Rueben's Ramblings

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

Babylon Fields: The dead are rising in Babylon, NY, and as a result, lives are regained, old wounds are reopened and families are restored — for better or worse. The newly regenerated bodies are healing faster and growing stronger than anyone else, leading to the suspicion that they might be the next step in human evolution.

THOSE BEHIND THE SHOW: Michael Cuesta (Elementary) and newcomers Gerald Cuesta and Michael Atkinson

CAST: Meagan Good (Deception), Skeet Ulrich (Jericho), S. Epatha Merkerson (Law & Order), Kyle Schmid (Copper and Blood Ties), Virginia Madsen (Witches of East End), Ritchie Coster (Luck and The Blacklist) and Yul Vazquez (Treme)

Coercion: This pilot is a thriller revolving around the O’Connor family and their son, Alex, a decorated American war hero and CIA analyst who is a true patriot and loves his country and family. Unbeknownst to him, both of his parents and his sister are part of a dormant Russian sleeper cell that has just been reactivated. Once the parents are reluctantly pulled back in, the stakes rise they are coerced into spying on their own son and turning him against his country.

THOSE BEHIND THE SHOW: Newcomers Amit Cohen and Ron Leshem, George Nolfi (The Adjustment Bureau) and Avi Nir (Homeland)

CAST: Relative newcomer Gavin Stenhouse, Hope Davis (About Schmidt), Margarita Levieva (Revenge), Kenneth Choi (Ironside), Scott Cohen (Gilmore Girls), Annie Ilonzeh (Arrow, Drop Dead Diva and Charlie’s Angels), Alexandra Peters (Sage Paints the Sky) and Morgan Spector (Person of Interest)

Constantine: Based on the characters in DC Comics’ stories about John Constantine, an enigmatic and irreverent con man-turned-reluctant supernatural detective who is thrust into the role of defending us against dark forces from beyond.

THOSE BEHIND THE SHOW: Daniel Cerone (Dexter), David S. Goyer (Batman Begins) and DC comics writer Geoff Johns

CAST: Matt Ryan (Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior), Lucy Griffiths (True Blood and Robin Hood), Harold Perrineau (Lost) and Charles Halford (The Event)

Mysteries of Laura: Based on the popular Spanish series Los Misterios De Laura, it follows the life and relationships of a female homicide detective who can handle murderous criminals — but not her evil twins.

THOSE BEHIND THE SHOW: Jeff Rake (Cashmere Mafia), Greg Berlanti (Arrow) and Aaron Kaplan (Terra Nova)

CAST: Debra Messing (Smash and Will & Grace), Josh Lucas (The Firm), Laz Alonzo (Breakout Kings) and Janina Gavankar (True Blood and Arrow)

Odyssey: Traffic-like thriller that revolves around three families whose lives are torn apart when a stranded female soldier, a disillusioned corporate attorney and a disrespected political activist are pulled into the same shocking international military conspiracy.

THOSE BEHIND THE SHOW: Adam Armus (Heroes), Nora Kay Foster (The Following) and actor Peter Horton

CAST: Peter Facinelli (Nurse Jackie), Daniella Pineda (The Originals), Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbage (Lost), Anna Friel (Pushing Daisies), Treat Williams (Everwood), Nate Mooney (It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia), Jake Robinson (The Carrie Diaries) and relative newcomer Elena Kampouris

Salvation: Set against the backdrop of a prominent Texas church where faith, family and corruption are explored in equal measure. It centers on Jennifer Strickland, who has to defend her children, church and religious beliefs after her husband dies under mysterious circumstances.

THOSE BEHIND THE SHOW: Liz Heldens (Deception) and David Janollari (Six Feet Under)

CAST: Ashley Judd (Missing), Ryan McPartlin (Chuck), Warren Kole (Common Law) and Ron Brown (Treme) and Danny Huston (Magic City and X-Men Origins: Wolverine)

State of Affairs: The pilot centers on a key CIA attaché who counsels the president on high-stakes incidents around the world. She balances her intense political responsibilities with a complicated personal life.

THOSE BEHIND THE SHOW: Katherine Heigl (Grey’s Anatomy), Alexi Hawley (Castle), Joe Carnahan (The Blacklist), Robert Simonds (This Means War) and Julia Franz (Made in Jersey)

CAST: Katherine Heigl (Grey’s Anatomy) and Cliff Chamberlain (Chicago-based theatre actor), Sheila Vand (Argo), Adam Kaufman (Without a Trace), Tommy Savas (Hollywood Heights), Leslie Odom Jr. (Smash) and Alfre Woodard

Tin Man: Psychological crime thriller set in the near future focuses on a fugitive robot accused of first-degree murder, who may hold the key to the future of human evolution, and the young female public defender forced to fight for his cause.

THOSE BEHIND THE SHOW: Ehren Kruger (The Ring, Transformers) and Daniel Bobker (The Skeleton Key)

CAST: Patrick Heusinger (Revolution and Gossip Girl), Kathleen York (Crash and The Client List), Vondie Curtis-Hall (Chicago Hope), Kristen Connolly (House of Cards) and Shaun Toub (Homeland)

MOST LIKELY TO BE PICKED-UP: Mysteries of Laura (as long as they can make Debra’s character serious)

COULD MAYBE GET AN ORDER: Constantine

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

RIP-OFF OF THE SEASON: Babylon Fields (did anyone hear of The Returned or Resurrection?)

NOT GONNA HAPPEN: Salvation and Odyssey

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

Emerald City: This new series is a modern and dark reimagining of the classic tale of Oz that includes lethal warriors, competing kingdoms, and the infamous wizard as we’ve never seen him before. A headstrong 20-year-old Dorothy Gale is unwittingly sent on a journey that thrusts her into the center of an epic and bloody battle for the control of Oz.

THOSE BEHIND THE SHOW: Matthew Arnold (Siberia), Josh Friedman (Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles)

CAST: None so far