Earlier this year, NBC made the pilot episode to its much buzzed about musical-drama Smash available early for public consumption. Along with the intense marketing campaign and a primo timeslot, the word-of-mouth helped drive the show to solid ratings. The network seems to be going to the same well again with its next drama premiere, Awake.

Granted, something as somber and emotional as Awake can hardly be expected to pull the same numbers as a splashy musical, but NBC is taking advantage of the critical fawning the pilot has already inspired. Having been named one of the eight shows honored with a Critics' Choice Television Award for Most Exciting New Series last June, it's intelligence, fascinating concept, and tense atmosphere have been earning rave reviews and ratcheting up anticipation to see where things go from here.

Created by Kyle Killen (Lone Star) and executive produced by Howard Gordon (Homeland), Awake tells the story of Detective Michael Britten, recently involved in a car crash that claimed the life of his son...or is it his wife? We don't know and neither does Michael, as he wakes up in separate realities where only one survived. The only people to know of his new "double life" are his therapists Dr. Lee and Dr. Evans, both intent on trying to help Michael work through the grief that came from his recent loss. Michael has to figure out what's real (if any of it) and use the information from each reality to help his various police investigations.

Awake premieres Thursday, March 1st at 10:00 on NBC. Aside from the Youtube embed below, you can also find the pilot on NBC's website and Hulu, among other places.

Do you watch any/all of the pilots that leak out early? If you've already checked out Awake, do you think you're in for the long haul?

Awake: Watch the Full Pilot Episode Early

NBC's ambitious new show, Smash, premiered tonight.  The show that critics have been talking about for months is a show about two young women who both want to be a star.

Julia (Debra Messing) and Tom (Christian Borle) are a Broadway composing team.  Despite promising to take a year off in order to adopt a baby with her husband, Julia gets inspired when Tom's assistant (Ellis) innocently mentions the idea of a musical based on the life of Marilyn Monroe.  She and Tom decide to test the waters for the project and call upon a Broadway veteran named Ivy (Megan Hilty) to record a song from the new musical.  Ivy may have been on Broadway for many years, but she's spent most of her time in the chorus and wants to be a star.

Unfortunately, Ellis accidentally leaks a video of Ivy singing the song.  Fortunately, the reception to the song is favorable and Julia and Tom get swept up in the happy feeling that they may have a hit on their hands.

Eileen (Angelica Houston) is a successful Broadway producer who is going through an acrimonious divorce with her husband.  Despite the fact that a revival of My Fair Lady is in the works, she's forced to shut down the show when her producing funds are caught up in the divorce.  Instead, she approaches Tom and Julia about producing the Marilyn musical and suggests they bring in Derek Wills (Jack Davenport) to direct.  Julia is receptive to the idea, but Tom and Derek have...ahem, "creative differences".  Despite that, Eileen convinces Derek to prepare one number as a sort of audition for Tom and Julia.

Derek tackles the "baseball number", with Ivy in the role of Marilyn.  Julia is blown away by Derek's work and convinces Tom to take him on.  Then the search for Marilyn begins.  Despite Ivy being eager to take on the role, she's got stiff competition in unknown actress Karen (Katharine McPhee), who is trying to catch her first big break on Broadway while bussing tables during the day.  It's clear that Karen has the talent and catches Derek's eye, who is pushing for a certain type of "star quality" for the role.

In the end, both Ivy and Karen get callbacks for the role and the two of them duel it out in a fantastic performance of an original Smash song.  The girls both hit their final notes as the pilot of Smash comes to an end.  But which girl will secure the coveted role?

Smash continues with a new episode on February 13 at 10:00 p.m. ET on NBC.  Do you think that Ivy or Karen will be cast as Marilyn in the next episode?  Vote on which girl deserves the role in the poll below.

Smash Pilot: The Making of a Star. Plus, Who Will Win the Role of Marilyn?

Smash is a show about the making of a star.  Premiering tonight on NBC, Smash is also a show about the making of a Broadway musical - including the hopes and dreams of those trying to make it big and the back-stabbing that occasionally goes on behind the scenes.  But lest you think Smash is all about the business of Broadway, rest assured that it's got heart, which is conveyed through song and the relationships between the characters.

Some big names are attached to this new series, including EP Steven Spielberg and the producers of Chicago and Hairspray.  Experienced choreographers and composers have put together the impressive song and dance numbers that appear throughout each episode.  There is a great deal of talent behind and in front of this show and it is one of the best new pilots of the 2011-2012 season.

Don't listen to anyone comparing Smash to Glee.  There is such a marked difference between the two shows that any comparison is not worth listening to.  Beyond the fact that both shows are essentially musicals, they couldn't be more different.  Smash is a far more adult look at what it takes to succeed in a difficult business and takes place in a world where grown-ups are grown-ups.  This level of drama and maturity is not always seen on Glee, which is perfectly acceptable since that's not really what Glee is about.  Also, if you're a bit frustrated lately with Glee's lack of continuity about storylines and characters, rest assured that the quality of the story in Smash is superior.

To help get you ready for tonight's premiere, we've put together a handy character guide to introduce you to all of the players in Smash.  Keep clicking the arrows below to browse through our gallery of the main characters.  The final page contains sneak peeks for the premiere.

Smash debuts at 10:00 p.m. EST tonight on NBC.

Smash Preview: All the Details You Need to Know (Plus, Sneak Peeks)

In the world of management consulting, nothing is too big or over-the-top, especially if it results in your team raking in money.

