After last weeks atrocious comedy list, I’m glad to talk about ABC’s drama pilots. Not only are these pilots far more interesting, the casting is just wonderful! Connie Britton plays a singer from Nashville, Chad Michael Murray gets a role in a sexy drama set in the 1970s and Terry O’Quinn gets to fight off supernatural forces in New York.
Supernatural Dramas:
- 666 Park Ave.: This pilot is based on a book by Gabriella Pierce, but I couldn’t help notice the similarities with the instant cult classic American Horror Story. So, when a young couple agrees to manage one of New York’s most historical buildings, they start to notice some supernatural occurrences, which complicates and endanger the lives of the inhabitants. Maybe I’m a little biased, (I’m a huge AHS fan.) and maybe this turns out totally different from American Horror Story, but since the title is 666 Park Ave. I don’t know. Lost alum Terry O’Quinn returns alongside Vanessa Williams and Robert Buckley. Written by David Wilcox (Fringe!).
- Gotham: Before all of you batman fans go hysterical, no this is not a Batman-adaption. After pursuing an unsolvable case, Detective Annie Travers discovers a magical world that exits within New York City, hidden from normal humans which takes all of the N.Y. landmarks and reinvents them in their own manner. I find this one particularly interesting because the pilot will be directed by Francis Lawrence (I Am Legend). The cast features Lennie James and Megan Ketch.
- Untitled Roland Emmerich Drama: An astrophysics grad student discovers that he’s the chosen one to defeat the sources of evil, against a backdrop of a presidential race. Cast features Max Thieriot, Yaya Dacosta, Gabriella Wilde and Martin Landau.
Family Soaps:
- Americana: A soap revolving around a legendary fashion designer and his family. The cast features Ashley Green, Emilie De Ravin, Anthony LaPaglia and Cristine Adams. It’s not original but I think people tend to love the family soaps mixed with fashion. I’m also getting the impression that this one might get an order.
- Nashville: A family soap set against the backdrop of the Nashville music scene revolving around one star at her peak and one on the rise. I think ABC will have to choose between this one and Americana. If I were the one to choose, I would pick this one. Especially because of the cast: Connie Britton!!, Hayden Panettiere, Eric Close and Jonathan Jackson.
- Devious Maids: This soap follows four maids with ambition and dreams of their own while they work for the rich and famous in Beverly Hills. I was not very intrigued by this pilot, but this one has really good casting. So I don’t mind if this gets an order. Cast features Dania Ramirez, Judy Reyes, Ana Ortiz, Rebecca Wisocky, Drew Van Acker, Mariana Klaveno and more.
Thrillers:
- Last Resort: This thriller centers on a crew of a US nuclear submarine, who after ignoring an order of firing 5 missiles wind up being hunted and escape to an NATO outpost where they declare themselves the smallest nuclear station. This is set in the future where the country is very fractured. Cast features Scott Speedman, Autumn Reeser, Andre Braugher, Daniel Lissing, Jessy Schram and Max Adler.
- Penoza: It centers on a widow of an assassinated criminal who is forced to adopt her husband’s role in a crime syndicate in order to protect her family. This is written by Melissa Rosenberg and cast features Radha Mitchell and Lee Tergesen.
Historical Dramas:
- Gilded Lillys: This is also known as the Shonda Rhimes project. It revolves around the opening of the first luxury hotel in New York in 1895. It’s a story about love, treachery and disdain between the classes set against a backdrop of vicious family rivalries, scandalous secrets and co-mingling of the classes. This pilot is becoming really known (due to Shonda Rhimes) and I wouldn’t be surprised if they order this one. Sarah Bolger, Blythe Danner, John Barrowman and Matt Long have joined this cast.
- Zero Hour: A bizarre twist of fate pulls a man, who’s spent 20 years as an editor of a sceptic magazine, into one of the most compelling conspiracies in human history. This cast features Scott Michael Foster, Carmen Ejogo, Michael Nyqvist and Jacinda Barrett. I do love some conspiracies here and there.
- Scruples: This sexy soap, based on a novel by Judith Krantz, is set in the late 1970s and follows a socialite, who wants to open a fashion-forward boutique in the heart of Beverly Hills. This pilot marks the return of Chad Michael Murray to our screens (aside from that tiny return in One Tree Hill), and this pilot is being produced by Natalie Portman! Other castmembers : Claire Forlani, Karinne Vanasse, Mimi Rogers and Gary Cole.
And A Fantasy Drama:
- Beauty And The Beast: So this is the other version of Beauty and The Beast. So far I think the CW’s version has the better story. It’s set in a mythical, dangerous world where a princess finds an unlikely connection to a mysterious beast. This is more a literal re-imagination of the story. The cast is also so-so. The beast will be played by Darius Campbell, his other castmates are Chris Egan, Ruth Bradley, Meegan Warner and Karen LeBlanc. No, give me the CW version.
This marks the end of ABC’s huge pilot list. Are you glad that some of your favorite actors/actresses might be coming back? Do you see Connie Britton playing a Nashville singer after her untimely death on American Horror Story and most of all which Beauty and The Beast adaption do you prefer?
View Comments
Isn't 616 the devil's number? ;) Anyway, who cares, I'll watch everything with Terry O’Quinn in it. :)
Yes 616 is also the number of the beast, 666 is just more widely known as the devil. I think O'Quinn is fantastic, I'll probably watch it too. (With mixed feelings though because of AHS.)
The Devious Maids one is an adaption of a Mexican series. I watched it, it was good. I think this remake will be better because of the Hollywood aspect.
I'm always a little hesistant about US remakes, but I really loved Ugly Betty. So it could go either way! :)