Rueben's Ramblings

So far this week I covered the dramas that are up for consideration at both ABC and CBS for the upcoming 2013-2014 TV season; and now today I will focus on the dramas at FOX.

They are listed in alphabetical order below:

Boomerang – This pilot is about a family business fraught with tension, except in this case it’s a family of assassins.

THOSE BEHIND THE SHOW: Davey Holmes (Awake and Pushing Daisies) will write and executive-produce with fellow John Wells and Andrew Stearn (Shameless).

CAST: Felicity Huffman (Desperate Housewives) will play Margie Hamilton, the matriarch of the Hamilton clan and a briskly professional assassin who can kill and dispose of a suspected terrorist in the afternoon then switch to wife and mother mode without a hitch. Anthony LaPaglia (Without a Trace) will play patriarch Bill, Margie’s husband. Michael Stahl-David (Cloverfield) and Patrick Heusinger (Royal Pains) will play brothers Sam and Carl, Maggie’s sons. S. Epatha Merkerson (Law & Order) will guest star as a mysterious agency bureaucrat while Rosa Salazar (Parenthood) will play Olive Chatsworth, the ex-girlfriend who Sam (Stahl-David) has never forgotten. Stephanie Jacobsen (Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles) will play Carl’s wife Angela and mother of their two boys, who is unaware of her husband’s real job.

Delirium – This pilot is based on the best-selling trilogy about a world in which love is deemed illegal. The main focus will be on Lena Holoway, who does the unthinkable just 95 days before a scheduled treatment will remove her ability to love: She meets a great guy.

THOSE BEHIND THE SHOW: Karyn Usher (Prison Break) will write and executive-produce with Peter Chernin and Katherine Pope (New Girl)

CAST: Emma Roberts (Nancy Drew) will play the lead role of Lena Holloway while Daren Kagasoff (The Secret Life of the American Teenager) will play Lena’s love interest Alex who is a police officer. Billy Campbell (The Killing) will play wealthy political leader Thomas Fineman, who is the head of a lobbying organization called Deliria Free America who supports the use of the brain modification that prevents citizens from falling in love and leads to a peaceful, ordered society. Corey Reynolds (The Closer) will play Tack, the strategic, no-bullshit leader of the Resistance Movement. Gregg Sulkin (Pretty Little Liars) will play Julian Fineman, the prep-school heart-throb son of Thomas. Jeanine Mason (Bunheads and So You Think You Can Dance) will play y Lena’s best friend Hana. Michael Michele (ER) will play Senator Elyse Hargrove, an ambitious widow with three children and Presidential aspirations who has a growing opposition to the political insurrection. Brenda Koo (Bling Ring) will play Ren, the best friend of Alex (Kagasoff), a covert revolutionary and opponent of the anti-Deliria operations. Melinda McGraw (Men Of A Certain Age) will play Lydia, the image-conscious wife of Thomas Fineman.

Gang Related – This pilot is about a gang member named Ryan Lopez who is sent in to infiltrate the San Francisco Police Department, rising through its ranks who must balance his obligations to his crime family with an increasing sense of loyalty to his new “family”: the SFPD’s Gang Task Force.

THOSE BEHIND THE SHOW: Writer Chris Morgan (Fast Five) will write and executive-produce with Scott Rosenbaum and Brian Grazer (both from V).

CAST: Ramon Rodriguez (Transformers: Revenge Of The Fallen) will play the lead role of Ryan Lopez. Sung Kang (Fast Five franchise) will play Tae Kim, an Asian gang specialist on loan from the FBI who refuses to celebrate Ryan’s achievements because he considers Ryan’s tactics as dangerous and wasteful. Actress Inbar Lavi (Underemployed) will play Vanessa “Vee” Hicks, the youngest member of the Gang Task Force. Jay Hernandez (Last Resort) will play Dante Acosta, Ryan’s best friend since childhood and the son of gang lord Javier Acosta. Cliff Curtis (Missing and Trauma) will play Javier Acosta who runs La Familia Sud, one of the most dangerous and powerful Latino gangs in San Francisco. Shantel VanSanten (One Tree Hill) will play a doctor who treats Ryan for his bullet wound injuries and the daughter of the gang task force’s captain. Terry O’Quinn (Lost) will play Sam Chapel, a tough, dynamic police chief who oversees the Gang Task Force.