Just ask House of Lies "hero" Marty Kaan (Don Cheadle), head of "The Pod", a consulting firm currently ranked #2 in the nation. Along with the idealistic Jeannie (Kristen Bell), Ivy Leaguer Doug (Josh Lawson), and his closest friend Clyde (Ben Schwartz), Kaan is trying to land an account with one of the more prominent (and controversial) banks in America. After heading to a strip club and bringing home one that caught his eye, he runs into Greg Norbert, one of the men who decides which firm his bank will be using. Marty tells him that he's with his wife April, thus securing a dinner invite from Norbert and his wife.

You'd think a team in a ruthless industry like management consulting would celebrate a coup like this, another opportunity to wine and dine a pivotal executive. Instead of being elated at Marty's "stripper-wife", the reactions are mostly of disbelief and even mild horror, likely due to Marty still being in the same clothes from the night before (and presumably smelling like liquor). Even though their head honcho may be willing to do anything to get a commitment, there's a little morality from Jeannie, Doug, and Clyde that will be interesting to explore in future episodes.

A lot happens in the world of management consulting, but Marty Kaan may have just set a new standard by which future firms will conduct their business for years to come.

House of Lies premieres tonight at 10:00 on Showtime. If you're too anxious to wait or want to relive the pilot episode again, you can check it out here.

What do you think will happen with Marty, his "wife", and the double date? Do you think he did the right thing by bringing her along? Would you have taken that kind of risk?

Tonight on House of Lies: Gods of Dangerous Financial Instruments

In a move used more often these days, NBC will be giving viewers a chance to watch the pilot episode of Smash early.

Smash will be premiering on February 6 and is a new drama and musical series that is a behind the scenes look at the Broadway world.  A musical writing duo decide to create a play based on the life of Marilyn Monroe.  A producer and director become attached and then it's a race to find the star - the woman who can embody Marilyn.  Two young actresses are vying for the part - one is a young waitress trying to make it in the theater, while the other is a more experienced actress who spends most of her time singing in the chorus.

At their recent TCA presentation, NBC announced that the pilot of Smash will be available as a digital download beginning on January 16.  It will be available on Apple iTunes, Amazon VOD, Xbox, Playstation, Samsunb MediaHub and Vudu. It will also be available on Comcast's VOD and on some American Airlines flights.  Beginning on January 23, the pilot will be online and can be streamed from NBC.com and Hulu.

After a disappointing fall premiere season, NBC is clearly putting their best foot forward to promote this new show which is, frankly, one of the strongest pilots of the 2011-2012 season.  The only question is whether the fans will embrace it.  I hope they do.

Until January 16 rolls around and you can view the pilot for yourself, watch an extended preview for Smash here.

Smash premieres on Monday, February 6 at 10:00 p.m. ET on NBC.

Smash: Want to Watch the Pilot Before the Premiere? NBC Is Putting It Online & on VOD

By now, you've (hopefully) checked out the trailer to Jane By Design, ABC Family's upcoming romp through the fashion world starring Erica Dasher and Andie MacDowell. You've basked in the warmth of its fun, frothy glow, ogled Jane's enviable wardrobe, and, well, ogled Jane's boy toys, but what else will be happening in the series premiere?

In the three sneak peeks below, you get a bite sized look at the worlds of Jane Quimby, high school student turned executive assistant at fashion house Donovan Decker. Clip one is where it all begins, with Jane coming face-to-face with Gray Chandler Murray, one of the head honchos at Donovan Decker that hires her on the spot. It looks like Jane was merely trying to apply for an internship the company had, but instead, she's getting thrown head first into the fashion world with notorious assistant eater Murray. Clip two stays with Jane's new professional endeavor, only this time she's meeting (and flirting with) bad boy designer Jeremy Jones. Are you curious how someone underage got into a (what seems to be a) bar? (If you are, that makes two of us.)

Finally, it's time to meet Jane's older brother Ben, her surrogate father once their birth father passed away recently. He's relishing the role, confronting her about their financial issues and trying to get her to just enjoy high school instead of worrying so much. Ben's one of the people closest to Jane, yet he doesn't know about her new double life (though something he says is quite apropos). I wonder how he'll take it when the lying becomes too much for Jane to bear and the plates she's spinning come crashing down.

Jane By Design debuts tonight at 9:00 on ABC Family.

Are you planning on checking the show out tonight?

Tonight on Jane By Design: Job Offer

Can't wait to get your hands on Don Cheadle and Kristen Bell, or Showtime's upcoming sizzler House of Lies?  Well, why should you? Showtime has seen fit to release the pilot episode of their sexy new offering to the public in advance of its January 8th premiere, which follows the season 2 premiere of the UK-import dramedy Shameless.

House of Lies boasts an impressive cast, featuring award-winning actor Don Cheadle as smooth-talking management consultant lead Marty Kaan, Kristen Bell (Veronica Mars) as sparking teammate Jeannie Van Der Hooven, as well as Ben Schwartz (Parks and Recreation) as brown-nosing womanizer Clyde Oberhalt, and Josh Lawson as math expert Doug Guggenheim.  Also part of the cast is Dawn Olvieri (Heroes, How I Met Your Mother) as Monica, Marty's pill-popping ex-wife and chief rival in the management consultant game.

House of Lies originates from author Martin Kihn's book, House of Lies: How Management Consultants Steal Your Watch and Then Tell You the Time, and received a full 12-season order from Showtime in April of 2011.  The pilot episode "Gods of Dangerous Financial Instruments," follows Marty Kaan (Cheadle) and the rest of "The Pod" as they consult with a greedy New York bank looking to keep its extravagant employee bonuses without facing backlash from their customers.

Unfortunately for you, all the naughty bits have been edited out for the free broadcast of the pilot (which is only available for US viewers, by the way), but you can always check out the full, un-edited version by ordering Showtime now!

Take a look at the pilot episode below, and be sure to check out Showtime's House of Lies when it officially premieres on Sunday, January 7th at 10/9 central, right after the season 2 premiere of Shameless.  After all, with Dexter's sixth season over, what else are we going to do with our Sundays?  Watch below, and let us know your thoughts in the comments!

