PRIMETIME PILOT PANIC: The Early Buzz
(RE-POSTED FROM FRIDAY): Back by popular demand: Deadline’s Pilot Buzz lists. We’re earlier than normal this year while pilots have generally been late, with only a handful of them having cuts by now and the vast majority still in various stages of production. Therefore, everything on this list has to be taken with a gigantic grain of salt as a lot could change between a table read and a final cut. Take NBC’s comedy pilot SAVE ME for example. After some mixed and even negative chatter early on, mostly related to the tone of the show, originally developed for Showtime, the tide changed completely over the last two days when people saw the completed pilot, which is getting high marks. The list also doesn’t cover every pilot as some of them have not gotten into production yet or feedback has been insufficient:
The network already has one new scripted series on tap for next season, HANNIBAL, which I hear may go for midseason. With the network in such bad shape after years of neglect and bad decisions by previous regimes, NBC seems to have cast a very wide net this season, developing a vast range of projects that are all over the map, making it harder to handicap. On the drama side, mystery MIDNIGHT SUN and the Jekyll & Hyde-esque DO NO HARM are getting some solid early buzz. The Jason Katims/Jason Ritter medical drama COUNTY, which just wrapped, also has been getting positive feedback. Western-esque THE FRONTIER, which is shooting in Australia, is getting notices for its rich look. Comedy-wise, ANIMAL KINGDOM is hot, as is White House family comedy 1600 PENN, despite a last-minute recasting, as well as the Matthew Perry starrer GO ON and Greg Daniels’ FRIDAY NIGHT DINNER. The network also is high on a couple of multi-camera comedies, the untitled KARI LIZER and JIMMY FALLON projects, with TABLE FOR THREE also looking encouraging so far. The Ryan Murphy/Ali Adler blended family comedy THE NEW NORMAL is still shooting but, with the auspices involved, it is considered a strong contender. NBC brass seem to like the SARAH SILVERMAN pilot, which had an early order, but Silverman is considered acquired taste, so a lot will depend on testing.
The KEVIN WILLIAMSON project was very strong at the script stage, got even stronger with the casting of Kevin Bacon and James Purefoy, and seems to be sailing through production. Meanwhile the untitled KARYN USHER teen-spy drama, which also was an early standout during the script phase, then hit a speed bump in casting the lead, which took a very long time, now appears to be in great shape, with newcomer Saxon Sharbino getting strong reviews. The Williamson and Karyn projects seem to be the top drama contenders at the moment, with Fox’s other female CIA agent pilot, THE ASSET, right behind them and GUILTY and BERMAN/WRIGHT further down at the moment. Off-cycle pilot LITTLE BROTHER, whose plug almost got pulled after difficulties casting one of the leads, is making early waves on the comedy side. I hear Fox brass are impressed by John Stamos and his chemistry with TJ Miller. Also getting solid early buzz is the comedy EL JEFE, about a privileged young man moving in with his Latina nanny, and the MINDY KALING medical office comedy, mostly because of its star/creator Kaling. I’ve been hearing some mixed early buzz on half-hour pilots LIKE FATHER and LIVING LOADED, but with A-list auspices Bill Lawrence and Rob McElhenney behind them, judgement has to be held until they are completed.
High-profile drama pilots RALPH LAMB and ELEMENTARY look very good early on. In addition to strong buzz, period drama Ralph Lamb boasts a cast that includes Dennis Quaid, Michael Chiklis, Jason O’Mara, Carrie-Anne Moss, and Elementary already has fans buzzing about the tweaks the network is making to the classic Sherlock Holmes franchise with this contemporary update. Despite the difficulties casting the lead (Rachelle Lefevre eventually got the role in second position to A Gifted Man), I hear mom-turned-PI drama pilot APPLEBAUM has strong support at the network, with another female procedural, the Jerry Bruckheimer-produced TROOPER, about a mom-turned-state trooper, also getting early buzz. On the comedy side, after a casting tweak after the table read, PARTNERS looks good, while reaction to DORF/FALCONE has been mixed. Most of CBS’ comedy pilot are very late, so not much intel here.
