Dancing with the Upfronts: Dramas, Comedies in at Eye

With just a day to go before CBS officially unveils its 2007-08 schedule to advertisers, the Tiffany network nonetheless announced some early pickups for a few dramas and comedies. The selected few are a rather bizarre mix of period drama, supernatural mystery, musical, and a rolled over comedy from last year. (I said they were a diverse bunch.)

First up is Laughlin, a US adaptation of popular Brit skein Blackpool (which aired on this side of the pond as Viva Blackpool on BBC America), which fuses musical and mystery genres into one, overblown package. Series, which comes from Sony, BBC, and CBS Paramount, stars Lloyd Owen (Monarch of the Glen) as an owner of a small-time casino who dreams of transforming little Laughlin, Nevada into another Vegas but his plans are disrupted when an associate turns up dead. Hugh Jackman produces and guest stars in the pilot.

Then there's Moonlight (formerly known as Twilight), from Warner Bros. Television, which follows a private detective (Alex O'Loughlin) who is a vampire (hmmm, yes, I too thought of Angel and Forever Knight when I heard that) as he struggles with the curse of his immortality. I give it three episodes before it's yanked and put on innertube.

The most original program that CBS has developed this year is Swingtown, a 1970s-set period drama about some suburban partner-swapping couples, which would feel much more at home at sibling network Showtime than at CBS; still, it boasts a fantastic cast including Jack Davenport (Coupling) and Grant Show (Dirt), even if it does feel miles away from the tone of the innumerable CSI installments--and assorted other procedural dramas--the network currently airs.

Finally, there's Cane (formerly known as Los Duques), an intricate soapy drama about the members of two feuding families in the sugarcane/rum business in Florida; it's smart, slick, and has mega-watt star power in Jimmy Smits, Nestor Carbonell, Polly Walker, Alona Tal, Rita Moreno, and Hector Elizondo. (If you couldn't tell, I liked it.) It comes from CBS Paramount.

On the comedy side, CBS has officially picked up comedy Big Bang Theory, starring Johnny Galecki and Jim Parsons as a pair of theoretical physicists who meet a women (Kaley Cuoco) who teaches them about life outside the science lab. Project, from Warner Bros. Television, was developed last season.

Keep an eye on fellow comedy pilots I'm in Hell (starring Jason Biggs and Undeclared's Timm Sharp) and star-studded The Captain, about a washed-up 20-something writer who moves into the legendary Hollywood apartment complex. Project stars Fran Kranz (The TV Set), Chris Klein, Raquel Welch, and Jeffrey Tambor. Both are said to be under strong consideration for series orders.

CBS announces their 2007-08 lineup Wednesday, May 16th.

FOX Orders Seven Series, Including "Jezebel James," While CBS Begins Staffing Two

With NBC and ABC announcing multiple series orders for their pilots, FOX had to get in the game as well, quietly ordering three dramas and three comedies to series yesterday.

I'm thrilled to report that one of my favorite comedy pilot scripts, Amy Sherman-Palladino's The Return of Jezebel James, has received a series order for fall. The series, which stars Parker Posey and Lauren Ambrose as estranged sisters who reunite when the older, more responsible one (Posey) asks the her flaky irresponsible sib (Ambrose) to carry her baby. It also stars Gilmore Girls' Scott Cohen (remember Max Medina?) and features the series' trademark snap, crackle, and pop witty banter that made Sherman-Palladino a favorite in the Televisionary household.

What else was ordered? The Kelsey Grammer/Patricia Heaton-led Back to You (a.k.a. Action News), which had already received a 13-episode order from FOX earlier this year, was on the shortlist, along with The Rules of Starting Over, starring Craig Bierko and Rashida Jones (sorry, members of Team Karen) as 30-somethings who are forced to re-enter the treacherous waters of dating past 30. Both come from 20th Century Fox Television; Back to You will reportedly be paired with 'Til Death, which has gotten a second season renewal.

On the drama side, the kick-ass Sarah Connor Chronicles, starring Lena Headey, Thomas Dekker, and Summer Glau, got a series order; series takes place between the second and third installments in the Terminator feature film franchise as Sarah Connor tries to protect her son John, who might be destined to be humanity's last hope in the war against the machines. One problem: there are others who are just as interested in John's survival... and death as she is. Project comes from Warner Bros. Television. I can't wait to see this pilot next week. Fingers crossed that it's as good as the script I read.

Also ordered: K-Ville, Canterbury's Law, and New Amsterdam, three of my least favorite dramas this development season. K-Ville's been getting some decent buzz in the last few days, but I just couldn't warm up to this story of post-Katrina New Orleans cops, nor to the dopiness of New Amsterdam's plot about an man, cursed with immortality, who works as a cop in New York City, hoping to find his one true love so he can be freed from his prison of eternal life. (Me, I'd rather watch repeats of Angel.) And Canterbury's Law, starring Juliana Margulies, just struck me as yet another yawn-inducing legal drama.

I'm still keeping my fingers crossed that Victor Fresco's comedy pilot, Deeply Irresponsible, gets a green light as well. And I'm intrigued enough by David Eick and John McNamara's Them to want to see more...

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Meanwhile, over at CBS, things are looking extremely well for drama pilots Cane (formerly known as Los Duques), that stars--among a cast of dozens--Jimmy Smits and Rome's Polly Walker as members of warring clans in the sugarcane/rum industry, and Swingtown (starring Grant Show and Jack Davenport). Both shows were reportedly given the go-ahead to start staffing, meaning that an official series order will be forthcoming. Interesting...