Human – This pilot is an action-packed buddy cop drama set in a future in which LAPD officers are partnered with highly evolved human-like androids. The focus will be on cop John Kennex and his android partner Dorian.

THOSE BEHIND THE SHOW: As stated J.H. Wyman (Fringe) will write and team with J.J. Abrams and Bryan Burk (Lost) as executive producers.

CAST: Michael Ealy (Common Law) will play a lead role as Dorian, a decommissioned DRN-0167 robot that is thrust back into service when his “memories” provide critical intelligence on a newly revived drug cartel. Lily Taylor (Six Feet Under) will play Maldonado, an ambitious and determined police captain who is willing to make sacrifices for the greater good. Michael Irby (The Unit) will play top LAPD Detective Richard Paul who blames Kennex for the death of fellow officers in the traffic mission that casts a pall over the department while British actor Mackenzie Cook (Pirates Of The Caribbean franchise) will play Rudy Lom, the eccentric and underpaid designer of the LAPD’s robotics squad. Minka Kelly (Friday Night Lights) will play Valerie Stahl, a uniformed cop with a strong moral compass who believes the best of people. Karl Urban (Dredd) will play cop John Kennex, who is a respected police officer who has shut down emotionally after a tragic mission left him critically injured. Mekia Cox (Undercovers and 90210) will play the ex-lover to John Kennex.

The List – This pilot is about a U.S. Marshal who leads the hunt for the person who stole “The List,” a file that reveals the identities of everyone in the Federal Witness Security Program, who begin showing up dead.

THOSE BEHIND THE SHOW: Paul Zbyszewski (Daybreak) will write and executive-produce

CAST: Richard T. Jones (Nikita and Judging Amy) will play Elston Rayburn, a Special Agent for the FBI who gets sucked into the search while Michael Pena (End of Watch) will play Dan Soto née Shaker, an Inspector with the U.S. Marshal Service who’s tasked with finding the person who stole the file. Jessica Szohr (Gossip Girl) will play Special Agent Natalie Voss, a fearless FBI agent who detests dealing with the Witness Security Program, but is intrigued by Soto. Gary Cole (Chuck) will play Soto’s boss, Chief Inspector Bob McKinnon, a stand-up, loyal guy who goes to bat for Soto when his maverick inspector gets into hot water, yet again. Tamsin Egerton (Camelot) will play Delilah, a conniving charmer and deadly international operator while Hilarie Burton (One Tree Hill) will play Maddie Soto, Soto’s ex-wife and the mother of his two kids, who is a psychologist.

Rake – This pilot is about Keegan Joye, a brilliant, charming defense attorney whose biggest challenges all exist outside the courtroom: money owed to the IRS and a bookie, overlapping affairs, a cranky kid and his exhausted ex-wife.

THOSE BEHIND THE SHOW: Peter Duncan (creator of the original Australian series on which this pilot is based) and Peter Tolan (Rescue Me) will write and executive produce.

CAST: Greg Kinnear (As Good As It Gets) will star in the lead role while Miranda Otto (The Lord of the Rings franchise) will play Keegan’s ex-wife Maddy. Necar Zadegan (Emily Owens, M.D.) will play Scarlet Meagher, an Assistant DA of the City of Lo Angeles who is old friends of Keegan’s. Bojana Novakovic (Drag Me to Hell) will play Mikki a high-priced prostitute who’s had a five-year relationship with Keegan. John Ortiz (Luck) will play Ben, Keegan’s friend from law school. They are yin and yang and they know it. Ben is conservative, not flashy, an extremely decent family man who recognizes that Keegan is the performer of the two. Together they make quite a team, in and out of court. David Harbour (Pan Am) will play David Potter, the bane of Keegan’s life, a scrupulously honest tax attorney determined to prove Keegan hasn’t been paying his taxes. Tara Summers (Boston Legal) will play Leanne Zander, Keegan’s extremely put-upon but no-nonsense assistant.

Sleepy Hollow – The pilot finds Ichabod Crane transported from the Revolutionary War to present day Sleepy Hollow to be partnered with Detective Abbie Archer to solve the mysteries of a town ravaged by the battle between good and evil.

