2013 TV Pilots at The CW

So far this week I covered the dramas that are up for consideration at ABC, CBS, FOX and NBC for the upcoming 2013-2014 TV season; and now today I will focus on the dramas at The CW.

They are listed in alphabetical order below:

Blink – This pilot focuses on a car accident that leaves a family’s patriarch in a coma-like state where he cannot speak or move, but can hear. His narration and various fantasy sequences provide a wry counterpoint to the stories and conflicts of his family.

THOSE BEHIND THE SHOW: Vera Herbert (Awkward.) will write and serve as a supervising producer while David Marshall Grant (Smash) will be the executive producer along with Sarah Timberman and Carl Beverly (both from Elementary) acting as producers.

CAST: John Benjamin Hickey (The Big C) will play Greg, the lead role while Madeline Carroll (Flipped) will play Ari Trask, Greg’s 16-year-old daughter. Elizabeth Marvel (Person of Interest) will play Greg’s wife Helen Trask, a strong-willed psychotherapist. Johnny Simmons (The Perks of Being a Wallflower) will play Ari’s older brother Doge, a guy who feels deeply which often gets him in trouble. Michael Weston (House) will play Greg’s slightly disheveled younger brother who moves in with his brother’s family.

Company Town – The pilot is about a scandal at a Navy base in Virginia that divides best friends. The focus is on two early 20-something women – Krista and Page – who grew up together, who were once best friends, but are now on opposite sides of the Townie/Military divide.

THOSE BEHIND THE SHOW: Sera Gamble (Supernatural) will write and executive producer with Taylor Hackford and Bill Haber (Rizzoli & Isles).

CAST: Gage Golightly (Teen Wolf) will have the lead role of Krista, who has lived a charmed life and is happily engage to Paul, a lieutenant in the Navy, but begins to show her vulnerable side when Paul gets involved in the scandal. Stella Meave (Golden Boy) will have the other lead role of Page, who grew up with Krista and were best friends, but are now on opposites sides of the scandal. Newcomer Maya Kazan, granddaughter of Oscar-winning director Elia Kazan, will play Marla – the best friend and sidekick to Krista. Merle Dandridge (Sons of Anarchy) will play Louise, the newly appointed Commanding Officer of Naval Support Activity tasked with sorting through the scandal. Arjun Gupta (Nurse Jackie) will play Jack Weiss, a mechanic with the Navy while Dondre Whitfield (Make It or Break It) will play Don, a combat-trained trauma surgeon. Relative newcomer Graham Hamilton will play Mark, a well-bred and charming lieutenant in the Navy who has a dark side.

The Hundred – The pilot is based on the forthcoming novel by Kass Morgan of the same name that is set nearly a century after a nuclear war that destroyed civilization, in which a spaceship has sent 100 juvenile delinquents back to Earth to investigate the possibility of re-colonizing.

THOSE BEHIND THE SHOW: Newcomer Jason Rothenberg will write and executive-produce with Leslie Morgenstein and Gina Girolamo (Pretty Little Liars).

CAST: Henry Ian Cusick (Lost) will play Kane, an ambitious officer aboard the Ark who has his sights set on the Chancellor’s job. Eliza Taylor (Neighbours) will play Clarke Walters, the de facto medic, who knows the truth behind their mission. Marie Avgeropoulos (Cult) is on board as Octavia Black, Bellamy’s (Bob Morley) illegally born sister. Paige Turco (Person of Interest) will play Abby, Clarke’s mother. Isaiah Washington (Grey’s Anatomy) will play Chancellor Jaha, the leader of the remaining human race now living in the orbiting space station. Bob Morley (Neighbours) and Eli Goree (Emily Owens, M.D.) will play Bellamy Black and Wells Jaha respectively. Thomas McDonell (Prom) will play Finn, a cool and charismatic free spirit who is something of a folk hero to the kids on The Ark because of his ability to bend the rules and escape unharmed. Kelly Hu (Arrow and The Vampire Diaries) will play Cece, the Chief Communications Officer on The Ark. And, newcomer Christopher Larkin will play sweet and likable Monty, who is the furthest thing from a delinquent, but he uses his smarts and sense of humor to help delinquent Clarke in her quest to survive.

(Copyright Entertainment Weekly)

The Originals – This is The Vampire Diaries spin-off pilot that will follow the “Original” Family, focusing primarily on Klaus (Joseph Morgan) who returns to New Orleans, a town he helped build centuries ago to reunite with his diabolical former protégé Marcel (Charles Michael Davis from The Game and Grey’s Anatomy).

THOSE BEHIND THE SHOW: Julie Plec (The Vampire Diaries) will write and executive producer with Leslie Morgenstein and Gina Girolamo (Pretty Little Liars).

CAST: Daniel Gillies, Claire Holt and Phoebe Tonkin will also continue their roles from The Vampire Diaries in this spin-off while relative newcomer Daniella Pineda will play Sophie a witch whose magic has been silenced by not snuffed. She is quietly sowing the seeds of a revolution amongst her peers. Danielle Campbell (Prison Break) will play Davina, a young witch who has been over-sheltered by her protective caregivers. Leah Pipes (Life is Wild and The Deep End) will play Camille, a college psychology student fascinated by the study of human behavior unaware of the supernatural universe that exists around her.

Oxygen – This pilot is about an epic romance that ignites between a human girl named Emery (Aimee Teegarden from Friday Night Lights) and an alien boy named Roman (Matt Lanter from 90210), who are part of the nine Orions selected for a high school pilot program in which humans and aliens are desegregated.

THOSE BEHIND THE SHOW: Meredith Averill (The Good Wife) will write and executive-produce Josh Appelbaum (Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol).

CAST: Malese Jow (The Vampire Diaries) will play Emery’s friend Julia, a dying – but surprisingly vibrant girl – who may get a second chance at life thanks to the aliens and Titus Makin Jr. (Glee) will play goofy and cute Lukas. Grey Damon (Nine Lives of Chloe King) plays Grayson who has a crush on Emery. Natalie Hall (Pretty Little Liars) will play human girl Taylor, the undisputed queen of her high school who takes an interest in newcomer Emery but Emery’s friendliness towards the hated Orions may put a damper on their new friendship. Relative newcomer Chelsea Gilligan and Greg Finley (The Secret Life of the American Teenager) will play two of the alien Orions.

Reign – This pilot is about what happens as 15-year-old Mary Queen of Scots arrives in France, betrothed to Prince Francis. She must survive fierce foes, dark forces and a world of sexual intrigue.

THOSE BEHIND THE SHOW: Stephanie Sengupta (Outlaw) and Laurie McCarthy (CSI: Miami) will write and executive-produce.

CAST: Adelaide Kane (Neighbours) will play the lead role of Mary Queen of Scots. British actor Toby Regbo (Treasure Island mini-series) will play Prince Francis. Megan Follows (Anne of Green Gables) will play Queen Catherine, the Queen Consort of France, who is willing to do anything to maintain her own standing and power at Court, as well as that of her children. Jenessa Grant (Cyberbully) will play one of the ladies-in-waiting. British newcomer Celina Sinden will play Greer, another of the ladies-in-waiting. Australian Caitlin Stasey (Tomorrow When the War Began) will play lady-in-waiting Kenna. Anna Popplewell (The Chronicles of Narnia) will play Mary’s friend and lady-in-waiting Lola. Rossif Sutherland (Flashpoint and King) will play the recurring role of French prophet Nostradamus. Torrance Coombs (The Tudors) will play Sebastian, Francis’ resourceful illegitimate half brother.

The Selection – This pilot (which was actually set up for last pilot season) will follow a working-class young woman chosen by lottery to participate in a competition with 25 other women to become the nation’s next queen. This is based on the Kiera Cass book of the same name.

THOSE BEHIND THE SHOW: Elizabeth Craft and Sarah Fain (The Vampire Diaries) will write and executive produce.

CAST: Israeli actress Yael Grobglas will play the lead role of America Singer. Michael Malarkey (Raw) will play Prince Maxon Shreave. Young British actor Lucien Laviscount (Skins) will play Aspen Leger, a handsome, brave young man from the servant class who is having a secret, illegal relationship with America. Australian actress Peta Sergeant (Winners & Losers) will play Gaia, a rebel leader who is working to overthrow the monarchy. Sean Patrick Thomas (Ringer) will play Sylvan Santos, Social Secretary to the Royal Family and the candidates’ guide in all things related to The Selection. Newcomer Celia Massingham will play fellow competitor Celeste Newsome, a drop dead gorgeous member of the Noble Class. Anthony Head (Buffy and Merlin) will play King Clarkson, the patriarch of the royal family that rules the nation. Relative newcomer Sarah Winter will play Ashley Brovillette, a naïve young woman thrilled to be among the Selection’s participants. Louise Lombard (CSI) will play Queen Amberly, a canny political player within the palace and knows everything there is to know about every single girl in The Selection competition. Ben Aldridge (Lark Rise to Candleford) will play Prince Maxon’s younger brother.

The Tomorrow People – This pilot is based on the U.K. series of the same name that tells the story of several young people from around the world who represent the next stage in human evolution, possessing special powers like teleportation and telepathy. They work together to defeat the forces of evil.

THOSE BEHIND THE SHOW: Phil Klemmer (Chuck) will write and executive-produce with Julie Plec (The Vampire Diaries) and Greg Berlanti (Arrow).

CAST: Peyton List (Mad Men) will play Cara, the female member of the Tomorrow People group who has a sense of humor beneath her serious demeanor and seems to be a trustworthy ally. Australian actor Luke Mitchell (H2O: Just Add Water) will play one of the other Tomorrow People, John Young. Robbie Amell (Revenge – and cousin of Arrow star Stephen Amell) will play a character named Stephen, a tormented young man who longs to be normal and is relieved when he learns that he’s not crazy, but rather part of a group of genetically superior Tomorrow People. Mark Pellegrino (Lost and Supernatural) will play Dr. Jedikiah Price, an evolutionary biologist committed to containing the threat posed by the “Tomorrow People,” whom he believes to be a grave danger to the human race. Madeleine Mantock (Casualty) will play plat Astrid, Stephen’s closest friend since childhood. Aaron Yoo (21) will play resident badboy of the Tomorrow People who is a lightning bolt of energy and fun.