Watch the First Episode of Showtime's "House of Lies"!

fFX has given the order for a pilot titled The Americans, a 1980s-set spy drama that features a look at Cold War paranoia. The series, according to The Hollywood Reporter, will center upon "the arranged marriage of Phillip and Elizabeth Jennings, who have two children who know nothing about their parents’ true identity."

Their true identity? Why, they're KGB agents. "Their relationship grows more passionate and genuine by the day, but is constantly tested by the escalation of the Cold War and the intimate, dangerous and darkly funny relationships they must maintain with a network of informants and spies under their control. Complicating it further is Phillip’s growing sense of affinity for the American way of life.

The pilot will be executive produced by Justified creator Graham Yost, and was written by former CIA employee Joe Weisberg. FX was reportedly going to pick up or pass on the project earlier this month, but decided against it in favor of reshoots.

While the pilot does sound interesting (an FX exec declared the script "one of the best pilot scripts we have ever read"), it's certainly blandly titled and might deserve a renaming before it gets a series order.

In the meantime, for Graham Yost's other FX series, you can check out Justified when it returns for its third season on January 17.

FX Orders 1980s Spy Drama Pilot 'The Americans'

Actor Paul Bettany has joined the cast for the upcoming pilot Masters of Sex, being produced for Showtime, according to The Hollywood Reporter. 

While the show has a title that wouldn't be out of place with other late-night premium cable offerings, the pilot is dramatic fare, starring Bettany as sex education researcher William Masters. Ah, see, that's where it gets its title!

The pilot, which was greenlit by Showtime in August, will likely be a period piece set around the 1950s or '60s, dealing with the real-life Masters' research. I'm thinking of it as the television version of Kinsey.

The series is penned by The Pacific writer Michelle Ashford, and will be executive produced by Sarah Timberman and Carl Beverly, who have worked together before on shows such as FX's Justified and CBS's A Gifted Man.

Bettany, 40, has a slew of acting credits to his name: he's appeared in A Beautiful Mind, A Knight's Tale, Legion, Priest, Iron Man, and Iron Man 2. He'll reprise his role as the computer program J.A.R.V.I.S. in the 2012 Joss Whedon film The Avengers. This isn't Bettany's first time playing a historical scientist, either: in 2009, he appeared as Charles Darwin in the film Creation. Granted, though, Darwin and Masters aren't exactly the same types of scientist.

Masters of Sex has not yet been ordered to series, but if it is, we'll keep you posted.

Paul Bettany to Star in Showtime Pilot 'Masters of Sex'

Set in 1963, Pan Am is one of two period shows premiering this fall.  Fortunately, it's far better than the other period show (The Playboy Club on NBC).  In fact, ABC's Pan Am is a fun throwback to the days when flying was stylish and extremely enjoyable.

Four stewardesses are the focus of Pan Am.  But don't think that they're just pretty women who serve drinks.  Pan Am stewardesses had to look perfect, but they were also highly-educated and multi-lingual.

First there's bohemian Maggie (Christina Ricci), who acts like a professional at work so that she has a chance to travel the world.  French stewardess Collete (Karine Vanasse) gets herself into an unfortunate situation with a married man in the pilot.  Laura (Margot Robbie) is the new girl on the crew and recently joined Pan Am after running away from her own wedding.  She's also featured on Life Magazine as the face of the new "Jet Age".  Saucy Kate (Kelli Garner) is Laura's sister and is often jealous of her sister's publicity, but she's hiding a few secrets.  She's been recruited by the government to act as a spy.  As a woman who has access to rich and famous passengers, she's the perfect person to act as a government courier and keep an eye on what happens in the sky.  Finally, there's the mysterious - and AWOL - stewardess Bridget (guest star Annabelle Wallis).

The stewardesses are joined by pilot captain Dean (Mike Vogel), a charismatic and ambition pilot who is also dating Bridget.  Dean used to be an innocent farm boy who is put into a leadership position at Pan Am before he's really ready, but he's eager to prove himself worthy of the responsibility and worthy of marrying Bridget.  Joining him in the cockpit is Ted (Michael Mosley), who comes from a very wealthy family but has his own secrets.

While the pilot features the characters coming together on the new Clipper Majestic for its inaugural New York to London flight, we'll also be getting flashbacks for each of the characters to flesh them out.  Perhaps my only complaint with this otherwise extremely enjoyable show is that with so many main characters, the flashbacks are plentiful and can interrupt the story as the episode progresses.  But I can't judge whether that will happen in every episode as I've only viewed the pilot thus far.  It's entirely likely that future episodes may contain flashbacks for fewer characters and the pilot features so many because of the necessity of setting up the series.  I wouldn't consider this a reason not to tune in and enjoy the show.

In addition to the character-driven stories, Pan Am integrates real-life historical events into its storyline.  The show not only attempts to be historically accurate with the sets, costumes and customs, but it also brings in events like the Bay of Pigs invasion.  Expect the show to mesh the characters with other historical events in the future.  While they won't be the driving force, they're meant to shape the world that the characters live in.

Pan Am is a show that is worth your time, and one that you will entertain you with Cold War intrigue and fun characters.  It will make you nostalgic for the good old days of air travel, even if you weren't alive to see it.  In other words, you're probably going to be angry about your small package of peanuts on your next flight, but you won't regret watching Pan Am.

Click the arrow below to review a trailer and four sneak peeks for the premiere of Pan Am.

Pan Am debuts tonight at 10:00 p.m. on ABC.

