Friday 13 May 2011

ABC commit to 'Charlie's Angels' & 'Pan Am'; 'No Ordinary Family' definitely dead; NBC nix 'The 17th Precinct' & 'Wonder Woman' pilots

Friday 13 May 2011

ABC have decided to give their TV remake of '70s hit Charlie's Angels a whirl, with Minka Kelly, Annie Ilonzeh and Rachael Taylor in the leading roles. They've also opted to take '60s jet set drama pilot Pan Am to series, which stars Christina Ricci and is viewed as a network reaction to AMC's award-winning Mad Men. But isn't anything set in the '60s perceived as being inspired by Mad Men?

ABC also confirmed the demise of likable superhero drama No Ordinary Family, after just one season, as everyone with half a brain expected them to. It was a fun show, in a throwaway kind of way, but the ratings just weren't there.

There's also bad news for anyone looking forward to Ronald D. Moore's The 17th Precinct, which reunited some of Battlestar Galactica's actors for a series about a world where magic's real. NBC weren't confident enough in the pilot to commit to a series, so it's dead in the water. Likewise, David E. Kelley's Wonder Woman hasn't been picked up, perhaps not helped by the negative buzz online regarding reviews of Kelley's dumb script and the central character's stupid costume. Both pilots will hopefully leak online and become curios. I'm particularly disappointed 17th Precinct didn't make the cut, because the premise and talent assembled had me believing it was certain to air.

What do you make of these pickups and cancellations?