Are These the Most Promising Pilots for the Fall? - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

Brian Damage · 03-27-2009, 09:41 PM

It's pilot season, which means there's a lot of buzz about people we like getting cast in shows that may or may not ever make it to air. The studios are busy ordering pilots to see if they'll fly, and then selecting a rare few to actually make it to their lineups. But we're hopeful that a few of these shows get picked up, mostly because they feature some of our favorite stars, so they stand out from the sea of medical, legal and cop pilots out there. Here are the ones we'd most like to see hitting the airwaves next fall (or even winter).

1. Lily
We're probably more excited than we should be about this Gossip Girl spinoff/prequel. And the fact that Josh Schwartz said that there was potential for some O.C. crossovers was just icing on the cake. Brittany Snow will be playing a young version of Lily (now van der Woodsen) and living it up as a wild child in the '80s.

2. Eastwick
This ABC take on The Witches of Eastwick is likely going to be a big ol' trainwreck, but we'll be watching every minute. This modern-day witchy tale stars Rebecca Romijn, Sara Rue, Lindsay Price and Jaime Ray Newman. Price is pretty much a showkiller at this point, and Newman's probably best known for General Hospital, so who knows how long this show will even last if it does make it to series, but we're all for a fabulous mess... and witches! There just aren't enough witches on TV right now.

3. Parenthood
Movies-to-TV transfers don't always work, but Ron Howard is helping take a movie he directed and bring it to the small screen, so that's a good sign (even though Parenthood was already a TV series once). And Friday Night Lights executive producer Jason Katims should be able to make sure that the families in this NBC family drama are actually realistic. And the cast is solid, with Craig T. Nelson, Erika Christensen, Maura Tierney, Peter Krause and Mae Whitman. The only wildcard is Dax Shepard, but every series needs a clown.

4. No Heroics
Based on the BBC series, this ABC pilot has superheroes who aren't so super and like to hang out in a bar. (Nothing wrong with that.) Freddy Prinze Jr. is the big name on this one, but this single-camera comedy has good roots and a lot of potential.

5. House Rules/Body Politic/See Cate Run
With three political shows about young, eager folks, one of them is bound to be good, right? House Rules (CBS) has the girl from My Girl and a bunch of folks as freshman representatives in D.C., while See Cate Run (ABC) has Amy Smart as a savvy attorney who is a contender for the presidency (we presume this one has a science-fiction twist). And Body Politic (CW) has more peppy staffers working for a D.C.-based senator played by Tim Matheson. It actually sounds a little like Felicity Goes to Washington -- if so, that could be our favorite of the bunch.

6. Human Target
Even if this Fox pilot weren't based on a comic book, we'd be excited just by the cast. It's Mark Valley (who really deserves a show after being a glorified corpsicle on Fringe), Jackie Earle Haley (Watchmen's Rorschach) and Chi McBride (generally awesome and lately of Pushing Daisies). The comic-book twist, with a hero assuming the identities of the victims to divert baddies' attention, is just a bonus. The fact that it's for Fox does worry us a tad, though.

7. V
We loved this alien series the first time around, and we're cautiously optimistic about this one. At least someone wisely gave Scott Wolf a job. We're hoping this reimagining for ABC takes a page out of Battlestar Galactica's book and brings the '80s show to a modern and awesome place... instead of ending up like the Knight Rider or Bionic Woman remakes.

8. My American Family
We're trying not to hold the fact that co-creator Steven Levitan unleashed Back to You and Stacked upon the world against this show. Instead, we're focusing on the fact that Ed O'Neill, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Julia Bowen and Sofia Vergara are starring in this bizarre-sounding mockumentary. A former exchange student comes back to a suburb and focuses on three very different families. Sounds intriguing, if we can manage to forget about Back to You... which is easier said than done.

9. Lost & Found
Yes, it is an NBC cop drama. And yes, it sort of sounds like Cold Case, with the female lead investigating John Doe cases. But it has BSG alum Katee Sackhoff as a rebellious member of the LAPD. Plus, it's from Dick Wolf, so if someone's going to make another cop show, it might as well be the Law & Order king. And Brian Cox is in it, and chances are he's gonna be all cranky! Lots to look forward to.