Like NBC, ABC may already have a series for next season. Soap MISTRESSES, which was ordered straight-to-series for summer 2013, is filming a pilot episode with the regular ABC pilots, and I hear it will get consideration for launch next season, which is what ABC did with midseason entry Missing, originally ordered for summer. When Mistresses will premiere may depend on how ABC’s five soapy pilots, SCRUPLES, AMERICANA, NASHVILLE, DEVIOUS MAIDS and GILDED LILYS turn out. So far, I hear strong buzz on Gilded Lilys, though all five boast top auspices and/or big-name actors. ABC’s fantasy/supernatural pilots 666 PARK AVE, GOTHAM and BEAUTY AND THE BEAST look in good shape early on, especially 666 Park Ave, which is hot. The question is whether the network will pick up only one of them as a companion for Once Upon A Time. In the testosterone minority of ABC’s drama slate, the Shawn Ryan/Karl Gajdusek’s LAST RESORT is showing promise, while buzz on the Roland Emmerich/Harold Kloser project has been mixed. On the comedy side, PRAIRIE DOGS, the raunchy AWESOMETOWN and Claudia Lonow’s family comedy HOW TO LIVE WITH YOUR PARENTS FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE are getting strong early buzz. Also, Reba McEntire is a big audience draw, making her sitcom MALIBU COUNTRY an automatic contender.
If there is such thing as sure thing so early, the CW’s ARROW and THE CARRIE DIARIES would be it. They have pre-sold titles and are already making a lot of noise. Both were solid pre-production, received mostly favorable reaction to the fist images of the title characters released last month, and the strong buzz continues. Another pilot with a instantly recognizable title, BEAUTY & THE BEAST, also has been garnering buzz, while medical drama FIRST CUT has had people raving about Meryl Streep’s daughter Mamie Gummer who plays the lead. And then there is a pilot, whose chances improved over the last two weeks for reasons completely unrelated to the actual pilot — THE SELECTION. In picking it up, the network took a page from its own playbook several years ago, when, on the heels of the success of the first Twilight movie, the network ordered to pilot the similarly-themed Vampire Diaries. This year, the CW did the same with the Hunger Games-esque THE SELECTION in anticipation that the movie would be big. The film indeed has been an instant smash, boosting the chances of The Selection.
Partners is terrible.
It really is. Can’t believe they made it again. Gets worse every time.
I was at the taping, and thought it was hilarious.
Partners is actually really good. The cast works very well together. The cut I saw looks like a winner.
it’s dreadful
you must be a hater. i was at the taping as well. very funny. cast is stellar. Partners is a hit.
“Partners is a hit”
And now you’ve revealed yourself to be a plant and a liar.
will NEVER see the air
I’m encouraged by the early buzz. Several pilots that I’m rooting for seem to be doing fairly well. I’m still hoping to see some positive news about Cult (CW), Beautiful People (NBC), Revolution (NBC), Penoza (ABC) and Baby Big Shot (CBS).
Agreed. Hearing good things abt all of these. Especially baby big shot.
Baby Big Shot, the script at least, was awful. Scenes of the main character basically wandering around and going “Rowr!” at men. Lame, retrograde, embarrassing. Even the title is embarrassing. *Especially* the title.
Anyone hear anything about Beautiful People on NBC? Script was pretty cool – curious how it turned out?
I love Mindy Kaling and she has a great cast and a great script…
Thanks Mindy! We liked your script too… just not you.
Mindy’s pilot is amazing. It landed at Fox, where people will actually see it.
“Martin,” have you met “Oliver,” who posted below? You both attempted the same lame defense of Kaling 3 minutes apart.
In other words… Hi, Mindy!
P.S. Your show is still horrible.
Did you hear her Marc Maron interview? Wow. Ugh.
They’re really ginning her up to be something, huh? I don’t get the Mindy Kaling hype. Can anyone enlighten me?
She hired three separate publicists to press-release everything short of a bowel movement. It’s Hollywood hype on steroids, and it’s made her overexposed before she was ever actually famous. A rare feat.
Meanwhile, John Malkovich’s production company, which bought the screenplay she co-wrote — “THE LOW SELF ESTEEM OF LIZZIE GILLESPIE” — replaced her with Jaylynn Bailey. For some reason, Kaling didn’t press release that.
