Trophy Wife from a season or two ago). This drama is based on a documentary (yes, they adapt shows from documentaries now I guess), so y’know, prestige and shit.
•Limitless
“Follows Brian Sinclair (Jake McDorman) as he discovers the power of the mysterious drug NZT, and is coerced into using his newfound drug-enhanced abilities to solve weekly cases for the FBI.”
Yes, based on the movie
•Rush Hour
“Based on the New Line feature film trilogy, a stoic, by-the-book Hong Kong police officer (Jon Foo) is assigned to a case in Los Angeles where he’s forced to work with a cocky African-American LAPD officer who has no interest in a partner.”
•Sneaky Pete
“Upon leaving prison, a 30-something con man takes cover from his past by assuming the identity of a cellmate. “Sneaky Pete” then hides out from his debtors while working for his new “family’s” bail bond business. There, he uses his considerable charm and criminal prowess to take down bad guys far worse than himself, partnering with a very attractive female “cousin” who has her suspicions about his real motives.”
**Supergirl**
“Born on the planet Krypton, Kara Zor-El (Melissa Benoist) escaped amid its destruction years ago. Since arriving on Earth, she has been hiding the powers she shares with her famous cousin. But now at age 24, she decides to embrace her superhuman abilities and be the hero she was always meant to be. Based on characters from DC Comics”
CBS is the only broadcast network without some sort of superhero show. While it may sound like too many people rushing in to replicate the same thing, CBS needs to get into the game. Crime procedurals are no longer a growth market. A number of CBS’s shows and many, many of the CW’s (which CBS co-owns) comes from WB Studios and they should really take advantage of that relationship to milk the DC comics for some shows.
FOX
Fox lucked the fuck out with Empire: it gained viewership with every. single. one. of its episodes in season 1. It opened with 9.90M viewers and ended with 17.62M with a 6.9 18-49 demo rating. For those who don’t follow ratings like I do, that shit is insane. You have to go back decades to find another show with that kind of growth trajectory. With those kind of numbers, it rivals Big Band Theory, Walking Dead, hell even lower-rated games of Sunday Night Football. All this is to say, if it weren’t for Empire overshadowing the rest of their schedule, Fox would be a punching bag for rival networks as its schedule just fell apart this year. More on that when I play ‘Fantasy TV Schedule’ later on. This means Fox needs to stock up on pilots to make up for its lackluster current offerings and rebuild itself night-by-night.
Comedy
•Cooper Barrett’s Guide to Surviving Life
“Celebrates the mistakes and misadventures people make during the years after college before settling down.”
Could work, could suck, I can count the number of good college-set TV shows on one hand finger
•Detour
“Inspired by the real life story of Weezer lead singer Rivers Cuomo, a rock star (Ben Aldridge) who made the unexpected choice at the age of 30 to quit his band and go back to college.”
•Fantasy Life
“When a hard-working guy (Kevin Connolly) lands his ultimate dream job hosting a fantasy football show, he’s forced to navigate office politics while becoming the star he never thought he could be. Based on ESPN analyst Matthew Berry’s best-selling book Fantasy Life.”
ugh, it’s a “multicamera hybrid” comedy, whatever that means. Multicamera = laugh track = shit
**Scream Queens**
(15-episode straight-to-series order for fall)
“Anthology series revolving around a college campus that’s rocked by a series of murders. New settings and storylines will be featured in subsequent seasons of the anthology series.”
For whatever reason Hollywood Reporter lumped this into the comedy section (it’s a horror-comedy apparently) though I’m assuming it’s an hour-long show
•Grandpa (aka untitled John Stamos comedy)
“Stamos stars as a version of himself: a longtime bachelor whose life is upended after he learns he’s a father and grandfather.”
The premise sounds pretty dopey, but c’mon, J. Stamos, guy’s totally likeable
Drama
•Minority Report
“Ten years after the end of Precrime in Washington, D.C., one of the three Precogs struggles to lead a “normal” human life, but remains haunted by visions the future, when he meets a detective (Meagan Good) haunted by her past, who just may help him find a purpose to his gift.”
•Lucifer
“Bored and unhappy as the Lord of Hell, Lucifer (Rush’s Tom Ellis) resigns his throne and abandons his kingdom for the gorgeous, shimmering insanity of Los Angeles, where he gets his kicks helping the LAPD punish criminals. Based on the characters created by Neil Gaiman, Sam Keith and Mike Dringenberg for DC Entertainment’s Vertigo imprint.”
•Frankenstein
“Revolves around Ray Pritchard (True Blood’s Rob Kazinsky/Philip Baker Hall), a morally corrupt retired cop, who is given a second chance at life when he is brought back from the dead. Now younger and stronger, Pritchard will have to choose between his old temptations and his new sense of purpose.”
•Studio City
“The story of a young singer’s (newcomer Florence Pugh) path to stardom as she comes of age living with her songwriter father (Will & Grace’s Eric McCormack) — who turns out to be a drug dealer to the stars. Inspired by Krista Vernoff’s real-life experience.”
NBC
NBC will probably end up being the #1 network for the 2014-15 season thanks to airing the Super Bowl along with The Voice and The Blacklist. However, ratings have been slipping for both (especially so in the case of The Blacklist after its move to Thursday). Still, it’s been bolstered by its Chicago Fire/Chicago PD but its woes are really shown by the fact that NBC has been airing 3-4 hours of Dateline in any given week in spring. They got holes to fill.
Also, try to name a comedy airing on NBC right now. exactly.
Comedy
**Coach**
(13-episode straight-to-series order)
“Picks up 18 years after ABC’s Coach went off the air and follows a retired Coach Hayden Fox who is called back to become an assistant coach to his own grown son, who is now the head coach at an Ivy League school in Pennsylvania that is just starting up a new team.”