10. The Bridget Show
Two words why we're excited about this comedy. Lauren. Graham. She's playing a self-help guru who gets dumped by her boyfriend. Yeah, the plot sounds terrible on paper. However, a certain fella named Mitch Hurwitz (the Arrested Development genius) is executive-producing it. Add in a heaping helping of Jeffrey Tambor, and you've got yourself an ABC sitcom we can look forward to.

http://www.televisionwithoutpity.com...ng-soundin.php

ekkostar · 03-27-2009, 09:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brian Damage

8. My American Family
We're trying not to hold the fact that co-creator Steven Levitan unleashed Back to You and Stacked upon the world against this show.

The man hasn't had a hit show since Just Shoot Me and that was ages ago.

JulieSomoski · 03-27-2009, 11:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brian Damage

3. Parenthood
Movies-to-TV transfers don't always work, but Ron Howard is helping take a movie he directed and bring it to the small screen, so that's a good sign (even though Parenthood was already a TV series once). And Friday Night Lights executive producer Jason Katims should be able to make sure that the families in this NBC family drama are actually realistic. And the cast is solid, with Craig T. Nelson, Erika Christensen, Maura Tierney, Peter Krause and Mae Whitman. The only wildcard is Dax Shepard, but every series needs a clown.

8. My American Family
We're trying not to hold the fact that co-creator Steven Levitan unleashed Back to You and Stacked upon the world against this show. Instead, we're focusing on the fact that Ed O'Neill, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Julia Bowen and Sofia Vergara are starring in this bizarre-sounding mockumentary. A former exchange student comes back to a suburb and focuses on three very different families. Sounds intriguing, if we can manage to forget about Back to You... which is easier said than done.

10. The Bridget Show
Two words why we're excited about this comedy. Lauren. Graham. She's playing a self-help guru who gets dumped by her boyfriend. Yeah, the plot sounds terrible on paper. However, a certain fella named Mitch Hurwitz (the Arrested Development genius) is executive-producing it. Add in a heaping helping of Jeffrey Tambor, and you've got yourself an ABC sitcom we can look forward to.

Perhaps these 3, mostly My American Family (only because of Levitan, although I normally hate mockumentaries). Parenthood will probably be a onetime deal for me - I'll watch the pilot then forget about. Maura Tierny is in it now, and I"m a fan of hers. The Bridget Show sounds okay, but it doesn't sound "different" in anyway possible. But, the great Jeffrey Tambor will be in it. And Lauren Graham. So, it can't be that bad.

How about The Middle? One of my most anticipated pilots for next season.

Marvo301 · 03-28-2009, 12:01 AM

the girl from My Girl is Anna Chlumsky.

JulieSomoski · 03-28-2009, 12:11 PM

How about Legally Mad? From David E. Kelly, I'm sure it'll be good.

robyrob · 03-28-2009, 04:14 PM

Eastwick and the Bob Saget one are the only ones that look remotely entertaining to me.

