Pilot Buzz update: JJ Abrams' Alcatraz + Persons of Interest unlikely for pickup and more
2 May 2011
Cancelled Shows Person of Interest Pilot ShowsFOX:
DRAMA:
Kiefer Sutherland drama pilot TOUCH IS Considered a lock for midseason
EXIT STRATEGY : strong buzz
WEEKENDS AT BELLEVUE : good buzz
The Finder: in contention
LOCKE & KEY and ALCATRAZ have cooled off
COMEDY:
THE NEW GIRL AND FAMILY ALBUM strong
HATE MY TEENAGE DAUGHTER: Positive
TAGGED and OUTNUMBERED : cold
CW:
Secret Circle: Front runner - Note: script was rewritten from the early script we disliked and the showrunners exited (apart from K.W)
Hart of Dixie: some good buzz despite problems
Heavenly: strong
Awakening : After testing problems that it is considered too off brand non-teen SOAP
COOPER AND STONE: off brand and worse testing than Awakening
Danni Lowinski: cold
CBS:
The drama pilots that have been garnering the strongest early buzz are the Robert De Niro-produced cop drama ROOKIES, the Minnie Driver-starring PI show HAIL MARY and the UNTITLED SUSANNAH GRANT (doctor guided by dead wife pilot)
The Doctor: weaker than the UNTITLED SUSANNAH GRANT
UNTITLED ED REDLICH/JOHN BELLUCCI procedural aka The Rememberer: solid
RINGER : varying mixed to positive but is serialized
PERSON OF INTEREST: mixed early buzz
Comedy:
TWO BROKE GIRLS strong
HOW TO BE A GENTLEMAN : standout
HOME GAME:strong buzz
UNTITLED ROB SCHNEIDER : mixed to positive
UNTITLED FILGOS aka HOME GROWN :promising
ABC:
Drama
CHARLIE'S ANGELS: a lock.
GOOD CHRISTIAN BITCHES :very strong.
SCANDAL AKA Shonda Rhimes' crisis management drama : strong.
POE :A Favourite
PAN AM: also liked
ONCE UPON A TIME :strong early reaction
THE RIVER The final cut hasn't been delivered yet but early buzz is encouraging.
Revenge: mixed to positive
HALLELUJAH : mixed
Grace: mixed]
Revenge: mixed to positive reaction
Identity:stronger of two preocedurals
Partners: weak
COMEDY:
SUBURGATORY,SMOTHERED,DON'T TRUST THE BITCH IN APT. 23 continue to fare well.
TIM ALLEN : Not ready yet
MANN UP:exceeding expectations
WORK IT:mixed
LOST AND FOUND cold
NBC:
SMASH: front runner
PRIME SUSPECT : lead contender
PLAYBOY, REM,SILA : all solid with Playboy + Sila > Rem likely 2/3 will be picked up
GRIMM :strong
17TH PRECINCT :bad
RECONSTRUCTION: weaker than Playboy and NBC not looking for too many period risks
A MANN'S WORLD : mixed to positive
Wonder Woman: negative but still in post production
Comedy:
ARE YOU THERE VODKA? IT'S ME, CHELSEA, untitled WHITNEY CUMMINGS romantic comedy and the UNTITLED EMILY SPIVEY: strong
UNTITLED KARI LIZER: contender
DAN GOOR and Peter Tolan's BRAVE NEW WO: have a shot
BENT: good
FREE AGENTS : not positive
LOVELIVES : cold
Source Deadline
Disappointed with
ReplyDeleteLOCKE & KEY,ALCATRAZ, Revenge, Awakening,17TH PRECINCT, HALLELUJAH, Ringer,LOCKE & KEY news
Wow! how weird is to read on the same sentence that a show from JJ Abrams is not gonna be pick up for the lineup!
ReplyDeleteSorry but Alcatraz received a 12 episodes order, so how they can pass on this? I think it's a mistake of deadlinee.
