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It’s showtime for broadcast pilots as screenings at the networks are kicking off. Today was Day 1 of screenings at ABC, Fox and the CW and Day 4 for CBS, which started on Friday. NBC starts its viewing tomorrow. There were a couple of standouts today. At ABC, it seems to be the Mark Gordon-produced procedural IDENTITY starring Angela Bassett as the head of a unit fighting identity-related crime, which exceeded expectations. Several other ABC pilots had solid showings: dramas CHARLIE’S ANGELS, which is considered a lock, POE, said to be a favorite of ABC chief Paul Lee (though some are concerned that it is essentially a 1840s Castle with a supernatural twist), and comedy SMOTHERED, while reaction to Chris Moynihan’s comedy MAN UP and the Count of Monte Cristo-flavored drama REVENGE were mixed.
It was a ho-hum first screening day at Fox, with comedy I HATE MY TEENAGE DAUGHTER doing OK, drama ALCATRAZ getting mixed reaction, mostly because of its sci-fi content, and comedy TAGGED not faring well in some rooms and getting mixed reviews in other. At the CW, the rise of HART OF DIXIE continued with a great screening as the small town medical drama starring Rachel Bilson looks like a sure thing for the fall schedule along with Kevin Williamson’s The Secret Circle, which is yet to be screened. Also seen today was the female buddy cop show COOPER & STONE, which got mixed reaction, mostly because of its straight procedural nature, a big departure from the CW brand of teen soaps.
As for CBS, of the pilots screened so far, the Robert De Niro ensemble cop drama ROOKIES and the Minnie Driver-starring PI show HAIL MARY reportedly did well, along with Jonah Nolan-JJ Abrams’ PERSON OF INTEREST, which is picking up steam despite playing a bit dark. Yet to be screened are the SUSANNAH GRANT medical drama pilot and two comedies that have been getting buzz lately, TWO BROKE GIRLS and HOW TO BE A GENTLEMAN. Overall, sources say CBS has not been too happy with its comedy pilots, with the high-profile HOME GAME, starring Rob Riggle doing so-so and the UNTITLED ROB SCHNEIDER pilot slipping after a mixed reaction at its screening. And, in a true dark horse fashion, the UNTITLED PETER KNIGHT office comedy pilot, directed by Neil Patrick Harris, has emerged from obscurity to a potential contender status.
RELATED: PRIMETIME PILOT PANIC: 2ND HOT LIST
TV Editor Nellie Andreeva - tip her here.
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Ehhhhh, I hope The CW picks up Heavenly or Awakening.
How great is Poe and Charlies Angels?
Time for the networks to order massive amounts of pilots, pretend to believe in them, maybe ACTUALLY believe in them, but then when push comes to shove — bury them. Destroy them. Never. Speak. Of. Them. Again.
It’s so bizarre that networks or studios will pour millions into a pilot, with the obvious intent to produce a season of the show — only to then inevitably drop most of them. The Networks, not only believing in the concept, execution, and creators/producers/writers/showrunners, but also the show itself, are so quick to kill it, and never speak of it again.
It’s like lighting a nice cigarette and then putting it out before you’ve had a chance to smoke it.
When a creator pitches a series to a network, he does just that: pitches a SERIES. Not just the pilot, not just the main character, but an actual SERIES. From someone on the inside, who does that often, that’s how it works. The creator… well, he/she needs to reveal what subsequent episodes would be for the show —- story arenas, possible outlines, etc. So for a Network Exec to then want to drop the pilot after it’s executed… well, that’s just disgusting. You know what the series is! You know what it will become, and that’s what you wanted! Why did you invest in the first place?!
Oh Television. You’re so silly!
And pilots cost over a million dollars a piece if you’re a network. So what are you doing!
if you know all of this then why are you asking such silly questions? It’s all about execution and most of the time that’s why pilots aren’t converted into a series. There are PLENTY of great series ideas out there but if they are poorly executed and produced then why invest in them further. It’s called cutting your losses!