03-27-2009, 09:41 PM	#1
Brian Damage I'm Rich Bitch Forum Icon Join Date: Feb 03, 2002 Location: What Ain't No Country I Ever Heard Of...They Speak English in What? Posts: 63,107	Are These the Most Promising Pilots for the Fall? It's pilot season, which means there's a lot of buzz about people we like getting cast in shows that may or may not ever make it to air. The studios are busy ordering pilots to see if they'll fly, and then selecting a rare few to actually make it to their lineups. But we're hopeful that a few of these shows get picked up, mostly because they feature some of our favorite stars, so they stand out from the sea of medical, legal and cop pilots out there. Here are the ones we'd most like to see hitting the airwaves next fall (or even winter). 1. Lily We're probably more excited than we should be about this Gossip Girl spinoff/prequel. And the fact that Josh Schwartz said that there was potential for some O.C. crossovers was just icing on the cake. Brittany Snow will be playing a young version of Lily (now van der Woodsen) and living it up as a wild child in the '80s. 2. Eastwick This ABC take on The Witches of Eastwick is likely going to be a big ol' trainwreck, but we'll be watching every minute. This modern-day witchy tale stars Rebecca Romijn, Sara Rue, Lindsay Price and Jaime Ray Newman. Price is pretty much a showkiller at this point, and Newman's probably best known for General Hospital, so who knows how long this show will even last if it does make it to series, but we're all for a fabulous mess... and witches! There just aren't enough witches on TV right now. 3. Parenthood Movies-to-TV transfers don't always work, but Ron Howard is helping take a movie he directed and bring it to the small screen, so that's a good sign (even though Parenthood was already a TV series once). And Friday Night Lights executive producer Jason Katims should be able to make sure that the families in this NBC family drama are actually realistic. And the cast is solid, with Craig T. Nelson, Erika Christensen, Maura Tierney, Peter Krause and Mae Whitman. The only wildcard is Dax Shepard, but every series needs a clown. 4. No Heroics Based on the BBC series, this ABC pilot has superheroes who aren't so super and like to hang out in a bar. (Nothing wrong with that.) Freddy Prinze Jr. is the big name on this one, but this single-camera comedy has good roots and a lot of potential. 5. House Rules/Body Politic/See Cate Run With three political shows about young, eager folks, one of them is bound to be good, right? House Rules (CBS) has the girl from My Girl and a bunch of folks as freshman representatives in D.C., while See Cate Run (ABC) has Amy Smart as a savvy attorney who is a contender for the presidency (we presume this one has a science-fiction twist). And Body Politic (CW) has more peppy staffers working for a D.C.-based senator played by Tim Matheson. It actually sounds a little like Felicity Goes to Washington -- if so, that could be our favorite of the bunch. 6. Human Target Even if this Fox pilot weren't based on a comic book, we'd be excited just by the cast. It's Mark Valley (who really deserves a show after being a glorified corpsicle on Fringe), Jackie Earle Haley (Watchmen's Rorschach) and Chi McBride (generally awesome and lately of Pushing Daisies). The comic-book twist, with a hero assuming the identities of the victims to divert baddies' attention, is just a bonus. The fact that it's for Fox does worry us a tad, though. 7. V We loved this alien series the first time around, and we're cautiously optimistic about this one. At least someone wisely gave Scott Wolf a job. We're hoping this reimagining for ABC takes a page out of Battlestar Galactica's book and brings the '80s show to a modern and awesome place... instead of ending up like the Knight Rider or Bionic Woman remakes. 8. My American Family We're trying not to hold the fact that co-creator Steven Levitan unleashed Back to You and Stacked upon the world against this show. Instead, we're focusing on the fact that Ed O'Neill, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Julia Bowen and Sofia Vergara are starring in this bizarre-sounding mockumentary. A former exchange student comes back to a suburb and focuses on three very different families. Sounds intriguing, if we can manage to forget about Back to You... which is easier said than done. 9. Lost & Found Yes, it is an NBC cop drama. And yes, it sort of sounds like Cold Case, with the female lead investigating John Doe cases. But it has BSG alum Katee Sackhoff as a rebellious member of the LAPD. Plus, it's from Dick Wolf, so if someone's going to make another cop show, it might as well be the Law & Order king. And Brian Cox is in it, and chances are he's gonna be all cranky! Lots to look forward to. 10. The Bridget Show Two words why we're excited about this comedy. Lauren. Graham. She's playing a self-help guru who gets dumped by her boyfriend. Yeah, the plot sounds terrible on paper. However, a certain fella named Mitch Hurwitz (the Arrested Development genius) is executive-producing it. Add in a heaping helping of Jeffrey Tambor, and you've got yourself an ABC sitcom we can look forward to. http://www.televisionwithoutpity.com...ng-soundin.php
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03-28-2009, 12:01 AM	#4
Marvo301 I'm NOT a Blockhead! Forum Celebrity Join Date: May 17, 2002 Location: The Great White North Posts: 21,460	the girl from My Girl is Anna Chlumsky.
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03-28-2009, 04:14 PM	#6
robyrob certified wackball#3 Moderator Forum Icon Join Date: Aug 03, 2003 Location: hiding under the third booth at Arnold's Posts: 58,200	Eastwick and the Bob Saget one are the only ones that look remotely entertaining to me.
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03-28-2009, 12:11 PM	#5
JulieSomoski Roseanne Reboot - March 27! Forum Veteran Join Date: Nov 06, 2004 Location: Michigan Posts: 7,558	How about Legally Mad? From David E. Kelly, I'm sure it'll be good.