ABC Drama Pilots for 2007-08 Season

[Pavan]

Like the last four years, 03-04: http://www.sitcomsonline.com/boards/...threadid=68839, 04-05: http://www.sitcomsonline.com/boards/...d.php?t=107245, 05-06: http://www.sitcomsonline.com/boards/...d.php?t=135757, and 06-07: http://www.sitcomsonline.com/boards/...d.php?t=167870 we will be giving info on all of the drama pilots on ABC for consideration for the fall or midseason.
This season 13 drama pilots are in consideration. Only a handful 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.


Some look SO good, such as: Cashmere Mafia, Dirty Sexy Money, Football Wives, Women's Murder Club, and of course the Grey's Anatomy spin-off! Eli Stone, Pushing Daisies, and Rina Mimoun Project also sound decent.



Cashmere Mafia
1 Hour

Cast:
Peter Hermann: Davis
Lucy Liu: Dylan
Frances O'Connor: Zoe
Miranda Otto: Juliet
Julian Ovenden: Eric
Bonnie Sommerville: Caitlin

Credits:
Production Companies: Sony Pictures Television, Darren Star Productions, Back East Productions, Inc., 22nd Street Productions, Inc.
Executive Producer/Writer: Kevin Wade
Executive Producers: Darren Star, Gail Katz Executive Producer/Director: Peyton Reed

Their names are Dylan, Juliet, Caitlin and Zoe. But you'll come to know them as the Cashmere Mafia – four Manhattan women bonded by their Ivy League educations and executive success. A thinking woman's Sex and the City mixed with the wit of The Devil Wears Prada, this one-hour drama assembles a cast of bright, driven, relatable women who support each other through rocky marriages, rival colleagues, kids' recitals and the hunt for the perfect loft.

Ambition always comes with a price. Consistently outpacing their male colleagues and husbands in salary and title, they also have to watch out for scheming bitches eager to bring them down. Fortunately, there's strength in numbers. These successful executives regularly bring their problems to the lunch table and use each other's strengths and resources to avert disaster, both personally and professionally. With style, smarts and appeal, the Cashmere Mafia is about to bring sexy back to the boardroom, while unexpected heart and humor keep their stories compelling.

From producer Darren Star (Sex and the City) and writer Kevin Wade (Working Girl) comes a compelling, intimate and unflinching look at an ensemble of high-powered women whose most valuable assets are their friendship and their willingness to have it all – without giving an inch. Starring Emmy® nominee Lucy Liu (Ally McBeal, Charlie's Angels), Golden Globe nominee Frances O'Connor, SAG Award Winner Miranda Otto (The Lord of the Rings triology), and Bonnie Somerville (NYPD Blue, Kitchen Confidential).




Dirty Sexy Money
One Hour

Cast
Laz Alonso: Colin
Samaire Armstrong: Juliet Darling
William Baldwin: Sen. Patrick Darling
Jill Clayburgh: Letitia Darling
Glenn Fitzgerald: Rev. Brian Darling
Seth Gabel: Jeremy Darling
Peter Krause: Nick George
Zoe McLellan: Lisa
Victoria Pratt: Naomi
Donald Sutherland: Tripp
Natalie Zea: Karen Darling

Credits
Production Company: ABC Television Studio
Executive Producer/Writer: Craig Wright
Executive Producers: Greg Berlanti, Matthew Gross, Peter Horton, Bryan Singer
Director: Peter Horton

Power, privilege and family money are a volatile cocktail. Living proof: The Darlings of New York City, so absurdly wealthy they put the "upper" in Upper East Side. This preeminent family's five spoiled adult brats – one of them a Presidential candidate – are always getting mixed up with the wrong people, including freeloading spouses, illegal immigrants and transvestite hookers. It will take a miracle to keep this Kennedy-esque clan out of the tabloids – and out of jail.

That miracle comes in the form of Nick George. As a boy, Nick watched his father surrender his freedom and family as the Darling's trusted consigliere. Burned by his own boyhood encounters with the family, Nick did a 180 and became a lawyer for the disadvantaged. But the passing of his dad thrusts the daunting responsibility of protecting the Darlings' secrets onto Nick. When the family's patriarch offers him an ungodly salary, Nick isn't sure if it's the chance of a lifetime - or a life sentence. In no time, he finds himself racing to plead with cops, hush the tabloids and furiously try to wipe the mud off the esteemed Darling reputation. With new disasters every week, hopefully Nick has the stamina for a marathon.