“it’s all about execution……..:” riddle me this TVEmployee…why do the networks consistently feel that hiring a “Feature Director” will sell a pilot thru to series??? The reason they’re feature directors is to direct features!!…How about hiring the journeymen TV Pilot directors that historically (look at their batting averages) can sell a pilot thru to series…..to name a few directors like David Nutter NOT a feature director but consistently sells thru to series….Rob Lieberman who directed like 19 pilots and 17 or so sold thru to series NOT a feature director…i could name a dozen guys who have those type of track records!! Why in the world do Studio Execs feel this necessity to hire Feature Directors?? Please shed light on this connundrum.
you know all of this heading into the process so don’t cry about it, that’s the way it works. there a ton of other occupations out there. you could be firefighter, a coal miner or a teacher. i’m sure those jobs are a lot less frustrating.
I’ve heard great things about IDENTITY lately, especially the contributions of Gary Fleder’s directing. Great to hear good buzz at the screening and I look forward to seeing this one!
I don’t know if Fleder and “great directing” can ever been used in the same sentence…
It’s a network tv show… they practically direct themselves.
I don’t know how they plan to make a series out of Identity – there are only so many ways to make identity theft seem exciting/dramatic. The British series was canceled after just six episodes. The pilot may be good but it seems like there would be limited storytelling opportunities in that space.
Agree on IDENTITY. After reading most of this year’s crop of procedurals, it felt like one of the weaker pilots with standard procedural structure and characters and few places to go narratively after the first half of the season. Hard to create a body-of-the-week out of identity theft. But maybe it was elevated with some solid directing.
I would have said the same thing about NUMBERS and that had legs.
Character, character, character for by-the-book procedurals: HOUSE and THE CLOSER prove(d) that every season.
My $ this year is on PRIME SUSPECT, that was stellar writing
Hoping for Georgetown to get good reviews and a pick up at ABC!
Georgetown probably won’t last. All the Post Recession show seem to get canceled. Look what happened to Easy Money, Rubicon and Terriers.
Faulty logic. Georgetown is NOTHING like Rubicon and Terriers. It’s a soap that’s also smart! It was one of the best pilot scripts out this season. I’m with you Ashley, they BETTER pick it up. Pan Am script was pretty good too. Can’t wait to hear it’s buzz as well.
Not with Jennifer Johnson behind the helm it won’t.
See CHASE.
any word on BRAVE NEW WORLD? I didn’t quite understand the cast…BUT, loved the script.
BRAVE NEW WORLD is NBC. It says in the article – “NBC starts its viewing tomorrow.”
I hear Fox is really happy with Alcatraz. I can’t see them passing on it.
I sure hope so. I would love to see Jorge Garcia back in an Abrams show. Hopefully FOX will pick it up. I don’t know, would a pairing with Fringe be a good idea?
Any “Locke & Key” news?
Did you really hear that? Yeah, I should listen to you Mr. Obscure over network connected Nellie Andreeva who said it’s only getting “mixed” reactions.
Yeah, what do you know, Mr. Obscure? Thinking a JJ Abrams show about Alcatraz with an all-star cast would be awesome…
I’d really like to see the CBS comedy with GERALD MCRANEY.
It’s time he’s back on TV!! LOVE HIM!!
He was in Undercovers on NBC last season.
What about Hallelujah? I loved the cast for that show! I was a LOST fan so I can’t wait to see Terry O’Quinn!
Me too, markK! Me too! I would hope that Marc Cherry could get it done. Good casting, good writing, good producing. Come on ABC! Wake up!
uhhh… Clearly you didn’t read it — cuz it was NOT good writing.
Here’s what is going to happen: All the period shows and sci-fi/fantasy/genre stuff is going to be dropped in favor of yet another procedural. Or, if a couple of the potentially “interesting” shows get picked up for series, they’ll run two episodes, get ok to meh ratings, the networks will panic and cancel them citing their high cost. Meanwhile, the cable networks will continue to attract desirable demographic audiences to their high concept series because they commit to them, while the networks increasingly become the home of the dull and trite, watched by their graying audiences.
Disagree. Cable Execs are running THREE nets now. These are gents who know how to get brave for a big series. Reilly has done it with GLEE and Greenblatt is no slouch in the “brave” dept. The trick seems to be “Know your audience, then torture the formulas they’re accustomed to.” I expect very good things from the Nets in the next 2-3 years. They have money to compete and cable has laid the groundwork for daring, adult content. Even the censors are tamer. And with Miley Cyrus grinding on ABC Family (the House that Lee built), how could they not be.
What about ONCE UPON THE TIME (ABC) ? It got very good reviews too. I´d be more interested in this show than in CHARLIES ANGELS for example.
