As you probably know, I love American TV drama. There aren't many home-grown shows that reach their level of creativity and professionalism, in my opinion. Only British telly's Doctor Who and Life On Mars have proven their worth in recent years... with occasional short-lived anomalies like State Of Play.
I mean, seriously -- Grey's Anatomy or Holby City? House or Doc Marten? There's just no competition. I'd love UK telly to start delivering the goods, but you just get an occasional drip-feed of greatness. I'm not even a fan of Spooks, Hustle or Shameless, although I admit they're steps in the right direction (i.e, away from Heartbeat, The Bill and Midsomer Murders).
Anyway, the new US TV season (07-08) is beginning to take shape, so I thought it would be interesting to look at some of their upcoming shows. Expect to see some of these hitting UK televisions from autumn...
In order of personal preference, lowest to highest, is as follows:
20. SWINGTOWN (CBS)
Drama about suburban wife-swappers in the 1970s, from a writer of The OC and Jericho, starring Molly Parker (Deadwood), Grant Show (Dirt) and Jack Davenport (Pirates Of The Caribbean). Another show that seems to have a concept thinner than a stretched thong, so I'm not expecting much...
19. CAVEMEN (ABC)
A sitcom, based on some popular US adverts, about three cavemen living in modern times. The Pilot has been leaked onto the internet to widespread derision, so it's difficult to get excited about this fun-in-theory concept. It seems like a blend of California Man/Encino Man with Third Rock From The Sun. Low expectations.
18. LIFE (NBC)
An offbeat, complex detective (Band Of Brothers' Damien Lewis) returns to the forced after spending 12 years in jail for a crime he didn't commit. Sounds more like another concept for a film to me, so not sure how this will stretch itself for multiple episodes. But I like Lewis, so I might give the pilot a try.
17. MOONLIGHT (CBS)
A detective drama, from the creator of cult TV hit Beauty & The Beast and producer Joel Silver (The Matrix), about private detective Mick St. John (Alex O'Loughlin, The Invisible) who is also a vampire. Nice concept, shame it's already been milked by Forever Knight and Angel!
16. WOMEN'S MURDER CLUB (ABC)
Based on the novels by James Patterson, this drama concerns four woman in San Francisco (a detective, an attorney, a medical examiner and a reporter) who realize they are collectively very skilled at solving murder.
15. PRIVATE PRACTICE (ABC)
Spin-off series to the incredibly popular medical drama Grey's Anatomy. Practically a hit already given Grey's success with mass audiences in America and its loyal following in the UK... despite a crappy title.
14. THE BIG BANG THEORY (CBS)
A sexy babe befriends a group of super-intelligent nerds, starring Kelly Cuoco and Johnny Galecki (Roseanne). It's a sitcom version of that Beauty & The Geek reality show -- maybe with a Weird Science vibe, who knows? Could be fun. Could be awful. Probably awful.
13. REAPER (THE CW)
Supernatural drama from writers of Law & Order: SVU. Reaper concerns a boy who discovers his soul was sold by his parents and he must now become Satan's bounty hunter -- a job that means capturing escaped souls from Hell. Pilot directed by Kevin Smith (Clerks). A sort of youthful version of axed 90s drama Brimstone, about a cop who acted as Satan's bounty hunter and had to catch 113 souls who had escaped from Hell. I'm betting those Law & Order guys saw it, too...
12. NEW AMSTERDAM (FOX)
From Six Feet Under writers Allan Loeb and Christian Taylor comes this detective drama about a 400-year-old New York cop. In 1642 a Dutch soldier called John Amsterdam (Kingdom Of Heaven's Nikolaj Coster Waldau) saved the life of a Native Indian girl who bestowed immortality on him in return. Consequently, he will not age until he finds true love... something that has resulted in centuries of failed romances and watching lovers and children grow old and die around him...
11. JOURNEYMAN (NBC)
Romantic mystery about a San Francisco reporter (Rome's Kevin McKidd) who begins to travel through time to help people's lives. Remember Quantum Leap? The creators certainly do! This has potential despite its unoriginality, but I wouldn't be surprised if it's cancelled within five episodes.
10. LIPSTICK JUNGLE (NBC)
Comedy-drama about three high-powered New York businesswomen; a magazine editor (Kim Raver, 24), a movie exec (Brooke Shields) and a designer (Lindsay Price, Beverley Hills 90210). The series will follow the ups-and-downs of their professional and personal lives. It sounds like (Not Very) Desperate Housewives meets Sex In The City, for female highfliers.
9. THE IT CROWD (NBC)
Bizarrely, the recent British sitcom from Father Ted co-creator Graham Linehan is being remade by the Yanks! Even stranger, original star Richard Ayoade gets to keep his role as geeky oddball Moss! Undoubtedly purchased as a result of The Office remake's huge success, this should be a surreal experience for British fans familiar with the original. Will it be a straight translation, or become Scrubs via computer helpdesk?
