The Idiot Box: TV Season 2010/2011

[Crafty_Pat]

Wondering what all those new NBC shows look like? Wonder no more...

Undercovers

The Event

The Cape

Outsourced

Friends with Benefits

Chase

Harry's Law

Outlaw

Perfect Couples

Love Bites

School Pride

The Paul Reiser Show

...and here are details from the NBC conference call, including comments about L&O, Heroes, Chuck, P&R, Rockford, and more.

[Crafty_Pat]

I'm working nights this week and it's strangely cool and wet here in Southern California, which puts me in a great mood despite not getting enough sleep this afternoon. Alex and I just brainstormed what I hope is the last of the big spell chains (Polymorph), and I'm starting to see the end of the tunnel with Spellbound, which is exciting. It's also upfront week, which is sorta like Christmas in July for a production hound like m'self, so to warm up the fingers before diving back into projects, let's take a glance at what's new in the last 12 hours or so...

Official NBC Trailers
I gotta say, I wasn't wowed by the clips posted earlier but the trailers here are a vast improvement. That may actually speak volumes about the finished products, or it might just be a case of poor clip choices. Regardless...

Undercovers: I'm now far less apprehensive about Abrams in charge of an episodic adventure series, given the chemistry of the leads, their handler, and the bromantic sidekick (plus some really slick dialog and title cards I hope stay in the final releases).

The Event: The trailer tugs at all the right strings for genre lovers but it also sets up the show's primary hurdle - can it hold viewer attention long enough for them to get to the first of their big reveals? Word is The Event isn't revealed in the pilot, and if V's taught us anything about the tolerances of the modern TV audience...

Perfect Couples: Meh. This show seems very uneven to me. Olivia Munn in particular is horribly miscast as the anal-retentive shrew. Seriously, who did they think they were courting with that decision?

Friends with Benefits: So far, this is the only new NBC offering to made me laugh (twice). So kudos for that.

Paul Reiser Show: Pseudo-reality, so it's off my radar. Moving right along...

Harry's Law: This one's got legs. It's strikes me as being a hipper, edgier, gender-reversed version of Matlock, which means it'll probably be on for years. I probably won't bother, though - not after being spoiled with David Kelley's eternal masterpiece, Boston Legal.

Outlaw: It's a sign I'm well past procedures that I'm not jumping at this one, 'cause the presentation's pitch-perfect.

Outsourced: This was one of the concepts that most immediately grabbed my attention in the early log lines but wooooah nelly is the material flat. So sad. Hopefully they'll find their mark before America hangs up.

Love Bites: Can you say D.O.A? No amount of stunt casting can save an anthology show. And in the E.R. slot? Oi.

Chase: This is a classic example of network vs. cable production. Take a gander at this and hold it up against any episode of In Plain Sight, or better yet, Justified. There's just no contest.

The Cape: Of all the sub-genres to crop of lately, serious supers is not one I expected to take off. It won't, not long term, and despite - or possibly due to - this one looking so great, I somehow doubt it'll last through its freshman year. Still, they've earned my attention, at least through the pilot and a couple follow-ups.

School Pride: More reality. Bleh.

So... 12 new shows and I'll be bothering with four, maybe, and only two of those with intent. Sounds about right.

Fox Upfronts
As expected, Glee's moving forward an hour (and getting the post-Super Bowl slot, so congrats to Murphy and Co. there), Fringe is sticking to Thursday nights, and Human Target is, sadly, moving to Friday. Terra Nova's slated for mid-season and has a powerful crew (Braga notwithstanding), and with enough promotion and high enough production values they'll hopefully overcome the obvious Land of the Lost comparisons.

Life Feed has a great review of the Fox upfront, making the obvious comparisons to NBC and highlighting some of the ways the #1 network is throwing its weight around without resorting to snide jabs and undercutting.

Lonestar: Looks like a watered down, spineless version of The Riches to me, without the interesting characters or tense plotlines.

Running Wilde: How do you type the raspberry sound again?

Ride-Along: This is Shawn Ryan's new effort (for those not in the know, he created The Shield), and when you get past the inexplicable clip in the upfront link and dive into the bits on this second page it starts to look like a well-rounded, down-to-earth cops on the streets story. The bright network sheen keeps it from being go-to reference for 10kB but it still might have a few interesting things to say.

