2012 TV Pilot Review - Soaps and Remakes
Remakes of Brit shows Only Fools and Horses, Bad Girls and White Van Man included in this year's pilot season but which will succeed and which will fail?
After the high profile and, what Hollywood execs like to call high concept shows of last weeks article, this week I will be going through new pilots which follow two trends I like to call remaking is breaking and Desperate Housewives is over and Greys Anatomy has got to end sometime. Greys Anatomy and Desperate Housewives have been big ratings pulls in the coveted demographic (18-49 if you dont know) for ABC and have meant big advertising bucks. And, even though Greys prolific creator Shonda Rhimes, who will be show running three to five shows next season depending on pickups, has claimed that Greys will move past eight seasons, there is a general sense that the show is on the decline and, coupled with the loss of Desperate Housewives at the end of the current season, there is a definite hole in the market. On the other end of the seen it before spectrum we have the inescapable and visceral remakes that seem to be shaping television these days. Im sure youre aware that The Office is a remake of the British show of the same name but did you know that they remade One Foot In The Grave with Bill Cosby, and it was actually a success? (Its called Cosby if youre interested in checking it out). Remakes are here to stay. This season alone there are, by my count, about ten in one form or another. Why American studios continue to produce these often ill advised remakes is a mixture of successes and muted failures; but continue to make them they do. Lets find out if any are going to be worth watching.
Only Fools And Horses
Writer/Executive Producer: Steven Cragg (Scrubs), Brian Bradley (Happy Endings) Cast: John Leguizamo (Moulin Rouge), Wendi McLendon-Covey (Bridesmaids), Dustin Ybarra (We Bought a Zoo), Christopher Lloyd (Back to the Future) Network: ABC Whats it all about? A remake of the British sitcom Only Fools and Horses. The two brothers are transported to LA in much the same situation as the British original living with their granddad and dealing in dodgy merchandise out of the local bar. What we thought: Unsurprisingly this is a wash out. A terrible sitcom that has no idea what it wants to be. Where there could have been some ballsy comments on the current economy and the state of unemployment there are one liners fit for a 70s sitcom. 1/10 Will it make it to air? I cant see an audience for this even with its British comedy remake status. Although Im sure we would all love to see Doc back on our screens. 2/10Devious Maids
Writer/Executive Producer: Marc Cherry (Desperate Housewives) Cast: Judy Reyes (Scrubs), Dania Ramirez (Entourage), Roselyn Sanchez (Without a Trace) Notes: Paul McGuigan (Lucky Number Slevin, Sherlock) directing the pilot. Network: ABC Whats it all about? A remake of the Mexican telenovela that follows four maids working on the same rich street in Beverly Hills after a maid is mysteriously murdered. What we thought: This is Desperate Housewives with maids, and that is not a bad thing; this is a spunky show with plenty to say and plenty of legs. 7/10 Will we ever see it? Have you seen the cast? Did you hear the premise? Do you know how big Desperate Housewives is? With Paul McGuigan directing the pilot this show is a sure bet, the only thing potentially getting in the way is Executive Producer Marc Cherrys recent behind the scenes legal issues. But I think this show will be on your screen for years to come. 8/10 Bad Girls
Writer/Executive producer: Nancy Pimental (US Shameless, South Park), John Wells (US Shameless, Southland), Andrew Stearn (Shameless, Southland) Cast: Amy Smart (US Shameless), Karolina Wydra (House) Network: NBC Whats it all about? A remake of the British series follows several female inmates and officers in a fictional LA prison What we thought: An interesting premise filled with intriguing characters and a dark tone that fits in nicely with the current economic outlook, but there is very little hope in this show and very little lighteveryone is corrupt, and the lines between right and wrong are a little too blurry. 6/10 Will we ever see it? This is far more Oz than it is Prison Break. The bleak outlook and dark subject matter, as well as an all female cast, are all things likely to alienate audiences. Even with NBCs habit for bad decisions show wise I cant see this making it all the way. 5/10Penoza
Writer/Executive producer: Melissa Rosenberg (Twilight, Dexter), Alon Aranya, Howard Klein (The Office, Parks and Recreation) Cast: Lee Tergesen (Oz) Luke Goss (Hellboy II) Network: ABC Whats it about? A remake of a Dutch show. After a husband is murdered his wife is forced to take over his drug running business whilst also continuing to raise their family. What we thought: The Sopranos by way of Desperate Housewives, and its a good thing most of the time as we follow the many generations of a crime family as they deal with the death of the patriarch but also the growing pressure of the thugs who want his business. This is an intriguing pilot that promises an interesting future, which probably isnt surprising judging by the caliber of Melissa Rosenberg who was Executive Producer on Dexters impressive fourth season and wrote all of the Twilight films. 8/10 Will we ever see it? Its about time Melissa Rosenberg had a network TV show, there hasnt been a decent mob drama on TV for a while and the show is likely to be a favourite within the demographic; these facts should make it an easy decision for the network. 7/10 Elementary
