Fox Pilots 2011: Volume 1 (dramas)

After slogging through the entirely new network that NBC will be, I'm switching gears to Fox, which only has enough real estate for two volumes. Truth be told, NBC actually has some midseason comedies in store, but none of them was promising enough or horrific enough for mention. On the off-chance that they actually make it to air, I'll be sure to mention them.

Anyway, on to Fox. I'm still bitter about The Chicago Code getting the axe, especially in light of aging shows like House and Bones jumping one shark after another and relative newbie Glee sucking it up in its second season. From a financial standpoint, I guess I get it, but House is hemorrhaging viewers and actors (Lisa Edelstein jumped ship and I can't says I blame her). Odds are this coming season will mercifully be its last. I broke up with it after the first episode of this season, so it only really matters to me in terms of other shows getting canceled. Code ended its run in fine fashion, and, while not a perfect show, had a lot of room to grow and seemingly infinite storylines to explore. House, Bones, and even Glee? They're pretty tapped out. Caterwauling aside, Fox has a pretty interesting slate of new shows for the coming year, so if nothing else, at least they have some potential winners to throw into the mix of aging dinosaurs. Actually, they have some dinosaurs to throw in as well... Along with the potential winners, of course, we have even more animation and a competition show of some sort that I already don't care about. Even worse, the most promising new show of all is being held till midseason, you know, because all the cool networks are doing that for some reason... Boo.

Here's how the schedule is stacking up for the coming year (new shows are in caps and the times are Eastern Time):

***FALL SCHEDULE***

MONDAY
8/7c TERRA NOVA
9 pm House

TUESDAY
8 pm Glee
9 pm NEW GIRL
9:30 pm Raising Hope

WEDNESDAY
8-9:30 pm THE X FACTOR
9:30 pm I HATE MY TEENAGE DAUGHTER

THURSDAY
8 pm THE X FACTOR (Results Show)
9 pm Bones

FRIDAY
8 pm Kitchen Nightmares
9 pm Fringe

SUNDAY
7:30 pm The Cleveland Show
8 pm The Simpsons
8:30 pm ALLEN GREGORY
9 pm Family Guy
9:30 pm American Dad

***MIDSEASON SCHEDULE***

MONDAY
8/7c House
9 pm ALCATRAZ

TUESDAY
8 pm Glee
9 pm NEW GIRL
9:30 pm Raising Hope

WEDNESDAY
8-9:30 pm American Idol
9:30 pm I HATE MY TEENAGE DAUGHTER

THURSDAY
8 pm American Idol (Results Show)
9 pm FINDER/Bones (Returning in Spring)

FRIDAY
8 pm Kitchen Nightmares
9 pm Fringe

SUNDAY
7:30 pm The Cleveland Show
8 pm The Simpsons
8:30 pm NAPOLEON DYNAMITE
9 pm Family Guy
9:30 pm Bob’s Burgers

So yeah, Fox's schedule is always kind of a chore to read because it's so chopped up, but in theory, that's what it'll look like at some point in time.

Here are the new dramas:

ALCATRAZ

Description: Stars Jorge Garcia (Lost), Parminder Nagra (ER), Robert Forster (Heroes), Sam Neill (Jurassic Park) and Sarah Jones (Sons of Anarchy). JJ Abrams will produce.



First Impressions: Color me intrigued, but cautious. In spite of the craptacularity of JJ Abrams' last project (Undercovers, the show so boring even NBC wouldn't keep it), it's impossible not to be excited for a project of his. With Lost, Alias, and Fringe under his belt, he's allowed a misstep or two. This show looks like it has a hell of a lot of potential, depending on what direction they take things... If this is a complex supernatural, psychological, historical mystery, I'm so in. If this turns into a old-prisoner-of-the-week cop procedural? I'm considerably less in. Based on what I've seen and heard so far, I'm hopeful that this show will spend more time exploring the mystery of how these men disappeared, where they've been, and why they're back rather than a caper of the week. JJ generally avoids such CBS-style trappings, so it should be good. The concept is intriguing no matter what direction they take. This is truly a story I've never really seen before, and for someone who watches as much TV as I do, that's a very welcomed change. In terms of cast... Hurley! I love him, and as much as I'd love to see Jorge Garcia play the exact same character again, I'm hopeful they give him something different to explore with this show. From the trailer alone, it's looking very Hurley-ish, but even if that ends up being the case, I'll take it. Beyond him, I'm less thrilled. I hadn't made the connection to her previous work at the time, so it was just kind of a knee-jerk reaction, but Sarah Jones, the blonde, is instantly off-putting. Seriously, the second she showed up on the screen, I groaned. How much of that has to do with the fact that she appears to be playing your stereotypical female lead for a "cop show" and how much of it is leftover from her detestable role in Sons of Anarchy is up for grabs, but whatever the motivation, I'm predisposed to hate her. Hopefully she'll grow on once I see the full pilot/series, but off the bat, she is far from the actress I'd want anchoring my show. Beyond her, we have Sam Neill, who's pleasant enough, even if he didn't knock my socks off in the trailer, and Parminder Nagra, who I try to love, but often fail. She always just seems a bit wooden to me. Or, when she's trying not to be wooden, she's whiny, which is even worse. All that said, high-concept shows generally suffer the most from being whittled down to trailer length (there's only so much character depth that can be imparted in 3 minutes), so I'm going to force myself to have an open mind and casually forget everyone's previous roles. Won't be easy with an all-star cast, but I'm certainly going to try. All in all, I'm very excited, in spite of my reservations about some of the casting choices. My only other concern is that JJ has a tendency to make kick-ass pilots, then hang on for a few episodes, then abandon a project. I don't know who the permanent showrunners are, so that's a definite factor if JJ takes a backseat along the way. This is one of the most intriguing trailers of the new pilot season, so naturally, the show is being held till the dead of winter. I don't know why all the nets are doing this, but it's already frustrating me and it's only June. Sigh.


