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In what would be a major casting coup for NBC, the network is in talks with former House star Hugh Laurie to topline new action-adventure series Crossbones, from Luther creator Neil Cross and feature producers Walter Parkes and Laurie MacDonald. Unlike House, where Brit Laurie played an American, he would be able to use his normal British accent in Crossbones as he would play the notorious English pirate Blackbeard.
The 10-episode Crossbones is set in 1715 on the Bahamian island of New Providence, the first functioning democracy in the Americas, where the diabolical pirate Edward Teach, aka Blackbeard, reigns over a rogue nation of thieves, outlaws and miscreant sailors. Part shantytown, part marauder’s paradise, this is a place like no other on earth — and a mounting threat to international commerce.
Cross wrote the script and is executive producing with Parkes, MacDonald and Ted Gold for Parkes/MacDonald Prods; Georgeville Television, Reliance Entertainment/Motion Picture Capital’s new TV Studio; and Universal Television. The project reunites Laurie with Universal TV, which produced the Fox medical drama House, which ended its eight-season run in May. The role of the brilliant but troubled Dr. Gregory House earned Laurie six Emmy nominations and two Golden Globe awards. He is with WME and UK’s Hamilton Hodell.
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NBC is an idiot. Big over the top shows no longer work on network television. The ratings do not support the budget. Nor is an audience asking for these type of shows unless they are premium cable where they aren’t censored.
Well seeing as Deadline just ran a story stating that NBC finished #1 in November something is working at the Peacock and this may be a calculated risk to help keep it’s new found spot.
Dustin is right.
If the ratings success of shows like Revolution, Once Upon A Time, Revenge, and Grimm, has shown NBC anything, it’s that big, over-the-top shows no longer have any place on network television. And if there’s one thing that Hollywood prognosticators always manage to get right, it’s what audiences are asking for.
Huuh, Are you being sarcastic???…. as far as i remember ONCE was the highest rated new drama last year and is still on top. Revolution is this years new Hit show. I would say the audience is exactly asking for this kind of dramas and NBC is maybe a tad smarter to do the trick producing a ten-episode long drama, with more quality writing and obviously great actors to compete with the cable dramas. It can work out, i´m all in for it.
Yes, he was being sarcastic.
Those are all sci fi and fantasy, Crossbones looks like historical fiction. I wouldn’t make any big bets that those genres are interchangeable or the success of one means anything for the other.
Now if this were the Pirates of the Caribbean style fantasy pirate comedy-drama, that might be comparable…
There are other pirate shows in development, one for Starz if I remember correctly, and cable is the place for this topic, which should have a tone like Deadwood. But on broadcast, it will be hopelessly sanitized.
Finally! 10 episodes! Great writer, actor and pretty cool concept. Maybe Network TV can be good after all! Fingers crossed this works!
Totally in.
That’s because they do 22 episodes. Face it, audiences are watching tv (mainly NOT watching because it’s all crap) differently. Adapt or die, 10 great blockbuster episodes is the way to go!
Walter and Laurie are very talented individuals.
I doubt they would take take this production just for the hard work.
Look for these creatives to hire the best crews. That truly is where their expertise I really shines. They also are, creative a dynamos. IF this was on HBO no one would say the formation doesn’t work. Wait Dollars to donuts mice to men this will be phenomenal.
As always the two putter.. BETTHEDUCK
My understanding is NBC’s trying to pull a “Pirates of Caribbean” by signing a top-tier actor (well TV edition)and relying on him to create a idiosyncratic character to carry the series. Not likely to succeed though, for A)Series TV and franchise movie are two entirely different beasts, people get bored quickly by the 22 episode/season pace; B)It doesn’t make economic sense for TV to delve into a genre that simply doesn’t fit on the small screen. Pirates doing pirate things is what makes a pirate pic, not family/group melodrama. See the quick demise of Terra Nova for example.
Your understanding is incorrect.
I think I would give this a chance, if I watched dramas. It’s made by the guy who created Luther, and the one episode I saw of that was, while not my kind of thing, certainly well made. Throw in Hugh Laurie, I think this could be a hit.
Did Hugh Laurie abandon House because he didn’t want to do Television anymore?
It was my understanding that Hugh Laurie Chose not to continue with house partially because of how long he had been doing it but mostly because the limp was causing him actual physical problems.
I am a huge Hugh Laurie fan. He’s a wonderful actor. TV did a
great injustice by not awarding him an Emmy. Soooo happy he’s
coming back to tv
Blair of Queens
NBC, do not screw this up.
So much for never doing tv again after House. But I’m glad for him; he’s too talented to be off screen for long.
I’m there. Sounds fantastic.
Despite all of its problems, NBC seems to be realizing that high-concept, short-episodic order is the way to survival for the networks. Hope this works out for them.
Agreed. I think this format could be a hit. Kind of like they do with BBC shows. Short, sweet, and leave them wanting more.
Love me some Hugh Laurie! I hope NBC doesn’t mess this up
I think that after 5 seasons of Stargate Atlantis ( and other projects) Joe Flanigan and David Hewlett are perfect for an action-adventure show
nothing against hugh but ian mcshane is much tougher/rougher looking without tons of makeup. parts like these he is better suited and a better actor..it would have been much better to have it on cable like STARZ OR HBO..regular TV is too commercial.. like hatfields and mccoys , it was fantastic but commercials and Political Correctness ruined it for me..I cant wait to see how they will handle that. no foul language , nudity, violence..it will be like a soap opera. i hope i am wrong but it will be worth watching the first episode.
Ian McShane has already played Blackbeard. In the most recent Pirates of the Caribbean film.
No foul language or nudity would be a welcome change. Boardwalk Empire had great storyline, but it only took one episode to turn me off – the language was horrid!
NBC is on a good path. This piece is going to be great – they have the right people behind it on all levels. Hope story is true, I think network would be wise to continue to put some familiar faces in front of viewers and keep the momentum going in addition to bringing quality from the page.
Didn’t GVTV pull out of the show?
No Reed, we did not.
Give Hugh Laurie a chance. Don’t judge him until you see him act in Crossbones. I thought he was great in House its a shame it had to end. I wish they could bring it back and call it House2. You just had to hate his sarcastic mouth but he knew his Medicine.