This trailer for ABC's 666 Park Ave. underwhelmed me, but the concept of this show still intrigues: a newly-married couple (Dave Annable and Charlies Angels' Rachael Taylor) move into a luxurious apartment Manhattan apartment building, run by a devilish manager (Lost's Terry O'Quinn) and his wife (Desperate Housewives' Vanessa Williams), before realizing the place has supernatural properties. This could be good, campy fun. The silly title demands it is. Interestingly, this show's based on a novel (which I haven't read) that includes elements the TV version may have dropped. Or maybe those ideas will be introduced as surprises further down the line? I'm quietly optimistic 666 Park Ave. will be enjoyable for awhile, watching a haunted house mess with people who do or don't deserve it. But can it last?
One of the pilots I'm most looking forward to is The Shield creator Shawn Ryan's thriller Last Resort, about a renegade nuclear submarine crew who refuse orders to destroy Pakistan and set themselves up as a nuclear state on a remote island. The embedded trailer (which seems to be the whole pilot in a nutshell) looks brilliant. In fact, it looks like a great movie, which could be the problem here. The concept, visuals and cast ooze quality, but does Last Resort justify a weekly drama? Will anyone care about the crew of the mutinous USS Colorado and their bizarre situation after a dozen episodes? Can the concept even go longer than a season before it becomes Gilligan's Island with military hardware? I'm sure Ryan and his writers have noted the many pitfalls here, but can they overcome them? Can't wait to find out!
Last Resort stars Andre Braugher (Men Of A Certain Age), Scott Speedman (Underworld), Robert Patrick (Terminator 2), Autumn Reeser (No Ordinary Family), Daisy Betts (Persons Unknown), Jessy Schram (Falling Skies), Dichen Lachman (Dollhouse). Shawn Ryan and Karl Gajdusek are the producers, together with Casino Royale's Martin Campbell (who directs the pilot) and Marney Hochman Nash. The show will premiere this September on Thursday nights.