ReplyDeleteAlso i don't understand if Awakening has problems relatng the fact that it's quite off brand,or some people dislikes the pilot!
i always felt the 12 episode report was false, it was based on a tweet and was not reported by most major trades,
ReplyDeleteAwakening: seems to be abit of both but still more likely for pickup than Danni Lowinski or Cooper and Stone and year before last CW had picked up 4 pilots 3 for fall , 1 for midseason so could make it
Gutted about the 17th Precinct news, but happy about Good Christian Bitches.
ReplyDeleteI really hope The Awakening doesn't get picked up. I already said it on various occasions, but I hate this idea of a zombie show.
ReplyDeleteMany of the shows I was looking forward to seem in the "bad" category which is heartbreaking. I need more urban fantasy on my TV. Let at least Poe and Grimm get a pick-up and be good :(
ReplyDeleteBut there are possibilities for a pilot to be picked up at the last minute despite doubts or problems. I remember that Betwixt was considered one of sure pilot to be picked up and at last minute was rejected, and The event and The cape were considered in contention for one spot, and than NBC orded both of them, like Blue bloos too. So everything is possible i think
ReplyDeleteI'm hoping for Alcatraz to be picked up :'(
ReplyDeleteI don't understand..are there good chances about Secret Circle or not?
ReplyDeleteanything is possible but Betwixt was considered too dark in the pilot buzz reports despite early positive buzz, we got the Fae in Lost Girl anyway
ReplyDeleteyes very good considered most likely to be picked up at CW
ReplyDeleteWhere are the indications Alcatraz isn't gonna be picked up?
ReplyDeleteAlso, I'm intriuged to know where you get the pilot buzz in general from... I'm always looking around and I've not seen much recently. What's your secret? :P haha
It's still a little early to write them off isn't it Tariqq? I mean things can go backward due to production reasons, rewrites, showrunner issues etc... and then still come together for a strong midseason premiere?
ReplyDeleteWeel i still hope that Awakening SC and Hart of dixie will be picked up. I don't see in Haevenly any possibility of success, a Zombie show it's more attractive especially after Walking dead success. I hope Mark Pedowitz will give his opinion about it, maybe he will help Dawn not to choose the wrong show like Hellcats, The beautiful life in these previos years.
ReplyDeleteI hope Ringer will be picked up eventually..... Sarah Michelle Gellar is awesome, and also that at least one of the JJ abrams show (Alcatraz, Person of Interest) will find a position in the fall schedule. It's unlikely that both of them will be rejected.
I am so disappointed, Locke & Key, Alcatraz, 17th Precient were the all the shows I wanted to be good and get picked up.
ReplyDeleteSo another year another lack of decent shows from the big networks. Thank god we still have HBO, Showtime, FX, etc producing quality shows because god knows FOX, NBC et al have given up doing shows that aren't medical or crime
I have to say the big networks are in a serious crisis right now with developing new interesting shows that they don't cancel after a season or hey don't even pick up to begin with. The current TV season was a mess especially for NBC, looks like it won't be getting better any time soon.
With the Alcatraz team behind it, both in terms of creators and cast, I'll be amazed if it never sees the light of day. In my books it's the show with the most buzz :P
ReplyDeleteIn short I'll cry if I can watch Charlie's Angels and Wonder Woman but not Alcatraz :P
I think one thing not in Lock and Key and Alcatraz's favor is that while it is always hard to make a good pilot episode... it can be exponentially harder to make a SERIALIZED series pilot. With procedurals like Angels and Wonder Woman you need to add some background info sure, but you can generally get the feel of how every future episode will progress. Plus for gods know what reasons... procedurals are just more liked by the sheeple...erm.. I mean masses.
ReplyDeleteGuess The Finder is a pretty sure thing. It's a procedural, you can do Bones cross overs every now and then to create some publicity and it got Michael Clarke Duncan. Don't think FOX will pass on that. I wouldn't give up on Alcatraz, but I think Locke & Key will be having a hard time.
ReplyDeleteAs for CBS - totally agree. Only thing to look forward to is How to Be a Gentleman which sounds pretty awesome.
It's sad that we've reached a point where the big networks consider it a problem when a show is serialized...
