ABC 2005-06 Drama Pilots

[Pavan]

Like the last two years, 03-04: http://www.sitcomsonline.com/boards/...threadid=68839 and 04-05: http://www.sitcomsonline.com/boards/...d.php?t=107245 , we will be giving info on all 13 of the drama pilots on ABC for consideration for the fall or midseason. Only a few will make it--so make your choices before we find out in mid-May which will make it.

For the sitcom pilots (which of course, we will give more in-depth info than the dramas), check the General Sitcoms board.


The two that REALLY look good to me is Soccer Moms, with Kristin Davis and the drama Invasion. Westside (AKA: SOLD) is said to be another primetime soap. J.J. Abrams, Lost & Alias' creator, is developing two series What About Brian? and Pros and Cons There are also some big names in supporting roles like Judith Light, Donald Sutherland, Martin Landau, Natasha Henstridge, Carlos Ponce and Rosanna Arquette. Read all that here:



1/4 Life
1 Hour

Cast:
Austin Nichols: Charlie
Shiri Appleby: Debra
Merritt Weaver: Bailey
Reggie Austin: Eric
Rachel Blanchard: Lisa
Jonathan Bennett: Shane
Jacob Pitts: Andy

Credits:
Production Companies: Bedford Falls, Touchstone Television
Executives Producers/Writers: Edward Zwick, Marshall Herskovitz
Producer: Chuck Mulvehill
Director: Edward Zwick

At twenty-five years old, the world seems pretty daunting – work, friends, love – every decision you make feels like life or death, because every decision shapes the course your life will take. At twenty-five years old, you either find the courage to pursue your dreams or make certain compromises in your career and relationships that will affect you for the next 25 years. And for six friends in Chicago, living together makes the trauma of being twenty-five years old just a little bit easier.

The seven guys and girls sharing this Chicago home are caught between youth and adulthood. While some are more lost than others, each of them brings a distinct point of view about what it's like to try and find yourself in your twenties. Some dream about making it big, some dream about finding their soul-mate – and others are just trying to make it through the day. The one thing they all have in common is a vague notion that there's something more to life, but none of them are quite sure what or how to get it. Though they don't know it yet – this group of friends is living through the best time of their lives.

From the creators of Once & Again and thirtysomething comes a lively drama with all the promise and angst, confidence and doubt that comes with taking your first steps into adulthood.



The Catch
One Hour

Cast
Greg Grunberg: Tom "Koz" Kozikowski
Kym Whitley: Honey Commons
Don Rickles: Roy Kozikowski
Joanne Kelly: Mo Kozikowski
Daylia Wallace: Maddy Kozikowski
Michelle Arthur: Stella

Credits
Production Company:Touchstone Television
Executives Producers/Writers: J.J. Abrams, John Eisendrath
Director: Jesse Peretz

Part detective, bounty hunter, bodyguard, and net-head, private investigators must be a one-stop shop for clients whose cases have slipped through law enforcement's cracks. And they do it all without back-up or free donuts.

Overweight single-dad Tom "Koz" Kozikowski's has too much on his plate. He works too hard, doesn't spend enough time with his daughter, can't relate to his sister, and eats too much despite years of dieting. On top of all that, his grandfather blew all their profits at the track. But Lady Luck has smiled on the family firm in a really twisted way. Vivacious, over-the-top, and opinionated Honey Commons has bought into their agency using her Jeopardy winnings. Honey's soon sticking her nose into every aspect of Koz's life which really masks her desperate need to find her missing son. Case-by case, Honey and Koz will prove to be not just great detectives, but fantastic friends.

Greg Grunberg (Alias, Felicity) and Kym Whitley (Along Came Polly, Deliver Us from Eva) form an impossible partnership that's 'Ricky and Lucy' meets The Rockford Files. With comedy legend Don Rickles, the team behind Lost and Alias creates a seriously funny detective series.