MOST LIKELY TO BE PICKED-UP: The Selection and The Originals

COULD MAYBE GET AN ORDER: The Tomorrow People, Oxygen and The Hundred

LONG SHOT (but it would be cool to see): Reign

NOT GONNA HAPPEN: Blink

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2013 TV Pilots for NBC

So far this week I covered the dramas that are up for consideration at ABC, CBS and FOX for the upcoming 2013-2014 TV season; and now today I will focus on the dramas at NBC.

They are listed in alphabetical order below:

After Hours – The pilot is about a motley crew of rogue ex-Army surgeons (think M*A*S*H-meets-ER) that bring humor and rock-n-roll energy to the night shift at a chaotic trauma center in San Antonio, Texas.

THOSE BEHIND THE SHOW: Gabe Sachs and Jeff Judah (90210) will write and executive-produce

CAST: Freddy Rodriguez (Six Feet Under) will play Ragosa, Jeananne Goossen (Alcatraz) will play Krista, Brendan Fehr (Roswell) will play Drew, Brigid Brannagh (Army Wives) will play Althea, Jill Flint (Royal Pains) will play Dr. Jordan Santos, Ken Leung (Lost) will play Topher and Eion Macken (Merlin) will play TC Callahan. [No other details could be tracked down for this pilot at this time.]

Believe – This pilot is about the unlikely relationship that develops between a young girl with a gift and a man sprung from prison who has been tasked with protecting her from the evildoers who covet her power.

THOSE BEHIND THE SHOW: Alfonso Cuaron (Harry Potter) and Mark Friedman (The Forgotten) will write and executive-produce with J.J. Abrams and Bryan Burk (Lost).

CAST: Jake McLaughlin (Crash) will play Tate, the man who is sprung from prison to protect the young girl from those trying to hunt her down while newcomer Johnny Sequoyah will play the young girl named Bo. Delroy Lindo (The Chicago Code) will play Winter, a kind man with an honorable agenda posing as a priest who may not be what he seems. Jamie Chung (Once Upon a Time) will play Channing, Winter’s all business associate. Sienna Guillory (Resident Evil: Retribution) will play Moore, a hit woman after Bo. Kyle MacLachlan (Twin Peaks and Desperate Housewives) will play Skouras, a mysterious billionaire with an even more mysterious agenda.

The Blacklist – This pilot is about Red, the world’s most wanted criminal, who mysteriously turns himself in, offering to give up everyone he has ever worked with. His only condition: He will only work with Elizabeth Keen, a newly minted FBI agent with whom he appears to have no connection.

THOSE BEHIND THE SHOW: Jon Bokenkamp (Perfect Stranger) will write and executive-produce with John Eisendrath (Alias).

CAST: Megan Boone (Law & Order: Los Angeles) will have the female lead role while Ryan Eggold (90210) will play Elizabeth’s husband Tom. James Spader (Boston Legal) will play the lead role (of the most wanted criminal) opposite Boone. Diego Klattenhoff (Homeland) will play Donald Ressler Field Agent In-Charge. Henry Lennix (Dollhouse) will play Harold Cooper, the successful yet cynical Assistant Director of Counterterrorism at the FBI.

Bloodline – This pilot is about Bird Benson, a smart, irreverent young girl who finds herself caught between two warrior families in modern suburbia.

THOSE BEHIND THE SHOW: David Graziano (Awake) will write and executive-produce with Peter Berg (Friday Night Lights).

CAST: Skyler Samuels (The Nine Lives of Chloe King) will play the lead role of Bird Benson. Tom Everett Scott (Southland) will play Dr. Christopher Benson, a beloved ER physician at a suburban hospital who’s known for his charm and dedication to his patients. But an indiscretion years ago led to him impregnating a patient; the resulting child was Bird. KaDee Strickland (Private Practice) will play Bird’s mother Stella, who has been raised in a family descended from an ancient line of killers, brigands and mercenaries. Jonathan Banks (Breaking Bad) will play Bird’s grandfather, Leo Killpriest, a Greek mercenary who married off Bird’s mother to satisfy a mysterious debt with a rival Chinese clan. Chris Zylka (The Secret Circle) will play Troy Robbins, who grew up with the rigorous training regimen once mandated for all male Spartans. He is smitten by Bird. Tzi Ma (24) will play Charles Hwang, Bird’s trainer and mentor.

Hatfields & McCoys – This pilot is set in present-day Pittsburgh, where a startling death reignites the feud between the legendary families. Unleashing decades of resentment, the blue-collar McCoys will put the Hatfields’ wealth and power at risk as they battle for control of the city.

THOSE BEHIND THE SHOW: John Glenn (Eagle Eye) will write and executive-produce with actress Charlize Theron.

CAST: Virginia Madsen (Scoundrels) will play the matriarch of the McCoy clan, Eloise McCoy, a self-made woman who manipulates her son into taking revenge on the Hatfields after her husband is murdered. Jesse Lee Soffer (The Mob Doctor) will play Patrick McCoy, prodigal son who returns home after years away. Patrick Flueger (The 4400) will play Jack McCoy, a street-smart, hot-headed guy who is fiercely loyal to his family. He runs a sports bar in the city he loves. Rebecca De Mornay (The Hand That Rocks the Cradle) will play Hatfield matriarch Mary, the city’s mayor and Nick Westrate (Hatfields & McCoys mini-series) will play her son Randall. Sophia Bush (One Tree Hill) will play Emma McCoy, a resident at Allegheny General Hospital. Annie Ilonzeh (Charlie’s Angels and Switched at Birth) will play Shannon Hatfield, the adopted daughter of Mary Hatfield, who develops a romantic interest in Patrick McCoy. James Remar (Dexter) will play Mary Hatfield’s estranged husband Joe.

I Am Victor – This pilot is based on the Jo Nesbo upcoming novel of the same name that focuses on Victor Port, a high-powered divorce attorney with a unique view of relationships. He is quick, charming, disarming, brazen and direct. He unapologetically says what most people think but dare not say, and the methods he uses on behalf of his clients are anything from jurisprudence.

THOSE BEHIND THE SHOW: Mark Goffman (The West Wing) will write the pilot while Katie Jacobs (House) and author Jo Nesbo will executive-produce.

CAST: John Stamos (ER and Full House) will play the lead role of Victor Port. Megan Dodds (Ever After) will have the female lead, playing Victor’s wife Helen, an accomplished businesswoman and a caring, family-oriented mother of two. Matthew Lillard (Scooby Doo) will play Victor’s best friend Elliott, an off-beat, off-books former cop who helps Victor acquire information and things, legally and otherwise. Terry Kinney (Oz) will play Victor’s father-in-law. Newcomer Lorenza Izzo (Hemlock Grove) will play the lead role of Lena Engles, the Assistant District Attorney while McKaley Miller (Hart of Dixie) will play Victor’s daughter Dana. Angela Sarafyan (Twilight Breaking Dawn 2) will play Cucumber, Victor’s sassy secretary. Josh Zuckerman (Kyle XY and 90210) will play Wes, an attorney with an extraordinary mind.

Ironside – This pilot is a remake of the 1960s classic drama, about Robert T. Ironside, an acerbic police detective relegated to a wheelchair after a shooting, who is hardly limited by his disability as he pushes and prods his hand-picked team to solve the most difficult cases in the city.

THOSE BEHIND THE SHOW: Michael Caleo (The Sopranos) will write and executive produce with David Semel (American Horror Story).

CAST: Blair Underwood (L.A. Law) will have the lead role of Ironside. Brent Sexton (The Killing and Justified) will play Gary, Ironside’s ex-partner, once a hard-nosed detective who blames himself for the shooting and falls apart after the incident. Gary struggles to move on with his life. Pablo Schreiber (Weeds) will play a team member named Virgil, one of the toughest, craziest cops in the city who will do anything to protect citizens, victims and most of all his partners. Neal Bledsoe (Smash) will play the wealthy and highly educated Teddy who became a cop following a family tragedy. Spencer Grammer (Greek) will play the lead role of Holly, who stands up to Ironside and everyone else. She would be much higher up in the police department if she would distance herself from the criminals she grew up around. Kenneth Choi (24 and Sons of Anarchy) will play Captain Ed Rollins, Ironside’s supervisor.

Secret Lives of Husbands and Wives – This pilot is about three couples in the idyllic community of Saddle Hills, California who live secret lives; especially when a murder in their suburban home complicates their lives.

THOSE BEHIND THE SHOW: Sascha Penn (Imagination Movers) will write and executive-produce with Jerry Bruckheimer.

CAST: Nicole Ari Parker (Soul Food) will play Paula Cooke, Jesse L. Martin (Law & Order) will play Greg Cooke; Perry Reeves (Entourage) will play Danielle Deaver and James Tupper (Revenge and Men in Trees) will play Richard Deaver; Laura Allen (The 4400) will play Alison Dunn and Martin Henderson (Off the Map) will play Kyle Dunn – the three main couples in the pilot. [No other details could be tracked down for this pilot at this time.]

The Sixth Gun – This pilot is based on the best-selling Oni Press graphic novel, a supernatural Western that tells the tale of six mythical guns with otherworldly powers in the Old West, the most dangerous of which falls into the hands of an innocent girl named Becky Montcrief who – alongside shadowy gunfighter Drake Sinclair – must battle vile men thought long dead that have set their sights on retrieving the gun.

THOSE BEHIND THE SHOW: Up and comer Ryan Condal will write with Carlton Cuse (Lost) as executive producer.

