Rueben's Ramblings

In an ongoing series of articles about all of the pilots that are being considered by the major networks for the 2011-2012 TV season, yesterday I provided a list of the most talked about pilots for CBS.

Here are just some of the bigger pilots from ABC:

In Crisis is the new non-medical based pilot from Shonda Rhimes, the woman behind Grey’s Anatomy and Private Practice. This pilot is to follow a professional fixer and her dysfunctional staff that includes box office actors Kerry Washington (Ray) and Columbus Short (Stomp the Yard) as well as Lost alum Henry Ian Cusick.

A Charlie’s Angels remake is being done by Drew Barrymore and her partner Nancy Juvonen with Minka Kelly (Friday Night Lights), Rachael Taylor (Transformers) and Annie Ilonzeh (General Hospital) as the angels; Ramon Rodriguez (Transformers 2) as Bosley and reportedly Robert Wagner supplying the voice of Charlie.

Ed Bernero, the show runner behind Criminal Minds, has a pilot called Partners ready to go for the network with Annie Wersching (24) and Scottie Thompson (NCIS and Trauma) starring as two police detectives who are fiercely loyal to one another since they’re also secretly sisters.

The man behind Desperate Housewives, Marc Cherry, is ready to bring a much different kind of program to ABC in the form of the pilot Hallelujah. Hallelujah, Tennessee is a town being torn apart by the forces of good and evil until a stranger arrives to bring justice, peace and quite possibly restore the faith in the world that the residents so desperately need. Jesse Martin (Law & Order) stars in

The popular Canadian series Being Erica is being adapted for an American audience by Maggie Friedman, who was the creator for the short-lived series Eastwick. No casting decisions have been announced yet.

René Echevarria, the Executive Producer for Medium and The 4400, is behind the TV adaptation of the 1994 box office film True Lies, which focused on a family man who lived a double life as a government spy.

There are over a dozen more dramatic pilots, besides the ones above, that are being considered by ABC; and while any of these could be picked up for the 2011-2012 season, please keep in mind that very few will actually make it to series. The final decision will be made by the powers that be at the network in late spring and announced in May at the New York upfront presentations.

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Every year the major networks pick up orders for nothing short of a hundred or more pilots for proposed new shows for each TV season. This year is not unlike any other year with a plethora of projects by big name show-runners all the way down to first-timers trying to get their ideas made into a pilot and eventually getting a series order from one of the major networks.

In this upcoming series of articles, I will focus on each of the five major networks, spotlighting the more notable pilots that are being considered for the 2011-2012 TV season.

Please keep in mind, however, that while there are countless pilots being discussed by each of the major networks right now, very few of those will actually make it to the air.

The following are some of the more-talked-about pilots from CBS:

Rina Mimoun, the creator of the short-lived CW series Privileged, has created the pilot called The Doctor that will center on Emily Campbell, a mother who reconnects with her grown-up children when she joins her family’s medical practice. Emily will be played by Emmy winning actress Christine Lahti.

Meanwhile the man behind Alias and Lost – J.J. Abrams – is at the helm of the pilot called Person of Interest, starring Lost alum Michael Emerson, who will play a mysterious billionaire helping an ex-CIA agent, presumed dead, to fight crime in New York City.

Sarah Michelle Gellar just might be back on network TV in the pilot called Ringer about a troubled young woman on the run who hides out by living the life of her wealthy twin sister, until she learns her sibling’s life has a bounty on it as well. The pilot will include actors Ioan Gruffudd (Fantastic Four) and Nestor Carbonell (Lost).

Robert DeNiro has stepped into the TV arena with the pilot called Rookies that will star Leelee Sobieski. The pilot will focus on NYPD cops as they balance their personal lives with learning the mean streets of Manhattan.

An update to the 1960’s series The Wild Wild West is being brought to the network by Ron Moore, the man behind the reimagining of Battlestar Galactica. While casting has yet to be announced for this new version, the revamped version will follow the adventures of two Secret Service agents who traveled the country in a “tricked-out” train.

Screenwriter Susannah Grant, who wrote the films Erin Brockovich, is hoping her pilot that has yet to be named about an ultra-competitive surgeon whose life is changed forever when his ex-wife dies and begins teaching him about life from the hereafter will be picked up as a series. The pilot is set to star Patrick Wilson (Phantom of the Opera and Morning Glory).

There are at least 8 other dramatic pilots being considered by CBS; and again, there is no guarantee that any of these will be picked up for series by the network. The final decisions will be made by the powers that be at the network in late spring and announced in May at the New York upfront presentations.

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