For some reason, ABC seems to have a hell of a lot more pilots slated for next season than any other network, so that wasn't exactly enticing me to put this together any quicker. It has also led me to the decision to break this up into two posts.
Anyway, before we can move on to the new, here's the situation with the old.
AXED:
- Cupid (which won't be missed), The Unusuals (which certainly will be missed), Samantha Who? (whose longevity of concept has always been in question), and According to Jim (whose success has always been a complete mystery).
PICKED UP:
- Better Off Ted (yay!), Brothers & Sisters, Castle (double yay!), Desperate Housewives, Grey's Anatomy (groan!), Lost, Private Practice (double groan!), Scrubs (which will apparently be set in school now... oookay), and Ugly Betty. (Ugly Betty is being moved to the Friday death slot; Better Off Ted and Scrubs will airs Tuesday nights at 9 after Dancing With the Stars signs off in the fall.)
Some pilots that you may have heard about didn't get the green light. ABC won't be tuning into The Bridget Show, starring Gilmore gal Lauren Graham as a talk-show host (according to Ausiello, it was unspeakably painful--i.e., it was so bad he declined to comment). Similarly, No Heroics (an intentionally funny version of Heroes) won't be gracing screens any time soon, and Limelight (a modern-day Fame) didn't quite make it.
Anyway, here are the newbies that did get the go ahead for fall:
FLASH FORWARD
My Take: As with so many other shows that start off with a very specific direction using a high concept pilot, I think this one could really go either way. I know ABC is hoping it goes the way of Lost, but there's always a good chance it will end up like The Nine or Six Degrees. If the audience buys into it and feels that the show has potential and promising longevity, it'll do well, if not, the show will be consumed by the concept and run out of steam early on. Given that the events of the "flash forward" appear to come to fruition in April 2010 (presumably the season finale), I have to wonder where the show would go from there. I'm hoping that the first season unveils a conspiracy, evil plot, or something or other that goes well beyond the flash forward itself. It looks like Joseph Fiennes will be charged with just such a task. Whatever is behind the blackout could take the show in great directions, or stop it dead in its tracks. My only concern is that if the week-to-week episodes don't handle this properly, the audience may lose interest before enough is revealed to make the show really work well. I'm intrigued, but cautious. There are a lot of shows that have come and gone that have had a crazy, mysterious shared experience that is illuminated over time to the audience. Some have been excellent, others have not. I think this one has a better chance for longevity than other recent entries into this pseudo-genre, so I'm hoping it makes the best of its high concept and really knocks it out of the park. Otherwise, I'm afraid I just won't care about "what they saw" and walk away. The cast appears to be very strong and the production values look solid. With the right writers and showrunner, I think this one could be a strong contender for fall, rather than the hokey Lost wannabe that it could be. Here's hoping.
COUGAR TOWN
My Take: Um, wow... Yeah, so this show appears to be trying to tap in to a demographic which I do not represent, comprise, or have a hell of a lot of interest in... That said, I don't think this one is going to be my cup of tea exactly. I get the impression that the "cougar" concept will be beaten to death in the pilot and then they'll just keep pummeling that dead horse for the majority of the series. I'd like to think that that's not going to be the case, but the preview does little to allay my concerns. Add to that the fact that Courtney Cox's character appears to be supremely annoying and more than a little stupid and I'm less than thrilled with the whole concept of the show. The preview wasn't completely charmless (I kind of enjoyed the guy wolfing down crackers with peanut butter on them because he couldn't stop thinking about it), but overall, I just don't think Courtney is going to be able to pull this one off. Her character's interactions with her son, friends, and dates seems forcibly awkward and off-putting (although her son is played by that kid from Aliens in America, so that's a plus). I get that that's kind of the point, but I just don't think anyone who's as successful and accomplished as her character is supposed to be would be that socially inept. Anyway, I don't think I'll be giving this one much of a chance. If I'm in the mood for illicit hook-ups and tawdriness (and a hell of lot less awkwardidity), I'll watch some Gossip Girl, thanks.
EASTWICK
My Take: Well, on the up side, Cougartown is suddenly looking a whole lot better... Yeah, Eastwick doesn't look like anything that will make it onto my regular rotation. Bad acting, bad writing, bad concept, bad "dialogue," bad... fountain-y statue thing... The whole thing just looks horribly contrived and even more horribly executed. I don't know what it would take to make this one look like a winner, but I'm pretty sure all the magic in Eastwick won't be enough. Yikes. I never actually saw the '80s flick that inspired this turkey (The Witches of Eastwick), but I'm going to guess it wasn't exactly begging to become a series.
HAPPY TOWN
My Take: Well, right off the bat, I have to disclose some prejudice for and against this one. Although not featured in the preview above, Amy Acker (aka Dr. Saunders on Dollhouse and Fred from Angel (and who was not Penny from Dr. Horrible--sorry about that one, Jack, I don't know what the hell I was thinking)) is among the cast. While having her on the show will undoubtedly make Happy Town better, it might also mean that her commitments on Dollhouse will be reduced. I'm more than a little torn... Anyway, the show looks fairly promising. I wouldn't say it's one of my favorite conceits, but a good murder mystery is always a good time. This show seems to be aiming for a more stylized, sugar-sweet exterior with a dark side than the usual fare, so hopefully they pull it off and make it work. It's the kind of approach that could be awesome or awful. The cast looks very strong (including Sam Neil, Amy, of course, and Jerry from ER/Larry Kubiak). I'll definitely be giving this one a shot, but deep down, I'm mainly just hoping it doesn't interfere with Dollhouse... If Happy Town can strike the right balance between style and story, I think it could be a solid show. It certainly has a lot of good qualities to work with, but I'm just not sure this one is going to find an audience. I'll be giving it a shot, of course, but based on the preview alone, it's striking me as a second or third tier show at most. I'll be truly surprised if it manages to grace the top tier (being all hallowed and lofty like it is).
Well, those are some of the new shows we can expect from ABC next year. Stay tuned for volume two, which will feature ABC's most anticipated new show (at least it's the most anticipated show in my circles), V, among various others
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