8. SAM I AM (ABC)
A terrible accident leaves Sam (Christina Applegate, Married... With Children) in a coma for eight days. She wakes up with severe amnesia, unable to recollect anything from her past. To her dismay, she realizes she wasn't a particularly nice person -- in fact, she was a narcissistic bitch. But can she change? This sounds okay, but it will survive on Applegate's performance and how the writers evolve an idea that could be told in a 90-minute movie. Starring Jennifer Esposito, Tim Russ (Star Trek Voyager's Tuvok) and Jean Smart (24's Martha Logan). Pilot directed by Robert Duncan McNeill (Star Trek Voyager's Tom Paris).
7. ELI STONE (ABC)
Drama about a San Francisco lawyer (Trainspotting's Johnny Lee Miller) who begins to suspect he's a prophet after experiencing hallucinations that may, or may not, be caused by a brain aneurysm. Yep, another premise that seems better suited to a movie. On the surface anyway. Probably worth watching for Miller's likeable performance and a George Michael cameo!
6. PUSHING DAISIES (ABC)
Heroes' writer-producer Bryan Fuller is behind this drama, about a man called Ned (Lee Pave) who can resurrected the dead for short periods of time -- a skill that proved invaluable when investigating murders. The Pilot is directed by Barry Sonnenfeld (Men In Black). The concept is very similar to Fuller's cancelled series Dead Like Me (he must really like the idea of resurrection) and reports on the script have been very positive. Also stars the UK's Anna Friel as Ned's resurrected girlfriend (who will be permanently killed if Ned touches her again).
5. CHUCK (NBC)
A computer geek called Chuck accidentally downloads government secrets into his brain after opening an e-mail containing subliminal information. Chuck comes under the protection of the US government and must learn to survive in the dangerous world of espionage because the fate of the world is now, literally, in his head. Johnny Mneumonic meets Alias, via Joe 90? Sounds interesting. Looks funny.
4. VIVA LAUGHLIN! (CBS)
A comedy/musical/drama based on the British show Blackpool, about small-time businessman Ripley Holden (Young Indiana Jones' Lloyd Owen) who dreams of opening a big Nevada casino. Co-stars Hugh Jackman (X-Men), Madchen Amick, Wings Hauser and D.B Woodside (24). I loved the original with David Morrissey, Sarah Parish and David Tennant (Doctor Who), so this will be interesting stuff, particularly to see Jackman warble his larynx. I was also amused to hear that the original show's Stateside airing was renamed Viva Blackpool in case people thought Blackpool was a movie about a haunted lake! Got to be worth a look if only to see 24's Wayne Palmer singing and dancing, surely!
3. HEROES: ORIGINS (NBC)
The success of Heroes has been so phenomenal, a spin-off series has already been greenlit before the first season has finished! Wise decision, or greedy folly? Well, Origins will actually plug a gap in Heroes' second season schedule, showcasing the origins of different character's powers each week. Viewers can vote for their favourite "hero" and that character will join the cast in season 3! An interesting way to keep interest and maintain Heroes' interactive relationship with its fans. I just hope the episodes are actually worth watching.
2. THE BIONIC WOMAN (NBC)
A modern update of the classic show about a female tennis player who has an accident and is upgraded by bionic implants, from a Battlestar Galactica producer. The '07 reimagining stars British babe Michelle Ryan (Zoe Slater in EastEnders) as the bionic Jaime Sommers and Katee Sackhoff (Battlestar Galactica) as a rival cyborg. I'm mostly interested in seeing how Ryan performs in such a high-profile role, so the Pilot will have to be something special for me to stick around. The pitfall likes with a concept that's been done countless times (Now And Again, Jake 2.0...) but I'm hopeful. A little strange that Miguel Ferrer (RoboCop) has been cast as a boffin, though --he should realize creating cyborgs brings nothing but trouble!
1. THE SARAH CONNOR CHRONICLES (FOX)
Set between Terminator 2 and 3, this serial sci-fi adventure finds Sarah Connor (300's Lena Headey) and her son John (Heroes' Thomas Dekker) fleeing civilization after the events of T2. This is undoubtedly a cash-in, but it has an interesting pedigree: noted Hollywood screenwriter Josh Friedman wrote the Pilot, it's helmed by X-Files director David Nutter, Dekker is already better casting than T2's Edward Furlong, while Lena Headey is an inspired choice to take over from Linda Hamilton as the gutsy heroine. The only question is -- how will the story surprise given the fact T3 is set after its events? Can it sustain multiple stories? Will audiences care for a Terminator TV series without Arnold Schwarzenneger?