THOSE BEHIND THE SHOW: Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci (Fringe) will write and executive-produce.

CAST: British actor Tom Mison (Salmon Fishing In the Yemen) will play the lead role of Ichabod Crane while Nicole Beharie (Shame) will play Abbie Archer, who is about to leave for the FBI Academy when she witnesses the brutal murder of someone close to her, and her story is corroborated by only one person — a man called Ichabod Crane. Katia Winter (Dexter) will play Katrina Crane, Ichabod’s stunningly beautiful wife who works as a civilian nurse in the 37th Regiment. Orlando Jones (MADTv) will play Frank Williams née Luis Mendez, a Lieutenant with the Westchester Sheriff’s department who transfers to Sleepy Hollow in order to coordinate the investigation into a double homicide. John Cho (Go On and FlashForward) will play Andy Dunn, a likeable officer who stumbles across Crane in the present day. Katia Winter (Dexter) will play Katrina Crane and Orlando Jones (Men in Trees) will play Lt. Frank Williams.

MOST LIKELY TO BE PICKED-UP: Delirium and Sleepy Hollow

COULD MAYBE GET AN ORDER: Boomerang and Rake

LONG SHOT (but sure would be cool to see it): Human

NOT GONNA HAPPEN: The List

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Yesterday, I covered the dramas that are up for consideration at ABC for the upcoming 2013-2014 TV season; and now today I will focus on the dramas at CBS.

They are listed in alphabetical order below:

The Advocates – This pilot is about a lawyer, Shannon Carter, and an ex-con, Henry Bird, who team up as “victim advocates,” going to the very edge of the law to right wrongs and fight for the underdog.

THOSE BEHIND THE SHOW: Bruno Heller (The Mentalist) will write and executive producer.

CAST: Mandy Moore (A Walk to Remember) will play the lead role of Shannon Carter while Ben McKenzie (Southland and The O.C.) will play the lead role of Henry Bird. Brit Morgan (True Blood) will play Henry’s sister Rose, a tattooed and pierced supermarket cashier. CCH Pounder (Warehouse 13) will play Marjorie Kaplan, the prim but perceptive and tough as nails head of the Victim Advocate Office. Esai Morales (Caprica and Magic City) will play District Attorney Rafael “Raffa” Cortez, who is a sharply focused student of Machiavelli and Bill Clinton, who has a history with Shannon.

The Anatomy of Violence – This pilot is about Adrian Raines, a criminal psychologist who studies sociopaths, who partners with a young female detective with whom he shares a conflicted past.

THOSE BEHIND THE SHOW: Howard Gordon, Alex Gansa and Alex Cary (all producers on Homeland) will write and executive produce.

CAST: Skeet Ulrich (Jericho) will play the lead role of Raines while Amber Tamblyn (Joan of Arcadia and House) will play Abby, a young FBI agent who shared a conflicted past with Raines. David Harewood (Homeland) will play Assistant Special Agent-in-Charge Mike Alejo, Adrian’s boss and friend.

Backstrom – This pilot is based on the Swedish book series about Everett Backstrom, an overweight, irascible detective as he tries and fails to change his self-destructive behavior.

THOSE BEHIND THE SHOW: Hart Hanson, creator and executive producer of Bones, is behind this project.

CAST: Rainn Wilson (The Office) will play the lead role while Dennis Haysbert (The Unit) will play John Almond, one of the detectives who works with Backstrom. Kristoffer Polaha (Ringer) will play Sgt. Peter Niedermayer, the unit’s Forensics Liaison. Thomas Dekker (Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles) will play Valentine, Backstrom’s decorator and underworld connection. Camryn Manheim (The Practice and Ghost Whisperer) will play Police Chief Anna Holt. Mamie Gummer (Emily Owens, M.D.) will play the lead role of Nicole Carlton, a watchful competent police detective.

Beverly Hills Cop – This pilot is the sequel (of sorts) to the movie franchise where Alex Foley’s (Eddie Murphy) son patrols the rich and famous of Beverly Hills.

THOSE BEHIND THE SHOW: Shawn Ryan (The Shield) will write and executive producer with Eddie Murphy.