Three-time Emmy® nominee Peter Krause (Six Feet Under, Sports Night), Emmy® winner Donald Sutherland, and two-time Oscar® nominee Jill Clayburgh (Ally McBeal, Starting Over, An Unmarried Woman) star in this younger, sexier, redheaded stepchild of Dallas and Dynasty. Emmy® and Pulitzer® nominated Craig Wright (Brothers & Sisters, Lost, Six Feet Under) and executive producer Greg Berlanti (Brothers & Sisters, Everwood) use over-the-top situations and razor-sharp satire to illustrate how scads of money can create a great American family… and demolish it.




Eli Stone
1 Hour

Cast:
Laura Benanti: Beth
Loretta Devine: Patti
Victor Garber: Jordan Wethersby
Natasha Henstridge: Taylor Wethersby
Sam Jaeger: Matt
Jonny Lee Miller: Eli
James Saito: Dr. Chen

Credits:
Production Company: ABC Television Studio
Executive Producer/Writers: Greg Berlanti, Marc Guggenheim
Director: Ken Olin

Following on the success of their current hit Brothers and Sisters, Ken Olin (Alias), Marc Guggenheim and Greg Berlanti (Everwood) create a unique, character-driven drama that explores the very different worlds of law and spirituality in a humorous and heartfelt way. Joining the fantasy and spirituality from The Ghost Whisperer, sincerity and passion from The Practice and quirky humor from Monk, the show explores whether we can change the course of our lives in midstream.

Today, the worst thing happened to mercenary attorney Eli Stone. A case made him care. As if that's not hard enough for a soulless shark, Eli's also hallucinating – larger-than-life visions of pop stars and his dead relatives. Could it be that Eli's not cut out to be a cutthroat lawyer but actually has a higher calling? Well, if the universe can bring his college girlfriend back to him, then maybe he needs to risk everything he's worked for, including gunning for partner and his relationship with the boss' daughter, to take on his own law firm. Eli's as surprised as anyone that it works and that it feels so good.

Now, instead of defending evil mega-corporations, he's fighting for the little guy in his law firm's new pro-bono department. As for those visions, his doctor thinks it might be an aneurysm, just like the one that tortured his father. But Eli sees a greater possibility, a destiny to become a spiritual prophet. He might not have been anyone's first choice but, given his looks, charm and intelligence, it's an excellent one.

Eli Stone stars Johnny Lee Miller (Smith, Trainspotting), Natasha Henstridge (Commander-in-Chief), Loretta Devine (Grey's Anatomy, Waiting To Exhale) and six-time Emmy® nominee Victor Garber (Alias, Legally Blonde). Over the years, the legal trade has earned billions… but with Eli Stone, it has finally made a prophet.





Football Wives
1 Hour

Cast:
Eddie Cibrian: Jason
Arielle Kebbel: Nicole
Lucy Lawless: Tanya Austin
Ving Rhames: Frank Wallingford
Holly Robinson-Peete: Jackie
Kiele Sanchez: Donna Reynolds
Gabrielle Union: Chardonnay Lane
James Van Der Beek: Brian
Brian J. White: Kyle Johnson

Credits:
Production Company: ABC Television Studio
Executive Producer/Writer: Marco Pennette
Executive Producers: Chris Brancato, Bert Salke, Eileen Gallagher, Maureen Chadwicke, Ann McManus
Executive Producer/Director: Bryan Singer

Football Wives centers on the lives of three women and their husbands who are teammates on a fictional NFL franchise in Orlando. Their decadent lives are seen through the eyes of innocent newcomer Donna, whose new friends quickly indoctrinate her. Because when your husband goes from poor college student to newly-minted millionaire overnight, your lifestyle explodes.

In no time, Donna learns being a football wife is anything but a game. It's not only the team obligations and the obsessive fans. Hot groupies, addictive drugs, excessive shopping, outrageous greed, ravenous desire and bitter jealousy all mask the nagging anxiety that this party train is one injury away from ending.