Commander-In-Chief
1 Hour

Cast:
Geena Davis: Mackenzie Allen
Kyle Secor: Rod Allen
Jasmine Anthony: Amy Allen
Ever Carradine: Katheryn
Harry J. Lennix: Jim
Caitlin Wachs: Helen
Andrew James Allen: Horace
Donald Sutherland: Nathan Templeton
Julie Ann Emery: Joan Greer

Credits:
Production Company: Touchstone Television
Executive Producer/Writer: Rod Lurie
Executive Producer: Marc Frydman
Director: Rod Lurie

Mackenzie Allen has a lot on her plate… She has twin teenagers and a six-year-old at home, an ambitious husband at the office, and she is about to become the first female President of the United States.

Before that happens, however, Mackenzie, who serves as Vice President, has to decide whether or not to go against the dying wishes of the current President, who has asked her to step down and let someone "more appropriate" fill his shoes in the Oval Office. Not only does the President want her to resign but so does the entire party that elected Mackenzie in the first place.

But when the moment of truth arrives, Mackenzie isn't willing to be a mere footnote in history. Instead of allowing her detractors to keep her down, she decides to trust her instincts and accept the most powerful job in the world.

From Rod Lurie, acclaimed Writer/Director of the Oscar-nominated film The Contender and creator of the critically acclaimed ABC series Line of Fire comes a political dramedy centering around the first female president, played by Academy Award®-winner Geena Davis.



The Evidence
1 Hour

Cast:
Martin Landau: Saul
Orlando Jones: Bishop
Nicky Katt: Riley

Credits:
Production Company: Warner Bros. Television, John Wells Productions
Executive Producers/Writers: Sam Baum, Dustin Thomason
Executive Producer/Director: Gary Fleder
Executive Producer: Lew Wells

People lie. The evidence doesn't. It's the foundation of every conviction – with evidence, justice is possible; without evidence, guilty men walk free.

Acclaimed Producer John Wells, (ER, The West Wing, Third Watch) and director Gary Fleder (Blind Justice, Runaway Jury) put a fascinating twist on the standard police procedural. At the top of each episode, all of the clues (a locket, a phone, a severed finger) are revealed in a videotaped evidence log. The show then flashes to the day the crime was committed and invites our viewers to play along with our heroes as they find each clue, determine its meaning, put the pieces of the puzzle together and figure out who done it.

No one knows the importance of evidence more than Detective Riley. After he lost his wife in a brutal murder, the only evidence the cops had was accidentally destroyed, and it ruined his faith in the system. Fortunately his partner and best friend, Bishop, is there for him, pulling him back to work, pushing him forward, as they both try solve these complex cases set against the beautiful streets of San Francisco.




Introducing Lennie Rose
1 Hour

Cast:
Abigail Spencer: Lennie
Carlos Ponce: Jimmy
Sasha Barrese: Tess
Keir O'Donnell: Harper
Warren Christie: Jackson
Aya Sumika: Stella
Missy Yager: Nora
Patricia Wettig: Melinda
Vondie Curtis-Hall: Marlon

Credits:
Production Company: Touchstone Television
Executive Producer/Director: Ken Olin
Executive Producer/Writer: Krista Vernoff

New York is the city of possibility for anyone who's ever had a dream. Writers. Actors. Up-and-comers. Whatever their ambition, they all come to New York looking for their big break. All share a passionate desire to become something extraordinary, but no one wants it more than Lennie Rose.

At 26, the beautiful, talented Lennie Rose will play or sing a song to anyone who'll listen. Her family doesn't understand her, and her love life is anything but healthy, but fortunately she's found support in an eclectic group of friends. There's Jackson, a handsome former Olympian looking for a new dream, and Harper, a brilliant novelist who sees Lennie as his ultimate heroine. Jackson, Harper and Lennie all work together at a bustling NY restaurant, along with dangerously sexy, aspiring actress Stella, and clumsy, but adorable, law student Tess – building their futures one shift at a time. As love, sex, jealousy, money problems, hard partying, and professional rejection chip away at their drive toward success, Lennie rises to the challenge of a life destined for greatness.

In an age of instant celebrity and reality TV success, Writer Krista Vernoff (Wonderfalls, Charmed) and Director Ken Olin (Alias) create a romantic dramedy dedicated to anyone who's ever had a dream.




