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Pilot buzz: Top contenders for next season

Geplaatst op 08 mei 2010 09:08 door gsprimo

With NBC having granted series orders to four pilots this week, pre-upfront pickups are firmly underway. Pilot screenings will continue into next week as networks continue to form a consensus of opinion on each title. In the meantime, here's the latest buzz on which projects are most likely to be on the air next season:

CBS: "Hawaii Five-O" remains the most likely drama to receive a series order. Brett Ratner's CIA drama "Chaos" and legal drama "Defenders" with Jim Belushi and Jerry O’Connell are considered top contenders. Nobody seems to like the "Criminal Minds" spinoff, yet most believe the drama will get picked up for midseason anyway. Among comedies, "Bleep My Dad Says" (aka "Shit My Dad Says") seems to be an easy bet with William Shatner in the title role. Executives are said to like "HIMYM" creators' Carter Bays and Craig Thomas' "Livin' on a Prayer." Multicamera comedies "True Love" and Chuck Lorre's "Mike and Molly" have mixed reviews, but one can't ever count out Lorre at CBS.

Fox: The high-testing U.S. Marshals drama "Breakout Kings," Texas-set con-man drama "Midland" and Shawn Ryan's cop drama "Ride Along" continue to be listed as top contenders. It's still a question as to whether "Midland" is broad enough for broadcast. Steven Spielberg's dino-drama "Terra Nova" is considered as much of a lock as a drama can be considering the network hasn't seen a script yet (Brannon Braga is turning it in shortly). Among comedies, Greg Garcia's comedy "Keep Hope Alive" and male-friendship comedy "Traffic Light" are the frontrunners, with the Mitch Hurwiz/Will Arnett comedy "Wilde Kingdom" still having an outside chance if not deemed too smart for the room.

NBC: The remake of "Rockford Files" from "House" showrunner David Shore, as well as Jerry Bruckheimer's latest "Chase," remain near-locks. David E. Kelley's latest legal drama "Kindreds" is still warm. At one point it seemed like high-concept dramas "The Event" and "The Cape" were an either/or proposition, but now the former is picked up and the latter is generating unexpected heat. Among NBC's comedies, "This Little Piggy"and Paul Reiser's semi-autobiographical "Next" are the top contenders, with "Friends With Benefits" and "Perfect Couples" on the second tier. Matthew Broderick's "Beach Lane" is the dark horse, with sources saying the network may decide to pick up the show and retool it for midseason.

ABC: Few frontrunners are emerging out of ABC. The network is said to be giving reams of notes to showrunners. Superhero drama "No Ordinary Family" is considered solid, with Michael Chiklis delivering a strong performance and ABC eyeing an 8 p.m. time slot for the show. Shonda Rhimes' "Off the Map" and crime dramedy "Detroit 187" continue to be called sure bets. Medical examiner procedural "Body of Proof" and doc-style dramedy "Generation Y" were fairly well received, but not slam dunks. On the comedy side, Matthew Perry's "Mr. Sunshine" is looking the strongest. After that things get speculative, with "Wright vs. Wrong," "Happy Endings," "It Takes a Village" and "Who Gets the Parents" getting mixed remarks.

The CW: "La Femme Nikita" remake "Nikita" starring Maggie Q is practically on the schedule, with the network also excited about supernatural drama "Betwixt." (now Changelings) Cheerleading show "Hellcats" is also well liked, though action-drama "Nomads" and "HMS" are considered long shots.