Director Bryan Singer (House, Superman) takes us behind the scenes with American royalty to see how instant success pushes these women around and how they push right back. Gabrielle Union (Bring it On, Night Stalker), Lucy Lawless (Xena), Kiele Sanchez (Lost), James Van Der Beek (Dawson's Creek), Brian White (The Shield) and Ving Rhames (Mission: Impossible) and Eddie Cibrian (Invasion, Third Watch) star in this comedic soap that mixes the best of Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous and Desperate Housewives to become a Dallas for the new generation. Marco Pennette (Ugly Betty) adapts the massively successful British series into super raunchy, campy, yet exclusively American fun. You don't have to be a football fan to love the football wives.





Judy's Got a Gun
1 Hour

Cast:
Colm Feore: Captain Ruttgauer
Margo Harshman: Maya
Matt Lanter: Isaac
Louise Lombard: Judy
Bailee Madison: Brenna
Johnny Messner: Gavin
Michael Michele: Pamela
Keith Powell: Brad
Steve Sandvoss: Patrick

Credits:
Production Company: ABC Television Studio
Executive Producers/Writers: Robert King, Michelle King
Executive Producer: Stu Bloomberg
Director: Sheree Folkson

After a five-year hiatus, Judy returns to work as cop. She's both eager and nervous. Judy also is a single mother. How does that change her as a police officer? In the line of fire, which part will react first: mommy or cop?

Welcome to Judy Lemen's suburban universe. Beneath the façade of planned communities and retail villages, San Carlos, CA is rife with store robberies, homemade porn, beauty salon shootouts, and a prostitution ring run out of the Cinnabon. Judy's not trying to save the world; she just wants to make a better life for herself and her seven-year-old daughter. She hopes to make detective in six months and maybe meet a nice guy along the way. Though her life has changed since Judy a street cop, her instincts are as sharp as ever – she can still tackle fleeing suspects and drop perpetrators at 50 yards. But the real tough part is getting her fellow officers to stop thinking of her as just a mother and also see her as a good detective.

The creators of In Justice and the executive producer of Life As We Know It combine Weeds and Close to Home for a police procedural with heart and humor. Starring Louise Lombard (CSI) as a woman with the two toughest jobs in the world, crime-fighting… and motherhood.





Marlowe
1 Hour

Cast:
Sherman Augustus: John Whelan
Adam Goldberg: Det. Frank Olmeier
Jason O'Mara: Marlowe
Amanda Righetti: Jessica Reede

Credits:
Production Company: ABC Television Studio
Executive Producers/Writers: Greg Pruss, Carol Wolper
Executive Producers: Sean Bailey, Daniel Pipski, Dan Blatt
Director: Rob Bowman

The greatest detective in American crime fiction collides with present-day Los Angeles in a smart, stylish update of the Raymond Chandler classics. The City of Angels has changed since we last saw Philip Marlowe: the clubs have gotten louder, the drugs stronger, the girls skinnier. But deep down the rich and sometimes famous, with their sense of entitlement and their deep dark secrets, are just as willing to break the law as ever.

A low-tech guy unfazed by our high-tech world, Marlowe still solves mysteries and doggedly fights for truth with his whiskey, his revolver, and his gravelly first-person narration. The case isn't over until justice is served, even if the check bounces. The only change in his style is that he's hired a girl Friday, a dame named Jessica who's as hard-headed as she is easy on the eyes. Because when you get taken apart by goons in a back alley fight, it's nice to have a workplace wife to put you back together.

Director Rob Bowman (The X-Files, Daybreak) masterminds this thrilling, atmospheric, character driven procedural in the style of classic Hollywood noir. Jason O'Mara (In Justice, Men In Trees) stars as Marlowe, while Amanda Righetti (The OC, North Shore) features as comely assistant Jessica Reede. Trouble may be Marlowe's business. But the rest of us will sleep better knowing that the world's greatest gumshoe is back on the case.