CAST: Brandon T. Jackson (Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief) will play the lead role of Aaron Foley. Kevin Pollack (Casino and The Usual Suspects) will play Rodney Daloof, the in-house lawyer for the Beverly Hills Police Department. David Denman (Drop Dead Diva) will play Brad, a socially awkward Beverly Hills detective, former baseball player and musician. Sheila Vand (Argo) will play Leila Madani, a Beverly Hills Detective, who gave up a life of privilege for one of independence. Christine Lahti (Jack and Bobby and Hawaii Five-0) will play Helen, the Captain of the Beverly Hills Police Department.

Hostages – This pilot is about a surgeon named Ellen Sanders, who is selected to operate on the President of the United States, an assignment that propels her family into a grand political conspiracy. Her family is taken hostage and the ransom to return them is that she has to kill the President.

THOSE BEHIND THE SHOW: Jeffrey Nachmanoff (The Day After Tomorrow) will write and executive producer along with Jerry Bruckheimer. The pilot is based on an Israeli series.

CAST: Toni Collette (The United States of Tara) will play the lead role with Dylan McDermott (American Horror Story and The Practice) playing an FBI agent tasked with helping the family. Tate Donovan (Damages and Deception) will play Ellen’s husband Brian, a former Ivy League athlete and golden boy who is covering up the fact that his real estate career is now in trouble and he’s fallen into debt. Relative newcomers Quinn Shephard and Mateus Ward will play Ellen’s two children, sullen 17-year-old Danni and well-meaning 15-year-old Jake. Sandrine Holt will play Maria Gonzales, a last-minute replacement on the hostage team. Rhys Coiro (Entourage and A Gifted Man) will play Kramer, the brother-in-law of Duncan (McDermott), the righteous FBI agent at the center of the political conspiracy; Kramer’s involvement in the conspiracy will test his loyalties and add another layer of complication and drama for Duncan. Billy Brown (The Following) will play Archer, who is ex-military with a razor-sharp tongue and a temper who will play an integral part in taking Ellen and her family hostage. James Naughton (Gossip Girl) will play the President of the United States.

Intelligence – This pilot is about the U.S. Cyber Command, a unit that has been created around one agent Gabriel Black who has a very special gift — a microchip has been implanted in his brain that allows him to access the entire electromagnetic spectrum.

THOSE BEHIND THE SHOW: Michael Seitzman (Empire State and North Country) will write and executive-produce.

CAST: Josh Holloway (Lost) will play the lead character with Michael Rady (Emily Owens, M.D.) will play Chris Jameson, a federal investigator. James Martinez (Gravity) will play Gonzalo “Gonzo” Sanchez, a member of the team who is partnered with Chris. Marg Helgenberger (CSI) will play Cybercon director Lillian. Meghan Ory (Once Upon a Time) will play Riley O’Neil, an ex-Secret Service agent taking on the challenge of protecting the nation’s top intelligence asset. John Billingsley (True Blood) will play Dr. William Crispin, a top computer neuroscientist formerly at the U.S. Cyber Command Unit

NCIS: Red – This pilot is, of course, a spin-off of the NCIS franchise in which a small mobile team of agents are forced to live and work together as they crisscross the country solving crimes.

THOSE BEHIND THE SHOW: Shane Brennan, who is the executive producer for both NCIS and NCIS: Los Angeles, of course.

CAST: John Corbett (Northern Exposure) will play Roy Quaid, a former NCIS special agent forced to retire from active service. Kim Raver (24 and Revolution) will play Special Agent Paris Summerskill while Edwin Hodge (Cougar Town and Red Dawn) will play Kai Ashe, a technical assistant, tech savvy computer guy and expert on everything. Scott Grimes (Party of Five and ER) will play Dave an agent who has an eye for clues, a nose for lies and is the team’s forensic specialist. Gillian Alexy (Damages) will play Special Agent Claire, who is educated, worldly and athletic.

The Ordained – The pilot is about Tom Reilly, the son of a Kennedy-esque family who leaves the priesthood to become a lawyer to prevent his politician sister from being assassinated.

