About a month ago, I posted details on some of the pilots that are being developed and considered for possible pick-up as a series by the five major networks. In an effort to keep TV fans informed about these potential new shows, I wanted to provide updates on casting and more details on these pilots where possible. I also thought it would be a good idea to provide insights on which shows have the best shot at actually being picked up for the fall.
Over on ABC, the following pilots are being filmed:
Charlie's Angels
The remake of the 1970’s classic Charlie’s Angels will be set in modern-day Miami, starring Minka Kelly (Friday Night Lights), Rachael Taylor (Transformers and Grey’s Anatomy) and Annie Ilonzeh (General Hospital) as the Angels. Ramon Rodriguez (Transformers II) will star as Bosley and Robert Wagner (Hart to Hart) will provide the voice of Charlie. The project comes from the original series’ producer Leonard Goldberg, actress Drew Barrymore (who, of course, starred in the box office film versions) and Smallville producers Miles Millar and Al Gough.
VERDICT: While this show has the nostalgia factor and a hot cast in its favor, remakes of TV shows have not had the best success rate over the last few seasons. If Knight Rider and Bionic Woman are any examples by which to judge, Charlie’s Angels could be dead in the water before it even starts.
Kerry Washington
The drama Damage Control stars Kerry Washington (Ray) as a professional “fixer,” based on the career of Judy Smith, the legendary crisis management consultant, who over the course of the last 20 years has guided numerous corporations, politicians, celebrities and public figures through crises and scandals. The cast includes Henry Ian Cusick (Lost), Liza Weil (Gilmore Girls), Columbus Short (Stomp the Yard), Jeff Perry (Grey’s Anatomy), Darby Stanchfield (Jericho), Katie Lowes (Easy Money), Guillermo Diaz (Weeds) and Tony Goldwyn (Ghost). The show comes from Shonda Rhimes, Betsy Beers and Judy Smith.
VERDICT: Crisis management as the key premise of a series, really? I have big doubts that this type of series would draw enough viewers on a consistent basis to garner the ratings necessary to even allow it to have a full-season order of episodes. Despite the power of Shonda Rimes and the interesting cast, this pilot just won’t hold water.
James Wolk
Georgetown is the sexy soap that follows four young people – Jimmy Wolk (Lone Star), Katie Cassidy (Melrose Place and Supernatural), Daisy Betts (Persons Unknown) and Joseph Mazzello (The Social Network and The Pacific) – who work for the power brokers of Washington, D.C. The executive producers are Josh Schwartz (Chuck) and Stephanie Savage (Gossip Girl). The cast also includes Tiya Sircar (The Vampire Diaries and 17 Again), Kevin Zegers (Gossip Girl and The Jane Austen Book Club) and Wendy Crewson (24 and Air Force One). Additionally, Boris Kodjoe (Undercovers) will appear as Sam’s boss, a White House senior adviser.
VERDICT: Despite a great cast and an interesting premise, this pilot sounds like another failed Washington DC pilot from a few seasons ago – Body Politic (which starred – among others – Jason Dohring and Minka Kelly) – that was one of the most talked about unseen pilots of that season. If this show does succeed in getting a pick-up order for the fall season, it could potentially fit on Sunday nights after Desperate Housewives since there is a good chance that Brothers & Sisters isn’t coming back for another season; but the chance of a pick-up is slim at best.
Cast of Grace
The drama Grace stars actor Eric Roberts as a famous choreographer whose womanizing ways have produced three daughters – Sarah (Abigail Spencer from Mad Men and HawthoRNe), a lawyer; Shay (Sherri Saum from In Treatment), a photographer and Eden (newcomer Anabelle Acosta), a teenager – all with different mothers. The cast includes Will Kemp (Van Helsing), Eion Bailey (Covert Affairs), Chris Carmack (The O.C.) and Robert Hoffman (Vanished). The pilot is executive produced by Krista Vernoff and Carrie Ann Inaba (Dancing With the Stars).