JJ might be spreading himself too thin. He's coming off a Undercovers getting cancelled, now he's got two pilots?... aint he supposed to be working on the Star Trek sequel?? Somebody needs to shoot JJ with a tranquilizer :)
ReplyDeleteMaybe their thinking is that they have failed to pickup the right Dramas the last few seasons, so why not build a SECOND comedy block on Monday to go against CBS? They have had MUCH better luck with Sitcoms.
ReplyDeleteThat's a good point. A serialized pilot has to introduce, along with everything else, a hint of the mythology that's coming. LOST did that well with the smoke monster in Pt. 2, however, the Fringe pilot did not blow me away and it took half the first season to really pull me in.
ReplyDeleteTHEY'RE TAKING TIM KRING'S SHOW BUT NOT JJ ABRAMS' SHOW!?
ReplyDeleteI wanna work in this business less and less every day... ****
Alcatraz is already picked up to series !
ReplyDeletebut when there is limited schedule space and there are better options available..
ReplyDeleteur mixing up Missing and Revenge
ReplyDeleteMissing with sean bean is already picked up for 10 episodes. Revenge = female modern count of monte cristo
that was wrong
ReplyDeletei just summerized what Deadline posted
ReplyDeletewell they are both for different networks so unrelated
ReplyDeleteCBS only seems to want 2 dramas for fall and 2 midseason and has alot of more popular projects
FOX is only looking to pick up 1->2 total and has more popular projects
according to Deadline
Well thats very disappointing..
ReplyDeleteI read and posted on the "Alcatraz" thread that Abrams may of had to choose between FRINGE and Alcatraz if Alc was picked up and FRINGE renewed...he said he would choose FRINGE.
But I am surprised about 17th Pre., Locke and Keye, and Persons of intrest.
But this isn't final say so, just buzz....we'll see soon enough what execs think.
I think a few of these have been summarised ever so slightly wrongly
ReplyDeleteif you have any examples i'd be happy to update them
ReplyDeleteI just really want Poe (for Tabrett Bethell) and Locke & Key (for Ksenia Solo). Dissapointed about the L&K news...
ReplyDeleteSorry, just re-read the article, not at 12 o'clock at night, you're right, as always :P
ReplyDeleteI cannot believe this stuff. Between this article by Deadline and the last one they did, my Pilot Season Competition entry is going to be a mess. Damn it.
ReplyDeleteFOX
I'm shocked the network isn't big on Alcatraz. I figured it would be a lock. I'm even more shocked about Exit Strategy. I know the Fringe guys are producing this but Ethan Hawke? Do people really like that guy?
NBC
I honestly thought Smash would be a dud, yet it's still in contention. SILA, and REM both seemed awful to me yet they're also still in it. Not really surprised about 17th Precinct. With the likes of Chuck, The Cape, Heroes, The Event, etc., I think NBC is burnt out on fanboy shows.
ABC
No surprises at this network except for yet another Shonda Rhimes pilot in contention and that the high-concept horror show The River is well liked. I'm not rooting for Poe just because of the poor casting.
CBS
"The Eye" is starting to piss me off. Hail Mary? Seriously!? This pilot sounds like a parody. Also, Hey CBS, are you ever going to stop trying to land a successful medical drama? You suck at it.
The two most interesting concepts this pilot season are Person of Interest and Ringer and CBS will probably pass on both because they're off-brand and not procedural. Up yours, CBS. If you don't start taking some chances, you'll forever be stuck with your AARP audience.
CW
No surprises here at all.
I am very confused too. I figured of all a shows it would get the best chances it has the fan base of most vampire diaries fans to back it up those who have read the book and watch that series will want to at least give secret circle a chance i was very excited to hear that they would going to try for a Secret Circle Series. I hope that it gets picked up of all the shows I think it would have the best chance of getting good ratings it makes me think of charmed.
ReplyDeleteI hope you're a director and a writer, gets ya more juice that way, more pull
ReplyDeleteTrue. I`m also sick from all those vampire series (same goes for zombies). "Come on, all zombies are dead." (from the 200th episode of Stargate SG-1)
ReplyDelete