Pan Am Advance Review and Sneak Peeks

Emily Thorne (formerly, Amanda Clarke) is on a mission in Revenge.  Given the title of the show, I think you can rightly assume that Emily is on a very specific mission.  ABC's new primetime drama is a great addition to its line-up, with gorgeous scenery, competent actors, and a deliciously enjoyable plot.

The pilot episode of Revenge aptly sets the stage for the series.  All the exposition we need to know is presented, but we also get to see the first take-down.  Basically, Emily/Amanda used to vacation in the Hamptons with her father, David Clarke.  Amanda's happy childhood was cruelly cut short when her father was arrested and convicted of supplying funds to terrorists who brought down an airplane.  Amanda spent almost two decades believing her father was a horrible man, until she was finally emancipated and sent out into the world.  Then, approached by the wealthy Nolan (an internet entrepreneur who informed Amanda that she owned about 49% of his company thanks to her father's investment), she learned that her father had actually been set up and betrayed by his former friends and the woman he loved: Victoria Grayson.

After turning herself into a different person, Amanda - now known as Emily Thorne - returned to the Hamptons to seek her revenge against those who had wronged her father.  Her ultimate target is clearly the Grayson family - particularly husband and wife, Conrad and Victoria.  She's not above using their son, Daniel, and his interest in her to seek her revenge.

Emily uses her good friend Ashley to start making her way into Hamptons society and also sets her sights on her first target: Lydia Davis.  Davis is a good friend of Victoria who is currently going through a divorce (and who owns the house Emily is renting) and she's also having an affair with Victoria's husband, Conrad.  Emily sets it up so that Victoria discovers the affair and then publicly banishes Lydia from her life and from the Hamptons.  But Victoria is not a stupid woman.  She's deeply suspicious of Emily and asks one of her associates to look into her background.  Nolan, residing in the Hamptons for the summer and recognizing Emily again, offers to help her take the others down, but Emily doesn't want a partner.

Besides all the wealthy Hamptonites, you've got the obligatory townies: the Porter boys.  Jack Porter dreams of sailing away on his boat, but decides to stay in town and sell it when his father's tavern faces foreclosure. He also used to be friends with Amanda when they were young, so Emily really tries to stay away from him, lest she jog his memory. The younger Declan Porter is clearly fascinated by the rich mean girls along the coast, particularly one Charlotte Grayson.

Thanks to the old "start the story at the end and flash back to the beginning" trick, we know how this particular story will end.  Eventually, Emily and Daniel will be engaged and, on the night of his engagement party, Daniel will be killed.

Personally, I'm intrigued by Revenge and can't wait to see how Emily systematically takes down her father's former friends.  I've already screened next week's episode and liked it even more than the pilot, so make sure to check our Revenge page for an advance preview next week.  In the meantime, below is a promo for the September 28 episode of Revenge, and you can view photos for the episode here.

Revenge Premiere Review: No One is Going to Be Forgiven (Plus, Episode 2 Promo)

Tonight, Zooey Deschanel will bring her cuteness to a new Fox show called New Girl.  I have to admit, I was slightly concerned before watching the pilot of New Girl.  I find Deschanel to be adorable, but sometimes her characters can grate on my nerves.  Especially if they're too adorable or manic.  But New Girl actually strikes the right balance between cute, funny, crazy and heart-warming.

Deschanel plays Jess Day.  In the pilot episode, she discovers that her boyfriend is cheating on her, so she breaks up with him and is forced to find a new apartment.  She eventually meets three men: bartender Nick (Jake Johnson), douchey Schmidt (Max Greenfield) and the abrasive Coach (Damon Wayans, Jr., who is recast for the second episode so he can return to Happy Endings on ABC).  At first, Jess spends the episode moping over her recent breakup and watching Dirty Dancing several times a day, but finally her new roommates convince her to get up off the couch, head out to a bar, and find a rebound guy.  Thus begins Jess' lessens in self-discovery as she tries to navigate the dating world and teach each boy a lesson about relationships, women or how to behave at work.  Jess' best friend Cece (Hannah Simone), who is a model, also makes appearances in the series.

Below are four sneak peeks and a trailer for the new series.  New Girl premieres tonight at 9:00 p.m. ET on Fox.

New Girl Preview: Zooey Deschanel Heads to TV Tonight

On the surface, Nick Dalton seems like the prototypical "man who has it all". A suave, handsome, and extremely successful attorney with political aspirations, Dalton owns every room he walks into, both intimidating and intriguing with his cool presence. He's the man you want to learn from and the man you want your sister to end up with.

Except for the fact that Dalton is a former henchman for Bruno Bianchi (aka Cliff Hill), Chicago's primo mob boss, who witnessed his former employer get rough with the cute new cigarette girl Maureen at The Playboy Club and take an accidental (powder blue) stiletto to the neck. With Bianchi's unsuspecting wife sniffing around the club for answers and his girlfriend Carol-Lynne extremely jealous of Maureen, what's Nick Dalton to do?

That's the central conflict of NBC's The Playboy Club, which takes us back to the early 1960s and the formation of the first Playboy themed nightclub in Chicago. One of the two 60s era shows debuting this season (the other being ABC’s Pan Am), Playboy Club works best when its atmosphere is a little less serious and a little more sensual or celebratory. Of the scenes that clicked with me, most happened on the main floor of the club, where the blaring trumpets, endless champagne, and magnetic energy screamed sophistication. Watching the club function and getting delved into that type of atmosphere gave the pilot the type of juice it needed, especially as you got to see each bunny interact with the customers and you could immediately get a feel for each girl’s personality.

