Rueben's Ramblings

Every year the major networks pick up orders for nothing short of a hundred or more pilots for proposed new shows for each TV season. This year is not unlike any other year with a plethora of projects by big name show-runners all the way down to first-timers trying to get their ideas made into a pilot and eventually getting a series order from one of the major networks.

In this upcoming series of articles, I will focus on each of the five major networks, spotlighting the more notable pilots that are being considered for the 2011-2012 TV season.

Please keep in mind, however, that while there are countless pilots being discussed by each of the major networks right now, very few of those will actually make it to the air.

The following are some of the more-talked-about pilots from CBS:

Rina Mimoun, the creator of the short-lived CW series Privileged, has created the pilot called The Doctor that will center on Emily Campbell, a mother who reconnects with her grown-up children when she joins her family’s medical practice. Emily will be played by Emmy winning actress Christine Lahti.

Meanwhile the man behind Alias and Lost – J.J. Abrams – is at the helm of the pilot called Person of Interest, starring Lost alum Michael Emerson, who will play a mysterious billionaire helping an ex-CIA agent, presumed dead, to fight crime in New York City.

Sarah Michelle Gellar just might be back on network TV in the pilot called Ringer about a troubled young woman on the run who hides out by living the life of her wealthy twin sister, until she learns her sibling’s life has a bounty on it as well. The pilot will include actors Ioan Gruffudd (Fantastic Four) and Nestor Carbonell (Lost).

Robert DeNiro has stepped into the TV arena with the pilot called Rookies that will star Leelee Sobieski. The pilot will focus on NYPD cops as they balance their personal lives with learning the mean streets of Manhattan.

An update to the 1960’s series The Wild Wild West is being brought to the network by Ron Moore, the man behind the reimagining of Battlestar Galactica. While casting has yet to be announced for this new version, the revamped version will follow the adventures of two Secret Service agents who traveled the country in a “tricked-out” train.

Screenwriter Susannah Grant, who wrote the films Erin Brockovich, is hoping her pilot that has yet to be named about an ultra-competitive surgeon whose life is changed forever when his ex-wife dies and begins teaching him about life from the hereafter will be picked up as a series. The pilot is set to star Patrick Wilson (Phantom of the Opera and Morning Glory).

There are at least 8 other dramatic pilots being considered by CBS; and again, there is no guarantee that any of these will be picked up for series by the network. The final decisions will be made by the powers that be at the network in late spring and announced in May at the New York upfront presentations.