Mr. & Mrs. Smith
1-Hour

Cast:
Jordana Brewster: Jane
Martin Henderson: John
Rebecca Mader: Jordan
Bridgette Wilson-Sampras: Ann Burr Clevenger

Credits:
Production Company: New Regency
Pilot Writer: Simon Kinberg
Executive Producers: David Bartis, Doug Liman, Simon Kinberg
Pilot Director: Doug Liman

In an exciting first for network television the original creators of Mr. & Mrs. Smith, Doug Liman (The Bourne Identity, Swingers) and Simon Kirnberg (X-Men: The Last Stand), personally transform their hit film into a hotly anticipated TV series. Continuing the success of the worldwide blockbuster, this sexy, fun, escapist series is highlighted by witty banter, amazing stunts and stunning special effects.

It is six months later. John and Jane Smith are living undercover as an ordinary professional couple in the suburbs, where no one suspects that they each work as gadget-wielding super-spies for top secret intelligence firms. For security reasons, John and Jane can never truly confide in one another. But what their relationship lacks in communication, it makes up for in intensity. Because when you're not sure if your partner will survive the next day, each moment is that much more passionate…

Jordana Brewster (The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning) and Martin Henderson (The Ring) make the roles their own as they defy death each week on new global missions. Audiences everywhere will fall for this dazzling duo all over again, as John and Jane prove that the pursuit of love is the most dangerous mission of all.





Pushing Daisies
1 Hour

Cast:
Kristin Chenoweth: Olive
Jim Dale: Narrator, voice-over
Anna Friel: Chuck
Swoosie Kurtz: Lily
Chi McBride: Emerson
Lee Pace: Ned

Credits:
Production Company: Warner Bros. Television
Executive Producer/Writer: Bryan Fuller
Executive Producers: Dan Jinks, Bruce Cohen
Director: Barry Sonnenfeld

Once upon a time, director Barry Sonnenfeld (Men In Black, Get Shorty, The Addams Family) and writer-producer Bryan Fuller (Heroes, Wonderfalls, Dead Like Me) created an unprecedented blend of romance, crime procedural and high-concept fantasy. It is a love story about a young man with a very special gift…the ability to return someone dead briefly back to life with just a simple touch.

Ned, a mild-mannered baker of fabulous pies, discovered his gift as a child. Now he puts his gift to good use, working with his only friend, a private investigator, to crack murder cases by asking victims to name their killers. But the tale gets complicated, as all tales do, when he saves his childhood sweetheart and she miraculously stays alive. Each week, she encourages him to use his powers to solve mysteries and help others. Life would be perfect, except for one cruel twist: if Ned ever touches her again, she'll lose the life he gave her, for good this time. There's always a catch…

Golden Globe® nominee Lee Pace (The Good Shepherd, Soldier's Girl), Chi McBride (The Nine, Boston Public), Golden Globe® nominee Swoosie Kurtz (Huff, Sisters) and Tony Award winner Kristen Chenoweth (The West Wing, Broadway's Wicked) star in a fairytale in the spirit of Amelie, Stranger than Fiction, and Chocolat. From the producers of Big Fish comes an equally magical and delightful series that offers a weekly dose of sweet, heartwarming, quirky fun.






Suspect
1 Hour

Cast:
Charles Dutton: Det. Joe Sampson
Michael Ealy: Det. Sawchuck
Carrie-Ann Moss: Lt. Chivers
Kathleen Munroe: Grosz
Erik Palladino: Panelli

Credits:
Production Company: Sony Pictures Television
Executive Producers/Writers: Ed Zuckerman, Sarah Timberman, Carl Beverly
Executive Producer/Director: Guy Ritchie

From film director Guy Ritchie (Snatch; Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels), comes a sophisticated procedural set in Chicago's Area 4 Violent Crimes Unit. Bringing his rock-n-roll filmmaking style to the small screen, Ritchie keeps the evidence moving in a taut drama.

A brutal murder sets the action in motion. Immersive hand-held camera work takes us deep into the elite squad as young homicide detectives Panelli and Sawchuck assemble a roster of suspects all with a motive to kill. One by one, Rashomon-style, their stories are dissected. How would each of them take down their prey? How did they become the killer? Cutting edge, stylistic storytelling makes the evidence come alive as the detectives piece together each killer's path. The motive is the story and the tension is the process of elimination. One by one, each suspect gets their own moment until the final reveal brings it all into focus.

