Rueben's Ramblings

Here is the list of pilots under consideration at CBS for the 2014-2015 TV season:

CSI Spin-Off: This pilot will center on Avery Ryan, Special Agent in Charge at the Cyber Crime Division of the FBI in Quantico, who is tasked with solving high-octane crimes that start in the mind, live on-line, and play out into the real world.

THOSE BEHIND THE SHOW: Anthony E. Zuiker (CSI creator), Carol Mendelsohn, Ann Donahue, Jonathan Littman (all three at CSI) and Jerry Bruckheimer

CAST: Patricia Arquette (Medium)

Madame Secretary: The pilot explores the personal and professional life of a maverick female Secretary of State as she drives international diplomacy, wrangles office politics and balances a complex family life.

THOSE BEHIND THE SHOW: Barbara Hall (Joan of Arcadia), actor Morgan Freeman, Lori McCreary (Invictus), Tracy Mercer (Beyond the Wormhole) and David Semel

CAST: Tea Leoni (The Naked Truth), Tim Daly (Private Practice), Geoffrey Arend (Body of Proof), Patina Miller (The Hunger Games: Mockingjay), Bebu Neuwirth (Frasier and Cheers), relative newcomers Katherine Herzer and Erich Bergen

NCIS: New Orleans: The New Orleans NCIS office handles cases from Pensacola through Mississippi and Louisiana to the Texas panhandle.

THOSE BEHIND THE SHOW: Gary Glasberg (NCIS), actor Mark Harmon and Tony Wharmby (NCIS)

CAST: Scott Bakula (Quantum Leap), Zoe McLellan (Dirty Sexy Money), CCH Pounder (Warehouse 13), Paige Turco (The 100 and Person of Interest) and Lucas Black (Fast & Furious 3: Tokyo Drift)

Only Human: A soapy medical show centered around quadruplets, three brothers and a sister, who grew up on a reality show.

THOSE BEHIND THE SHOW: David Marshall Grant (Brothers & Sisters), Carl Beverly (Elementary), Sarah Timberman (Justified and Unforgettable) and David Garrett (Step Up)

CAST: Jamie Leigh Curtis (Freaky Friday and NCIS), Ashton Holmes (Nikita and Revenge), Nick Jandl (Green Lantern) and relative newcomer Cameron Scoggins

Red Zone: This drama revolves around a retired CIA officer who’s pulled back into action after a terrorist attack hits Washington, D.C.

THOSE BEHIND THE SHOW: Nikki Toscano (Revenge)

CAST: Anthony LaPaglia (Without a Trace), Samantha Mathis (Under the Dome), Kim Dickens (Friday Night Lights), Aimee Garcia (Dexter), Kevin Rahm (Mad Men and Desperate Housewives), Graham Rogers (Revolution), Sepideh Moafi (upcoming Black Box), and Shanley Caswell (The Conjuring)

Scorpion: Inspired by the true story of Walter O’Brien, a real-life Professor X who recruited and trained other geniuses from around the world to work together to save lives and solve problems from casino security to Military Drone warfare.

THOSE BEHIND THE SHOW: Nick Santora (Prison Break), Scooter Braun (The Giver), Heather Kadin (Sleepy Hollow), Alex Kurtzman, Roberto Orci (both from Sleepy Hollow) and Justin Lin (Fast and Furious franchise)

CAST: Actor Elyes Gabel (Game of Thrones and Body of Proof), Katharine McPhee (Smash), Robert Patrick (The Unit) and Eddie Kaye Thomas (American Dad)

Untitled Ben Cavell/Taylor Elmore Project: This pilot is set in the world of Wall Street power and money.

THOSE BEHIND THE SHOW: Ben Cavell (Justified), actor John Cusack, Taylor Elmore (Justified), Sarah Timberman and Carl Beverly (both from Elementary)

CAST: Charlie Cox (Stardust and Boardwalk Empire), Maggie Grace (Lost), David Morse (Treme and The Green Mile) Sophie Okonedo (Hotel Rwanda and After Earth) and Joseph Lyle Taylor (The Dark Knight Rises)

Untitled Kevin Williamson Project: A psychological thriller centered around a pair of detectives who handle stalking cases for the Los Angeles Police Department.

THOSE BEHIND THE SHOW: Kevin Williamson (The Vampire Diaries and The Following)

CAST: Dylan McDermott (Hostages and American Horror Story), Maggie Q (Nikita and Divergent), Mariana Klaveno (True Blood and Devious Maids) Aubrey Dollar (Women’s Murder Club and 666 Park Avenue) and Victor Rasuk (How to Make It in America)

MOST LIKELY TO BE PICKED-UP: Madame Secretary

WILL PROBABLY GET AN ORDER: CSI Spin-Off and new NCIS franchise

LONG SHOT (but it sure would be cool to see it): Scorpion and Red Zone

RIP-OFF OF THE SEASON: Only Human (don’t we have enough reality already that we have to make a scripted series be about a reality series family?)

NOT GONNA HAPPEN: Untitled Ben Cavell/Taylor Elmore Project

CBS has also already given an order for the following direct-to-series drama:

Battle Creek – The series is about two detectives with very different worldviews who are teamed up and must answer the question: Are cynicism, guile and deception enough to clean up the semi-mean streets of Battle Creek, Michigan in the face of a complete lack of resources; or is the exact opposite true – it takes naïveté, trust and a boatload of resources?

THOSE BEHIND THE SHOW: Vince Gilligan (Breaking Bad), David Shore (House), Mark Johnson (Breaking Bad) and Melissa Bernstein (Breaking Bad)

CAST: Janet McTeer (The White Queen), Dean Winters (Oz), Josh Duhamel (Las Vegas) and Kal Penn (House)