Invasion
1 Hour

Cast:
Alexis Dziena: Kira
Evan Peters: Jesse
Ariel Gade: Rose
Eddie Cibrian: Russell
Tyler Labine: Dave
William Fichtner: Sheriff Underlay
Kari Matchett: Mariel
Lisa Sheridan: Larkin

Credits:
Production Company: Warner Bros. Television
Executive Producer/Writer: Shaun Cassidy
Director: Thomas Schlamme

For centuries man has searched the skies for signs of intelligent life… but to no avail.

What if the explanation lay in the fact that aliens were already here... already among us? And what if all of the natural disasters we have been experiencing of late were smokescreens designed to mask something far more ominous?

When yet another devastating hurricane threatens Florida, temporarily cutting off a small town at the edge of the Everglades, U.S. Park Ranger Russell Poole takes heroic measures to keep both the town's citizens and his family safe. In the middle of the violent storm, his young daughter is the only one to see small lights floating towards the water, seemingly unaffected by the vicious winds. At the time he thinks nothing of her claim, but begins to suspect that something may indeed be amiss when his missing ex-wife is found naked, with no memory of what happened during the storm.

As the tiny town struggles to recover while his nemesis, the Sheriff, quarantines the entire area, Poole begins to investigate the strange goings on, unwittingly beginning a fight for the survival of the human race.

Veteran Writer/Producer Shaun Cassidy, and celebrated Director Thomas Schlamme (The West Wing) bring you the suspenseful tale of a blended family that finds itself at the center of a conspiracy designed to mask an alien takeover that is happening one neighbor at a time.



Laws of Chance
1-Hour Series

Cast:
KaDee Strickland: Chance
Viola Davis: Rebecca
Bruce McGill: Charles Bauman
Frances Fisher: Evelyn
Fran Kranz: Baines
Michael O'Neill: Wyatt

Credits:
Production Companies: 20th Century Fox Television, Roundtable Entertainment
Executive Producer/Writer: Gary Glasberg
Executive Producers: Gina Matthews, Grant Scharbo
Writer: Gary Glasberg
Director: Michael Dinner

Life is different in Texas: bigger, bolder and certainly more colorful. The talk is different, the walk is different…even the crimes committed there seem more vivid, creating the need for a feisty female ADA like Chance Morgan. In an age in which everyone has become accustomed to spectacle, this Houston hothead and her crazy courtroom theatrics never disappoint.

Growing up in the smallest of towns, Chance Morgan learned about honesty, integrity, and fairness from her father, a barber/justice of the peace. Now an Assistant DA in the big city, Chance is a young spitfire whose daring legal strategies are quickly earning her quite the reputation. She jumps right in, investigating grisly crimes side-by-side with the detectives on the case. And when she does get into the courtroom, she uses her quick wit, sharp tongue, and controversial tactics to get a conviction.

Constantly going head to head with the boys club is hard work, and only Chance's passion keeps her going. But when the stresses of the city, her job, and her floundering love life get to be too much, she retreats to the warm embrace of her small hometown and family.

Writer Gary Glasberg (Crossing Jordan), and producer Gina Matthews (What Women Want and 13 Going On 30) have created a refreshing new take on a legal show centering around a smart, sassy character based on real life Houston DA, Kelly Siegler.



The Night Stalker
1 Hour

Cast:
Stuart Townsend: Carl Kolchak
Gabrielle Union: Perri Reed
Eric Jungmann: Jain McManus
Cotter Smith: Vincenzo

Credits:
Production Company: Touchstone Television
Executive Producer/Writer: Frank Spotnitz
Executive Producer/Director: Daniel Sackheim
Executive Producer: Michelle MacLauren
There are things in the dark, things adults deny but children are right to fear…

When a pregnant woman is snatched from her home, the shocked citizens of L.A. believe it's an act of domestic violence. But crime reporter Carl Kolchak suspects that the truth is far more complicated. That's because 18 months ago, Kolchak's wife was killed in a bizarre fashion and he has been the FBI's #1 suspect ever since.

