James Hibberd’s The Live Feed has weighed in on the latest pilot buzz, and since we’ve been tracking a lot of the networks’ Fall 2010 pilots, we thought we’d share:
CBS Hawaii Five-O is still the “most likely drama” to be picked up as a series order. Chaos, Defenders, and Bleep My Dad Says all sound like top contenders. Hibberd notes that “nobody seems to like” the Criminal Minds spin-off but it will probably get picked up for mid-season anyway.
FOX
Drama series Breakout Kings, Midland, and Ride-Along are top contenders. The Spielberg dinosaur drama Terra Nova hasn’t had a script delivered yet. Comedies Keep Hope Alive and Traffic Light are “frontrunners.”
NBC
NBC picked up several pilots to series yesterday, but they’re not done yet. The Rockford Files and Chase are still “near-locks.” Hibberd notes (good news!) that even though it was said NBC was choosing between The Event and The Cape, The Cape is now “generating unexpected heat.”
ABC
ABC is eyeing an 8PM timeslot for No Ordinary Family. (They seriously should come up with a better name, though – I still keep getting it confused with Modern Family!) Detroit 187 and Shonda Rhimes’ Off The Map are still called “sure bets.” For comedies, Mr. Sunshine with Matthew Perry seems the strongest.
The CW Nikita is “practically on the schedule,” and Hibberd notes that the network is also excited about Betwixt (aka Changelings.) Hellcats is also “well liked.” Nomads and HMS are considered “long shots.”
Both THR and Deadline.com have posted updated tallies of how certain pilots are doing, including a few that are being covered here at KSiteTV.
At NBC, both say The Rockford Files has good chances, although Deadline says that the network has not seen the pilot yet. It sounds like J.J. Abrams’ Undercovers will definitely be on the air this Fall. Chances sound good for David E. Kelley’s pilot Kindreds, although there are some pilots NBC is more excited about.
THR says nothing about The Cape, but Deadline is saying that it seems like it’s between The Cape and The Event for a spot on the NBC schedule, with The Cape flying in slightly ahead right now.
David Tennant’s Rex Is Not Your Lawyer has had a reworked pilot which has “tested well” according to Deadline. THR didn’t mention it.
NBC also has some sitcoms that have been received well at the network. Those include This Little Piggy, Friends With Benefits, Perfect Couples, and Outsourced.
THR says the CBS Hawaii Five-O pilot screening “went great,” and the Jim Belushi drama The Defenders is also looking good. William Shatner apparently “nailed” the taping for the sitcom Bleep My Dad Says, and Chuck Lorre’s Mike & Molly apparently had a “great taping.”
Apparently FOX really likes the Texas con-man drama Midland, which is directed by future Spider-Man director Marc Webb. Terra Nova sounds like it’s a done deal for a 13-episode order. A new sitcom from My Name Is Earl creator Greg Garcia, titled Keep Hope Alive, is showing promise.
Deadline is listing most of ABC’s dramas as “looking good, sight unssen.” THR, however, calls No Ordinary Family a “stand out” and says 187 Detroit and Off The Map (the latter from Grey’s Anatomy creator Shonda Rhimes) are looking strong.
The Matthew Perry-starring comedy Mr. Sunshine and Debra Messing’s Wright vs. Wrong seem to also be doing well.
Deadline says The CW’s Nikita and Hellcats are “very strong” and “very on-brand” which is interesting considering Hellcats isn’t even finished yet. They say Betwixt is “cooling off,” though what exactly it is cooling off from is vague. They also have good things to say about Nomads, though they worry it might not fit the network brand. Some early script reviews for Nomads have also come in very good.
THR, on the other hand, gives props to Nikita and says the network is “also excited” about Betwixt, without mentioning the other programs.
Here’s the current schedule for when we will know the networks’ Fall line-ups. Generally, though, the schedules often leak a day or two earlier:
Here are a few more casting updates for various pilots that are in development for the upcoming season, that we have also been updating here on the KSiteTV blog:
- Joshua Bowman of the British series Holby City has joined the CW pilot Betwixt. We don’t know who he’ll be playing, but it could possibly be the role of “Luke.”
- Gabriella Wright (The Tudors) will be starring in Nomads, which has begun shooting… in Thailand!
- Matt Barr (Harper’s Island) has joined the cast of the Tom Welling-produced pilot Hellcats. Apparently for that one, Ashley Tisdale has been spotted with darker hair than what fans of Sharpay might be used to.
- Steven Strait (Sky High), Sarah Jones (Big Love, Sons of Anarchy), Ali Ahn (Ugly Betty), and Tasso Feldman (CSI: New York) will all be in the Harvard Medical School-themed pilot, H.M.S. Feldman will be playing a character named “Leo.”
EW’s Michael Ausiello has revealed that Michaela McManus has nabbed the lead female role in the CW pilot Nomads.
McManus, whose previous credits include Law & Order: SVU and One Tree Hill, plays a CIA hopeful who not only has a thing for her handler (Warren Kole), but she also has a thing for another wannabe agent (the series’ lead character, played by Scott Porter).
Nomads is in contention for a spot on The CW’s Fall 2010 schedule.
Here at KSiteTV we’ve been covering the news of several pilots in contention for the networks’ Fall 2010 line-ups. Now it’s time to ask you what you’re looking forward to the most.
Please pick only one, and if your choice isn’t listed there, leave a comment. Have fun!
The CW’s Nomads pilot, about “a group of nearly broke young backpackers abroad who agree to earn money by working secret missions for the CIA,” now has a lead actor: Scott Porter of Friday Night Lights fame.
Trivia: Porter was once a contender to appear in the aborted Justice League movie.
The pilot should start filming shortly.
The CW has a big development schedule for Fall, in addition to several renewals that are already announced. Currently, the fates of Smallville, One Tree Hill, and Life Unexpected are not yet known.
More details have emerged about The CW’s pilot presentation Nomads.
THR has revealed that the pilot will be written and directed by Numb3rs executive producer Ken Sanzel, which is a fact I apparently overlooked when reading TVMoJoe’s original report (though Adalian did have it first).
What do you think? Will skewing more male work out for The CW, or should they just renew Smallville already? Sound off in the comments!
The male-skewing project (a rarity for the usually female-oriented network) is called Nomads, and it’s described as “an adrenaline fueled thrill-ride following a group of nearly broke young backpackers in foreign lands who agree to earn money (and keep their never-ending “vacation” going) by working secret missions for the CIA. In the process (they get) more adventure, romance, and danger than they bargained for.”
The CW’s Nomads pilot, about “a group of nearly broke young backpackers abroad who agree to earn money by working secret missions for the CIA,” now has a lead actor: Scott Porter of Friday Night Lights fame.