CAST: Laura Ramsey (Lords of Dogtown) will play the lead role of Becky while Michiel Huisman (Treme) will play the lead role of Drake Sinclair, a rogue gunslinger. W. Earl Brown (Rogue) will play Oliander Bedford Hume, a seemingly immortal Confederate War General obsessed with acquiring the sixth – and most powerful – of the guns. Graham McTavish (24) will play Hume’s loyal lieutenant Silas Hedgepeth and Aldis Hodge (Leverage) will play Mercer, a Special Agent with the Pinkerton Detective Agency who is searching for the aforementioned gunfighter. Pedro Pascal (The Good Wife) will play Special Agent Ortega, the younger of the two Pinkerton detectives who follow Mercer’s lead. James LeGros (Ally McBeal) will play Bill John O’Henry, a gunslinger who is a fervently loyal companion and sidekick to Drake Sinclair and Chin Han (The Dark Knight and Arrow) will play Chow, a brilliant Machiavellian schemer. Elena Satine (Magic City) will play “widow” Missy Hume, a powerful Madame who runs the town of Brimstone, who is kept unnaturally youthful by being in possession of the Fifth Gun.

Untitled Rand Ravich Project – This pilot is about Washington’s most powerful players, including the President, who find themselves blackmailed into an international conspiracy by an unlikely puppeteer. The story follows Marcus Finley, an idealistic Secret Service agent who finds himself at the epicenter of an international crisis on his first day on the job as the President’s son’s protection when the son, along with several of his classmates, are kidnapped.

THOSE BEHIND THE SHOW: Rand Ravich (Life) will write and executive produce with Far Shariat (Life).

CAST: Lance Gross (House of Payne) will play the lead role of Marcus Finley while Rachael Taylor (666 Park Avenue and Charlie’s Angels) will play FBI agent Susie Dunn, who is responsible for getting information from the children’s parents and whose biological daughter Amber is among the kidnapped. Gillian Anderson (The X-Files) will play Susie’s sister Meg, who has been raising Amber as her own. Halston Sage (The Bling Ring) will play Amber Fitch, one of the kidnap victims and daughter of Susie. Max Martini (The Unit and Revenge) will play Koz, a well-armed and deadly mercenary behind the abduction. Dermot Mulroney (My Best Friend’s Wedding) will play Bill Gibson, the chaperone on the ill-fated private school bus. He is divorced from his wife and estranged from his daughter, Beth Ann (relative newcomer Stevie Lynn Jones), who is a passenger on the bus. Michael Beach (Third Watch) will play the FBI Director, who snaps into action after learning of the crisis while James Lafferty (One Tree Hill) will play Mr. Nash, this boyishly handsome private school instructor who was abducted along with his students. Joshua Erenberg (Suburgatory) will play Anton, a genius student whisked away into the woods by the wounded Finley to save him.

MOST LIKELY TO BE PICKED-UP: Ironside and Hatfields and McCoys

COULD MAYBE GET AN ORDER: Bloodline

LONG SHOT: The Sixth Gun

NOT GONNA HAPPEN: The Blacklist

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2013 TV Pilots for FOX

So far this week I covered the dramas that are up for consideration at both ABC and CBS for the upcoming 2013-2014 TV season; and now today I will focus on the dramas at FOX.

They are listed in alphabetical order below:

Boomerang – This pilot is about a family business fraught with tension, except in this case it’s a family of assassins.

THOSE BEHIND THE SHOW: Davey Holmes (Awake and Pushing Daisies) will write and executive-produce with fellow John Wells and Andrew Stearn (Shameless).

CAST: Felicity Huffman (Desperate Housewives) will play Margie Hamilton, the matriarch of the Hamilton clan and a briskly professional assassin who can kill and dispose of a suspected terrorist in the afternoon then switch to wife and mother mode without a hitch. Anthony LaPaglia (Without a Trace) will play patriarch Bill, Margie’s husband. Michael Stahl-David (Cloverfield) and Patrick Heusinger (Royal Pains) will play brothers Sam and Carl, Maggie’s sons. S. Epatha Merkerson (Law & Order) will guest star as a mysterious agency bureaucrat while Rosa Salazar (Parenthood) will play Olive Chatsworth, the ex-girlfriend who Sam (Stahl-David) has never forgotten. Stephanie Jacobsen (Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles) will play Carl’s wife Angela and mother of their two boys, who is unaware of her husband’s real job.

Delirium – This pilot is based on the best-selling trilogy about a world in which love is deemed illegal. The main focus will be on Lena Holoway, who does the unthinkable just 95 days before a scheduled treatment will remove her ability to love: She meets a great guy.

THOSE BEHIND THE SHOW: Karyn Usher (Prison Break) will write and executive-produce with Peter Chernin and Katherine Pope (New Girl)

CAST: Emma Roberts (Nancy Drew) will play the lead role of Lena Holloway while Daren Kagasoff (The Secret Life of the American Teenager) will play Lena’s love interest Alex who is a police officer. Billy Campbell (The Killing) will play wealthy political leader Thomas Fineman, who is the head of a lobbying organization called Deliria Free America who supports the use of the brain modification that prevents citizens from falling in love and leads to a peaceful, ordered society. Corey Reynolds (The Closer) will play Tack, the strategic, no-bullshit leader of the Resistance Movement. Gregg Sulkin (Pretty Little Liars) will play Julian Fineman, the prep-school heart-throb son of Thomas. Jeanine Mason (Bunheads and So You Think You Can Dance) will play y Lena’s best friend Hana. Michael Michele (ER) will play Senator Elyse Hargrove, an ambitious widow with three children and Presidential aspirations who has a growing opposition to the political insurrection. Brenda Koo (Bling Ring) will play Ren, the best friend of Alex (Kagasoff), a covert revolutionary and opponent of the anti-Deliria operations. Melinda McGraw (Men Of A Certain Age) will play Lydia, the image-conscious wife of Thomas Fineman.

Gang Related – This pilot is about a gang member named Ryan Lopez who is sent in to infiltrate the San Francisco Police Department, rising through its ranks who must balance his obligations to his crime family with an increasing sense of loyalty to his new “family”: the SFPD’s Gang Task Force.

THOSE BEHIND THE SHOW: Writer Chris Morgan (Fast Five) will write and executive-produce with Scott Rosenbaum and Brian Grazer (both from V).

CAST: Ramon Rodriguez (Transformers: Revenge Of The Fallen) will play the lead role of Ryan Lopez. Sung Kang (Fast Five franchise) will play Tae Kim, an Asian gang specialist on loan from the FBI who refuses to celebrate Ryan’s achievements because he considers Ryan’s tactics as dangerous and wasteful. Actress Inbar Lavi (Underemployed) will play Vanessa “Vee” Hicks, the youngest member of the Gang Task Force. Jay Hernandez (Last Resort) will play Dante Acosta, Ryan’s best friend since childhood and the son of gang lord Javier Acosta. Cliff Curtis (Missing and Trauma) will play Javier Acosta who runs La Familia Sud, one of the most dangerous and powerful Latino gangs in San Francisco. Shantel VanSanten (One Tree Hill) will play a doctor who treats Ryan for his bullet wound injuries and the daughter of the gang task force’s captain. Terry O’Quinn (Lost) will play Sam Chapel, a tough, dynamic police chief who oversees the Gang Task Force.

Human – This pilot is an action-packed buddy cop drama set in a future in which LAPD officers are partnered with highly evolved human-like androids. The focus will be on cop John Kennex and his android partner Dorian.

THOSE BEHIND THE SHOW: As stated J.H. Wyman (Fringe) will write and team with J.J. Abrams and Bryan Burk (Lost) as executive producers.

CAST: Michael Ealy (Common Law) will play a lead role as Dorian, a decommissioned DRN-0167 robot that is thrust back into service when his “memories” provide critical intelligence on a newly revived drug cartel. Lily Taylor (Six Feet Under) will play Maldonado, an ambitious and determined police captain who is willing to make sacrifices for the greater good. Michael Irby (The Unit) will play top LAPD Detective Richard Paul who blames Kennex for the death of fellow officers in the traffic mission that casts a pall over the department while British actor Mackenzie Cook (Pirates Of The Caribbean franchise) will play Rudy Lom, the eccentric and underpaid designer of the LAPD’s robotics squad. Minka Kelly (Friday Night Lights) will play Valerie Stahl, a uniformed cop with a strong moral compass who believes the best of people. Karl Urban (Dredd) will play cop John Kennex, who is a respected police officer who has shut down emotionally after a tragic mission left him critically injured. Mekia Cox (Undercovers and 90210) will play the ex-lover to John Kennex.

The List – This pilot is about a U.S. Marshal who leads the hunt for the person who stole “The List,” a file that reveals the identities of everyone in the Federal Witness Security Program, who begin showing up dead.

THOSE BEHIND THE SHOW: Paul Zbyszewski (Daybreak) will write and executive-produce

CAST: Richard T. Jones (Nikita and Judging Amy) will play Elston Rayburn, a Special Agent for the FBI who gets sucked into the search while Michael Pena (End of Watch) will play Dan Soto née Shaker, an Inspector with the U.S. Marshal Service who’s tasked with finding the person who stole the file. Jessica Szohr (Gossip Girl) will play Special Agent Natalie Voss, a fearless FBI agent who detests dealing with the Witness Security Program, but is intrigued by Soto. Gary Cole (Chuck) will play Soto’s boss, Chief Inspector Bob McKinnon, a stand-up, loyal guy who goes to bat for Soto when his maverick inspector gets into hot water, yet again. Tamsin Egerton (Camelot) will play Delilah, a conniving charmer and deadly international operator while Hilarie Burton (One Tree Hill) will play Maddie Soto, Soto’s ex-wife and the mother of his two kids, who is a psychologist.

Rake – This pilot is about Keegan Joye, a brilliant, charming defense attorney whose biggest challenges all exist outside the courtroom: money owed to the IRS and a bookie, overlapping affairs, a cranky kid and his exhausted ex-wife.