Mixed Signals: There's nothing new here, so it's all gonna come down to the (admittedly very strong) cast - unless of course they've got a great writing team they're not bothering to tell anyone about.  

Raising Hope: So. There. I think I scared my dog laughing so hard at that first clip, and the fact that this used to be called "Keep Hope Alive" is one of many signs this will be comedy gold. Of course, if I think it's funny it's got a shelf life of maybe nine months, so enjoy it while it lasts.

Bob's Burgers: A new entry in the Sunday animated line-up by Loren Bouchard (creator of "Home Movies"). I was never a fan of HM and this doesn't strike me as much funnier but if that's your thing then maybe you'll be right at home. Me? I'll stick with Futurama and Family Guy.

In other news, CBS has officially picked up $#*! My Dad Says, a Criminal Minds spin-off starring Forest Whitaker, and the Hawaii Five-O remake and a bunch of other stuff that leaves me cold.

I'm guessing it'll be pretty easy to zero in on the real winners in the Comic-Con panel line-up this year.

[Aldus Vertten]

by the way, what happened to Day One?

[Crafty_Pat]

by the way, what happened to Day One?

Went from midseasoner to TV movie to DOA.

See what happens when I dig a concept? Sigh.

[Sletchman]

by the way, what happened to Day One?

Went from midseasoner to TV movie to DOA.

See what happens when I dig a concept? Sigh.

The obvious solution is to hate everything.  Which may not actually work long term.

[Wolverine]

The obvious solution is to hate everything.  Which may not actually work long term.

Either that, or just ignore shows until they make it into their second season. That's kinda the default method of watching TV in NZ. By the time the show comes out here, you have a pretty good idea if it has already been killed or not State-side.

The most amusing example of this was the remake of Knight Rider. By the time it was being promoted heavily here it was already long dead in America. I was tempted to write to the network to let them know the bad news, but they stopped caring a long time ago. Etiher that, or they would just pulled it and replaced it with more reality TV crap. Yet another reason why my TV is mostly used for DVDs these days.

[Wolverine]

USA Network have greenlit two new pilots:

"A Legal Mind," on which Doug Liman serves as an executive producer, revolves around a brilliant young man who gets a job at a big corporate law firm without having his college degree.

"Necessary Roughness" features a tough, divorced female sports therapist as the protagonist. The show is Sony TV's first pilot picked up by USA.

The first sounds like it could be a prequal to Community.

[Crafty_Pat]

Great production day yesterday (details here). 'bout to dive back in but my brain hasn't quite turned over yet (sleep's all over the map this week). Let's see if the upfronts can fix it!

First, here's the fall network season as it stands right now (thanks to the Live Feed, expect this page to be updated throughout the week)

Yesterday was ABC's moment in the sun and from the sound of it there was very little thunder. Not a huge surprise, as the scuttlebutt about their new crop of pilots hasn't been hugely positive. I like that the Alphabet focused at least a little time on the digital revolution, though - it's the same kind of forward-thinking that guided the simple-yet-comprehensive web strategy we've seen from them over the last few years.

The practical up shot for those of you only interested in the genre/fan darling schedule is that V's either premiering in November or the spring and No Ordinary Family, the Chiklis- and Benz-led superhero drama, kicks off the Tuesday night line-up at 8pm. There's also talk of V running uninterrupted, which would be nice (though I suspect that's more likely if the show's held off for spring, which is a double-edged sword: more time for post-production and polishing but also more time for folks to stop caring or forget the show exists).

There's also an outside chance - less likely by the hour - that ABC might pick up Ghost Whisperer, which CBS unexpectedly canned yesterday (along with a huge stack of other shows, including Cold Case). GW is an ABC-produced program, which makes the show much more valuable to the Alphabet than it is to CBS (this was one of the driving reasons CBS picked up Medium when NBC canceled it last year).

But who cares about all that - you're after cold, hard content, right? Like pretty much everyone else this year, ABC is mostly letting the shows speak for themselves, though personally, I think they might have been better off with log lines...

No Ordinary Family: Reports from the ground came down hard on this one breaking the fourth wall, hoping it's not part of the final cut. I can see how it would be, given it's a hallmark of ABC's biggest breakout hit of last year, Modern Family. I didn't think it was too distracting but then, it's only used to bookend the trailer - it could get old fast if it's overused. Otherwise this looks solid - the story's played straight enough to be fun for us, and it's bright and family-oriented enough for the rest of the viewership.

