Deadline Hostages

There is exactly one month to go until the broadcast networks begin to unveil their 2013-14 schedules to advertisers during premiere week. The first completed pilots have just started to come in, but we’re still a couple of weeks away from getting a more realistic picture of the this year’s pilot standings. For now, the info we share is based on buzz (thus the headline), and early insights from table reads, tapings, dailies and rough cuts. So don’t forget to pick up a large grain of salt before reading this. Now that you have been warned:

Chuck Lorre has done it again. Not that his clout alone was not enough to make his newest pilot Mom an instant frontrunner for the fall schedule the day it was greenlighted by CBS in December. Still, for CBS’ peace of mind, they were hoping the show would come together well. The network brass just got their wish with a rousing table read. The only remaining question surrounding Mom is where it will land on the schedule. I hear Monday 8:30 PM as a likely possibility. It makes a lot of sense, as How I Met Your Mother is already a strong launching pad that most recently helped establish 2 Broke Girls last year. Next season, the veteran comedy is expected to get extra sizzle from the fact that it is going into its final season that will finally reveal who the mother is. Plus, HIMYM and Mom will likely share sensibilities as they share the same director, Pam Fryman. As I wrote in my first early pilot buzz post, CBS brass appear very pleased with their comedy development this season, so if they pick up more multi-camera pilots, Friends With Better Lives is hot, and the Greg Garcia multi-camera pilot starring Will Arnett is coming off a solid table read. Competition is shaping to be as cutthroat on the single-camera side where CBS will likely opt for at least two shows to form a single-camera block. Greg Garcia’s Super Clyde was an early standout, with Crazy Ones boasting an in-form Robin Williams. The Bad Teacher remake and Irish American family comedy The McCarthys also seem to be in the mix, with the long-brewing Rob Greenberg pilot and Rottenberg/Zuritsky garnering positive very early buzz. Read More »

It’s the first week of April, and we’re kicking off our annual Pilot Buzz series. Keeping with tradition, the first list only includes a limited number of projects that have been garnering strong early buzz as the vast majority of pilots are still filming or going through post-production. So we will omit those on which there is no conclusive feedback yet and will reserve judgement on those that we hear not so good things about until next time.

If the rather dull Pirates Of The Caribbean Disney ride spawned a successful movie franchise, could the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad do the same on the small screen? Despite taking jabs for its origins and casting mostly unknowns, Big Thunder is a surprising early leading contender on the drama side at ABC. Not so surprising is the very strong early showing of the McG-directed Romeo and Juliet-esque soap Venice, with another soapy drama, Betrayal, and the horror take on Once Upon A Time, Gothica, also drawing some early attention, while Reckless and The Returned are emerging as dark horses. Then there is a drama pilot with a zero buzz that is all but assured a spot on the schedule, Joss Whedon’s S.H.I.E.L.D. Why isn’t anyone talking about S.H.I.E.L.D.? Because virtually no one has seen it, with Marvel and Whedon keeping the footage under lock and key. And then there is the Once Upon A Time spinoff presentation, which is now filming and has got to be considered a prime contender for a series order.

On the comedy side, the David Spade starrer Bad Management is hot, as is the Cullen Bros. project, with people singling out the great comedic performance of star James Caan. Adam Goldberg’s How The Hell Am I Normal also has momentum, as do early pickups Trophy Wife starring Malin Akerman and Super Fun Night starring Rebel Wilson, who is breaking out in a big way and is hosting the MTV Movie Awards next weekend.

In the past two years, Fox had a clear early comedy favorite with New Girl and The Mindy Project, respectively, both of which rode the momentum to series orders. This time around, it is a male-centered half-hour that is getting the strongest yearly buzz, the Andy Samberg-starring Mike Schur/Dan Goor cop comedy. Since the three comedy series Fox has renewed for next season all have female skew, Raising Hope and especially New Girl and The Mindy Project, the Schur/Goor project could be a potential companion for the male-centered Dads, which already has a six-episode order and is coming off a strong table read. Given its pedigree — Family Guy and American Dad creator Seth MacFarlane is executive producer — some suggest Dads may break into Fox’s Sunday animated comedy block the way Malcolm In The Middle launched behind The Simpsons. There are two other male-skewing pilots that are getting some buzz, Army-based Enlisted and dating comedy I Suck At Girls, which stars Christopher Meloni. On the female/family comedy side, Us And Them (aka Friends And Family) and To My Future Assistant are getting solid buzz, with The Gabriels also a possibility. Read More »