The Matrix's Carrie Ann Moss, Golden Globe® nominee Michael Ealy (Sleeper Cell, Barbershop) and Charles Dutton star as ambitious investigators driven to find truth and justice – not easy or politically correct answers. The unpredictable narrative of this fast-paced drama will keep the audience glued to the screen every week, until each case is 100% solved.




Untitled Jon Feldman Project
1 Hour

Cast:
Peyton List: Cameron
Nia Long: Katie Graham
Josh Malina: Karl Mixworthy
Dylan McDermott: Duncan
Christopher Titus: Brody
Michael Vartan: James Auster

Credits:
Production Company: Warner Bros. Television
Executive Producer/Writer: Jon Feldman
Director: Charles McDougall

The line gets blurred between the boardroom and the bedroom in a new outrageous drama about four dysfunctional CEOs who will do anything to stay on top.

First we meet James, who is about to become the latest casualty in a corporate shake-up until a twist of fate makes him the newest member of the corner office club. Then there's Duncan, a cosmetics CEO who can't resist sex with his age-defying ex-wife. Next, Karl is a loveable pharmaceutical big shot whose life turns upside down when his wife and mistress become best friends. And finally, Brody, the edgy Harvard B-school executive is so whipped, he spends more time planning his wife's birthday than running his company.

This foursome take refuge at their country club where they can discuss business, confide secrets, seek advice… and, yes, even men will gossip. It's lonely at the top and they have to trust someone to cover their back. And when you're a desperate executive, you may have to do everything wrong for the right reputation.

Untitled Jon Harmon Feldman stars Michael Vartan (Alias, One Hour Photo), Golden Globe® winner Dylan McDermott (The Practice), Christopher Titus (Titus) and Josh Malina (The West Wing, Sports Night) star as our greedy, horny and competitive – yet sexy and likeable – CEOs.




Untitled Rina Mimoun Project
1 Hour

Cast:
James Brolin: Tom Wheeler
Anna Camp: Meg Wheeler
Misha Collins: Joey Wheeler
Ian Kahn: Peter Hudgins
Alyssa Milano: Annie Stevens
Mary Steenburgen: Claire Wheeler

Credits:
Production Company: Warner Bros. Television
Executive Producer/Writer: Rina Mimoun
Director: Larry Trilling

A comedic hour centering on a successful female attorney who ends up joining her father's family law practice when she leaves her high-powered big city law firm and moves home to Savannah, Georgia, where her crazy relatives live.





Untitled Grey's Anatomy Spin-off
1 Hour

Cast:
Paul Adelstein: Cooper
Amy Brenneman: Violet
Tim Daly: Pete
Taye Diggs: Jackson
Merrin Dungey: Naomi
Chris Lowell: Dell
Kate Walsh: Addison

Credits:
Production Company: ABC Television Studio
Executive Producer/Writer: Shonda Rhimes
Executive Producers: Betsy Beers
Director: Michael Grossman

Grey's Anatomy executive producer Shonda Rhimes combines the heart and soul of television's top-rated drama with exciting new faces in a sun-drenched new location to create a drama with a very different vibe. It's an intimate portrait of the choices and changes we make in our search for happy lives.

Following a failed attempt at reconciliation and two disastrous affairs, neonatal surgeon Dr. Addison Forbes Montgomery craves a new relationship and journeys to Santa Monica to seek advice from her med school friends, Naomi and Jackson. But she finds her idealized view of their achievements – successful marriage, 14-year-old daughter and a highly successful health cooperative – doesn't match reality.

Jackson's success as a TV health guru pushed him to divorce Naomi and now he's lonely. Fertility specialist Naomi wants love, but she doubts their boyish surfer/receptionist is the answer. The rest of the Oceanside Wellness Group staff has their own life issues. The sexy alternative medicine doc is a widower masking his grief with one-night stands. The gynecologist who doesn't know a thing about women had his car stolen by this week's Internet hookup. And the therapist doubts she's doing any good at all. Fortunately, together they're a formidable medical team doing cutting-edge work. Working with them, Addison realizes that moving to Southern California and joining her friends could be the right prescription for her own life.