And her recent press release about Ed Helms, Bill Hader, and Richard Schiff being part of her new show was an artfully worded lie: those actors are appearing only in the PILOT.
Has anyone ever seen a triple-stunt-casted PILOT before? That kind of stuff is usually saved for season five, after the writers run out of ideas (e.g. THE OFFICE (U.S. version)).
What an insidious post. Mindy, if you are reading this, I am scared for you. You have an obsessed hater out there.
I couldn’t agree more on the Mindy Kaling comments. I just don’t get the hype. I wish her no ill – I just don’t see any there there. As an actor, she has an extremely limited range. As a writer, she has yet to really make her mark or prove her worth. But the amount of publicity she gets is quite fantastic.
I was at the network run-through. I thought it was great. Michael Urie was fantastic. I hope it gets picked up.
any word on NBC’s Isabel?
Why the hell are Arrow and The Carrie Diaries getting buzz? Arrow is this year’s Wonder Woman. No one really wants to see The Carrie Diaries. The CW needs to take some risks because the network is doing horrible this season . Carrie is just the same old same old. Carrie will just get Gossip Girl/Hart of Dixie ratings. 1 to 1.5 million viewers a week. Arrow will get high ratings for its premiere than drop significantly in the coming weeks. Enough with the teen dramas. 90210 is doing well either. They should just cancel 90210, Hart of Dixie & Gossip Girl. None of those shows need a final 13 episode season because most of their storylines dont need wrapping up. Not that many viewers will miss those shows anyway. 90210 & Gossip Girl overtsayed their welcome. I still dont understand why The CW didnt greenlight Raven, Deadman, The Hollows, Dare and Unearthly to pilot. Those shows sounded better than the pilots they curently have. The CW needs to focus on the scifi/fantasy genre and less teen soap operas. The CW should order these following pilots to series for this fall/midseason:
The Selection (Fall)
Cult (Fall)
Shelter (Midseason)
Joey Dakota (Midseason)
Beauty & the Beast (Fall)
DO NOT PICKUP:
Arrow
The Carrie Diaries
First Cut
CANCEL:
Gossip Girl
90210
Ringer
Hart of Dixie
Joey Dakota has zero chances of getting picked up.
Arrow, The Selection and The Cult are the cream of the crop this year.
If Shelter gets picked, its only because they are trying to kiss JJ Abram’s ass.
Jay,
Danny Hollywood,the Israeli series on which Joey Dakota is based, ran for over 200 episodes..and the auspices are great.
-Why the hell are Arrow and The Carrie Diaries getting buzz? Arrow is this year’s Wonder Woman-
Uhm, they both have different cast, director and everything. Arrow is going to be a hit if they follow Smallville’s formula. Arrow have nothing to do with wonder woman pilot last year, what a lame analogy.
-No one really wants to see The Carrie Diaries.-
Just like no one wants to watch 5 seasons of Sex and the City and 2 of their movies. Right.
-The CW needs to take some risks because the network is doing horrible this season . Carrie is just the same old same old. Carrie will just get Gossip Girl/Hart of Dixie ratings. 1 to 1.5 million viewers a week.-
Gossip Girl started out with 3-4 milion viewers and this is definitely more like GG than HoD
-Arrow will get high ratings for its premiere than drop significantly in the coming weeks. Enough with the teen dramas.-
Firstly, Smallville’s rating didn’t drop drastically since its first episode. Even at its final season, its still one of the show with the highest ratings next to TVD. In any case, Arrow isn’t a teen drama. The characters are around 30 years old in the show.
-I still dont understand why The CW didnt greenlight Raven, Deadman, The Hollows, Dare and Unearthly to pilot.-
Because no one would watch a TV series with Raven as the lead character. Teen Titans TV pilot is more possible than a Raven TV pilot. Deadman has potential just not as much as Arrow, and no one knows the other 3 pilot you are talking about.
I dont think The Carrie Diaries will get anywhere near 3 million viewers. It aint The Vampire Diaries. Carrie might get that on HBO but it might be too young for that cable network.
I compared Arrow to Wonder Woman because some of the script reviews havent been positive. Wonder Woman had alot of hype last year and that didnt get picked up by NBC and plus it was terrible. I hope Arrow doesnt suffer the same fate because the writers/producers of that HORRIBLE Green Lantern movie is involved.