The mob subplot is one that could go either way for me. I think it’s a good thing that the show tried to do something a little different and if handled correctly, it could add a certain amount of danger and complexity to the interactions between wide-eyed farm girl Maureen (Amber Heard) and Nick (a charisma-less Eddie Cibrian). However, it could easily fall into Cliché Land and I’m curious to know how the show will deal with it once news gets out that Maureen may not be as innocent as she lets on. Death is a strange way to bond characters, but as long as the show doesn’t drag out this information too long and keep everybody else in the dark, it could be a notable way to throw a wrench into what could have been a slightly empty fit of nostalgia.

If I had my choice, though, I would want the show to focus on fleshing out its characters. I understand not having every shade that the five bunnies possess out there in the opening within the first 10 minutes, but the girls were extremely thin and underdrawn, most of who could be reduced to a pretty standard dramatic archetype. You have the "sassy black girl" (Naturi Naughton), the sarcastic independent woman who doesn’t want to be married (Jenna Dewan-Tatum), the ultra feminine lesbian who actually is married (to a gay man) (Leah Renee), the aging bunny with connections and jealousy issues (Laura Benanti), and an innocent Midwestern girl lost in the big city of Chicago (Heard). Each is a different lens to look at femininity in the 60s (which I like) and the scenes with every bunny together generally worked, but I don't feel like I know any of the bunnies and it's hard to really sink your teeth into a show with characters that are too broad.

While most of the show takes place at the club, which is booming with energy, there are moments that dragged and were very exposition-heavy. That may be somewhat necessary to set up the rest of the series, but for every bright, shiny mixture of music, sex, and sisterhood that absolutely popped on screen, there was a plodding bit of back story that likely could have been delivered differently. It's not that the story itself was bad, but I found myself a little less engaged with Nick running into John Bianchi and the disposal of the body, for example. There wasn't much energy or danger to either scene and I was even a little surprised that the final scene where the surveyors found Nick's key to the club didn't end up with Bruno's body washing on shore. In a way, I hoped that it would wash ashore, only in that it would amp up the drama that much more. Nick seemed a little too cool under pressure while it took everything Maureen had not to crack, so having the incident be a reality would shake him up a little. Could the calculated demeanor be a look at who Nick was before the suits and the smirk?

For all the controversy it inspired before airing, The Playboy Club is actually a rather harmless look back at the 60s Playboy culture. Its characters may not be the fullest and it may not have been the most thrilling pilot we’ve seen, but the show has some style to it and with a little time, I could see The Playboy Club turning into a seductive snapshot of a time when men were men, boys were boys, and bunnies ruled the city.

The Playboy Club airs every Monday night at 10:00 on NBC.

Thoughts, Quotes, & Observations:

• If I had to grade the pilot, I'd give it a C+. It had its positives and I think it has the potential to gel within the next few episodes, once the show gets comfortable juggling its characters, but it has some serious kinks to work out before it can fulfill said potential.
• "That means you're selling something people want and it sure ain't cigarettes."
• "Honey, you have a dirty mind. I was going to say penis."
• "Yeah, Gladys, I saw your husband dancing with our new cigarette bunny. You could bounce a dime off her ass."
• The Carol-Lynne/Maureen pairing gives me recollections of Showgirls, of all things. I think having Maureen bring down the elder bunny and then become kind of a power hungry monster herself would be awesome.
• In the pilot, Ike & Tina Turner stopped by the club to perform a song and appeared at the mansion party toward the end of the episode. In future episodes, there'll be appearances from Lesley Gore (Colbie Caillat), Sam Cooke (Raphael Saadiq), and Ray Charles (Javier Colon). What other early 60s artists would you like to see grace the stage?
• For all her hemming and hawing, Carol-Lynne's insightful take on who Nick is was articulate and seemed spot on. She has a hell of a voice, too.
• Did anyone else think that John Bianchi's "women will be the death of you" conversation with Nick could be some serious foreshadowing? He mentioned that twice, so perhaps the push-pull with Maureen and Carol-Lynne will take its toll on the man, the myth, the legend that is Nick Dalton.
• More foreshadowing: Maureen and the Tina Turner song playing at the end of the episode about "I wanna be made over". Will Maureen ditch her innocent girl persona for something a little more vampy?
• Jenifer Lewis sighting!
• I'd love to have the Mattachine Society be more front and center.
• No more voiceovers from Hef after tonight's pilot. Thoughts?

The Playboy Club 1.01 "Pilot" Review

Sex and the City executive producer Michael Patrick King is the creator of 2 Broke Girls, along with comedienne Whitney Cummings.  2 Broke Girls is the story of Max and Caroline.  Max (played by Kat Dennings), works two jobs.  One of them is as a waitress at the retro-hip Williamsburg Diner.  Caroline (played by Beth Behrs) couldn't be more different.  She's a former trust-fund princess whose family lost their money, so she's now forced to work and heads to the Williamsburg Diner to find a job.

Of course, the whole situation is a recipe for disaster, especially when tough Max thinks that Caroline is a useless spoiled princess.  As the girls work together, Max becomes impressed by Caroline's substance.  But Max is hiding a talent: she's an incredible cupcake baker.  When Caroline learns about this skill, she thinks they can start a successful business together, but only if they can raise the cash for it.  They continue working at the diner to save up their cash and have to deal with the usual cast of secondary characters: Han Lee, the new owner of the diner, Earl, the 75 year old cashier, and Oleg, the Russian cook.

Below is a trailer and sneak peeks for this new series.  When you're done watching it, click the arrows above to view photos from the series premiere.

2 Broke Girls premieres tonight (Monday, September 19) at 9:30 p.m. ET on CBS.  On September 26, it moves to its regular time at 8:30 p.m. ET.

