After a rather aggressive pilot season that has spared no expense in terms of big names (Stephen Spielberg, David E. Kelly, Chelsea Handler, Debra Messing, Peter Berg, Michael Patrick King, Jack Black, etc.), NBC has more or less finished ordering pilots for 2011-12. All in all, there are 24 pilots in total (11 dramas, 13 comedies) and a lot of 'em don't sound half bad.
I know, you can hardly tell anything by titles and descriptions, as shows good on paper can be executed poorly and shows that sound ridiculous can be the funniest or most touching show around, but now that we finally have every order in, it's not a bad idea to look through what they have here, what they need, and where they're going as a network.
What they have here is a whole lot of risks (especially on the drama side), but that's what it's going to take in order for NBC to climb out of 4th place. Every network "renaissance" has been spearheaded by a change in direction and ballsy decision making, so to have what seems to be solid concepts is a nice first step. Granted, there are a few "safe" sounding comedies, but one look at their Thursday night line-up and you see that risky comedies are already a part of the network. After all, there's nothing wrong with a little programming diversity.
Their dramas are a mix of the fantastical (Grimm, 17th Precinct), sophisticated (Playboy), psychological (REM), gritty (Special Investigations, L.A.), and familiar (Wonder Woman, Prime Suspect), so if they pick up something that doesn't sound too hot, there's bound to be something new for just about any viewer. Comedically there's some single camera workplace stuff (My Life as an Experiment, Brave New World, Free Agents), with NBC likely looking for shows to debut in their Comedy Night Done Right, but there are multi-camera shows in the running (Lovelives) and familiar-ish concepts that seem easier to jump into (Are You There, Vodka? It's Me, Chelsea, Bent). I wouldn't be surprised to see NBC do another comedy block, perhaps on Tuesdays in order to avoid respective blocks from CBS (Monday), ABC (Wednesday), and Fox (Sunday), hence the lengthy comedy order, or possibly keep the six comedy Thursday line-up, as cheaper sitcoms can pass with the lower 10PM ratings.
What they need is...well, a lot of help. Aside from The Office, NBC doesn't really have any big shows and their line-up as a whole is a little commercially soft. The Event returns next month after an extremely long hiatus in hopes of stopping the bleeding that has followed its strong premiere; Perfect Couples premiered poorly and has sunk even lower in its successive weeks following Community; Law & Order: Los Angeles is facing a midseason retooling after a mediocre initial run; The Cape just had its episode order reduced to 10 after ratings have fallen each week; Outsourced has went from perfectly acceptable ratings following The Office to have a seat square on the bubble. NBC will obviously keep a few of its bubble shows (this doesn't include the poster child for bubble shows Chuck and several of the reality shows that have yet to premiere this spring), but there's not a whole lot to crow about at the peacock. At least not yet.
Where they're going is up. Yes, NBC has had a series of bad luck and even worse decisions over the last several years, but they can't stay in 4th place forever. Parenthood has been finding its legs, Law & Order: SVU is still strong, their Thursday comedies are consistent, and Minute to Win It is the ultimate utility player, so there are some pieces there. All it takes is one year for things to change and I could absolutely see this development batch yielding at least 1-2 shows that can be mainstays of the channel for years to come.
Provided below (as compiled by Entertainment Weekly) is the list of every NBC pilot currently in contention for 2011-12. What do you hope gets picked up? Who would you cast in any of these? Does anything strike you as particularly awful sounding?
- 17th Precinct (Ron Moore). World ruled by magic, not science (drama, pilot).
- Playboy (Chad Hodge). Set in the 1960s, the drama takes a look at the lives of Playboy bunnies (drama, pilot).
- Smash (Steven Spielberg, Neil Meron, Craig Zadan, Darryl Frank, Justin Falvey, Theresa Rebeck). Follows a cross-section of characters who come together for the exhilarating ride of putting on a Broadway musical (drama, pilot).
- Wonder Woman (David E. Kelley). A reboot of the superhero tale that’s a serious, non-campy take on the DC Comics character (drama, pilot).
- Special investigations L.A. (Stephen Gaghan, Peter Chernin, Katherine Pope). In the style of Traffic, the drama is set in the world of crime, law enforcement, and politics in modern-day L.A. (drama, pilot).
- Grimm (Jim Kouf, David Greenwalt). Dark but fantastical cop drama about a world in which characters inspired by Grimm’s Fairy Tales exist (drama, pilot).
- Prime Suspect (Alexandra Cunningham, Sarah Aubrey, Peter Berg). Series adaptation of the British miniseries (drama, pilot).