Kolchak's determination to find out the truth behind his wife's mysterious murder has led him to investigate other crimes that seem to have some kind of supernatural component. But he's trying to piece together a puzzle that keeps changing its shape. Who or what is committing these crimes? How are they all related? And why do some victims end up with a strange red mark on their hands in the shape of a snake? With sidekick Perri Reed, a sexy if skeptical fellow reporter in tow, Kolchak will go to any lengths to answer these questions. But when he does discover the truth – will anyone believe him?




Pros and Cons
1 Hour

Cast:
Paul Blackthorne: Jack Fallon
William Baldwin: Chris Van Horn
Ryan Donowho: Cooper
Dorian Missick: Eddie
Natasha Henstridge: Charlie
Eric Bogosian: Murph

Credits:
Production Company: Touchstone Television
Executive Producers/Writers: Stu Zicherman, Raven Metzner
Executive Producers: JJ Abrams, Thom Sherman, Bryan Burke
Director: Michael Engler

They say there's a sucker born every minute …

Ever since the snake sold that apple to Eve, there have been confidence men selling dreams to the gullible and the greedy. From the smallest shell game or pyramid scheme to the biggest bank heist, they slip right by with a twinkle in their eye and a smile on their face and by the time people realize they've been had, it's too darned late.

At 36, charming Jack Fallon is the best in the game. He sees the angles between the angles, spins a story better than anyone, and there isn't a trick in the book that he hasn't played and gotten away with. That is, until six months ago…when someone finally dropped the dime on him and he landed in the pen.

Now he's back on the streets, assembling another team of expert scam-artists, including an all-too-eager nephew and a feisty ex-girlfriend who longs to go straight.The major difference between six months ago and today? This go-around Jack and his team are working with the FBI to expose fraud from the inside out. And they've got a babysitter in the form of federal agent Chris Van Horn, who refuses to believe that Jack has actually seen the light and is now on the up and up.

From the creator of Lost and Alias comes a fun, fast-paced Ocean's Eleven-like romp through the colorful world of the big con.



Soccer Moms
1 Hour

Cast:
Kristin Davis: Brooke
Rob Estes: Ed Brooks
Gina Torres: Jamie Cane
Nicki Prian: Alison
Kerris Dorsey: Joey
Brandon Mauro: Matt
Jeffrey D. Sams: Detective Marc Garcia
Zolee Griggs: Molly
Damani Roberts: Jack
Taylor Nichols: Jim Samms


Credits:
Production Company: Touchstone Television
Executive Producer/Writer: Donald Todd
Executive Producers: Marla Ginsburg, Jeff Kline
Producer: Iain Paterson
Executive Producer/Director: Mark Piznarski

Not all housewives are desperate. Brooke Benning takes immense pleasure in her perfect home, beautiful family and well-ordered life. Her one guilty pleasure is keeping tabs on her neighbors…but she's not spying, she's being vigilant.

At the other end of the neighborhood is Brooke's polar opposite, Dana Bond. Dana's a harried, somewhat cynical single mom trying to make a living as a PI, so housework is simply not a priority. But when Brooke meets Dana, they quickly realize that their opposing strengths make them an excellent team. While Dana is an ex-cop, Brooke has learned all she knows about private investigation by watching detective shows and movies. Together they discover what the women of Wisteria Lane already know: there are a lot of secrets in the suburbs.



SOLD (AKA: Westside)
1 Hour

Cast:
Ashley Scott: Jenna
Stark Sands: Adam
Charlotte Ross: Vanessa
Camille Guaty: Sharon Tabit
Judith Light: Nancy
Peter Facinelli: Michael

Credits:
Production Companies: Warner Bros. Television, Class IV
Executive Producer/Writer: Silvio Horta
Executive Producers: Steve Pearlman, Andrew Plotkin
Director: Bryan Gordon

Every house has a story. Every story is an opportunity. And on L.A.'s Westside, every opportunity is worth millions. High end real estate is a wickedly competitive business where an agent would kill his own mother to snag a listing…well, at least tell people she's dead.

