Weekly Variety (Feb 5-11) has an article on the latest batch of TV pilots. Unsurprisingly, after about a zillion of serial format shows tanked for the one that worked (Heroes), those appear largely dead. High concept shows with often bizarre premises are still in, though. (I’ll skip over all the usual cop and medical shows.)
CBS is mulling Babylon Fields, “a sudsy drama about zombies.” (!!) Another possibility, Twilight, features a vampire detective. Watch out, Forever Knight! Most unusually, the Eye is considering a musical dramady series, apparently a transposition of a popular British show.
ABC is hoping to develop its own franchise, ala CSI or Law & Order. As such it’s looking over several crime series (gee, that’s fresh), although one is a Philip Marlowe series, which would be cool, assuming it’s a period show. [Nope, a bit of research indicates its been updated. Dumb.] Suspect would be a “Rashomon-like” show, and they are considering a TV version of the assassin romatic comedy Mr. & Mrs. Smith. They also have a couple of British TV-remake pilots in the hopper, including the acclaimed time travel drama Life on Mars.
Fox is, per usual, looking over many outre offerings (and many normal ones I’ll skip over). The most surprising is a Terminator spin-off (!!), The Sarah Connor Chronicles. Them would be based on a comic book about alien spies on Earth. New Amsterdam is another supernatural-tinged detective show, featuring a cop who is secretly centuries old.
NBC, as you’d expect, is hoping to duplicate Heroes. Chuck would follow a computer geek with a secret double life in which he does “heroic things.” Journeyman would be another time travel-based series. Probably the one we’re most likely to see hit the air is the redo of The Bionic Woman, which is being shepharded by the folks behind the marvelous Battlestar Galactica remake.
The CW is desperately looking for a hit. Reaper is yet another bounty hunter for the Devil, ala the upcoming Ghost Rider movie and the old Fox Brimstone show. I imagine it would follow Supernatural if it gets on the air.
