Most people are looking forward to Joss Whedon's Dollhouse, J.J Abrams' Fringe, and I was surprised by how enjoyable The Mentalist's pilot was. But what about the other US TV pilots being filmed for potential runs in 08/09? Many of them are being overshadowed right now, so are there any diamonds awaiting discovery? Let's take a look at a few that caught my eye:
Captain Cook's Extraordinary Atlas -- ABC
A young girl finds a magic atlas that reveals a secret world beneath our own. Described as "Harry Potter meets Pan's Labyrinth". This sounds like it would make a better film than a TV show. And how young is this girl? With that title, it sounds like she'll be pre-teen -- so can the show cope with the fact she'll age? I doubt we'll get to find out.
Castle -- ABC
A horror novelist consults for the NYPD Homicide department. Stars Nathan Fillion (Firefly/Desperate Housewives). I'm not sure what helpful angle a horror novelist would bring to crime scenes, so the idea seems to stretch plausibility. Why not make him a crime novelist -- huh? Or is that just too obvious? My gut-feeling says this won't make it to series, as the premise is flawed. Fillion doesn't have much luck on TV, either -- especially pilots.
Cupid -- ABC
Reinvention of the short-lived 1998 TV series about a matchmaker who claims he's been sent to Earth by Zeus to unite 100 couples. Co-stars Sarah Paulson (Studio 60 On The Sunset Strip). I never saw the original series, but I know it's fondly remembered and there's something nice about an axed TV show coming back like this -- albeit totally recast. You can't keep a good idea down...
Section 8 -- ABC
A group of people with exceptional neurological abilities are recruited by a secret government agency. Blah-blah-blah. A Heroes cash-in, if ever I heard one. Might be fun; depends what the abilities are and if the show has anything fresh to add to its clichéd set-up.
Inseparable -- Fox
Jekyll & Hyde-style drama about a paralyzed forensic psychologist with a criminal alter ego. Co-stars Tricia Helfer (Battlestar Galactica). Don't confuse this with NBC's pilot My Own Worst Enemy, starring Christian Slater as a family man whose alter ego is a secret agent. It seems a lot of US writers saw Jekyll on BBC America! Both premises have their pro's and con's, but Enemy has the star-power of Slater. And Inseparable sounds like a needless fantasy twist on Dexter's concept, too. At the moment, despite Inseparable co-starring the insanely hot Tricia Helfer and coming from Shaun Cassidy (American Gothic/Invasion), I'm personally more interested in Enemy. But that might change. I was a big American Gothic fan, after all...
Captain Cook's Extraordinary Atlas -- ABC
A young girl finds a magic atlas that reveals a secret world beneath our own. Described as "Harry Potter meets Pan's Labyrinth". This sounds like it would make a better film than a TV show. And how young is this girl? With that title, it sounds like she'll be pre-teen -- so can the show cope with the fact she'll age? I doubt we'll get to find out.
Castle -- ABC
A horror novelist consults for the NYPD Homicide department. Stars Nathan Fillion (Firefly/Desperate Housewives). I'm not sure what helpful angle a horror novelist would bring to crime scenes, so the idea seems to stretch plausibility. Why not make him a crime novelist -- huh? Or is that just too obvious? My gut-feeling says this won't make it to series, as the premise is flawed. Fillion doesn't have much luck on TV, either -- especially pilots.
Cupid -- ABC
Reinvention of the short-lived 1998 TV series about a matchmaker who claims he's been sent to Earth by Zeus to unite 100 couples. Co-stars Sarah Paulson (Studio 60 On The Sunset Strip). I never saw the original series, but I know it's fondly remembered and there's something nice about an axed TV show coming back like this -- albeit totally recast. You can't keep a good idea down...
Section 8 -- ABC
A group of people with exceptional neurological abilities are recruited by a secret government agency. Blah-blah-blah. A Heroes cash-in, if ever I heard one. Might be fun; depends what the abilities are and if the show has anything fresh to add to its clichéd set-up.
Inseparable -- Fox
Jekyll & Hyde-style drama about a paralyzed forensic psychologist with a criminal alter ego. Co-stars Tricia Helfer (Battlestar Galactica). Don't confuse this with NBC's pilot My Own Worst Enemy, starring Christian Slater as a family man whose alter ego is a secret agent. It seems a lot of US writers saw Jekyll on BBC America! Both premises have their pro's and con's, but Enemy has the star-power of Slater. And Inseparable sounds like a needless fantasy twist on Dexter's concept, too. At the moment, despite Inseparable co-starring the insanely hot Tricia Helfer and coming from Shaun Cassidy (American Gothic/Invasion), I'm personally more interested in Enemy. But that might change. I was a big American Gothic fan, after all...