VERDICT: A series about a philandering choreographer starring Eric Roberts, seriously? I don’t care how popular the reality show Dancing With the Shows is with the general viewing audience, there is not enough of a draw for viewers to tune into a show such as this week after week.
Leslie Bibb
The drama Good Christian Bitches is about former high school mean girl Amanda (Leslie Bibb), who returns to Dallas after her marriage ends in scandal, hoping for a second chance with those she once bullied. Among the cast are Kristin Chenoweth (Pushing Daisies), Jennifer Aspen (Glee), David James Elliott (JAG), Annie Potts (Designing Women), Mark Deklin (Lone Star), Marisol Nichols (The Gates) and Miriam Shor (Damages). Darren Star (Sex and the City) is one of the executive producers.
VERDICT: Yes, the name of this pilot could be seen as disturbing especially to those of the Christian faith or even to those who tend to be more sensitive; but different is actually better sometimes. And, with the power of Kristin Chenoweth and Darren Star behind the scenes and in front of the camera, well, those two things could be the deciding factors for its success. And, Desperate Housewives has to end at some point and this show could take over that niche market.
Cast of Hallellujah
The new drama from Executive Producer Marc Cherry called Hallelujah is set in a Tennessee town that is being torn apart by the forces of good and evil until a stranger arrives to restore the residents’ faith. The cast includes Jesse L. Martin (Law & Order), Donal Logue (Terriers), Terry O’Quinn (Lost), Arielle Kebbel (The Vampire Diaries), Della Reese (Touched By An Angel), Frances O’Connor (Cashmere Mafia) and Zoey Deutch (The Suite Life on Deck). Brett Cullen (The Gates) and Jonathan Scarfe (Raising the Bar) will guest star in the pilot.
VERDICT: Just looking over the cast members for this pilot is impressive and the fact that the creator is the man who brought Desperate Housewives to the small screen should speak volumes. But a great cast and a talented show runner does not always make the best new show. If none of the other pilots on this list make it, then perhaps this pilot has a chance, but that is a slim possibility.
Angela Bassett
The cop drama Identity centers on an elite unit formed to combat identity-related crimes and stars Angela Bassett (ER), Orlando Jones (Drumline), Bree Turner (The Ugly Truth) and Jay Paulson (October Road). It is rumored that Wentworth Miller (Prison Break) and Tony Curran (The Pillars of the Earth and Underworld Evolution) will also be part of the cast. One of the executive producers is Mark Gordon (the man behind Private Practice, Army Wives and Grey’s Anatomy).
VERDICT: Identity theft? Is this enough of a premise to keep a series going short-term or long-term? I don’t know! Maybe the fact that Wentworth Miller is rumored to be part of the cast could help the show be picked up; but I doubt it.
Jennifer Morrison
From Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz – the men behind the 2009 Star Trek – comes the fairy tale inspired drama pilot called Once Upon a Time about what happens when a young boy who purports to be a woman’s (Jennifer Morrison from House) son shows up on her doorstep, drawing her into a town where the magic and mystery of fairy tales may be real and could hold the key to unlocking the mysteries of her troubled past. The cast includes Ginnifer Goodwin (Big Love), Lana Parrilla (Miami Medical), Robert Carlyle (Stargate Universe), Josh Dallas (who will be seen in the upcoming movie Thor) and Raphael Sbarge (Prison Break).
GinniferGoodwin
VERDICT: While fairy tales are becoming increasingly more and more popular – especially if you look at some of the upcoming box office films – is the general viewing audience really going to flock to a weekly series focusing on fairy tale characters that are seemingly real? I highly doubt it even if the cast includes Ginnifer Goodwin and Robert Carlyle.
Christina Ricci
The 60’s-themed Pan Am follows the stewardesses and pilots of the titular airline and their glamorous world full of exciting adventures. Stars include Christina Ricci (Sleepy Hollow), Kelli Garner (My Generation), Jonah Lotan (Generation Kill), Michael Mosley (Scrubs) and Will Chase (Rescue Me). Among the producers are Jack Orman (ER and JAG) and Tommy Schlamme (The West Wing).