Ick, why
•How We Live
“An anthropologist blogger moves to the suburbs with his wife and quickly discovers the fascinating habitat and mating rituals of a new undiscovered species: his suburban friends and neighbors.”
•Sharing
“A workplace comedy about the different groups of people working side by side in a shared office space.”
I might be able to enjoy this by relating to it, but this could very well be a stinker
•Strange Calls — redeveloped from ABC in 2014, 2012
“Based on the Australian format, an affable but down on his luck young police officer is transferred to a rural town where — with the help of a peculiar, elderly night watchman — he starts to realize the town has a bizarre supernatural underbelly.”
Cast: Danny Pudi (1st position to Yahoo’s Community), Patrick Brammal, Daniel Stern, Allison Miller, Aliyah Royale
From what I’ve read, NBC execs are pretty high on this show. I like the casting, I’d made remarks about this when reviewing the pilots last year that when I watched the original Aussie version I was intrigued by what an American adaptation would look like and am more intrigued with Pudi and original Aussie castmember Patrick Brammel in it
**Telenovela**
(13-episode straight-to-series order for fall)
“A behind-the-scenes look at what goes into the making of a telenovela. Longoria leads the cast as Ana Maria, the star of Latin America’s most beloved telenovela, who strives to stay on top in a world where the drama off-camera is better than it is on-camera.”
**Untitled Jerrod Carmichael comedy**
(6 episodes)
“Inspired by the stand-up comedian Jerrod Carmichael’s life and relationships with his girlfriend and family.”
Drama
**Blindspot**
“A beautiful woman, with no memories of her past, is found naked in Times Square with her body fully covered in intricate tattoos. Her discovery sets off a vast and complex mystery that immediately ignites the attention of the FBI who begin to follow the road map on her body to reveal a larger conspiracy of crime while bringing her closer to discovering the truth about her identity.”
**Chicago Medical**
“A planted episode in Chicago Fire that focuses on characters who work at the Chicago Medical hospital.”
•The Curse of the Fuentes Women
“When a magical and mysterious young man (The Following’s Adan Canto) inexplicably emerges from the ocean, he breathes new passion into the lives of the Fuentes women — the beautiful but lonely Lola, her ailing mother Esperanza and her troubled daughter Soledad.”
Could pair well with the already-ordered ‘Telenovela,’ maybe/maybe not
**Heartbreaker**
Inspired by the life of Dr. Kathy Magliato and based on her book of the same name, Heart Matters is a medical soap that follows the outspoken Alex Panttiere (Melissa George), one of the rare female heart transplant surgeons. Alex brings an innovative eye to treating patients week to week while also balancing the complications of her professional and romantic life.
**Shades of Blue**
13-episode straight-to-series order
“Centers on Harlee McCord (Jennifer Lopez), a single mother and dirty cop recruited to work undercover for the FBI’s anti-corruption task force. Part of a close-knit unit known for its conviction record, Harlee has become compromised by her colleagues — all of whom also pitch in to help raise her daughter — and finds herself faced with the moral dilemma of working against her cop brothers in order to redeem herself.”
A lot of female-skewing shows, NBC’s making a play for more female viewers apparently, will make my potential fantasy scheduling a bit easier
•Game of Silence
“Centers on a rising attorney (Revolution’s David Lyons) on the brink of success could lose his perfectly crafted life when his long lost childhood friends threaten to expose a dark secret from their violent past. Based on the Turkish format Suskunlar.”
ehhhhhhhhhhhh
CW
The CW renewed almost its entire scripted line-up save for the almost-certainly-cancelled ‘Hart of Dixie,’ which gives it very little room to work with in ordering new shows, the CW only has 10 hours of television to program per week after all. Still, all of their pilots sound at least a little bit interesting, though the network’ll only have room to pick up one or two of them.
Drama
•Cheerleader Death Squad*
“Centers on a disgraced CIA agent-turned-teacher (Reign’s Alan Van Sprang) at a Washington, D.C., prep school. After he realizes his students have high-level access through personal connections, the teacher trains a select few to be his eyes and ears into the world of international espionage and help him earn his way back into the agency.”
c’mon, with a name like that I wanna see at least one episode
•Cordon*
“Examines what happens when a deadly epidemic breaks out in Atlanta and a large city quarantine is quickly enforced, leaving those stuck on the inside to fight for their lives. Tells the story of loved ones tragically torn apart, and how the society that grows inside the cordon reveals both the devolution of humanity and the birth of unlikely heroes. Based on the original Belgian series created by Carl Joos.”
This will probably fail in execution
•Dead People*
“A down-on-his-luck, semi-alcoholic but roguishly charming cab driver (The Walking Dead’s Andrew J. West) who, after a near-death experience, suddenly has the ability to interact with ghosts, including his late ex-wife (The Lying Game’s Alexandra Chando) who he has never gotten over.”
•Tales From the Darkside*
“Reinvention of the horror/fantasy/thriller anthology series based on the 1980s series. Each episode will feature at least one story with a completely different cast.”
•Flash/Arrow spin-off
This one’s a shoo-in, probably
Again, just because I listed a pilot here doesn’t necessarily mean I want to watch it, it’s a mix of things that sound interesting to me and also shows that could work well for their respective networks.
Last Year’s Upfront Preview:
Part 2: Pilot Preview
Part 1: Cancel/Renew
-You haven’t heard the Game of Thrones theme ’till you’ve heard it in IMAX
10. The Goldbergs (ABC)
11. Sleepy Hollow (Fox)
AVthatsme 