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.
LA Screenings Part I - Warner Brothers
I’m back from my annual pilgrimage to LA where I had the privilege to screen over 40 TV pilots in 6 days. As a huge fan of content, I visited 6 Studio Lots (FOX, NBC Universal, Warner Brothers, Sony Pictures, CBS, and Disney), sat in a screening room and now it’s my time to share some of my favorite picks with you.
Gotham
For my first screening we were shown the highly anticipated Batman prequel Gotham. Unlike other “Superhero” tv shows, this format doesn’t center around Batman (although young Bruce Wayne was a focal point).The focus is the city of Gotham and young James Gordon (currently a rookie detective but eventually will become Commissioner Gordon played by Ben McKenzie). Featured in the pilot where a slew of young villains (who have not come into their own), such as The Joker, The Riddler, Catwoman, Poison Ivey and The Penguin.
Unlike other origin stories Gotham is a lot grittier than anything else you have seen. In this first episode we do see the catalyst event that is the death of the Wayne parents sparking the friendship between Bruce Wayne and Detective Gordon who vows to find the killer. As Gordon gets to know the underbelly of Gotham we start to see the rise of The Penguin who will become the focal point of Season 1. I am told each season will center on the rise of a new villain.
A to Z
This witty single camera comedy (aka no laugh track) follows Andrew, played by Ben Feldman (Mad Men) and Zelda, played by Cristin Milioti (How I Met Your Mother) and their relationship. Andrew works for an internet dating site and believes in “the one” while Zelda is a lawyer who wants to believe in love but is jaded by life. This is their story.
This show is funny and has some great gags but with a warm touch much like the successful Modern Family.
The Mysteries of Laura
What was pitched to us as a dramedy delivered in both comedy and drama. Detective, single mom of two hell-bent boys, Laura Diamond (Debra Messing of Will and Grace) solves crimes while juggling her soon to be ex-husband but now boss, her kids who can’t stay out of trouble and murder!
Forever
Mix one part Elementary and one part Unbreakable (the movie) and you have Forever. The premise is simple. For some reason Henry Morgan, who works at the Medical Examiner’s office, has one problem, he can’t die. In the pilot he is able to solve a crime involving poison by ingesting it, dying, coming back to life and is able to identify the poison by his own symptoms. Don’t worry, I’m not really spoiling anything for you.
Stalker
Kevin Williamson (Scream, The Following) is back with his new very creepy thriller called Stalker. Starring Dermot Mulroney, best known for his role in My Best Friends Wedding, is a newly transferred LAPD agent assigned to the Threat Assessment Unit that takes on Stalking crimes.
iZombie
Based on a popular comic book series, directed and written by Rob Thomas (known for Veronica Mars) tells the story of Olivia, a medical student who joins the Coroner’s Office. Oh, and did I forget to mention she is a zombie and needs to eat the brains of the dead people she examines. Also, she inherits some of the memories of these dead people allowing her to solve how they died. Sounds like a terrible premise but for some weird reason it actually works. For those of you that loved Veronica Mars you will definitely like the tone and style of this show.
Unfortunately Warner Brothers have not released a trailer yet. But stay tuned. When they do it will appear here.
The Flash
Building on the success of Arrow comes the next installment franchise The Flash. In the pilot we get to see how the young Barry Allen, a forensic scientist for the Central City Police Department is transformed into the superhero we know as The Flash. If you love the tone of a good CW superhero story then this show will be perfect for you. Its very light and draws on the DC Universe as throughout the season The Flash tries to solve the murder of his parents.
Stay tuned for my next instalment where I review some of my favourite picks from NBC Universal. In the meantime, enjoy some other trailers below of more WB content appearing on your screens this fall.