Rueben's Ramblings

Every spring is pilot season in TV land, and that means lots of casting news, lots of proposed pilots – be they comedies or dramas – and lots of  speculation about what the next big hit will be from the new crop.  As any avid viewer of television knows, hundreds of pilots are made every TV season with very few actually making it to the air.

Each season there is that one “hot” pilot that all the critics and bloggers talk about as a sure thing, but then seems to slip through the cracks.  Or the one pilot that the major networks simply won’t take a chance on because it’s too “niche” for their viewers (in the eyes of the powers that be anyway). But, here are some hot pilots that you won’t see this year even though maybe they should be seen:

1. The SETI-Files – This new drama, a modern day, offbeat version of The X-Files is set to air on Syfy with Lee Pace (Pushing Daisies) and Lennie James (Jericho) as the “Mulder and Scully” of the SETI (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence) Institute. The show is Warehouse 13 meets The X-Files with a dose of Psych mixed in. Marley Shelton (The Eleventh Hour) is their no-nonsense boss.

TAGLINE: “There are no aliens, but these guys think there are.”

2. Scarecrow & Mr. King – This remake of the ’80s classic comes to ABC Family with a twist: Scarecrow is a world-renowned female spy – think Angelina Jolie in Mr. & Mrs. Smith without all the marriage foibles to get in the way. The pilot stars Shannen Doherty (Charmed) [Not Pictured] as Scarecrow and Nick Wechsler (Roswell) as the well-rounded, but slightly bumbling, single dad Mr. King, who is swept up into the world of espionage due to an accidental meeting with Scarecrow at a Starbucks in Los Angeles. Sean Patrick Flannery (The Dead Zone) is Scarecrow’s enigmatic handler and an as-yet to be cast newcomer will portray Mr. King’s 4-year-old precocious daughter.

TAGLINE: “With a spy like this, what could go wrong?”

3. Victor Marsh – This USA Network series is the male version of Veronica Mars with under-estimated gumshoe detective Victor Marsh (Jason Dohring, Moonlight), teaming up with a rookie female cop (Felicia Day, Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along-Blog), who is looking to get ahead after an unfortunate incident makes her persona non-grata at her station.

TAGLINE: “If only crimes were actually THAT easy to solve.”

4. Moonlighting: After Dark – This updated version of the seminal classic will air on TBS and features newcomers Dillon Casey (Being Erica) and Arielle Kebbel (Gilmore Girls) in the roles of Daniel Addington and Margaret “Margie” Harris – the owners of the “After Dark” detective agency. Fran Kranz (Dollhouse) plays their quirky office assistant, Auggie DeNardo, who reluctantly gets roped into their assignments.

TAGLINE: “When you need help, call Moonlighting After Dark.”

5. The Pretender – TNT updates the 1990’s series about boy genius Jason, who is held prisoner by the Centre, a secret agency that turns him into a man (Brian Austin Green, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles) who can become anyone he wants to be. After escaping, Jason sets out to help those he encounters during his travels to find his missing family while being hunted by Miss Patrick (Dichen Lachman, Dollhouse). Mr. Patrick, the enigmatic Centre master, will be played by Alan Dale (Lost), David Conrad (Ghost Whisperer) is Mr. Long – who turns out to Miss Patrick’s ne’er-do-well half brother – and Alex Arsenault (Caprica) is the Centre’s computer geek Bronx.

TAGLINE: “This little mouse won’t be stuck in their maze anymore.”

6. Angie Strong – This gritty FX pilot features Angie Strong (Jaimie Alexander, Kyle XY) going off to the FBI Academy after high school, where she worked alongside her sheriff-turned-private-investigator dad (think Veronica Mars, all grown up). Angie makes a name for herself quickly only to rock the boat with the other rookies. Enver Gjokaj (Dollhouse) will star as Mackenzie “Mack” Reynolds, Angie’s mentor at the Academy.

TAGLINE: “If the job doesn’t kill you, it will only make you stronger.”

7. Remington Steele – In this remake of the ’80s hit for TNT, Minka Kelly (Friday Night Lights) stars as Lauren Holten, the owner of Lauren Holten Investigations who can’t get her clients to take her seriously. In order to get ahead, she recreates her agency as Remington Steele Investigations. After an inadvertent run-in with renowned jewel thief Jack Daniel “J.D.” Williams (Brandon Routh, Chuck), Lauren reluctantly asks him to take on the persona of Remington Steele for one case to establish herself as a private investigator. Despite their vast differences, he and Lauren discover they work really well together. Brea Grant (Heroes) is Lauren’s girl Friday, Trish, who doesn’t trust J.D. and is always looking out for Lauren’s best interests.

TAGLINE: “Behind every great man stands an even more impressive woman getting the job done.”

8. Austenland – Based on the novel by Shannon Hale, this pilot for ABC takes viewers on a trip to Pembrooke House, an exclusive resort in England where visitors are immersed in the world of Jane Austen – no cell phones allowed! – and, perhaps, fall in love with their very own Mr. Darcy or Lizzie. Starring Elizabeth Reaser (The Ex List and the Twilight franchise) as modern “spinster” Jane Hayes who is gifted a trip to Pembrooke House by her late aunt, Richard Armitage (MI-5) as the very proud Mr. Nobley, Laurence Penry-Jones (Doctors) as handsome gardener Martin, and Judy Geeson (Gilmore Girls) as the resort’s proprietor, Mrs. Wattlesbrook.

TAGLINE: “Who knew finding Mr. Darcy meant no cell phones?”

Sadly, none of the above shows are actual television pilots being considered or even pitched this television season to any of the networks; instead they are the fictitious fancy of myself and my friends at NiceGirlsTV.  These are the shows my friends and I would watch and watch faithfully. Now the question is: why isn’t Hollywood making any of them?!

[NOTE: Additional writing for this article was provided by my fellow NiceGirlsTV.com writers Tiffany and Mel.]

[SECOND NOTE:  Pictures of all the actors for each of these ficitious pilots are included except for Shannon Doherty, as she is widely recognizable by the mass majority of readers while the rest of the actors and actresses may or may not be known by the readers.]