Starring Kate Walsh (Grey's Anatomy), Tim Daly (Wings, The Nine), Amy Brenneman (Judging Amy), Chris Lowell (Veronica Mars), Merrin Dungey (Alias), Paul Adelstein (Prison Break), and Taye Diggs (Day Break, Kevin Hill). It's a warm, funny, deeply affecting character drama against the backdrop of the joys and sorrows all doctors experience while practicing medicine.




Women's Murder Club
1 Hour

Cast:
Tyrees Allen: Det. Warren Jacobi
Rob Benedict: Owen
Aubrey Dollar: Cindy Thomas
Angie Harmon: Lt. Lindsay Boxer
Laura Harris: Jill Bernhardt
Elizabeth L. Ho: Yuki Castellano
Paula Newsome: Claire Washburn

Credits:
Production Company: 20th Century Fox Television
Executive Producers/Writers: Elizabeth Craft, Sarah Fain
Executive Producers: James Patterson, Joe Simpson
Director/Executive Producer: Scott Winant

When you are a woman working in a man's field, you get a lot further by teaming up. Director Brett Ratner (X-Men: The Last Stand, Red Dragon, Rush Hour) adapts the best selling novels by James Patterson for a thrilling new crime series that redefines women's work.

San Francisco Detective Lindsay Boxer (Angie Harmon, Law & Order) can analyze a crime scene in seconds, but she's frustrated that investigating and prosecuting a crime can take months or even years. To circumvent the Justice Department men's club, she assembles an all-female group of experts – a medical examiner, a newspaper reporter and a young assistant district attorney. And because personal lives often blend into professional ones, they also become reliable friends. These women solve the latest homicides while unraveling the mysteries of their own turbulent romantic lives.

Four of today's brightest talents approach this character-driven plot with intelligence, warmth, action and humor. Combine the feminine wit and warmth of Sex and the City with the gritty reality of CSI and the dedication of Law and Order and you'll understand the unique appeal of Women's Murder Club. Sometimes, the best way to get your man is with a woman.

----

ABC again has EXCELLENT dramas in development. Football Wives is almost a guarantee to air after Grey's Anatomy on Thursdays, while Brothers & Sisters might be on the move to another night, so maybe Dirty Sexy Money or Women's Murder Club will air after Desperate Housewives. Grey's Anatomy spin-off is likely going to anchor a night at 9pm, possibly Wednesdays. With Lost probably coming back in January, ABC could try Cashmere Mafia after the GA spinoff. Mid-season they should order Eli Stone, Pushing Daisies and the drama with Alyssa Milano.

But...what do YOU think?

[Brent88]

Dirty Sexy Money, Football Wives, and the Grey's Anatomy spinoff look awesome.

[troopoleon8897]

Definately Interested:
Dirty Sexy Money
Eli Stone
Football Wives
Untitled Grey's Anatomy Spin-off

Possibly Interested:
Marlowe
Pushing Daisies
Suspect
Untitled Jon Feldman Project

[Brent88]

Originally Posted by Brent88

Dirty Sexy Money, Football Wives, and the Grey's Anatomy spinoff look awesome.

Add: Bedrooms and Boardrooms, Cashmere Mafia, and Mr. and Mrs. Smith

[Jaqui-Michel]

All the crime-drama/mystery shows I'll check out. Dirty Sexy Money sounds interesting. If Football Wives' is closer to Desperate Housewives and not the bloody awful Footballers Wives, I'll be watching.

[sandra bridgeman]

I would like to see Football wives - love James VanDerBeek

[mtlguy]

Hey, any news on when the pictures are coming...I can't wait, this is the most exciting time of the year in television ...

[Wings#1ShowPeriod]

I'm looking forward to Private Practice (Grey's Anatomy Spinoff), Dirty Sexy Money, Football Wives, and Untitled Jon Feldman Project

[Pavan]

Only the dramas picked-up for the season have cast photos released...sorry about that. Here are the picked-up drama photos:

Pushing Daisies, Private Practice, Dirty Sexy Money, Big Shots, Women's Murder Club, Cashmere Mafia, (all for the fall) and Eli Stone (midseason):