FOX announces its official fall schedule on Thursday, May 17th and CBS will make its upfront announcements on Wednesday, May 16th. Stay tuned.

Dancing with the Upfronts: ABC Picks Up Ten (Yes, Ten) Pilots to Series

Is it just me or are the networks releasing a lot of series orders way in advance of next week's upfront presentations?

ABC managed to steal NBC's thunder by ordering no less than ten pilots to series. What made the list? Well, it was a diverse group of seven dramas, including a few that made my list of the best pilot scripts, and three comedies (with only one fave in the bunch).

On the drama front, ABC granted series orders to my favorite drama script this season, Bryan Fuller's beautifully whimsical drama Pushing Daisies (look for a review of the completed pilot on Monday), which had me jumping for joy when I heard the news. Whether the American viewing public will warm up to this charming and imaginative series, reminiscent of a brighter version of Wonderfalls--starring that series' Lee Pace, Anna Friel, Chi McBride, Swoozie Kurtz, and Kristen Chenoweth--remains to be seen. I'm just praying they don't dump it, like Fuller's Wonderfalls, on Friday nights. Fingers crossed that it gets a real shot.

Not unsurprisingly, the Grey's Anatomy spin-off Private Practice, which was a shoe-in for an order, received just that, as it will steam up the windows on ABC's fall schedule. I think they'll use it to launch a new night of drama and, with its cachet, it could help anchor the net's struggling Wednesday night (which will be Lost-free now until February).

I was surprised with the orders for Eli Stone, a painfully average script about a lawyer (Jonny Lee Miller) who might just be a prophet, and Cashmere Mafia, about another group of powerful NYC women who dine, dish, and shop together (not to be confused with NBC's far superior Lipstick Jungle), from executive producer Darren Star. Women's Murder Club was fairly ho-hum (other than Angie Harmon it lacks any star power) but it's a decent female-friendly crime entree, so I can see why ABC would order it now (maybe for mid-season?).

I loved the script for Dirty Sexy Money but wasn't blown away by the lackluster completed pilot which lost the script's wry, soapy humor. Still, with a cast that includes the likes of Peter Krause, Donald Sutherland, Jill Clayburgh, William Baldwin, and Samaire Armstrong, even the sub-par direction of Peter Horton couldn't deter the programmers from ordering this to series.

I'm intrigued by Big Shots (f.k.a. Perfect Gentlemen, f.k.a. Firmwood...), which has the potential to become a male-driven Desperate Housewives if programmed and promoted properly. I'm not crazy about Dylan McDermott, but I'll reserve judgement until I see the pilot next week.

On the comedy front, ABC ordered Sam I Am, one of my comedy picks, to series. I can't wait to see how this turned out on screen and it's got a fantastic female quartet in Christina Applegate, Jennifer Esposito, Jean Smart, and Melissa McCarthy. But the network also ordered the flimsy Carpoolers and, in a mind-boggling turn, the absolutely dreadful Cavemen. (Shudder.)

ABC announces its official fall schedule on Tuesday, May 15th. Stay tuned.

Peacock Spreads Its Wings: NBC Orders Five Drama Pilots to Series

It's always a happy day when three of your favorite drama pilots get ordered to series, all in the same day, and all before the network upfronts have even begun.

NBC today gave series orders to five dramas, including Bionic Woman, Journeyman, and Chuck.

Bionic Woman comes from NBC Universal, David Eick Productions, and G.E.P. Productions Inc. It stars Michelle Ryan (EastEnders) as a down on her luck bartender who is forced to undergo a radical surgery to save her life after a car accident that turns her into a bionic dynamo. The cast also includes Chris Bower, Miguel Ferrer, Will Yun Lee, Mae Whitman, and Molly Price.

Journeyman, from 20th Century Fox Television, stars Kevin McKidd (Rome) as a man who suddenly finds himself traveling into the past in order to change people's lives, sometimes for the better, sometimes for worse. But when he encounters his long-dead fiancée (Moon Bloodgood), who was killed in a plane crash, he finds himself torn between saving her and retaining the life he's been living with another woman. Series also stars Reed Diamond, Gretchen Egolf, Brian Howe, and Charlie Wyson.

Chuck comes from Warner Bros. Television, Wonderland Sound & Vision, and College Hill Prods. It stars Zachary Levi as a computer geek who accidentally downloads the entirety of the NSA database directly into his brain after receiving an encrypted email from an old friend. Armed with the world's top-secret intelligence, he's forced into becoming the intelligence agencies' most powerful weapon. Also stars Adam Baldwin, Joshua Gomez, Sarah Lancaster, Natalie Martinez, and Yvonne Strzechowski.

UPDATE: NBC has now given dramas Life and Lipstick Jungle series orders as well. Life, from NBC Universal, stars Damien Lewis (Band of Brothers) as a cop released from prison for serving time for a crime he didn't commit; returning to the force, he now employs a Zen-like approach to solving crimes. Also stars Adam Arkin, Melissa Sagemiller, Sarah Shahi, and Robin Weigert. Lipstick Jungle, from NBC Universal, stars Brooke Shields, Kim Raver, and Lindsay Price as a troika of high-powered women in Manhattan who lean on one another as they weather life's ever-shifting rollercoaster together.

These are most likely only the first of a series of drama and comedy pick ups to emerge prior to the Upfront Presentations next week, so stay tuned. (Fingers crossed that ABC picks up Pushing Daisies next.)