THOSE BEHIND THE SHOW: Peter Duncan (creator of the original Australian series on which this pilot is based) and Peter Tolan (Rescue Me) will write and executive produce.

CAST: Greg Kinnear (As Good As It Gets) will star in the lead role while Miranda Otto (The Lord of the Rings franchise) will play Keegan’s ex-wife Maddy. Necar Zadegan (Emily Owens, M.D.) will play Scarlet Meagher, an Assistant DA of the City of Lo Angeles who is old friends of Keegan’s. Bojana Novakovic (Drag Me to Hell) will play Mikki a high-priced prostitute who’s had a five-year relationship with Keegan. John Ortiz (Luck) will play Ben, Keegan’s friend from law school. They are yin and yang and they know it. Ben is conservative, not flashy, an extremely decent family man who recognizes that Keegan is the performer of the two. Together they make quite a team, in and out of court. David Harbour (Pan Am) will play David Potter, the bane of Keegan’s life, a scrupulously honest tax attorney determined to prove Keegan hasn’t been paying his taxes. Tara Summers (Boston Legal) will play Leanne Zander, Keegan’s extremely put-upon but no-nonsense assistant.

Sleepy Hollow – The pilot finds Ichabod Crane transported from the Revolutionary War to present day Sleepy Hollow to be partnered with Detective Abbie Archer to solve the mysteries of a town ravaged by the battle between good and evil.

THOSE BEHIND THE SHOW: Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci (Fringe) will write and executive-produce.

CAST: British actor Tom Mison (Salmon Fishing In the Yemen) will play the lead role of Ichabod Crane while Nicole Beharie (Shame) will play Abbie Archer, who is about to leave for the FBI Academy when she witnesses the brutal murder of someone close to her, and her story is corroborated by only one person — a man called Ichabod Crane. Katia Winter (Dexter) will play Katrina Crane, Ichabod’s stunningly beautiful wife who works as a civilian nurse in the 37th Regiment. Orlando Jones (MADTv) will play Frank Williams née Luis Mendez, a Lieutenant with the Westchester Sheriff’s department who transfers to Sleepy Hollow in order to coordinate the investigation into a double homicide. John Cho (Go On and FlashForward) will play Andy Dunn, a likeable officer who stumbles across Crane in the present day. Katia Winter (Dexter) will play Katrina Crane and Orlando Jones (Men in Trees) will play Lt. Frank Williams.

MOST LIKELY TO BE PICKED-UP: Delirium and Sleepy Hollow

COULD MAYBE GET AN ORDER: Boomerang and Rake

LONG SHOT (but sure would be cool to see it): Human

NOT GONNA HAPPEN: The List

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2013 TV Pilots at CBS

Yesterday, I covered the dramas that are up for consideration at ABC for the upcoming 2013-2014 TV season; and now today I will focus on the dramas at CBS.

They are listed in alphabetical order below:

The Advocates – This pilot is about a lawyer, Shannon Carter, and an ex-con, Henry Bird, who team up as “victim advocates,” going to the very edge of the law to right wrongs and fight for the underdog.

THOSE BEHIND THE SHOW: Bruno Heller (The Mentalist) will write and executive producer.

CAST: Mandy Moore (A Walk to Remember) will play the lead role of Shannon Carter while Ben McKenzie (Southland and The O.C.) will play the lead role of Henry Bird. Brit Morgan (True Blood) will play Henry’s sister Rose, a tattooed and pierced supermarket cashier. CCH Pounder (Warehouse 13) will play Marjorie Kaplan, the prim but perceptive and tough as nails head of the Victim Advocate Office. Esai Morales (Caprica and Magic City) will play District Attorney Rafael “Raffa” Cortez, who is a sharply focused student of Machiavelli and Bill Clinton, who has a history with Shannon.

The Anatomy of Violence – This pilot is about Adrian Raines, a criminal psychologist who studies sociopaths, who partners with a young female detective with whom he shares a conflicted past.

THOSE BEHIND THE SHOW: Howard Gordon, Alex Gansa and Alex Cary (all producers on Homeland) will write and executive produce.

CAST: Skeet Ulrich (Jericho) will play the lead role of Raines while Amber Tamblyn (Joan of Arcadia and House) will play Abby, a young FBI agent who shared a conflicted past with Raines. David Harewood (Homeland) will play Assistant Special Agent-in-Charge Mike Alejo, Adrian’s boss and friend.

Backstrom – This pilot is based on the Swedish book series about Everett Backstrom, an overweight, irascible detective as he tries and fails to change his self-destructive behavior.

THOSE BEHIND THE SHOW: Hart Hanson, creator and executive producer of Bones, is behind this project.

CAST: Rainn Wilson (The Office) will play the lead role while Dennis Haysbert (The Unit) will play John Almond, one of the detectives who works with Backstrom. Kristoffer Polaha (Ringer) will play Sgt. Peter Niedermayer, the unit’s Forensics Liaison. Thomas Dekker (Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles) will play Valentine, Backstrom’s decorator and underworld connection. Camryn Manheim (The Practice and Ghost Whisperer) will play Police Chief Anna Holt. Mamie Gummer (Emily Owens, M.D.) will play the lead role of Nicole Carlton, a watchful competent police detective.

Beverly Hills Cop – This pilot is the sequel (of sorts) to the movie franchise where Alex Foley’s (Eddie Murphy) son patrols the rich and famous of Beverly Hills.

THOSE BEHIND THE SHOW: Shawn Ryan (The Shield) will write and executive producer with Eddie Murphy.

CAST: Brandon T. Jackson (Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief) will play the lead role of Aaron Foley. Kevin Pollack (Casino and The Usual Suspects) will play Rodney Daloof, the in-house lawyer for the Beverly Hills Police Department. David Denman (Drop Dead Diva) will play Brad, a socially awkward Beverly Hills detective, former baseball player and musician. Sheila Vand (Argo) will play Leila Madani, a Beverly Hills Detective, who gave up a life of privilege for one of independence. Christine Lahti (Jack and Bobby and Hawaii Five-0) will play Helen, the Captain of the Beverly Hills Police Department.

Hostages – This pilot is about a surgeon named Ellen Sanders, who is selected to operate on the President of the United States, an assignment that propels her family into a grand political conspiracy. Her family is taken hostage and the ransom to return them is that she has to kill the President.

THOSE BEHIND THE SHOW: Jeffrey Nachmanoff (The Day After Tomorrow) will write and executive producer along with Jerry Bruckheimer. The pilot is based on an Israeli series.

CAST: Toni Collette (The United States of Tara) will play the lead role with Dylan McDermott (American Horror Story and The Practice) playing an FBI agent tasked with helping the family. Tate Donovan (Damages and Deception) will play Ellen’s husband Brian, a former Ivy League athlete and golden boy who is covering up the fact that his real estate career is now in trouble and he’s fallen into debt. Relative newcomers Quinn Shephard and Mateus Ward will play Ellen’s two children, sullen 17-year-old Danni and well-meaning 15-year-old Jake. Sandrine Holt will play Maria Gonzales, a last-minute replacement on the hostage team. Rhys Coiro (Entourage and A Gifted Man) will play Kramer, the brother-in-law of Duncan (McDermott), the righteous FBI agent at the center of the political conspiracy; Kramer’s involvement in the conspiracy will test his loyalties and add another layer of complication and drama for Duncan. Billy Brown (The Following) will play Archer, who is ex-military with a razor-sharp tongue and a temper who will play an integral part in taking Ellen and her family hostage. James Naughton (Gossip Girl) will play the President of the United States.

Intelligence – This pilot is about the U.S. Cyber Command, a unit that has been created around one agent Gabriel Black who has a very special gift — a microchip has been implanted in his brain that allows him to access the entire electromagnetic spectrum.

THOSE BEHIND THE SHOW: Michael Seitzman (Empire State and North Country) will write and executive-produce.

CAST: Josh Holloway (Lost) will play the lead character with Michael Rady (Emily Owens, M.D.) will play Chris Jameson, a federal investigator. James Martinez (Gravity) will play Gonzalo “Gonzo” Sanchez, a member of the team who is partnered with Chris. Marg Helgenberger (CSI) will play Cybercon director Lillian. Meghan Ory (Once Upon a Time) will play Riley O’Neil, an ex-Secret Service agent taking on the challenge of protecting the nation’s top intelligence asset. John Billingsley (True Blood) will play Dr. William Crispin, a top computer neuroscientist formerly at the U.S. Cyber Command Unit

NCIS: Red – This pilot is, of course, a spin-off of the NCIS franchise in which a small mobile team of agents are forced to live and work together as they crisscross the country solving crimes.

THOSE BEHIND THE SHOW: Shane Brennan, who is the executive producer for both NCIS and NCIS: Los Angeles, of course.

CAST: John Corbett (Northern Exposure) will play Roy Quaid, a former NCIS special agent forced to retire from active service. Kim Raver (24 and Revolution) will play Special Agent Paris Summerskill while Edwin Hodge (Cougar Town and Red Dawn) will play Kai Ashe, a technical assistant, tech savvy computer guy and expert on everything. Scott Grimes (Party of Five and ER) will play Dave an agent who has an eye for clues, a nose for lies and is the team’s forensic specialist. Gillian Alexy (Damages) will play Special Agent Claire, who is educated, worldly and athletic.

The Ordained – The pilot is about Tom Reilly, the son of a Kennedy-esque family who leaves the priesthood to become a lawyer to prevent his politician sister from being assassinated.

THOSE BEHIND THE SHOW: Journalist/author Lisa Takeuchi Cullen will write, while Frank Marshall (War Horse) and Larry Shuman (Devious Maids) will executive producer. War Horse’s

CAST: Charlie Cox (Boardwalk Empire) will play the lead role of Tom Reilly. Hope Davis (In Treatment) will play Tom’s older sister Patricia, a first-term Mayor of New York City. Nestor Serrano (The Day After Tomorrow) will play Hector Nunez, one of the partners at Tom’s new firm who he suspects is behind the plot to kill his sister. Jorge Garica (Lost) will play Carlos, the law firm’s staff investigator. Audra McDonald (Private Practice) will play Anthea, a senior litigator at the firm. Sam Neill (Alcatraz) will play Tom’s dad, Michael Thomas Riley and Emmanuelle Chriqui (Entourage) will play Tom’s next door neighbor Sam.

Reckless – The pilot is a sultry legal show set in Charleston, S.C., where a gorgeous Yankee litigator Jamie and Roy, a Southern city attorney struggle to hide their intense attraction while clashing amidst a police sex scandal.

THOSE BEHIND THE SHOW: Dana Stevens (What About Brian) will write and Ian Sander and Kim Moses (Ghost Whisperer) will executive produce.

CAST: Cam Gigandet (Burlesque and the first Twilight film) will play the title role of Roy while Anna Wood (Deception) will play the lead role of Jamie. Michael Gladis (Mad Men) will play Chief of Police Holland Knox, a family man who radiates integrity. Kim Wayans (In Living Color) will play Vi, Jamie’s paralegal while Georgina Haig (Fringe) will play Lee Anne, a police officer in the Charleston Police Department. Shawn Hatosy (Southland) will play bad-boy police detective Trey. Gregory Harrison will play Dec, a polished, well-connected Charleston attorney, who is Roy’s ex-father-in-law and mentor. Adam Rodriguez (CSI: Miami) will play Preston, a well-respected police detective who works on the Charleston PD alongside Trey.

Second Sight – This pilot is a gothic, psychological thriller that tells the story of a New Orleans detective named Ross Tanner, who suffers from Azoors Syndrome, an ocular eye disorder that saddles him with regular hallucinations but also opens up his subconscious in a way that aids his job.

THOSE BEHIND THE SHOW: Michael Cuesta (Homeland) will write and executive producer with his brother Gerald Cuesta and Carol Mendelsohn (CSI) also as executive producer.

CAST: Jason Lee (Memphis Beat and My Name Is Earl) will play the lead role while Kim Dickens (Treme and Friday Night Lights) will play fellow detective Samantha “Sammy” Wilde. Erik Jensen (CSI) will play fellow detective Daniel “Manischewitz” Bashevis, an Orthodox Jew from a long line of Louisiana Orthodox. Derek Luke (HawthoRNe and Captain America) will play Det. Paul Giroux, a new member of Tanner’s Team, who is after Tanner’s job. Jill Scott (The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency) will play eye doctor Dr. Callier, the specialist who tends to Tanner’s ocular disease. Christina Cole (Chaos) will play Gemma, one of Tanner’s detectives.

The Surgeon General – The pilot is a medical show which centers on Dr. John Sherman, the most powerful doctor in the nation, the Surgeon General.

THOSE BEHIND THE SHOW: Samuel Baum (Lie To Me) will write and executive produce.

CAST: Jason Isaacs (Awake and the Harry Potter franchise) will play the lead role and Kathryn Morris (Cold Case) will play Lydia, the female lead. Katherine McNamara (New Year’s Eve) will play his daughter Lily. Beth Riesgraf (Leverage) will play micro-organisms expert Dr. Page Wyatt. Sean Astin (The Lord of the Rings) will play Dr. Fischer, a psychiatrist who is a member of Dr. Sherman’s team, overseeing the nation’s mental health. Mike Colter (Ringer) will play Connor McCallan, an epidemiologist on his team. Ann Deavere Smith (Nurse Jackie) will play the Vice President while Paul McCrane (ER) will play the President’s Chief of Staff. Miguel Sandoval (Medium) will play Senator Nortega.

MOST LIKELY TO BE PICKED-UP: NCIS: Red and Intelligence

COULD MAYBE GET AN ORDER: Hostages

FOR NOTERIOITY ONLY: Beverly Hills Cop

LONG SHOT: Second Sight

NOT GONNA HAPPEN: The Anatomy of Violence

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REVISED: 2013 TV Pilots at ABC

It’s that time of year again – the time of the season when the networks start rolling out details on the new comedies and dramas they are considering for the upcoming fall TV season. Each year each network has a long list of shows they are contemplating for pick-up, but the catch is figuring out which shows the network brass will actually go with for the new season.

Each TV season is different because, as we all know, fades come and go, the interest for a particular brand of TV show is always different and what may have worked the season before isn’t necessarily going to work in the next.

With those thoughts in mind, I do as thorough research as possible on all of the new dramas being considered for the fall by the major networks and attempt to determine which shows will be picked up and, of course, which ones won’t. The criteria I use to make these determinations is usually the same: premise of the pilot, casting (a key ingredient) and the likelihood of viewer appeal.

So, let’s take a look at what ABC has to offer for all of their drama pilots. They are listed in alphabetical order below:

Betrayal – This pilot is about a beautiful, unhappily married female photographer named Sara, who begins a torrid affair with a lawyer named Jack for a powerful Chicago family. When he turns out to be defending a murder suspect who is being prosecuted by her husband, the relationship and the case begin a spiraling series of betrayals with cataclysmic results for everyone involved.

THOSE BEHIND THE SHOW: David Zabel (ER) will write and executive produce.

CAST: Hannah Ware (Boss) will play Sara. Stuart Townsend (XIII: The Series) will play the lead role of Jack. Chris Johnson (The Vampire Diaries) will play Sara’s husband Drew. James Cromwell (American Horror Story) will play Terence Karsten, the head of the powerful Chicago family. Wendy Moniz (Damages) will play Jack’s wife Elaine, the daughter of Karsten. Actor Henry Thomas (E.T.) will play the slightly brain-damaged son of the family’s patriarch whose life was saved by Jake. Elizabeth McLaughlin (November Christmas) and Braeden Lamasters (Easy A) will play Elaine and Jack’s 16-year-old twins.

Big Thunder – This pilot is about a brilliant, late-19th-century New York doctor Grant Carson and his family, who are given a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to relocate to a frontier mining town run by a powerful, but mysterious tycoon. They quickly realize that not everything in Big Thunder is as it seems.

THOSE BEHIND THE SHOW: Jason Fuchs (writer for Ice Age) will write while Chris Morgan (Fast Five) will be the executive producer.

CAST: Ed MacLiam (EastEnders) will play the lead character of Dr. Grant Carson while Ruth Bradley (Primeval) is expected to play Grant’s wife Emma. Spencer Locke (Resident Evil) will play their 17-year-old daughter Abby. Youngster Pierce Gagnon (One Tree Hill) will play Grant and Emma’s son Jack. Ana De La Reguera (Eastbound & Down) will play Selena Morales, who runs the local saloon. Zahn McClarnon (Ringer) will play Bear, an Apache who teaches young Jack to ride a horse. British actor Alex Hassell (Anonymous) will play the mysterious tycoon. Alex Meraz (Twilight) will play Kiowa, an Apache who like Bear seems to know what’s really going on.

Doubt – This pilot is about a former cop named Vincent J. Calzonetti, who is now a cunning but charming low-rent lawyer, who uses his street smarts to work the system for his clients while battling his own demons and wooing his ex-wife.

THOSE BEHIND THE SHOW: David Shore, who created House, created this drama.

CAST: Steve Coogan (Tropic Thunder) will play the lead role of Vincent while Rockmond Dunbar (Prison Break) will play Steve Adams, Vince’s ex-partner who still remains his best friend and confidante. Greg Grunberg (Heroes) will play Mark, Vince’s caring and always well-meaning older brother, who is developmentally disabled as a result of a childhood accident, but high-functioning. He works at Vince’s office as the receptionist and believes that his brother can save the world. Kacey Rohl (The Killing) will play Monica, the firm’s whip-smart paralegal/investigator who often goes about and beyond the scope of her job to help them win the case. Carla Gugino (Political Animals) will play Vincent’s ex-wife Linda, a no-nonsense and extremely competent D.A., who has little patience for courtroom antics, especially when it involves her impulsive former spouse.

REVISED: Forever (formerly The Returned) – This pilot is about what happens when the people you have mourned and buried suddenly appear on your doorstep as if not a day has gone by. The lives of the people of Arcadia are forever changed when their deceased loved ones… return!

THOSE BEHIND THE SHOW: Aaron Zelman (Criminal Minds) is the writer. The pilot is based on a novel by Jason Mott.

CAST: Matt Craven (NCIS) will play Fred, the local sheriff who has been a widower ever since his wife died in an accident 32 years ago. Devin Kelley (The Chicago Code) will play Gail Garland, the town physician whose latest patient appears to be an 8-year-old boy who died 30 years ago. Samaire Armstrong (The Mentalist and The O.C.) will play Elaine, an attractive and snarky woman with a controlling personality who loses her composure when her father seems to come back from the dead. British actor Sam Hazeldine (Raven) will play Abel, a mysterious man coming back from the past. Frances Fisher (Eureka) will play Lucille, who lives with her husband Harold in Arcadia and is amazed when her 8-year-old son, Jacob, who drowned 32 years ago, reappears in 2013. Nicolas Gonzalez (Off the Map) will play Connor, one of the Sheriff’s patrolmen and boyfriend to Gail. Mark Hildreth (V) will play Preacher Tom Hild, the local minister, who starts to question his beliefs when the dead start coming back. Omar Epps (House) will play Martin Bellamy, an agent with the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Kurtwood Smith (That 70’s Show) will play Harold whose dead son Jacob (youngster Landon Gimenez) is among the returned.

Gothica – This pilot is a sexy, modern gothic soap weaving together the mythologies of Dracula, Jekyll and Hyde, Frankenstein and Dorian Gray (among others). It will focus on Grace Van Helsing, a woman who discovers the likes of everyone from Victor Frankenstein to Dorian Gray exist in modern-day San Francisco while she searches for her own identity.

THOSE BEHIND THE SHOW: Matt Lopez (The Sorcerer’s Apprentice) will write and Mark Gordon (Grey’s Anatomy) will be the executive producer. Also, Tara Butters and Michele Fazekas (the women behind Reaper) will serve as showrunners.

CAST: Janet Montgomery (Human Target and Made in Jersey) will play Grace Van Helsing while Raza Jaffrey (Smash) will play John Harker, a police detective investigating the death of Grace’s brother Chris, whose murder mirrors that of their parents. Chris Egan (Kings and Letters from Juliet) will play Victor Frankenstein, the head of a biotech company on a quest to bring back his recently deceased daughter. Tom Ellis (The Fades) will play Dorian Gray, a wealthy playboy whom Grace has known and loved her entire life. Tracie Thoms (Cold Case) will play Mina Murree, Grace’s eclectic friend from college and the Managing Editor at Grace’s family’s paper, The Guardian. Emma Booth (Parker) will play Madeline Usher, wife to Victor Frankenstein. Seth Gabel (Fringe) will play Roderick Usher, the district attorney and heir to the once-powerful Usher family who is carrying secrets. Melissa George (Hunted and Alias) will play Fiona Hunter, the show’s most formidable force, and everyone from Grace to Dorian to Victor will find their mettle and savvy tested by her.

Influence – This pilot is a provocative workplace ensemble about the complicated relationship between two brothers, manic genius Clark and slick ex-con Ross Edwards, who head an agency that uses the real science of human motivation and manipulation to solve its clients’ problems.

THOSE BEHIND THE SHOW: Kyle Killen, who created Awake, is behind this project.

CAST: Steve Zahn (Treme) will play the lead role of Clark Edwards and Christian Slater (The Forgotten) will play Ross Edwards. Wynn Everett (The Newsroom) will have the female lead role of Claire, Ross’ ex-wife, who is hired by Clark to be the new office manager. Megalyn Echikunwoke (House of Lies) will play Megan, who uses her beauty and acting skills to help the team turn their scientific schemes into real world results. Cedric Sanders (The Social Network) will play Latrell, a serious, talented young man from a tough neighborhood tapped by Ross, who saw a raw and untapped talent for business in him. Gregory Marcel (The Good Shepherd) will play Miles, a promising graduate student who improbably followed Clark to the company.

Killer Women – This pilot will focus on Molly Parker, the only woman in the Texas Rangers, who is a ballsy, beautiful badass who knows how to get to the truth and isn’t afraid to ruffle a few feathers along the way. The sheriff’s daughter has a doctorate in gender studies as well as a Miss Texas crown from 1992. She was hand-picked to be one of the two Texas female Rangers and is a forensic specialist, an interrogation ace and can shoot with deadly precision. Her personal life, meanwhile, is a mess — as the recently divorced Molly now lives with her older brother Billy, and her two rowdy nieces.

THOSE BEHIND THE SHOW: Hannah Shakespeare (The Playboy Club) will write and Sofia Vergara (Modern Family) and Martin Campbell (Casino Royale) will executive produce. This pilot is based on the Argentine series Mujeres Asesinas.

CAST: Tricia Helfer (Battlestar Galactica) will play the lead role while Marc Blucas (Necessary Roughness) will play DEA officer Dan Winston, Molly’s ex-husband. Marta Milans (Shame) will play Vanessa “Nessa” Hernandez, who is married to, but separated from, Molly’s older brother Billy, Michael Trucco (Fairly Legal and Battlestar Galactica).

Lucky 7 – This pilot is about the lives of seven employees of a service station in Queens who are changed in many unexpected ways when they win a lottery jackpot.

THOSE BEHIND THIS SHOW: David Zabel (ER) and Jason Richman (Detroit 1-8-7) will write and executive-produce along with Steven Spielberg and Justin Falvey and Darryl Frank (both from Smash).

CAST: Isiah Whitlock, Jr. (The Wire) will play Bob Harris, the boss at the service station while relative newcomer Stephen Louis Grush will play one of the seven employees, a reformed ex-convict named Nicky. Summer Bishil (Towelhead), Anastasia Phillips (Skins) and Lorraine Bruce (Eden Lake) will play three of the seven employees while Christine Evangelista (The Joneses) will play the “baby mama” of another winner, Matt. Luis Antonio Ramos (The Ruins) will play Antonio Clemente, the gas station mechanic who pulled out of the lottery pool to save money. Matt Long (Private Practice) has recently joined the cast of this pilot.

REVISED: “Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” (formerly S.H.I.E.L.D.) – This pilot is, of course, based on the Marvel Universe’s fictional and secret law-enforcement agency known as S.H.I.E.L.D.

THOSE BEHIND THE SHOW: Joss Whedon, creator of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Firefly, Dollhouse and director of The Avengers and Maurissa Tancharoen (his sister-in-law) will write and executive producer.

CAST: Clark Gregg will reprise his role of Phil Coulson from the Avengers (Thor, etc.) films while Ming-Na (Stargate Universe and Eureka) will play Melinda May, relative newcomer Brett Dalton will play Grant Ward, Elizabeth Henstridge (Hollyoaks) will play Gemma Simmons, Ian De Caestecker (The Fades) will play Leo Fitz, Shannon Lucio (The Gates) will play Debbie and Chloe Bennet (Nashville) will play Skye. REVISED: J. August Richards (Angel) was just announced as being added to the cast in a “super top-secret role”!

Murder in Manhattan – This pilot is a New York City-set dramedy about a mother-daughter, Blythe and Lex, sleuthing team.

THOSE BEHIND THIS SHOW: Maria Maggenti (Monte Carlo) will write and executive produce the series with Ryan Reynolds.

CAST: Bridget Regan (Legend of the Seeker) will play Lex, who teams up with her mother Blythe, to be played by Annie Potts, as amateur sleuths. Lex works in the Mayor’s office by day and as a sleuth with her mom at night. Enver Gjokaj (Dollhouse) will play Jack, Lex’s best childhood friend, who is now an NYPD detective who has feelings for Lex and helps her and her mother in their investigations. Brendan Hines (Lie To Me) will play Lex’s brother, an Assistant District Attorney.

Reckless – This pilot is about what happens when the wife of David Ritter is unjustly imprisoned during a political uprising overseas. He pursues every legal option to secure her release; but when he’s stymied by the U.S. government in the name of diplomacy, he is forced to consider less-than-legal options.

THOSE BEHIND THE SHOW: Chris Black (Mad Men) will write and Martin Campbell (Casino Royale) will executive produce.

CAST: Patrick Fugit (Almost Famous) will play the lead role of David. Eloise Mumford (The River) will play Sarah Harrison, the wife who has been unjustly imprisoned. Sarah is a doctor at a medical clinic in East Myanmar. Lou Taylor Pucci (Southland Tales) will play Ryan Harrison, Sarah’s “good guy” brother who interns at his family’s manufacturing business. Stephen Lang (Terra Nova) will play Sarah’s dad Tom, who runs a top military manufacturing facility, using his strong political connections to demand action in his daughter’s disappearance. Lyndon Smith (90210) will play Allie, Sarah’s smart and conscientious sister. Bess Armstrong (House of Lies) will play Sarah’s mother. Naveen Andrews (Lost) will play Brit Roland Shaw, former SAS and a renegade who will do whatever it takes to rescue Sarah. Ashton Holmes (Revenge and Nikita) will play Wyatt, a cocky, opportunistic acquaintance of David’s from college who represents a private security contractor, who eventually puts David in contact with Roland Shaw, a dangerous mercenary. Parminder Nagra (ER and Alcatraz) will play David’s co-worker Susan, the CFO for the company and trusted advisor to the family. Ernie Hudson (Last Resort) will play Frank Wolfe, an intelligence analyst with the CIA who is put out to pasture.

Westside (formerly known as Venice):– This pilot is a modern take on Romeo & Juliet, pitting two rival families of California’s most seductive city against each other with the focus on Sophie Nance and Chris Carver, star-crossed lovers from rival families in Venice, California.

THOSE BEHIND THE SHOW: Byron Balasco (Without a Trace) will write and executive producer with McG.

CAST: Odette Annable (House) will play Sophie Nance while Luke Bracey (Home And Away) will play Chris Carver. Jennifer Beals (Flashdance and The Chicago Code) will star as Lisa Hopkins-Carver, the matriarch of the Carver clan while Bruce Greenwood (Star Trek) will play Gordy Nance, the powerful head of the Nance family. Michael Graziadei (The Young & The Restless) will play Josh Nance, the son of Gordy Nance and brother of Sophie, a rising star in his father’s company, poised to take over the family business. Lincoln Lewis (Home and Away) will play Shealy, Chris’s brother, who just got out of prison after six years. Dean Winter (30 Rock) will play Robbie Carver, a local legend who runs the Carver family surf shop in Venice and is brother-in-law to Lisa. Lexi Ainsworth (General Hospital) will play Nico, Lisa’s teenage daughter Lisa and Brooklyn Sudano (My Wife And Kids) will play Chris’s girlfriend Jess, who has been waiting six years to be reunited with him after he is released from prison only to learn that he is now seeing Sophie.

MOST LIKELY TO BE PICKED-UP: S.H.I.E.L.D.

COULD MAYBE GET AN ORDER: Murder in Manhattan and Killer Women

LONG SHOT (but it sure would be cool to see it): Gothica

RIP-OFF OF THE SEASON: Forever (formerly The Returned) [anyone remember The 4400 on USA?]

NOT GONNA HAPPEN: Betrayal

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“Just Us Guys” Pilot – By Chris Lilly

Do you love watching TV? Do you enjoy good family drama? Would you want to help make television history with a new kind of story for TV?

Well, now is your chance! My friend Chris Lilly is working on pre-production for a pilot script called “Just Us Guys” that he wrote and plans to produce independently. But, like so many small projects he needs financial backing to make it broadcast quality.

“Just Us Guys” is about a gay father (Scott) who has a best friend relationship with his straight son (Max). But this isn’t a coming out story or an adoption story. This is a wholesome dramedy about a family. Scott and Max are both comic book geeks. They are very much into pop culture and are a lot of fun to be around. Though in his early 30s, Scott is a big kid while Max is more of the adult in the relationship. As Chris shared, “a story like this has never been told on television before, but you have the chance to help me make television history”.

His budget goal is $40,000 so that he can hire professionals with access to high quality equipment.

If you would like to support this new project, you can donate any amount you wish by visiting “Just Us Guys” at Indiegogo. Once there you will see that there are incentives for the level of donations you make. Every penny counts!

You can also “like” “Just Us Guys” on Facebook and follow them on Twitter to help spread the word.

Production on “Just Us Guys” is tentatively planned for November.

Again, any support you can provide would be much appreciated.

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Top 10 Most Inquired (About) Pilots (Per The Futon Critic)

A recent post made at Twitter by The Futon Critic showed the top 10 most inquired about TV pilots for the 2011-2012 TV season to be the following:

1. 17th Precinct (NBC)
2. Alcatraz (FOX)
3. Wonder Woman (NBC)
4. Locke & Key (FOX)
5. Charlie’s Angels (ABC)
6. Prime Suspect (NBC)
7. Secret Circle (The CW)
8. Grimm (NBC)
9. Exit Strategy (FOX)
10. Poe (ABC)

This is obviously not a scientific study, but rather simply a tally of the searches conducted by readers of The Futon Critic in regards to the multitude of pilots up for consideration at the major networks for this fall. 

What is most interesting, at least to me, is that out of those top 10, I included 6 of them in my recent pilot watch updates as shows the respective networks should pick up for the fall.  I feel vindicated in that I made very good choices; now let’s just hope the networks make some good decisions.

You can find my pilot watch updates for the networks here: ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC and The CW.

If you had your choice, which pilots would you like to see on the fall schedule at ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC and The CW?  Please share.

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Pilot Watch Update NBC

The following is the final list of pilots being considered for the 2011-2012 fall TV season. These pilots come from NBC:

17th Precinct Cast (c) Tricia Helfer

17th Precinct comes from Ron Moore (the man behind the reimagined Battlestar Galactica) and is a supernatural police drama set in the fictional town of Excelsior where magic and supernatural elements rule over science. The cast includes BSG alums Jamie Bamber, James Callis and Tricia Helfer as well as Eamonn Walker (Kings), Esai Morales (Caprica), Matt Long (Jack & Bobby) and Stockard Channing (The West Wing). Kristin Kreuk (Smallville) is set to guest star in the pilot.

VERDICT: Hell, YES! NBC would be foolish to not pick up this pilot to series not only because of the incredible cast (including the mini-Battlestar Galactica reunion with Jamie, James and Tricia) but also the fact that this is a supernatural series from Ron Moore. And, quite honestly NBC needs some hits and this could definitely be one of them.

Don Johnson

A Mann’s World is about Allan Mann, a celebrity Los Angeles hair stylist (Don Johnson) who struggles to navigate the complexities of his business, his family life and his goal to stay relevant in a world that moves quickly. This pilot comes from Michael Patrick King (the man behind Sex and the City). The cast includes Taylor Kinney (The Vampire Diaries), JR Bourne (Stargate: SG-1) and Kelly Hu (X-Men 2).

VERDICT: Are they kidding? NBC wants us to watch a show about a celebrity hair stylist? I’d rather watch a reality program and those things are about as close to bottom of the barrel to my way of thinking as possible. Run away from this one FAST!

David Giuntoli

Grimm is a dark, fantastical cop drama featuring characters inspired by Grimm’s Fairy Tales from David Greenwalt. The pilot stars David Giuntoli, Russell Hornsby (Lincoln Heights), Silas Weir Mitchell (Prison Break) and Sasha Roiz (Caprica). Kate Burton (Grey’s Anatomy) will guest star in the pilot.

VERDICT: Again, another fairy tale inspired pilot just on a different network. There is a growing interest in fairy tales – just look at some of the upcoming box office movies – but will this one stick? It has some interesting cast members and the pilot episode was written by someone who knows a thing or two about the supernatural (Greenwalt worked on Buffy, the Vampire Slayer AND Angel). But again, will this work with the general viewing public? I seriously doubt it.

Playboy Cast

The drama pilot – currently called Playboy – is, of course, set at the Playboy Club in Chicago in 1963 and explores the lives of working-class Playboy bunnies and the men who loved them. The cast includes Eddie Cibrian (Third Watch), Amber Heard (Zombieland), Jenna Dewan Tatum (Step Up), David Krumholtz (Numb3rs) and Naturi Naughton (Fame). Among the producers is Brian Grazer.

VERDICT: Well, I know I am NOT going to watch this show, but this will definitely bring in the male viewers even if they don’t show that much skin. Pretty, scantily-clad girls in bunny costumes? Men will be salivating; but is there enough stories to tell and will the male of the species be enough to keep the show going ratings-wise? I sure hope not!

Maria Bello

Prime Suspect is an adaptation of the British miniseries that centers on a tough female detective (Maria Bello) who has to make her bones in a tough New York precinct dominated by men. One of the producers is Peter Berg (Friday Night Lights). The cast includes Aidan Quinn (Legend of the Fall, Kirk Acevedo (Fringe), Tim Griffin (Star Trek), Toby Stephens (Die Another Day) and Brian O’Bryne (FlashForward).

VERDICT: This show SHOULD be picked up by NBC based on the popularity of the original UK airing alone, but this version is helped along with the casting of Maria Bello (A History of Violence) in the lead role. If this show can exude half of what the UK version did, then it will succeed. It will have to live up to the legend of Helen Mirren, of course, as well as the sharp writing style that is predominant to UK series.

Reconstruction Cast

Reconstruction is a period piece set in the aftermath of the Civil War, following a soldier (Martin Henderson from Off the Map) who crosses the country and settles in a complicated town where he is welcomed as its savior — whether he likes it or not. The cast include Rachel Lefevre (The Twilight franchise), Robert Knepper (Prison Break) and Emma Bell (The Walking Dead).

VERDICT: A period piece? Like that is going to work on an already fickle TV viewing audience? Don’t get me wrong, I like period pieces, but I can’t see enough viewers tuning it to make a difference ratings-wise.

Jason Isaacs

REM is the new drama from Kyle Killen (the creator of the short-live and much-maligned FOX drama Lone Star) about a police detective (Jason Isaacs from Brotherhood and the Harry Potter franchise) who is involved in a traumatic car accident, waking in two fractured realities. Among the cast are Wilmer Valderrama (That 70’s Show), Cherry Jones (24), Steve Harris (The Practice and Friday Night Lights), B.D. Wong (Law & Order: Special Victims Unit), Laura Allen (Terriers), Michael McManus (The Vampire Diaries) and Dylan Minnette (Lost).

VERDICT: Yes! Just look at the cast for this show and match that with a very unique premise. Sure the stories will probably get complicated since it is about two different realities, but that hasn’t harmed the fan fervor for Fringe (despite that show’s low ratings). And in the long-run that will be the one that could hurt this show if it were picked up: will enough viewers tune in.

Jimmy Smits

The Stephan Gaghan (the man behind the box office movie Traffic) pilot called Special Investigations L.A. takes a look at Los Angeles through multiple perspectives, including law enforcement, the justice system, city hall and the criminal underworld. The pilot stars Jimmy Smits (NYPD Blue), Madchen Amick (Twin Peaks and Damages), Danny Pino (Cold Case) and Noah Emmerich (White Collar).

VERDICT: This will be yet another Jimmy Smits pilot that has a unique premise but will probably crash and burn simply because it will go over the heads of the audience. Cop dramas are one thing, but when a pilot starts out focusing on multiple perspectives, well, that’s just gonna be too much too soon. Make it simple or else you are going to lose the viewers before you even get started.

Debra Messing

Smash is a Glee-esque copy-cat about a group of people who come together to put on a Broadway show about Marilyn Monroe. The pilot is executive produced by Steven Spielberg, Craig Zadan and Neil Meron. The cast includes Debra Messing (Will & Grace), Anjelica Houston (Ever After), Jack Davenport (FlashForward), Katharine McPhee (former American Idol runner-up) and Broadway star Megan Hilty.

VERDICT: A show about a Broadway play focusing on Marilyn Monroe? I think this would make a better mini-series than a weekly drama. And while Glee started out as the little underdog show that became a worldwide phenom, the fans are starting to do the predictable: rejecting the very show they once heralded because of poor writing during the second season. The same fate could lie ahead for Smash.

Adrianne Palicki

The reimagined Wonder Woman is being done by David E. Kelley (the man behind Ally McBeal, The Practice and Boston Legal). This new version stars Adrianne Palicki (Friday Night Lights) as Diana Themyscira (aka vigilante superhero Wonder Woman), a shrewd corporate executive AND Diana Prince, an assistant at Themyscira Industries (yes she has more than one identity BESIDES being Wonder Woman). The cast includes Tracie Thoms (Cold Case), Cary Elwes (Princess Bride) and Elizabeth Hurley (Austen Powers) in a recurring role.

VERDICT: No! First of all, it is a remake of the 1970’s classic that has been languishing in development hell not only for TV but also on the big screen. Second, the script is being heavily brutalized by critics. And, don’t even get anyone started on the various costumes worn by Wonder Woman. You just might start a war if the focus is on that one subject matter alone. And, there is the fact that remakes of past series don’t always work out. No matter how “cool” they try to make this pilot look, it’s just not going to work.

What does this mean for NBC? They need to pick up REM, Prime Suspect and 17th Precinct and they need to bury Wonder Woman and Smash. IF they need to fill more timeslots – because let’s face it NBC is HURTING big time in their dramatic programming timeslots – they could attempt to make Grimm work if necessary. The rest just aren’t going to cut it.

And with that said, this ends the pilot watch updates for the major networks.

Please keep in mind that in a few weeks we will find out which pilots each network has decided to pick-up to series and how the proposed fall TV landscape will look. I will be very curious to see if any of my predictions come true or not. What pilots from the five major networks would you like to see make it into the fall schedule? Please share.

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Pilot Watch Update: FOX

The following list highlights all of the pilots being considered for pick up for the 2011-2012 fall TV season by FOX:

Sarah Jones

Alcatraz is another J.J. Abrams production that is about a cop (Sarah Jones from Big Love and Sons of Anarchy) and a team of FBI agents who attempt to track down a group of missing Alcatraz prisoners and guards who reappear in the present day after disappearing 30 years earlier. The cast includes Jorge Garcia (Lost) Sam Neill (Jurassic Park), Parminder Nagra (ER and Bend It Like Beckham), Santiago Cabrera (Heroes) and Robert Forster (Karen Sisco and Heroes).

VERDICT: Yes, it’s a J.J. Abrams production and it boasts an impressive cast, but is the overall premise going to keep viewers coming back? This is Prison Break crossed with Lost and a little bit of Alias on the side; but will all of that really be enough to keep an audience hooked each week? I’m not sold (yet).

Ethan Hawke

Exit Strategy stars Ethan Hawke as the leader of a CIA team that specializes in high risk rescue extraction operations that save agents who have been compromised. This comes from Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci (the men behind Hawaii Five-0). The cast includes Megan Dodds (MI-5), Tom Sizemore (Saving Private Ryan) and Lina Esco (the short-lived series Cane).

VERDICT: It’s quite interesting that FOX was able to get Ethan Hawke to appear in a weekly series and to have the men who not only brought Star Trek back to the big screen but have also succeeded to make Hawaii Five-O hip once again, well, that says a lot; but I have serious concerns if the general viewing audience is going to want to see these high risk missions each week. How many of these rescues – in real life – actually work out? And the rescues that don’t work out, are they going to show those too? There are just too many factors to have to worry about in order to hook an already fickle viewer.

Miranda Otto

Based on the Joe Hill graphic novel, Locke & Key is a new suspenseful thriller about widow Nina Locke (Miranda Otto from the Lord of the Rings franchise) and her three kids (Jesse McCartney from Summerland, Sarah Bolger from The Tudors and newcomer Skylar Gaertner) who, still reeling from the brutal murder of their guidance-counselor father by a deranged student, move to a small island off the coast of Maine, where they discover a mystical doorway in their new home. Nick Stahl (Terminator 3), Mark Pellegrino (Being Human and Lost) and Ksenia Solo (Life Unexpected and Lost Girl) co-star in this production from Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci.

VERDICT: This show has a captivating premise, being based on an already popular graphic novel, and is primed to be on a network – that despite its track record of holding on to sci-fi series for very long – occasionally knows how to cultivate a supernatural-based series (hello, The X-Files anyone?) and it would be a good idea to collect the graphic novel based fans (as AMC can easily claim they did with The Walking Dead). For FOX not to move forward with this pilot, making it a weekly series, would cement their fate and not in a good way.

Geoff Stults

The Finder is the spin-off from the popular FOX series Bones that is based on The Locator books by Richard Greener, which follows a former military policeman (Geoff Stults from October Road) who has the ability to find anything. The series (naturally) comes from Hart Hanson (the man behind Bones) and co-stars Saffron Burrows (Law & Order: Criminal Intent) and Michael Clarke Duncan (The Green Mile).

VERDICT: Pick this show up FOX. For one thing, you’ve got Hart Hanson behind the scenes and he knows what he is doing as an executive producer (hello, Bones anyone?). Then, you have a terrific cast that will bring fans from all genres and it will be a great companion piece to Bones. Ready, set, go.

Kiefer Sutherland

The Kiefer Sutherland-led drama Touch is about a single father raising an autistic son who has never spoken; but he soon discovers that his son is actually communicating with him through a complex series of numbers, and may even be able to predict events before they happen. The series comes from Tim Kring (the man behind Heroes). There are no other details on cast members at this time.

VERDICT: Based on the power of drawing an audience to anything for which he appears in, FOX should pick up this show based on the popularity of Kiefer Sutherland even if he won’t be playing Jack Bauer in this series. The one big concern for this show getting picked up would be how parents with autistic children will react to the abilities of the lead character’s son. If they can accept it, then the general viewing public just might give it a chance; if not, then it is sayonara.

Lauren Ambrose

Weekends at Bellevue stars Lauren Ambrose (Six Feet Under) as a psychiatrist in charge of the weekend shift of Bellevue Hospital’s psychiatric unit. The cast includes Broadway actress Janet McTeer, Amber Stevens (Greek) and Eric Winter (Moonlight and Brothers & Sisters). Gail Berman, Jack Bender and Lisa Zwerling are among the executive producers.

VERDICT: Is this FOX’s idea of making a female House? Or will Ambrose’s character be touchy-feely, which could alienate viewers just as much. And, do we all want to see the stories coming out of psych ward on a weekly basis? This just might be too heavy (or in some cases depressing) for viewers to have to deal with week after week.

Where does all this leave FOX? They should pick up The Finder and Locke & Key without question and, more importantly, once each is on the air let them build an audience – no more on and off with only 13 (or less) episodes aired. They should also hold onto Touch simply because of the powerhouse that is Kiefer Sutherland. As for the rest of the pilots, despite interesting premises, great casting and big-name producers, they will either bore the audience, be too complicated or just not have enough story to attract the general viewing audience on a weekly basis.

The last pilot watch update will be coming soon, focusing on the pilots at NBC.

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Pilot Watch Update: The CW

The next list of pilots being considered for pick up for the 2011-2012 fall TV season are the following at The CW:

Lucy Griffiths

Awakening is a drama about two sisters (Lucy Griffiths from the UK series Robin Hood and Meredith Hagner from short-live FX series Lights Out) who face off during a zombie uprising. The cast includes Brian Hallisay (Privileged) and Titus Welliver (Lost and The Good Wife).

Meredith Hagner

VERDICT: This is obviously an attempt by the CW to cash in on the zombie frenzy that was started by AMC when the network introduced their new series The Walking Dead last Halloween; but I have to question if this potential pilot will be done as well as that series.

Alex Breckenridge

Cooper and Stone is about two young female Chicago homicide detectives (Alex Breckenridge from Life Unexpected and Vanessa Ferlito from CSI: NY) who find a balance between catching criminals and everyday issues in their personal lives. Riley Smith (24 and Joan of Arcadia) co-stars.

Vanessa Ferlito

VERDICT: What the tagline above doesn’t state is that these detectives are best friends who are supposed to be equally adept at discussing homicide cases just as well as fashion, music and pop
culture. So, it’s Gossip Girls as cops? Maybe those kinds of skills can work on the CW, but will the general viewing audience really buy into it?

Amanda Walsh

The drama pilot Danni Lowinski is about a recent law school graduate (Amanda Walsh from the box office film Disturbia), repeatedly brushed off by big law firms, who decides to open her own practice in a shopping mall kiosk. The cast includes Carla Gallo (Bones), George Dzunda (Grey’s Anatomy), Natalia Cigliuti (Raising the Bar) and Neal Bledsoe (Ugly Betty).

VERDICT: This sounds a bit like the short-lived FOX series Wonderfalls, but I doubt it will be anywhere near as clever or fan-appeal-worthy. It will have the pre-requisite young adult in an unusual situation, which seems to be the direction for which the CW seems to be going, but will it have longevity? I doubt it.

Heavenly Cast

Heavenly is about a young female attorney (Lauren Cohan from Supernatural, The Vampire Diaries and Chuck) and a former angel-turned-human (relative newcomer Ben Aldridge) who take on cases at a legal-aid clinic. Ryan Eggold (90210) co-stars.

VERDICT: The rest of the tagline for this new drama is this: “She comes to the rescue of her clients – while he saves their souls.” Really? So, this will be Touched By An Angel mixed with The Client or Harry’s Law? Again, it’s another young lawyer that fits the age limitations of this network, but will the whole angel-turned-human really capture the imagination of a secular audience? I don’t think so.

Rachel Bilson

Hart of Dixie stars Rachel Bilson (The O.C.) as a New York City doctor, who inherits a small medical practice in the South. This pilot comes from Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage (the team behind Gossip Girl) and co-stars Jaime King (My Generation), Scott Porter (Friday Night Lights), Cress Williams (Grey’s Anatomy) and Nancy Travis (The Bill Engvall Show).

VERDICT: Schwartz and Savage know what works best on The CW. Combine their knowledge of the network, their history with TV series (Chuck and The O.C.) and this very interesting cast, this could be a combination of Everwood and Gilmore Girls IF they play their cards right and provide a solid product.

Britt Robertson

Secret Circle is based on the three-book series from L.J. Smith (the woman behind The Vampire Diaries books for which the show is modeled after). The story follows a young witch (Britt Robertson from Life Unexpected) who is the key to a battle between good and evil. The pilot co-stars Thomas Dekker (Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles), Shelley Hennig (Days of our Lives), Jessica Parker Kennedy (Smallville), Natasha Henstridge (Eli Stone) and Phoebe Tonkin (the Australia series Home and Away). The pilot is to be executive producer by Kevin Williamson.

VERDICT: This is THE hot new show for The CW. It fits well into what the network is already known for: stories about teenagers with a supernatural twist. And, in the hands of Williamson, who has already had success with Dawson’s Creek and most recently with The Vampire Diaries, this will be a hit – hands down, no question.

Where does all this leave The CW? They will assuredly pick up Secret Circle and most likely Hart of Dixie. Secret Circle can be paired with The Vampire Diaries and Hart of Dixie will be the companion of whichever series survives on Tuesday nights (either Hellcats or One Tree Hill). The rest of the pilots will simply be small blips on the TV screen; actually they won’t even make it that far.

More pilot watch updates will be coming soon with a look at the FOX pilots coming up next.

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