4. Chew
Genre: Police Procedural With Comedy Elements
What it is: Essentially, Chew, by John Layman and Rob Guillory, is a crime drama, following FDA agent Tony Chu as he solves cases the only way he knows how. He's a Cibopath, which means he gets a psychic impression from anything he consumes, instantly learning where it was grown, picked, or slaughtered. So he sticks to beets, which thwart his ability somehow. Set in a world where poultry is outlawed due to a bird flu epidemic, after 23 million Americans died, Tony is unhappily drafted by the FDA due to his unique abilities. The stories are funny, exciting, and would possibly be ghastly if it weren't for Guillory's whimsical, cartoony style.
Why it would be great: Viewers love quirky detective types, from Colombo and Kojak, to Monk and Shawn Spencer on Psych, and they would instantly love the quirks of Tony Chu. Not to mention the rest of the strange cast of characters surrounding Tony, including black market chicken dealer D-Bear, cyborg FDA agent John Colby, and Secret Agent Poyo, a cybernetically enhanced ex cock fighting chicken.
Full of humor, intrigue, deception, and plenty of action, the comic has been a major hit. So much so, that Showtime optioned the series for development at one time. It could have been Dexter's funnier brother, but the Showtime version won't be happening now, for whatever reason. Another studio or network should definitely give it a go, because viewers would eat it up.