- REM (Kyle Killen). A procedural hybrid which follows the simultaneous and parallel lives of a detective who can not let go of any aspect of his fractured family after a horrible car accident (drama, pilot).
- The Crossing (Josh Brand, Peter Horton). In the aftermath of a difficult war, a Civil War soldier crosses the country and settles into a complicated town where he is welcomed as its savior — whether he likes it or not (drama, pilot).
- Mann's World (Michael Patrick King). "Shampoo"-esque dramedy about a straight beverly hills hairdresser in his 50s who is struggling to stay young and relevant in a place where looks are everything (drama, pilot).
- S.I.L.A. (Stephen Gaghan). Drama depicting a complex web of crime, policework and politics in Los Angeles. (drama, pilot).
- Kari Lizer project (Kari Lizer). A multi-camera workplace comedy about a relationship-challenged woman who, with the help of her co-workers, guides people through unexpected career transitions and downsizing (comedy, pilot).
- Free Agents (John Enbom, Karey Burke, Todd Holland). Based on the UK format, this single camera comedy looks at the attraction between two quirky co-workers who are both on the rebound (comedy, pilot).
- Dan Goor project (Dan Goor, Gail Berman, Lloyd Braun). A young doctor joins his parents’ medical practice and spends as much time tending to his family as to his patients (comedy,pilot).
- Lovelives (Chris Sheridan, Peter Chernin, Katherine Pope). A sophisticated multi-camera comedy about two couples and their challenges of love and infidelity (comedy, pilot).
- I Hate that I Love You (Jhoni Marchinko). Focuses on a straight couple that introduces two of its lesbian friends to one another – which results in instant attraction and a pregnancy (comedy, pilot).
- Are you there, Vodka? It’s me, Chelsea (Chelsea Handler, Tom Werner, Dottie Dartland Zicklin, Julie Larsen). Inspired by Handler’s best-selling memoir that will focus on the lives of a group of 20-somethings who live and work together with a very outspoken young woman (comedy, pilot).
- Brave New World (Peter Tolan, Michael Wimer). This single-camera workplace comedy follows a group of unusual characters at Pilgrim Village, a theme park that specializes in recreations of New England in 1647 (comedy, pilot).
- Ghost Angeles (Henry Alonzo Myers, Josh Schwartz) A young woman speaks to dead people who help her (comedy, pilot).
- My Life as an Experiment (Cathy Yuspa, Josh Goldsmith, Jack Black). A single-camera comedy about a magazine writer who immerses himself and his family in his unusual situations for his stories, which always reflect back on his marriage. It’s based on the book by (former EW writer!) A.J. Jacobs. (comedy, pilot).
- Parham/St. Claire project (Lennon Parham, Jessica St. Clair). A woman and her new live-in boyfriend find themselves taking in her distraught and pushy best girlfriend who ends up on their doorstep after a divorce (comedy, pilot).
- Bent (Ted Quill). Single-camera comedy about a recently divorced Type A single mom who tries hard not to fall for the sexy surfer dude contractor she hires to re-do her kitchen (comedy,pilot).
- Untitled Emily Spivey project (Emily Spivey). A cast-contingent project about parenthood through the POV of an acerbic working mom (comedy, pilot).
- Untitled Whitney Cummings project (Whitney Cummings). Comedy about a young couple and the ups and downs of a committed relationship in today's complicated world (comedy, pilot).
Source: EW
Some of these do have potential. Some? Ho. Hum. Nothing new about that. Hope the NBC suits have more perception handling this new slate of shows than they did by dumping Conan to placate that chump Leno.
Wonder Woman is going to SUCK!!! Way to kill a long standing American icon David E. Kelley. Better get a shovel ready so you can bury your career with it along with the farce of a character you dare to call Wonder Woman.
all of these sound just awful. Not one of those sounded remotely interesting to me.
I guess I'd check out Grimm, 17th precinct and Ghost Angeles (though hoping that it goes more towards Dead Last than Ghost whisperer). I usually like the supernatural shows.
A new modern more serious Wonder woman? Seriously? Like they didn't learn anything from the Bionic woman fiasco?
DNC…I mean, NBC…the gayest network in television history.
crap, gay crap (will fail), crap, and more crap…oh and some crap as well….
did I mention the crap?
There are no longer quality made shows for entertainment – they all now have some political slanted agenda or basically screw up an already good character base and last less than a season, 85% of these shows will only last a few episodes and maybe 1 or 2 will go into the next season or two and then cancelled.
Bring back Heroes!!!!