LA Screenings Part II - NBC Universal
Its always a treat going to Universal City to visit the lot and screen some great TV. With a mix of Network and Cable shows it provided for an amazing balance of good comedy and great drama.
Allegiance
The Russians are back! Always great to see a sleek 1 hour drama set in the USA where the KGB is still well and alive trying to infiltrate the government. This show centres around Alex, a young, ambitious CIA analyst who specializes in Russian affairs tasked with a job to infiltrate the KGB sleeper cell that has a plan to bring America to its knees. Oh, and did i forget to mention that his parents and sister are Russian Spy's being woken up to help carry out the task.
Unfortunately there is no trailer to share, but once there is I will be sure to post it.
Bad Judge
Dr. Addison Montgomery is back in a very different role. From executive producers Will Farrell and Adam McKay comes a comedy about a smart young judge that plays by her own rules in life. With her reputation as one of LA's most respected criminal court judges, Rebecca Wright is unorthodox in and definitely out of the courtroom. This judge plays in a band and ends up mentoring a troubled, bullied 8 year old orphan boy forming a special bond. I don't want to make any references to the movie Bad Santa, but i can't help making a small comparison.
Mission Control
The second TV show this season by executive producers Adam McKay and Will Ferrell is another 30 minute single camera comedy set in 1960's NASA. Kristen Ritter plays a brilliant aerospace engineer that leads a team of scientists set to explore space. The only issue here is that its the 1960's and she is a women amongst a team of men that don't take her seriously. The jokes are very much akin to Anchorman. You will either love it or hate it, but it's definitely worth checking out. Trailer to come...
Satisfaction
One of the best and most original dramas I have seen all year. Its a big statement, but once you watch Satisfaction, you will want to keep watching. I don't want to give too much away but its hard to summarize without spoilers. So feel free to look away now!
Ok you're still here. Investment banker Neil Truman is having a midlife crisis and has gone off the deep end, a la Jerry Maguire. He decides that what he does for a living has no meaning and wants to seek more insight as to the purpose of life. He has been all consumed with work and has let his relationship with his wife slip. Grace, who finds that she needs more out of life decides to seek the company of a male escort. As all good dramas unfold it wouldn't be fun if Neil didn't find out about it. And he does!
State of Affairs
Katherine Heigl is back on the small screen as she plays one of the CIA's top analysts tasked with compiling and delivering the President's Daily Briefing. This list is comprised of the most vital security issues that threaten the USA compiled by her brilliant team. Besides the political minefield that she has in her daily job, she also has a close personal relationship with the President as she was engaged to The Presidents' now deceased son. She is now on a mission to find the killer while at the same time protecting her country.
12 Monkeys
I have to confess that while I did not actually screen this one on the lot, I was provided access to 12 Monkeys through their screener site and decided it was worth the review. 12 Monkeys is based on the 1995 film about time travel and changing the present by altering the past. While sometimes tackling time travel is ambitious and sometimes confusing, 12 Monkeys hits it dead on! Set in the future, a time traveller must go back in time to present day to eradicate the source of a deadly virus plague that wipes out most of mankind.
Sadly, there is no trailer up right now, but stay tuned and we will make sure it appears here!
Tune in soon for the third instalment where i take you behind the curtain at Sony.