VERDICT: Just because Mad Men worked for AMC doesn’t mean that a 60’s themed series about a particular airline and its “glamorous” world is going to make ratings gold for ABC. Turn around fast and don’t board that plane.
Scottie Thompson
In the pilot Partners, Scottie Thompson (NCIS and Mercy) and Annie Wersching (24) will play two female police detectives who are fiercely loyal to one another because they are also secretly sisters. Among the other cast members are Kenneth Mitchell (Jericho), Frances Fisher (Eureka), Michael Beach (Third Watch), Nestor Serrano (24) and Lawrence Gilliard Jr. (The Beast). The pilot was created by Edward Bernero (the man behind Criminal Minds).
VERDICT: As much as I like both leads in this pilot, that doesn’t mean that yet another police drama is going to be picked up by the network let alone have it end up being any kind of ratings success. In a “perfect” world this show would fit into the niche of dramas like Castle and the new series Body of Proof, but I just don’t see it happening.
Chris Egan
Chris Egan (Kings) will star in the pilot Poe as the title character – Edgar Allan Poe – in this period crime drama about the sleuth who uses unconventional methods to investigate dark mysteries in 1840s Boston. The cast includes Tabrett Bethell (Legend of the Seeker), Natalie Dormer (The Tudors), Kevin McNally (Pirates of the Caribbean franchise) and Leslie Odom, Jr. (CSI: Miami). Chris Hollier (Alias and Kyle XY) is the creator.
VERDICT: While TV shows with a unique premise do not always have the best track record on ABC (or any other network for that matter) [examples Pushing Daisies and Eli Stone], this particular pilot has been getting the right kind of buzz from critics since its inception was announced. It also has a terrific cast and could become a big hit.
Emily Van Camp
Emily Thorne (Emily Van Camp from Brothers & Sisters and Everwood) has a secret. She’s new to the Hamptons. She’s rented a beautiful house on the water for the summer and she has been welcomed into the spectacular community by her neighbors. Little do they know, though, that every kind gesture is an invitation to their own downfall in the prime time soap called Revenge from Mike Kelley (Swingtown). Among the cast are Nick Wechsler (Roswell), Connor Paolo (Gossip Girl), Gabriel Mann (Mad Men), Ashley Madekwe (Secret Diary of a Call Girl), Madeline Stowe (The Last of the Mohicans) and Henry Czerny (The Tudors).
VERDICT: This modern-day reimagning of the Count of Monte Cristo with a female protagonist should be near the top of the list for pick-up, but despite an interesting cast and a talented show-runner, a revenge storyline will be hard to maintain for the long haul; and it will be hard to maintain a large enough audience to make it worthwhile for the show to last beyond a 13-episode order.
Leslie Hope
When a famed adventurer and TV personality (Bruce Greenwood) goes missing in the Amazon, his family (Joe Anderson and Leslie Hope) tries to find him in the drama The River, which comes from Oren Peli and Jason Blum. The rest of the cast includes Eloise Mumford (Lone Star), Thomas Kretschmann (Valkyrie) and Paul Blackthorne (The Gates and The Dresden Files).
VERDICT: The premise for this show is obviously geared toward the adventurous, but how long can that hold up with the viewing public? Just because a pilot has an interesting storyline and some great cast members, doesn’t mean that it will work over the entire season or beyond. This would make a better two-hour made-for-TV movie or a 4- or 6-hour mini-series, but not a year-round TV series.
So, where does all this leave ABC? They should move forward with Good Christian Bitches and Poe giving each full-season pick-ups for the 2011-2012 fall season, they should drop Pan Am and Grace immediately and they can perhaps consider keeping Hallelujah, Georgetown and Partners for possible mid-season pick-ups, depending on the outcome of their fall line-up. Lastly, they could perhaps consider giving Once Upon a Time a time-slot next summer as filler for any open programming holes.
More pilot watch updates will be coming over the next week (or so) with a look at the CBS pilots up next.
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