2 Broke Girls Trailer & Photos: Series Premiere Tonight!

In 2005, Austrailian author Matthew Reilly published a book called "Seven Ancient Wonders".  In the book, a former military man named Jack West Jr. leads a small team of soldiers and specialists from different countries to track down pieces of an ancient capstone.  They go on this mission to stop other nefarious nations from getting their hands on the power that can be unleashed using the capstone.  Each piece of the capstone was hidden among the seven wonders of the ancient world: the Great Pyramid of Giza, the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, the Temple of Artemis at Ephesus, the Statue of Zeus at Olympia, the Mausoleum of Halicarnassus, the Colossus of Rhodes, and the Lighthouse of Alexandria.

The book and its sequel, "Six Sacred Stones" (both of which I really enjoyed), read like a pure action/adventure movie.  Basically, Indiana Jones meets National Treasure.  Deadline reports that ABC has bought a show based on the book from North Country writer Michael Seitzman and producer Mark Gordon.  The first season of the show will reportedly be based on the first two books in the series (there is a third book called "The Five Greatest Warriors") and the pilot will be written by Seitzman.

Seitzman said, “They feel like big boyhood and girlhood adventure stories; they are really fun and remind me of all the movies in the genre I loved."

Personally, I've always wanted to see these books on either the big or small screen, because I'm a sucker for archeological/adventure stories.  I'm curious as to how much of the story will be changed, though.  Will they end up keeping the very multicultural team under Jack's leadership?  Hopefully we'll know more as the show goes further into development.

ABC Buys Drama Based on "Seven Ancient Wonders" Book

I can't tell you how thrilled I am that Sarah Michelle Gellar is returning to television.  Sure, she's no longer playing Buffy (one of my favorite shows of all time), but she's back in a new show that I think displays a lot of promise.  I've noticed that the critics are divided about Ringer right now, but I enjoyed the pilot episode.  The show isn't infallible, but I'm definitely interested in learning what's coming next.

The CW has released promo photos for the pilot of Ringer.  Want to brush up on what to expect in the series premiere?  Here goes: Gellar plays Bridget Kelly, a former stripper and alcoholic who is starting to turn her life around.  After witnessing a murder, she's currently being guarded by FBI agents (including Agent Victor Machado, played by Nestor Carbonell), who want her as a witness.  But the danger to her life forces her to flee to New York and her twin sister Siobhan Martin.  While the girls are identical, their lives couldn't be more different.  Siobhan is wealthy, cultured, pampered and, unfortunately, hiding secrets of her own.

When Siobhan disappears, Bridget makes the decision to take over her sister's identity in order to remain safe.  Returning to her sister's penthouse, she meets Andrew Martin (played by Ioan Gruffudd), her sister's husband, along with Siobhan's friends Gemma (Tara Summers) and Gemma's husband Henry (Kristoffer Polaha).  As Bridget learns more about the mysteries in her sister's life, she also learns that Siobhan is not the only one in their circle who is keeping secrets.

Click the arrows above to view photos from the pilot episode of Ringer.  You can also view a trailer for the series here or read spoilers about the show from Comic-Con here.

Ringer premieres on Tuesday, September 13 at 9:00 p.m. on The CW.

Ringer Photos: Series Premiere

Well, I have to say I am very excited about Terra Nova. During the panel that took place this morning, the audience got a fantastic treat as we had a chance to watch the first part of the two-hour pilot scheduled to premiere on September 26th on FOX.

And let me tell you something.

It’s mind blowing.

The show, produced by Steven Spielberg, tells the story of the Shannon family. They live in a rather depressing future in the year of 2149, where the air is so bad you can’t breathe and there is no fresh food available. Overpopulation became a huge problem and each family can only have four members at most. What happens to the Shannon family is that they have a third child and that is against the law. When they are caught, Jim Shannon (played by Jason O’Mara), the father, is sent to prison.

Two years later, Dr. Elizabeth Shannon is recruited to go to Terra Nova, but she would have to leave Jim and their youngest child behind. Since going there is a one-way trip – they are travelling in time after all – she comes up with a plan to break her husband out of jail and smuggle him and their child to Terra Nova, where they can have a second chance at being a family.

After a lot of struggle, they travel back in time and finally make it to this new world. Terra Nova is a settlement where they all have houses, fresh food, sunlight and dinosaurs. What is interesting about the time travel, however, is that this is a completely different time stream, so whatever happens in Terra Nova will not affect the current timeline.

Once there, they find out that not everything is sunshine and daisies, as there is an enemy group called The Sixers. And there is always the threat of dinosaurs, obviously.

The first part of the pilot is very well written and, most importantly, it is engaging and very exciting. I have to say I am completely hooked on this show and can’t wait to find out what happens next.

The screening of the Terra Nova pilot was followed by a quick Q&A with actor Stephen Lang, executive producers Jose Molina, Rene Echevarria and Brannon Braga, and LOST’s special effects genius, Kevin Blank.

Famous for his recent role in the incredibly successful feature film Avatar, Stephen Lang says that acting with the CGI dinosaurs is not so different from the work he did in the movie and it requires focus and imagination.

The show – filmed in Queensland, Australia – will be an adventure/thriller, but executive producer Brannon Braga says it will also be about second chances and exploring humanity and hope. Jose Molina also said that the dinosaurs will not be ignored (like the polar bears in LOST) and we will see quite a lot of them. We will also get to see more of the future, but the first batch of episodes will focus on the Shannon family’s life in Terra Nova.

All in all, it looks like we have got a great show in the making, guys.

This one is going to be pretty good, I can feel it.

Terra Nova At Comic-Con: Advanced Review Of Pilot, News and Photos

Syfy's newest summer show, Alphas, will be premiering next week on Monday, July 11 at 10:00 p.m.  The show stars David Strathairn (Temple Grandin, Good Night, and Good Luck), Malik Yoba (New York Undercover, Why Did I Get Married?), Warren Christie (October Road), Laura Mennell (Watchmen), Ryan Cartwright  (Mad Men, Bones) and Azita Ghanizada (Castle).