Arrow may need to recast the lead actor if the focus groups to react good with him.
Why did the CW never do a Smallville spinoff?
I can sort of see why they wanted a show with Arrow but not that many people know who Green Arrow is either and is kinda a lame superhero Superman had way better recogntion and status.
I have read every single review and not one have said Arrow wont be picked up.
Of all the reviews I have read only one said that the villain is uninspiring but would still get picked up anyways. But that is only the initial script and after which they changed the villain as reported by ksite. So you’re obviously making things up.
Plus the problem with Wonder Woman was that so many fans complained about her costume while Arrow’s costume was almost unanimously accepted by fans.
Also, Cw dont need a spin off with so much continuity baggage. Anybody reading comics can tell you straight away who Green Arrow is. Plus he spent so many years on Smallville. Before Thor came out, no one even know who the f&%# is Thor. Green Arrow is so much more well know than Thor. Also you seem to be really ignorant if you think Green Arrow is lame. That picture of Arrow that got released recieved more than a thousand likes on fb within days. Too bad for you but Arrow is getting picked up and its going to do gangbuster.
Carrie Diaries is adapted from a book and there are already inbuilt audience for the book, plus there are fans of Satc that would be watching this. Also just search Carrie Diaries pilot on google and you can tell that people are interested in every detail down to her fashion choices and necklaces.
Im not ignorant for not liking Green Arrow. I just dont like that superhero. Not everybody has to like what you like. Enough with the name calling. I will watch Arrow if it gets picked up. The pilot might change my mind. I disliked many scripts in the past but enjoyed their pilots when they got filmed.
So may good pilots this year at The CW
and no one knows the other 3 pilot you are talking about.
You’ve never heard of the Hollows by Kim Harrison? It is a very popular book series, it’s not a YA it’s an adult book. It has everything, from Witches, Vamps, to Pixies, and Werewolves.
http://www.kimharrison.net/
But I guess it being an adult book not YA the CW didn’t want it. Instead they went with crap like The Carrie Diaries (We’ve seen the ending we don’t need to see the beginning)
The only two pilots I am looking forward to are Arrow and The Cult the rest no thanks I’ll pass.
What about “The Manzanis”? I want this to be picked up so badly. I miss seeing Kirstie Alley and Rhea Perlman on primetime television.
I thought the only fans talking about ELEMENTARY were the ones of BBC’s SHERLOCK who were upset that this sounded like a complete ripoff of.
Pilot Panic is so much fun to read. Thanks for bringing it back.
The programs I find most interesting this cycle are, by network:
ABC – “The Last Resort”. Needs a new title, though. And, where exactly does it fit on chick-happy ABC? Seems like a CBS show.
CBS – “Ralph Lamb”. My top pick overall.
FOX – “The Asset”, I guess, but nothing here gets me very fired up.
NBC – “The Frontier”. Finally, . . westerns come back to NBC.
CW – They have done a superior job this year. I would be tempted to give them all an 8-episode trial and see what sticks.
You think Last Resort sounds like a CBS show? Really? The renegade submarine crew is going to solve a new murder every week? Last Resort doesn’t sound like ANY network or cable channel’s kind of show — which is why it sounds interesting, but also why it may never make it on the air.
ABC will never give it a chance. I do think CBS would. They’ve got the cash (and patience) to let it ride, Disney TV doesn’t.
CBS would treat Last Resort like Jericho, which is too say badly. Last Resort seems like a good show for ABC.
Frontier is hardly a western when your characters are fighting monsters every week… Ay yi yi.
From the same dude who wrote the cancelled “Invasion.” And what a classic that was…
What? If anything Last Resort sounds like a show for FOX. Last Resort is not another lame CBS procedural at all. I like that it is an ABC Pilot though, it seems like the most likely pickup out of the ABC dramas.
You’re right about the CW pilots. They are so good I wouldn’t be suprised if all of them get picked up. I can see (in addition to One Tree Hill) Ringer, Hart of Dixie and Nikita cancelled while gossip giri getting a 13 episode send off just so as much as possible can get a chance to shine.