The real estate agents at the family run Whitman & Associates are forever wrestling with the question: Can you sell the American dream without selling your soul? For a select few the answer is yes. For most, the answer is most definitely no.

Though the firm is known as a powerhouse brokerage-to-the-stars, it is now in deep trouble. Listings are off, super agent Michael Serrano is thinking about defecting, and owner Bruce Whitman just accidentally backed his car over the owner of a rival agency. Fortunately, Whitman's soulful daughter Jenna has come home to help rebuild the company. With any luck, she'll be the conscience to her father's competitive drive and help stabilize both the business and her crazy family. But first she'll have to figure things out with her old flame, Michael Serrano.

Silvio Horta (Jake 2.0, Urban Legend) exposes the hilarious underbelly of the high-stakes real estate world and finds enough sex, greed, deceit and betrayal to last a lifetime.



What About Brian?
1 Hour

Cast:
Barry Watson: Brian
Rosanna Arquette: Nic
Matthew Davis: Adam
Rick Gomez: Dave
Amanda Detmer: Deena
Raoul Bova: Angelo
Polly Shannon: Marjorie

Credits:
Production Company: Touchstone Television
Executive Producer/Writer: Dana Stevens
Executive Producers: J.J. Abrams, Thom Sherman, Bryan Burke
Executive Producers/Directors: Anthony Russo, Joe Russo

Brian is the guy everyone wants as a best friend. He's the guy who'll stand by you at your wedding, drive you to the hospital, cheer your kids on at their little league game... the guy who every wife dotes on and every husband wants to either grab a beer with or live vicariously through. But as all of his friends pair off and Brian emerges as the last bachelor standing, questions begin to arise in his head: Is there such a thing as Mr. or Mrs. Right? Why does love have to be so complicated? What is his problem with commitment? What lies in his future? What about kids? What is going on with him?

At 34, Brian is the last single guy in his group of friends: his best friend Adam was going to break up with picture-perfect Marjorie but proposed instead. Brian's sister, Nic and her boy-toy husband Angelo are trying hard to have kids. The bohemian Dave and Deena have three little girls and no sex life. And, like all married people, they can't wait for Brian to join their "club," though they're not exactly sure why. As for Brian, well, he's a serial monogamist but still holds out hope that one day he'll open the door and be blinded by love.

From the producers of Lost and Alias and the screenwriter of City of Angels and For Love of the Game comes a fresh, fun perspective on friendship and love in L.A.


----

I think Soccer Moms will make it. Maybe it'll air after DH or another night like Thursdays. Invasion I see airing Tuesdays at 8. One of the J.J. Abrams series could make it, but maybe mid-season. Orlando Jones' show looks bad to me. Maybe Westside will make it, too.

[Pavan]

I even have cast photos of 4 of these dramas. So, if some of these do not make it, it will be part of history that you have seen cast photos of unaired shows!

Here is Invasion, 1/4 Life, Introducing Lennie Rose and The Night Stalker cast photos:

[JT]

The one that is interesting me the most is without a doubt "Westside". It sounds deliciously soapy, but what would you expect from something with Karen Wolek herself, Judith Light, in a starring role?

[barwars]

These sound good:
Commander-In-Chief
The Evidence
Laws of Chance
Pros and Cons
What About Brian?

But these will be picked up:
Soccer Moms
Westside
Invasion
and possibly Commander-In-Cheif


If Eyes and Grey's Anatomy are both successes, I have no idea what ABC will do. Although I don't see Eyes making it, in such a tough timeslot.

[Pavan]

The Evidence looks like CSI, from a clip I saw.

[Caffeine King]

I'm really hoping for 1/4 life to be picked up.

Westside sounds good too.

I dunno but I think Soccer Moms sounds so campy and terrible.

If Soccer Moms isn't picked up I can see Westside taking the post DH timeslot.

Where would 1/4 life go though?...hmm...

I don't think Blind Justice will be back next season, Grey's Anatomy will most likely be a success, Eyes...I hope it gets picked up for next season IMO it looks good, and Boston Legal will probably be back next season. Desperate Housewives and Lost are a given that they'll be back next season...oh yeah and Alias is there too.

