Rueben's Ramblings

Here are the NBC pilots up for consideration for the 2019-2020 TV season:

Bluff City Law – A character-driven legal drama that follows the lawyers of an elite Memphis law firm that specializes in the most controversial landmark civil rights cases. Led by legendary lawyer Elijah Strait and his brilliant daughter, Sydney Keller, they take on the toughest David-and-Goliath cases while navigating their complicated relationship.

THOSE BEHIND THE SCENES:  Dean Georgaris, David Janollari and Michael Aguliar

CAST: Jimmy Smits (NYPD Blue), Caitlin McGee (Grey’s Anatomy, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel), Barry Sloane (Six, Revenge), Michael Luwoye (The Gifted), Stony Blyden (Edge of Seventeen), Jayne Atkinson (House of Cards) and MaameYaa Boafo (Thru 25)

Council of Dads – Scott Perry’s life is thrown into upheaval when he gets a potentially terminal diagnosis. Facing mortality, he and his wife, Robin, assemble a unique group of carefully chosen friends to support his family and guide them through the ups and downs of life’s many challenges. Inspired by the bestselling memoir by Bruce Feiler.

THOSE BEHIND THE SCENES:  Tony Phelan, Joan Rater, Jerry Bruckheimer, Jonathan Littman, KristieAnne Reed, James Oh and Bruce Feiler

CAST: Clive Standen (Taken), Sarah Wayne Callies (Colony, The Walking Dead), J. August Richards (Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.), Michele Weaver (Love Is___), Michael O’Neill (Scandal, Rectify), Steven Silver (13 Reasons Why), Emjay Anthony (Rake), Thalia Tran (the upcoming movie Little) and newcomer Blue Chapman

Emergence – A character-driven genre thriller about a sheriff who takes in a young child that she finds near the site of a mysterious accident and who has no memory of what has happened. The investigation draws the sheriff into a conspiracy larger than she ever imagined, and the child’s identity is at the center of it all.

THOSE BEHIND THE SCENES:  Michele Fazekas, Tara Butters, Paul McGuigan and Robert Atwood

CAST: Allison Tolman (Fargo), Alexa Skye Swinton (Billions), Owain Yeoman (The Mentalist), Donald Faison (Scrubs), Robert Bailey Jr. (The Night Shift), Clancy Brown (Billions, Sleepy Hollow), Ashley Aufderheide (The Slap) and Zabryna Guevara (New Amsterdam)

Lincoln – Based on the bestselling book series about Lincoln Rhyme, a legendary forensic criminologist who was seriously injured during his hunt for the diabolic serial killer known as the Bone Collector. Called back into action when the killer re-emerges, Lincoln forms a unique partnership with Amelia Sachs, a young beat cop who helps him hunt the deadly mastermind while also taking on the most high-profile cases in the NYPD.

THOSE BEHIND THE SCENES:  VJ Boyd, Mark Bianculli, Avi Nir, Alon Shtruzman, Peter Traugott and Rachel Kaplan

CAST: Russell Hornsby (Proven Innocent, Grimm), Arielle Kebbel (Midnight, Texas), Michael Imperioli (The Sopranos), Tate Ellington (The Brave, Quantico), Courtney Grosbeck (Homeland, The Bold and the Beautiful), Ramses Jimenez (Fear the Walking Dead), Brooke Lyons (Life Sentence, iZombie) and Roslyn Ruff (Divorce)

Prism – A provocative exploration of a murder trial in which every episode is told through the perspective of a different key person involved. Each new version of the facts ratchets up the mystery and the suspense, calling into question everything we have seen so far and asking: Is the right person on trial? Driven by an ensemble of complicated characters, the show lets the audience ask if truth matters less than who can tell the most compelling story.

THOSE BEHIND THE SCENES:  Daniel Barnz, Carol Mendelsohn, Julie Weitz and Ben Barnz

CAST: Malin Akerman (Billions), Ramon Rodriguez (The Affair), Sara Rue (Bones, Less Than Perfect), Mykelti Williamson (Chicago P.D.), Chloe Wepper (Good Trouble), David Alpay (The Vampire Diaries), Brooke Smith (Grey’s Anatomy), Joe Tippett (Rise) and Alex Neustaedter (Colony)

Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist – An innovative musical dramedy about a whip-smart but socially awkward girl in her late 20’s who is suddenly able to hear the innermost thoughts of people around her as songs and even big musical numbers that they perform just for her. With this new ability at her disposal, she is able to use her “gift” to not only help herself understand people in her life, but also to help others around her.

THOSE BEHIND THE SCENES:  Austin Winsberg, Paul Feig, Jessie Henderson, Kim Tannenbaum, Eric Tannenbaum and Jason Wang

CAST: Jane Levy (Suburgatory), Skylar Astin (Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, Ground Floor), Alex Newell (Glee), Mary Steenburgen (The Last Man on Earth), Peter Gallagher (The O.C., Covert Affairs), John Clarence Stewart (Marvel’s Luke Cage) and Carmen Cusack (Sorry for Your Loss)

MOST LIKELY TO BE PICKED-UP: Bluff City Law and Lincoln

WOULD BE INTERESTING TO SEE: Prism and Council of Dads

LONG SHOT: Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist