TV pilot season...

[Killick]

... and by the looks of it, NBC is full of fail yet again. All of the networks seem to be efforting at some pretty mundane Friends/Coupling-like shows, but there are a few interesting shows there. Of particular interest to the sj nation, on NBC nonetheless, is "Beach Lane," in which "Matthew Broderick runs a struggling small town newspaper." Hmmm.

Others are just laughable, like the CW's "Hellcats" ("Set in the world of competitive cheerleading") and ABC's "Wright vs. Wrong" ("Revolves around a sexy conservative femme pundit"). Ugh.

The rest of the lineup: http://www.variety.com/index.asp?layout=chart_pass&charttype=chart_pilotwatch2010&ref=ssp

 

[imjustagirl]

With "Freshmen," I'm so done with the "group of young professionals in the same profession face struggles of fitting in" line. It's why I don't watch "The Deep End."

Also because the commercials looked like crap.

 

[Killick]

I dunno. That was one of the pilots that kind of intrigued me. Could go either way - epic or epic fail. Of course, since Sorkin's not writing it (I'm a huge West Wing fan), it'll probably be crap.

 

[imjustagirl]

I can't see how "Outsourced" will be anything but cheap cliches.

 

[Killick]

Ditto "Funny in Farsi" and "Nevermind Nirvana," though the latter's title made me think it was a Kurt Cobain-based comedy. Now THAT could be fun.

 

[imjustagirl]

Ha! What WOULDN'T be humorous in that situation?

 

[Mizzougrad96]

I think board favorite Sarah Chalke is starring in The Freshmen.

 

[Baron Scicluna]

I feel like I almost shouldn't bother to watch any network shows, because inevitably, they'll just get canceled within a few weeks. So why should I bother getting involved in watching a show if it's just going to be gone?

The only network show I watch now is Lost, and that was because I got hooked with the pilot episode with the opening scene plane crash. That said to me that this show will be around for a while. Before that, it was the West Wing and ER, both of which I found interesting with the commericials. There seemed to be a commitment to keeping these shows around.

If networks want me to watch, they have to show a little faith that the shows will last a little while.

 

[txsportsscribe]

Freshmen - 20th Century Fox TV - Three freshman Congressional reps share a row house in D.C.

wtf

Criminal Minds spinoff - ABC Studios/CBS TV Studios - Forest Whitaker plays FBI investigator

interested

Rockford Files, The - Universal Media Studios - Remake of '70s series about maverick P.I.

nobody replaces james garner in this role

 

[Mizzougrad96]

I do find it amazing that while the networks may combine for a couple decent new shows every year, TBS, TNT, USA and HBO and Showtime are churning out good new shows regularly.

The Closer, White Collar, Psych, Burn Notice are all better than most of the network shows.

 

[DanOregon]

you've got to love pilot season - producers pitch an idea, maybe accept a script, maybe they tell the producer to go ahead and shoot the thing, then they either put it on the schedule, hold it for mid-season or dump it. And even then pilots that "make it" are often re-tooled with new cast members and more often than not the guy whose idea it was in the first place is no longer a part of the project.
Hope Hawaii 5-0 is good. Now if they screw with the theme song - same with Rockford - they might as well chuck the idea altogether.

Agree about the cable nets. I'm trying to think of the last USA, FX or TNT show that didn't get a second season - Even the shows that don't get a second season at least are fully formed ideas and usually all in the can by the time the show's first episode premieres. I don't think its a coincidence.

 

[Mizzougrad96]

you've got to love pilot season - producers pitch an idea, maybe accept a script, maybe they tell the producer to go ahead and shoot the thing, then they either put it on the schedule, hold it for mid-season or dump it. And even then pilots that "make it" are often re-tooled with new cast members and more often than not the guy whose idea it was in the first place is no longer a part of the project.
Hope Hawaii 5-0 is good. Now if they screw with the theme song - same with Rockford - they might as well chuck the idea altogether.

Agree about the cable nets. I'm trying to think of the last USA, FX or TNT show that didn't get a second season - Even the shows that don't get a second season at least are fully formed ideas and usually all in the can by the time the show's first episode premieres. I don't think its a coincidence.

I think it all started when NBC passed on Monk, which became a much bigger hit than anything NBC has had in a long, long time, with the possible exceptions of SVU and ER.

 

[Inky_Wretch]

Hope Hawaii 5-0 is good. Now if they screw with the theme song - same with Rockford - they might as well chuck the idea altogether.

Will they even have theme songs? Not many TV shows even use them any longer. The producers/networks would rather use that time for more of the show commercials.

 

[CitizenTino]

I'm trying to think of the last USA, FX or TNT show that didn't get a second season - Even the shows that don't get a second season at least are fully formed ideas and usually all in the can by the time the show's first episode premieres. I don't think its a coincidence.

"Trust Me" last year on TNT, which pissed me off to no end. Like a lot of you, I'm leery of jumping on board with new shows because I don't want to get hooked on a show that's just going to get canceled right away, but I figured with this being on TNT, it would get time to grow. Oops. It got off to a slow start, but by the time they got to the end of the season, I thought it was really rolling. Didn't get renewed, though, and that was that.

 

[ArnoldBabar]

NBC should just fire everyone (except the blonde from Chuck) and start over. They are like the Keystone Kops of the entertainment world.

 

[imjustagirl]

I'm trying to think of the last USA, FX or TNT show that didn't get a second season - Even the shows that don't get a second season at least are fully formed ideas and usually all in the can by the time the show's first episode premieres. I don't think its a coincidence.

"Trust Me" last year on TNT, which pissed me off to no end. Like a lot of you, I'm leery of jumping on board with new shows because I don't want to get hooked on a show that's just going to get canceled right away, but I figured with this being on TNT, it would get time to grow. Oops. It got off to a slow start, but by the time they got to the end of the season, I thought it was really rolling. Didn't get renewed, though, and that was that.

God I loved that show so much.

 

[lantaur]

If you like cop shows, boy will you have options - like 22 of them.
http://www.thrfeed.com/2010/02/know-your-tv-drama-pilots-2010-cop-doc-or-lawyer.html

 

[Starman]

Rockford Files, The - Universal Media Studios - Remake of '70s series about maverick P.I.

nobody replaces james garner in this role

Ehhh, nobody's a bigger "Rockford" fan than I am, but if the writing and casting (not just Jim, but also Dennis, Beth and especially Rocky and Angel) is OK, I could see a new version making it.

For a few weeks, Matt Dillon was rumored to be in the lead to play Jim, now supposedly Josh Lucas is the hot prospect. But they seem to be dragging their feet on getting a cast together, which could be good news (if they're holding out to get the right people) or bad (if they end up with 3rd or 4th-liners).

 

[ArnoldBabar]

When I grew up, I always thought I would be a success if I ever made Rockford money: $200 a day, plus expenses.

 

[Point of Order]

Did anyone watch the lawyer show Raising the Bar on TNT? It was one for one, maybe two seasons. Created by Stephen Bochco. I was really disappointed it got dumped.