THOSE BEHIND THE SHOW: Journalist/author Lisa Takeuchi Cullen will write, while Frank Marshall (War Horse) and Larry Shuman (Devious Maids) will executive producer. War Horse’s

CAST: Charlie Cox (Boardwalk Empire) will play the lead role of Tom Reilly. Hope Davis (In Treatment) will play Tom’s older sister Patricia, a first-term Mayor of New York City. Nestor Serrano (The Day After Tomorrow) will play Hector Nunez, one of the partners at Tom’s new firm who he suspects is behind the plot to kill his sister. Jorge Garica (Lost) will play Carlos, the law firm’s staff investigator. Audra McDonald (Private Practice) will play Anthea, a senior litigator at the firm. Sam Neill (Alcatraz) will play Tom’s dad, Michael Thomas Riley and Emmanuelle Chriqui (Entourage) will play Tom’s next door neighbor Sam.

Reckless – The pilot is a sultry legal show set in Charleston, S.C., where a gorgeous Yankee litigator Jamie and Roy, a Southern city attorney struggle to hide their intense attraction while clashing amidst a police sex scandal.

THOSE BEHIND THE SHOW: Dana Stevens (What About Brian) will write and Ian Sander and Kim Moses (Ghost Whisperer) will executive produce.

CAST: Cam Gigandet (Burlesque and the first Twilight film) will play the title role of Roy while Anna Wood (Deception) will play the lead role of Jamie. Michael Gladis (Mad Men) will play Chief of Police Holland Knox, a family man who radiates integrity. Kim Wayans (In Living Color) will play Vi, Jamie’s paralegal while Georgina Haig (Fringe) will play Lee Anne, a police officer in the Charleston Police Department. Shawn Hatosy (Southland) will play bad-boy police detective Trey. Gregory Harrison will play Dec, a polished, well-connected Charleston attorney, who is Roy’s ex-father-in-law and mentor. Adam Rodriguez (CSI: Miami) will play Preston, a well-respected police detective who works on the Charleston PD alongside Trey.

Second Sight – This pilot is a gothic, psychological thriller that tells the story of a New Orleans detective named Ross Tanner, who suffers from Azoors Syndrome, an ocular eye disorder that saddles him with regular hallucinations but also opens up his subconscious in a way that aids his job.

THOSE BEHIND THE SHOW: Michael Cuesta (Homeland) will write and executive producer with his brother Gerald Cuesta and Carol Mendelsohn (CSI) also as executive producer.

CAST: Jason Lee (Memphis Beat and My Name Is Earl) will play the lead role while Kim Dickens (Treme and Friday Night Lights) will play fellow detective Samantha “Sammy” Wilde. Erik Jensen (CSI) will play fellow detective Daniel “Manischewitz” Bashevis, an Orthodox Jew from a long line of Louisiana Orthodox. Derek Luke (HawthoRNe and Captain America) will play Det. Paul Giroux, a new member of Tanner’s Team, who is after Tanner’s job. Jill Scott (The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency) will play eye doctor Dr. Callier, the specialist who tends to Tanner’s ocular disease. Christina Cole (Chaos) will play Gemma, one of Tanner’s detectives.

The Surgeon General – The pilot is a medical show which centers on Dr. John Sherman, the most powerful doctor in the nation, the Surgeon General.

THOSE BEHIND THE SHOW: Samuel Baum (Lie To Me) will write and executive produce.

CAST: Jason Isaacs (Awake and the Harry Potter franchise) will play the lead role and Kathryn Morris (Cold Case) will play Lydia, the female lead. Katherine McNamara (New Year’s Eve) will play his daughter Lily. Beth Riesgraf (Leverage) will play micro-organisms expert Dr. Page Wyatt. Sean Astin (The Lord of the Rings) will play Dr. Fischer, a psychiatrist who is a member of Dr. Sherman’s team, overseeing the nation’s mental health. Mike Colter (Ringer) will play Connor McCallan, an epidemiologist on his team. Ann Deavere Smith (Nurse Jackie) will play the Vice President while Paul McCrane (ER) will play the President’s Chief of Staff. Miguel Sandoval (Medium) will play Senator Nortega.

MOST LIKELY TO BE PICKED-UP: NCIS: Red and Intelligence

COULD MAYBE GET AN ORDER: Hostages

FOR NOTERIOITY ONLY: Beverly Hills Cop

LONG SHOT: Second Sight

NOT GONNA HAPPEN: The Anatomy of Violence

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