TERRA NOVA

Description: Stars Jason O'Mara (Life On Mars), Stephen Lang (Avatar), Mido Hamada (24) and Christine Adams (The Whole Truth). Steven Spielberg (Jurassic Park), Jon Cassar (24) and Brannon Braga (Star Trek: Enterprise) are among the executive producers.



First (or Third) Impressions: That's right, folks. The pilot we in the industry (heh) have been hearing about for the past, oh, 85 million years or so, is finally going to air. After having been bumped back several times, I was starting to wonder it if would ever see the light of day. It's easily the most ambitious series premiering in the fall, and that's not just because all the good stuff is being held till midseason. This is clearly an expensive show to produce and I'm a little worried that with a week-to-week budget rather than a pilot budget, the special effects and overall look may suffer. Even its regular budget must be huge, however, so for this show to stay on the air, its ratings need to be pretty damn high and then need to stay there. I'm intrigued by the show, but after hearing things like, "It'll appeal to everyone. From age 9 to 90, there's something for everybody," I'm considerably less enthused. Shows that appeal to everybody ultimately appeal to nobody, particularly me. That said, from the trailer, I'm hopeful that the Fox exec who said that (I can't remember who and I'm too lazy to look it up) is painting with a broader brush than is actually warranted. It does look like the writers sat down and made a list of all the things a show could possibly have ("Action! Adventure! Mystery! Family drama! A love story! A war story! A survival story!") and then tried to include as many of them as possible in the show, but given the scope of the concept, I can see where it could all work. I have a feeling that the show will be casting too broad a net in terms of viewers, but on rare occasion, mass appeal can equal quality. The cast and production team are solid and the concept really opens the door for them to do just about anything they want in terms of story, so if they play their cards right, even the family-friendly dinosaur adventure that this appears to be could be a winner. This is the kind of show that just about everyone will be tuning into at some point to see what all the fuss is about, a la Lost, so if you don't want to be out of the loop, it's certainly worth looking into even if the concept leaves you uninspired. I'm intrigued and hopeful, but reserved. If they can find a true voice and focused direction for the series, it could be absolutely amazing. Fingers crossed.


FINDER

Description: Ugh. Does that count as a description? No? Okay, this one stars Geoff Stults (October Road) and Michael Clarke Duncan (The Green Mile). Hart Hanson (Bones) will executive-produce.



First Impressions: Yeah, so this is one of the few shows that I am totally fine with it being held till midseason. In fact, how about it never airs at all? Man alive, Hart Hanson is a hack. Bones has only ever been mid-level, even at its best, so how about we pick up a new show, that's eerily like the old show, and hope no one notices! On top of that, let's cancel The Chicago Code so that drivel like this can see the light of day. Deal? No deal, Fox Network execs. Having already seen the "backdoor pilot" that aired as a Bones episode last season, I'm not impressed. Procedurals in general aren't exactly my bread and butter and this one looks lamer than most. He... finds(?) things? That's it? He's the world's foremost authority on finding things... Am I supposed to be enthralled by that? Maybe I'm just too jaded and have seen too many procedurals, but I just don't think I can bring myself to watch him track crap down week-to-week. Perhaps if the lead actor were more appealing or the concept were more unique, but as is, no thanks. Michael Clarke Duncan is always a treat, and Saffron Burrows has left the show, so that's all good, I suppose, but at the end of the day, I just don't care. The main character appeals to me in no way whatsoever, and I don't mean strictly physically. As I recall from the backdoor pilot, he's a former soldier or something and an insufferable no-it-all with his uncanny "finding" abilities. He has neither the depth nor the panache to engage me and the thought of him anchoring a show is fairly laughable. Bones lost what little luster it once had several years ago and Hart Hanson's attempt at reinvigorating his career appears to have fallen flat. If I had only seen the trailer, I'd be more on the fence, but I've seen the pilot and deduced that this show, in its current incarnation, is not worth my time. I'll probably check out the first episode of the fall to see what kind of creative changes have been made, but I can think of few ways to salvage this concept. Midseason can have you, Finder. I don't mind.