From writers Zak Penn (The Avengers, X-Men: The Last Stand) and Michael Karnow, Alphas is about five ordinary people who actually have the ability to "stretch the capabilities of the human mind", which gives them superhuman physical and mental abilities.  Together, they form a team of Alphas.

Dr. Lee Rosen (David Strathairn) is a prominent neurology and psychiatrist and expert in the Alpha phenomena.  He leads the team, which investigates cases that seek to identify other Alphas, while also attempting to prevent inter-personal conflict arising out of their own personality differences.

Below are two sneak peeks from Alpha's season premiere, as well as a trailer for the series, airing on Syfy on July 11.

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Alphas Sneak Peek: Series Premiere

Hart of Dixie is being produced by Gossip Girl and The O.C. producers Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage.  Schwartz recently commented that this show is like a throwback to the WB dramas of the old days: Felicity, Gilmore Girls and Everwood.

Rachel Bilson stars as Zoe, a new and driven medical student.  Zoe wants to follow in her father's footsteps and become a cardio-thoracic surgeon after graduation.  While she's at the top of her class, something goes awry after graduation, and all of her plans get derailed.  She decides to accept a job offer by a mysterious Dr. Harley Wilkes, who lives in Bluebell, Alabama.

But when Zoe arrives in Bluebell, she learns that Wilkes has died and left his half of the medical practice to her.  Not everyone in Bluebell greets her warmly, including her new partner Dr. Brick Breeland and his daughter, Lemon Breeland (played by Jamie King).  She does manage to make a few friends, including a former football star named Lavon Hayes (played by Cress Williams) and a handsome lawyer named George Tucker (played by Scott Porter), who just so happens to be Lemon's fiance.

It's not until Zoe's snobby New York mother visits her in Bluebell that she realizes she wants to stay in town and give her new life a chance.

We've already posted a few promo photos for Hart of Dixie (view them here) and now The CW has released the first trailer for this new show (view it below).

Hart of Dixie will be airing on The CW on Monday nights at 9:00 p.m. (after Gossip Girl).  You can view the full 2011-2012 CW schedule here.

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Hart of Dixie: First Trailer

I'm very excited about the debut of The Secret Circle on The CW this coming fall (where it will air at 9:00 p.m. on Thursday nights after The Vampire Diaries).

The Secret Circle is based on a book series of the same name written by L.J. Smith (also the author of The Vampire Diaries books).  Produced by TVD showrunner Kevin Williamson, The Secret Circle stars Britt Robertson as Cassie, a normal and happy teenager until her mother dies in a fire.  She moves to Chance Harbor, Washington to live with her grandmother Jane.

After meeting some friends at school - including the friendly Diana (Shelley Hennig), her boyfriend Adam (Thomas Dekker), the bitch Faye (Phoebe Tonkin) and her friend Melissa (Jessica Parker Kennedy), and the moody Nick (Louis Hunter) - Cassie realizes that these people know a lot more about her than she does.

The truth is, Cassie is a witch, as are her highschool friends, who want her to join their Secret Circle coven and complete their circle.  But after Cassie finds a letter from her mother in an old spell book, she realizes her destiny is a lot more dangerous than she could have anticipated.

Gale Harold will also be appearing as Charles Meade and Natasha Henstridge as Dawn Chamberlain.

You can view promo photos for this new series that we posted earlier this morning here, and take a look below at the first trailer for The Secret Circle.

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The Secret Circle: First Trailer

ABC's 2011-2012 schedule was announced today (view it here) and the fairytales-for-adults show, Once Upon a Time, made it onto the schedule.

Jennifer Morrison (House) stars as Emma Swan, a 28-year-old bail bonds collector who's been on her own after being abandoned as a baby.  When she was younger, she got pregnant and gave up her son for adoption.  He (Henry) ends up finding her again when he's ten years old.  Henry believes that Emma actually comes from another world where she was Prince Charming and Snow White's daughter, sent away to protect her from the Evil Queen's curse.

Apparently, the fairytale world had been frozen in time, but the Queen's curse brought all of the characters into the modern world.  Emma doesn't believe Henry's story, but brings him back to a town called Storybrooke, which she is very drawn to.  As it turns out, Storybrooke is a magical place where fairytale characters are alive, but they don't remember who they used to be.

The show also stars Ginnifer Goodwin as Snow White/Sister Mary Margaret, Robert Carlyle as Rumplestiltskin/Mr. Gold, Lana Parrilla as Evil Queen/Regina, Jamie Dornan as Sheriff Graham, Jared Gilmore as Henry, Josh Dallas as Prince Charming/John Doe and Raphael Sbarge as Jiminy Cricket/Archie.

Below are sneak peeks and promo photos from the pilot episode of Once Upon a Time.

We don't yet have an exact premiere date, but we know that Once Upon a Time will be airing on Sunday nights at 8:00 p.m. ET.

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(ABC/CRAIG SJODIN) GINNIFER GOODWIN

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Once Upon a Time: First Look at ABC's New Modern Fairytale Drama

The new Charlie's Angels reboot has earned itself a spot on ABC's 2011-2012 schedule (view it here) and we have your first look at the new show.

This crop of Charlie's Angels a thief, a street racer and a cop who all have problems of their own, but Charlie Townsend is offering them all a second chance.

Abby (Rachael Taylor), used to be a princess on Park Avenue who eventually become an accomplished thief.  Kate (Annie Ilonzeh) was a cop who fell from grace and lost her fiancé and career.  Then there's Gloria, a former army lieutenant who ends up dying early in the series, which prompts Charlie to recruit Gloria's old friend Eve (Minka Kelly), a street racer with her own mysterious past.