So if what I said works out that'd be...
1/4 life
Westside
Desperate Housewives
Lost
Grey's Anatomy
Eyes
Boston Legal
Alias

I hope if it works out that way that the schedule will be...

Sunday-
9:00 PM-Desperate Housewives
10:00 PM-Westside

Monday-
8:00 PM: (reality show)
9:00 PM: ???
9:30 PM: ???
10:00 PM: 1/4 life (?)

Tuesday-
8:00 PM: (sitcom)
8:30 PM: (sitcom)
9:00 PM: Grey's Anatomy
10:00 PM: Boston Legal

Wednesday-
8:00 PM: Lost
9:00 PM: Alias
10:00 PM: Eyes


Maybe not exactly like that...

I would just want Desperate Housewives to stay in the same time slot, and for Lost to as well and for 1/4 life to get a good time slot that will get it ratings (assuming it'll be picked up)

I could also see 1/4 life and What About Brian? going hand in hand, back to back if they get picked up.

[Pavan]

1/4 Life looks terrible. ABC won't pick that up for sure, I think. It sounds like life as we know it.

[Caffeine King]

Originally Posted by pavanbadal

1/4 Life looks terrible. ABC won't pick that up for sure, I think. It sounds like life as we know it.

If it's from the people who did My So Called Life, Once & Again, and thirtysomething then it must be good. (in my opinion)

I've only seen My So Called Life but I've heard good things about Once & Again and thirtysomething so 1/4 should be good.

I dunno...or maybe it's one of those shows that'll be really good or really bad.

[Pavan]

I don't think ABC is praising it at all, from the clips I saw, it looks bad. I've seen lots of clips of Commander in Chief, Westside, Soccer Moms and Invasion for the drama side. They seem to be the front runners.

[Caffeine King]

Originally Posted by pavanbadal

I don't think ABC is praising it at all, from the clips I saw, it looks bad. I've seen lots of clips of Commander in Chief, Westside, Soccer Moms and Invasion for the drama side. They seem to be the front runners.

Where are the clips? The ABC website?

[Pavan]

Originally Posted by Caffeine King

Where are the clips? The ABC website?

Not for the public yet.

[barwars]

Originally Posted by pavanbadal

Not for the public yet.

lucky SOB.

[Pavan]

I saw brief clips of Commander in Chief, Invasion, Westside, Soccer Moms, What About Brian?, 1/4 Life, The Evidence, and The Night Stalker.

[barwars]

My thoughts:

Monday
8:00 Primetime Live
9:00 Monday Night Football

After Football:
8:00 EM:HM How'd They Do That?
9:00 Supernanny
10:00 Primetime Live

Tuesday
8:00 George Lopez
8:30 Bobby Cannon
9:00 According To Jim
9:30 Crumbs
10:00 Grey's Anatomy

Wednesday
8:00 Lost
9:00 The Catch ("Alias" in January)
10:00 Eyes

Thursday
8:00 Invasion
9:00 Jake in Progress
9:30 Freddie Prinze, Jr. Project
10:00 Boston Legal

Friday
8:00 8 Simple Rules
8:30 Chris Kattan Project
9:00 Hope & Faith
9:30 Less Than Perfect
10:00 20/20

Saturday
8:00 America's Funniest Home Videos
9:00 Commander-In-Chief
10:00 Wife Swap

Sunday (seperating EM:HM and DH is risky, but they both seem to do well on their own)
7:00 Extreme Makeover: Home Edition
8:00 Westside
9:00 Desperate Housewives
10:00 Soccer Moms


4 New sitcoms and 4 New dramas.

Cancelled:
The Bachelor
Rodney
Extreme Makeover

"The Wonderful World of Disney" will air as a special event on Saturday nights.

[Dean Winchester]

looking forward to Commander In Chief, I love Geena Davis.

I take it She Spies has been cancelled since Natasha Henstrich is on another show now.

good for Barry Watson to finally leave 7th Heaven once and for all, he's way too cool to be stuck on that show.