Writer/Executive producer: Michael Cuesta (Homeland), Rob Doherty (Medium) Cast: Jonny Lee Miller (Eli Stone), Lucy Liu (Charlie's Angels) Network: CBS Whats it about? Another Modern take on Sherlock Holmes, with a female Dr.Watson assisting him as he solves crimes in New York City. What we thought: This is another CBS cookie cutter detective show, even with the addition of Sherlock Holmes it has none of the wit of The Mentalist and none of the style and ingenuity of the BBCs newest Holmes rendition, Sherlock. 2/10 Will we ever see it? Its a procedural where Sherlock Holmes track down serial killers, just because it works on paper is usually good enough for CBSand they remain very successful because of itbut I think this will end up being another boring and flat Unforgettable. But that probably wont stop it being picked up. 6/10White Van Man
Writer/Executive producer: Bobby Bowman (Raising Hope), Mark Gordon (Criminal Minds) Cast: Kyle Bornheimer (Romantically Challenged), J.K. Simmons (The Closer) Network: ABC Whats it about? Based on the BBC program of the same name this show follows a man who comes home to run his fathers handyman business. What we thought: This belongs on CBS, ten years ago; an unfunny, unknowing and old style sitcom that is completely at odds with modern comedy styles and trends. ABC once again failing at getting a grip on comedy. 1/10 Will we ever see it? As desperate as ABC is for a hit comedy show I just cant see anyone tuning in for this. Another completely unnecessary and useless remake. 3/10 Mistresses
Writer/Executive producer: K.J. Steinberg (Gossip Girl), Robert Sertner (Revenge), Douglas Rae (UK Mistresses) Whats it about? Based on the BBC series about four professional women who become friends again after several years, and each of them has a debaucherous love life that is just begging to be seen. Network: ABC What we thought: This show is Sex and the City without the city and with a whole lot more sex. Its about real professional, modern women dealing with the complexities of having a love life in this day and age without it all boiling down to the I need a man to complete me ideology that plagues network television. 7/10 Will we ever see it? ABC is so desperate for quality scripted shows Mistresses is their first pickup of the season and will be shooting ten episodes to be shown sometime in 2013 without even shooting a pilot! This marks K.J Steinberg as one of the big successes of this years pilot season with this show already going and another show bound to be green lit. ORDERED TO SERIESCounty
Writer/Executive producer: Jason Katims (Friday Night Lights, Parenthood) Cast: Jason Ritter (The Event), Michael B Jordan (Chronicle), Aimee Garcia (Dexter) Network: NBC Whats it all about? This show follows a group of new interns in a county hospital as they learn the hard way. What we thought: It has all of what makes hospital dramas such big hits with less of the Greys Anatomy melodrama and more of the ER hospital inner-workings. And whats more its about a country hospital, the lowest of the low, so theres more politics to mine in the future. However that really is about all thats new here. 6/10 Will we ever see it? NBC is desperate to have something that can come up against Greys and something that might remind them of ERs past success on the network so this is a maybe, and with Jason Katims on board its likely to be consistently good. However this show just doesnt seem to have enough different going for it, not enough to make it a sure thing anyhow. 5/10 Do No Harm
Writer/Executive producer: David Schulner (The Event), Michael Mayer (Smash), Peter Traugott (Samantha Who) Cast: Steven Pasquale (Rescue Me), Phylicia Rashad (The Cosby Show) Network: NBC Whats it all about? This is a modern day Jekyll and Hyde story about a neurosurgeon who has multiple personalities. Hes battled it for years but decides to stop fighting and let the other half live, which reeks havoc on those around him. What we thought: Now heres a hospital drama with a difference, a very dark and somewhat disturbing difference in this tale of a man with an evil side who tries to keep up appearances as a surgeon but has no recollection of what he might be doing at night. Its entertaining, spicy and out there. 7/10 Will we ever see it? This is a big risk for NBC no matter how you slice it, but the dark drama does have a procedural edge to it and NBC have taken some risks with out there shows that seem to be paying off in Awake and Grimm, so its hard to judge on this one. 6/10First Cut
Writer/Executive Producer: Jennie Snyder Urman (90210), Dan Jinks (Pushing Daisies) Cast: Michael Rady (Melrose Place, Greek), Kelly J. McCreary (White Collar), Mamie Gummer (Meryl Streeps daughter!), Justin Hartley (Smallville). Network: The CW Whats it about? Follows a new resident surgeon who thinks she has left High School behind only to find that the hospital she works at is just a new kind of High School. What we thought? This is a high school drama disguised as a medical show, which is actually quite ingenious. Unfortunately apart from that, there is absolutely nothing new to this show. 5/10 Will we ever see it? As perfect for The CW as I think this may well be, there are much better options for them this season. 4/10