Detroit 1-8-7: Wait, another drama (excuse me, "mockumentary") breaking the fourth wall? I sense a disturbing trend over at ABC this year... Nothing else really stands out here - it's yet another procedural without a distinct voice.

My Generation: You know, someone really should have been monitoring pilot notes at the network this year because, well, there's this thing called a basket - and there are these other things called eggs... Also, the Bachelorette placement is tacky. It's beneath ABC, and it's beneath us. Steer well clear of this trash - for the three weeks it'll be on the air.

Off the Map: Say what you want about Shonda Rhimes, she gave Caroline Dhavernas another stateside job! Despite the glory of Ms. Wonderfalls though, this is more of the same from Shondaland, so if you (or your SO) isn't watching Grey's or Private Practice, you probably won't see much potential here.

Body of Proof: I couldn't even get through Delaney's diatribe in the second clip. Outside employing refugees from Desperate Housewives and Leverage, I can't see what this show's trying to offer - and it's the lynchpin for ABC's Friday schedule! Something tells me they won't be winning the death slot this year.

The Whole Truth: Tom Donaghy's at least trying something "new" (for recent network TV, at least), so that's to his credit. Sadly, the clips don't convey the concept and this one winds up feeling like every other courtroom drama on the air. That and Joely Richardson backing out after shooting the pilot (ostensibly to "spend more time with her family") do not instill me with a lot of faith this has a shot at outmaneuvering an early cancellation.

Mr. Sunshine: I have a long-standing bromance with Matthew Perry but he's looking tired here. The comedy isn't looking much livelier, and haven't we seen all this before? Matthew Perry and Nate Torrance as overworked, underloved, overwhelmed heads of an entertainment venue, grappling with mid-life crises and fast-talking co-stars... Hm... Give me a sec, it'll come to me...

Better Together: This was reportedly received well by advertisers but I can't for the life of me see why. Sure, it's sporting some respected comedy talent but it's stacking them up on the screen like so much cordwood, waiting for someone to drive by and pitch a lit match out the window. Too bad the road's closed and the forecast calls for rain. I see very little chance of fire here.

Happy Endings: A group of lifelong friends suffering a breakup at the altar... Seems like it'll fuel maybe five episodes before it gets stale. Of course, the same could have been said for How I Met Your Mother and look how that turned out. Still, if there's something to love here, then the net's choice of clips certainly doesn't sell it. The first is dry and depressing, and the second accomplishes little more than showing us Eliza Cuthbert isn't young and cute anymore. I smell another one of those eggs I was talking about, but this one's rolled off into the bushes to rot over the summer.

So yeah, not much happening at ABC next year - unless you like Shonda Rhimes' cooky brand of melodramatic medicine drama or you're in the market for a train wreck spread over five days of prime time. No Ordinary Family is probably the only thing I'll add to the queue, and unless V improves dramatically I may check out of the invasion early. Other than that there's Modern Family and... a vast wasteland. Guess I'll be checking in with ABC again in a year to see if they've found some fresh blood.

One last bit before I head back into the spell grind... the CW picked up Nikita, the latest version of Luc Besson's masterpiece, and some other stuff you probably don't care about, too. Peace out!

[ThunderMonkey]

TNT

This summer, TNT will air seven new or returning originals on four different nights: "The Closer", "Saving Grace", "Dark Blue", "Leverage", "Memphis Beat" (which is really good by the way), "Rizzoli & Isles" and "Hawthorne". Later this year, TNT will bring back "Men of a Certain Age."

In 2011, the network will debut a much-anticipated new series from Steven Spielberg and starring Noah Wyle called "Fallen Skies", while "Southland" returns for a new season.  TNT has also greenlit the buddy lawyer series "Franklin & Bash", starring Mark-Paul Gosselaar (NYPD Blue) and Breckin Meyer (Robot Chicken).  "Franklin & Bash" comes to TNT from Sony Pictures Television and executive producers Jamie Tarses (TNT’s "HawthoRNe", TBS’s "My Boys"), Kevin Falls ("Shark", "The West Wing") and Bill Chais ("Shark", "Dirty Sexy Money").
 