I really hope ABC keeps V. That’s all. That crap Body of Proof, which is in the top ten, is astounding bad and certain for renewal.
Nobody at the network actually likes Body of Proof.
In fact, the only person who seems to be a fan is the one making a paycheck off it, producer Matt Gross.
Sadly, I have to agree with you about “Body of Proof,” it’s a stinker. I’m embarrassed for the writers. The actors are all solid. It’s the writing that’s killing that show.
BoP is basically a reboot of Quincy without it’s heart or well rounded characters. The characters on BoP don’t have any esprit d’corps. Look at how the characters on “Castle” interact. There’s respect, joking, and a little flirting. None of that seems to be present on BoP. The way Dana Delaney’s character disses her boss, who acts kind of buffoonish, is the opposite of what most good procedurals do.
The Rob Schneider pilot was absolutely HYSTERICAL and if passed on by CBS only shows the further decay of this business. Never have I been at a taping where the audience laughed so uproariously.
That’s what I heard Steiner, from many, but it seems to be getting colder and colder on this list. Reliable?
Always nice to see Rob Schneider checking in.
So uproariously, huh? Got plant?
You’re kidding, right?
Like anti-matter, Rob Schneider is anti-funny.
He needs to find a new career where he doesn’t need to interact with the human race.
If CBS picks up this pilot to series, that means Les Moonves is on the sauce.
Procedurals get good reaction, especially derivative ones, yet Alcatraz, another sci-fi show gets mixed reaction. What a shock. This is the reason why network television sucks right now.
How can a very average series like identity become such a buzz ? Enough with the cop shows.
I think ABC, NBC and Fox have the best pilots. All the CBS ones sound very booring.
I think NBC will do very good next season. With them having the biggest hit of this season with The Voice , I think that finally things are looking good for them,
“Boring” is that CBS’s middle name? Sorry, I’m not a fan of CBS’s lame primetime line up with the exception of the “Good Wife.” CBS is the gory murder/mayhem and lame comedy network. There are no fun or exciting programs (except the GW).
NBC may have some crappy programs but I don’t feel the same level of grime afflicting its programming. I like that NBC is willing to take risks with genre programs. SVU was always good about mixing in soapy elements that allowed the audience to care about the characters.
Interesting that Fox might pass on Alcatraz because it’s sci-fi. Isn’t that true of Touch, too? Why order content you know is sci-fi if you don’t want sci-fi?
And good for Hart of Dixie, I’ve always liked Rachel Bilson.
Kiefer is carrying TOUCH.
Touch is awful! The script reads as if the crappy dad is weighed down with his autistic kid after the rich wife dies in 9/11. Not very endearing at all.
Wow Cee… Second dumb comment I’ve seen from you in a few posts… You think Hallelujah is good writing and Touch is awful??
The fact that he’s a crappy dad weighed down with an Autistic son he can’t relate to after his wife’s death is the entire point of his character…
Now — I’m not sure where the series goes — but the pilot script is way better than awful and I’m sure Kiefer will make the dad a sympathetic figure.
Alcatraz already has an episode order, so they’re not going to pass on anything.
Anyone heard or read much about Fox’s The New Girl?
It is more than likely a go at the network.
peter knight???yikes they really must hate everything else – maybe they should just put the Shatner thing back o
which of Tannenbaum’s shows will it be? Home Game or Rob Schneider?
Home Game is not Tannenbaums.
All of the networks have nothing on, and nothing is coming up this fall either.
IDENTITY will be great with Angela Bassett one of the best actresses we have.
ABC didn’t preview SCANDAL? I’m really looking forward to it. I’m looking forward to next fall and all of these pilots; seems like we have more chances for quality this season.
It may just be the fanboy in me, but Fox ought to just bring 24 back with a different (female!) lead. Obviously Keifer’s Jack Bauer was needless to say a main part of the series’ success, but I always felt the concept itself was so rock solid, it would work with a different set of characters and even settings. The show lasted a long time and with good ratings DESPITE the fact the writers kept going back to the same well of plot devices over and over.
Get some new writers onboard, stop doing the same formula twists (another mole at CTU!), give us a new lead (or better yet a female action heroine so there are no comparisons to Jack), and you’ve got a sure-fire concept that seems to be SORELY lacking from most of the networks’ recent shows and new pilots.
24 writers already blew that chance (a female lead to replace Jack) considering what happened in the last half of season 8…