The three will work together in Miami to kick a little ass and solve some cases.  Below are two sneak peeks from the pilot episode, as well as some promo photos for the show.

Charlie's Angels will air on Thursday nights at 8:00 p.m. ET on ABC in the fall.

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(ABC/BOB D'AMICO) RACHAEL TAYLOR, MINKA KELLY, ANNIE ILONZEH

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Charlie's Angels: Sneak Peek of ABC's New Action Show

Fox's new drama, Terra Nova, has had a few setbacks.  It was originally supposed to debut last year, but got pushed back to midseason and then again to Fall 2011.  Given the scope of this show, it's not hard to see why.

A 30 second trailer first appeared after the Superbowl, but now Fox has released a trailer that's over 2 minutes long, giving us our first real glimpse at the size and scale of this new drama.  Terra Nova is originally set in 2149, where humans have basically destroyed the planet.  Fortunately, scientists have discovered a crack in the time-space continum that allows them to travel back in time.  So the decision is made to send humans back to prehistoric times to resettle among the dinosaurs.

Naturally, that goes about as well as you can imagine.  Now mankind is placed within a very hostile time period with enemies who are far larger than we are.  Think Jurassic Park.

The show focuses primarily on the Shannon family.  Jim and Elisabeth Shannon are sent back with their three children: 17 year old son Josh, 15 year old daughter Maddy, and 5 year old daughter Zoe.

Avatar's Stephen Lang stars as Commander Nathaniel Taylor, the leader of the Terra Nova colony.  Taylor and the colony are opposed by a group of rebels led by a woman named Mira.

Terra Nova will be airing on Monday nights at 8:00 p.m. on Fox.

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Terra Nova: First Full-Length Trailer for Fox's Prehistoric New Drama

The characters on The Finder were introduced on a recent episode of Bones, and the episode got a good enough reception that Fox has decided to add this Bones spin-off to its midseason schedule.

The Finder stars Geoff Stults as Walter Sherman, an Iraq War veteran who was injured by an exploding bomb.  After waking up from a coma, Sherman was discharged and returned home with brain damage and a new skill: the uncanny ability to locate anyone or any thing.  In other words, he's now a "Finder".

Sherman continues to use his skills.  In fact, his first job after being discharged was tracking down the missing daughter of the CIA chief.  Sherman eventually settled in Key West, Florida, where he met Ike Latulippe (Saffron Burrows, Law & Order: Criminal Intent) and Leo Knox (Michael Clarke Duncan, The Green Mile).  Both Leo and Ike have their own mysterious and somewhat traumatic pasts to contend with.

Below is the first video look at The Finder, along with some promo photos from the pilot episode.

The Finder will take over Bones' spot on Thursdays at 9:00 p.m. on the midseason schedule (and will give Bones a break to accommodate Emily Deschanel's pregnancy), and new episodes of Bones will return in the spring.

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THE FINDER: The new procedural drama starring Geoff Stults (“She’s Out of My League”) as an Iraq war vet with an extraordinary ability to help people find the unfindable will premiere midseason on FOX.©2011 Fox Broadcasting Co. Cr: Ray Mickshaw/FOX

The Finder: First Look at Fox's New Midseason Drama

Awake might be one of the most clever of the new NBC pilots, which actually kind of worries me, given the apparent complex plots of shows like FlashForward and The Event and how both of those shows ended up losing interest from many viewers and were canceled.

That being said, I'm hopeful that this mind-bending drama will hit it big with viewers when it premieres in NBC's midseason schedule.

Awake stars several well-known actors, including Jason Issacs (Harry Potter), BD Wong (Law & Order: SVU), Cherry Jones (24), Michaela McManus (The Vampire Diaries), Wilmer Valderrama (That '70s Show) and Steve Harris (The Practice).

Issacs stars as Detective Michael Britten, who is in a horrific car accident with his wife and son.  After waking up from the crash, he's told that his wife Hannah (Laura Allen, Terriers) died, but his son Rex (Dylan Minnette, Saving Grace) is still alive.

Soon, however, Michael's life becomes even more complicated when he awakens in another reality: one in which Rex is dead but Hannah is alive.  These two parallel - and sometimes competing - lives play out each day, even as Michael returns to work, with two different partners.  Wong and Jones star as the psychiatrists that Michael visits in each reality in an attempt to figure out what's going on inside his head.

Below is a trailer for the series and three sneak peeks from Awake's pilot episode.

Awake will premiere midseason on NBC.

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Awake: First Look at NBC's Mind-bending New Midseason Drama

Of all the new shows coming to NBC this fall, I might be most interested in Smash, which won't actually be premiering until midseason.  In my mind it's like a mash-up between Glee and that movie Center Stage.  The series is executive produced by Steven Spielberg and stars Debra Messing (Will and Grace) and Christian Borle (Legally Blonde: The Musical).

Messing and Borle play Julia and Tom, respectively.  They're a successful songwriting duo who want to create a Broadway musical based on the life of Marilyn Monroe.

Naturally, there's drama behind the scenes with two women battling for the lead role in the musical: a young, inexperienced Midwestern girl played by Katharine McPhee (American Idol) and a stage veteran played by Megan Hilty (9 to 5: The Musical).

Anjelica Huston plays Eileen, a successful producer who learns about the Monroe musical and joins the project, along with Jack Davenport (FlashForward), a brilliant and successful director.  The show will contain a mix of performances of original and established songs.

Below is a trailer and five sneak peeks from the pilot episode of Smash, as well as promo photos.

Smash will premiere midseason on Monday nights at 10:00 p.m. ET and will have The Voice as a lead-in.

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SMASH -- Pilot -- Pictured: Katharine McPhee as Karen -- Photo by: Will Hart/NBC

Smash: First Look at NBC's New Midseason Musical