TNT announced these development plans:
 
• UNTITLED DON CHEADLE MEDICAL SHOW – Executive producers Don Cheadle ("Crash", "Iron Man 2"), Kay Liberman ("Traitor") and Lenore Zerman ("Darfur Now") of Crescendo Productions; executive producer Brett King; executive producer/writer Ed Horowitz (Exit Wounds); and producer/writer Norm Solomon focus on 1971 Los Angeles, where a group of idealistic doctors open an urgent-care clinic in hopes of upholding the values that inspired them to become doctors in the first place.  The project comes to TNT from Lionsgate Television and Cheadle’s Crescendo Productions.
 
• GRAYSMITH – Based on the life of cartoonist, writer and part-time private detective Robert Graysmith (author of "Zodiac" and many other books), this series will follow the renaissance man himself as he uses an unconventional approach and unusual skills to solve crimes.  GRAYSMITH comes to TNT from Scott Free Productions and executive producers Ridley Scott ("Robin Hood", "The Good Wife") and Tony Scott ("The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3", "The Good Wife") and executive producer/writer Dan Gordon ("The Hurricane").
 
• GREEN DETECTIVE – Steven Bochco ("NYPD Blue") and Jonathan Abrahams follow a quirky environmentalist who seeks the truth as an insurance adjuster for a big insurance company.
 
• BRAIN TRUST – Dean Devlin (TNT’s "Leverage") and Marco Schnabel (TNT’s The Librarian movie trilogy) delve into the world of an old-fashioned (and recently demoted) detective as he teams with four brilliant but socially awkward, sheltered academics to help him solve crimes. "Brain Trust" comes to TNT from Electric Entertainment.
 
• MISS PHILLY – Executive producer/writer Jamie Foxx ("The Soloist", "Ray"), executive producer/writer Barbara Hall ("Joan of Arcadia", "Judging Amy") and executive producers Marcus King ("The Jamie Foxx Show") and Jaime Rucker King ("Ray") explore the pristine suburbs and urban war zones of Philadelphia, where the mayor has hired the first African-American police commissioner.  She finds herself handling more than she ever expected.
 
• DEAR GOD – Executive producers Mark Gordon ("Private Practice", "Grey’s Anatomy"), Mark Burnett ("Survivor"), Roma Downey ("Touched by an Angel") and Deborah Spera ("Army Wives", "Criminal Minds"), along with writer/executive producer Joel Fields (TNT’s "Rizzoli & Isles"), look into the dead letters bureau at the U.S. Postal Service, where a team of humanitarians try to help those on the verge of losing their faith by answering their letters to God. "Dear God" comes to TNT from ABC Studios.

[Golden Dragon]

Great production day yesterday (details here).

These links that Pat posts usually just dump me to the front page, rather than the page he's aiming for. This isn't the first time I've had this problem. Does anyone know what's going on?

[Crafty_Pat]

Great production day yesterday (details here).

These links that Pat posts usually just dump me to the front page, rather than the page he's aiming for. This isn't the first time I've had this problem. Does anyone know what's going on?

That's odd. I double-check those links and that one goes directly to a blog post. Where does this one send you?

[Golden Dragon]

What's also odd is it just worked for the last two tests. Who knows?

[Crafty_Pat]

What's also odd is it just worked for the last two tests. Who knows?

Both the links work now?

[Nepenthe]

What's also odd is it just worked for the last two tests. Who knows?

Both the links work now?

I'm assuming the web page is set up so that it redirects you to the front page if you haven't been there recently.

It's quite common, even the crafty pages do (or did) it. Kind of a drag when you're going to check something in the wiki

[Crafty_Pat]

Next season will be Smallville's last: Excellent call. It'll let them really blow out the stops and give us a great final run.

And the CBS upfront reports are in, and as those cancellations indicated, there's plenty of change in store over at the Eye. For one thing, they're moving heavy hitters to directly compete with new shows on other networks (Survivor against Undercovers) or slaughter underdogs trying to find their place (Big Bang Theory against Community). Of course, they're playing it off that this is all about lead-ins, and it is - to a degree - but it's pretty clearly also about throwing their weight around and attacking weak chinks in everyone else's armor.

No clips or trailers for the new shows that I've seen yet. It's possible that with so few CBS is holding its cards a little close to the vest this year. They can afford to - it's part of what being #1 for so long earns you.

EDIT: Looks like they did run clips and trailers but I've only seen one so far: the new Hawaii Five-O title sequence, which is awesomely retro. Here's a review of the CBS showing, with a few other details (and a great bit involving Shatner).