Monday, May 23, 2011

The Amazing Adventures Of The Alttiere Guide To The New US Shows Post.

Okay, so time once again to have a look at this season's new shows and take a guess on which ones might show up in Britain and where, complete with their possible Alttiere factor (i.e. good-looking ladies, in honour of Jessica ALba and Hayden PaneTTIERE). As ever, unscripted shows are not included.

FOX

Alcatraz
From The Good Folks At: Bonanza Productions, Bad Robot Productions and Warner Bros. Television.
What's It About? A San Francisco cop and a comic book freak (played by Hurley from Lost) set out to stop an Alcatraz inmate who was thought to be dead but is alive and well... and unaged. And he's not alone. The first of two new shows this season from the Glen A. Larson de nos jours, J.J. Abrams.
Potential Watchability By Me: Bring this on! Plus Sam Neill and Robert Forster are involved, which is never a bad thing.
Alttiere Factor: In the unlikely event that Sarah Jones is a letdown in that department, there's always Parminder Nagra.
Chances Of Airing In The UK: Count on it. You can see this one fitting in perfectly on Sky One's lineup.

Allen Gregory
From The Good Folks At: JHF, Chernin Entertainment and Twentieth Century Fox Television.
What's It About? A super-pretentious seven-year-old (voiced by co-creator/co-executive producer Jonah Hill) who has to go to school like normal children, and finds it difficult.
Potential Watchability By Me: I may give it a go.
Alttiere Factor: This being a cartoon, it doesn't really qualify.
Chances Of Airing In The UK: Pretty good.

The Finder
From The Good Folks At: Josephson Entertainment, Far Field Productions and Twentieth Century Fox Television.
What's It About? An Iraq war veteran who can find just about anything and anyone. Including, unlike most backdoor pilots, the go-ahead for a series (the pilot aired as an episode of Bones).
Potential Watchability By Me: Unlike the parent series, it's possible.
Alttiere Factor: Saffron Burrows plays a bartender and partner for Our Hero.
Chances Of Airing In The UK: This might follow Bones onto Sky One.

I Hate My Teenage Daughter
From The Good Folks At: Bonanza Productions and Warner Bros. Television.
What's It About? Two best friends (who were tormented by mean girls in high school) turned single mothers (whose daughters ARE mean girls in high school). That title might change.
Potential Watchability By Me: Undecided at press time.
Alttiere Factor: Jaime Pressly, almost certainly playing a better parent than on My Name Is Earl, and Katie Finneran are the mothers. This being Fox, their daughters (Kristi Lauren and Aisha Dee) are likely to be cute.
Chances Of Airing In The UK: Comedy Central or E4, maybe?

Napoleon Dynamite
From The Good Folks At: Companies To Be Named Later and Twentieth Century Fox Television.
What's It About: A cartoon based on the movie about an "awesome awkward teenager" and his family and friends. Starring the voices of the original cast (Jon Heder, Diedrich Bader et al).
Potential Watchability By Me: Might be higher if I'd actually seen the original film.
Alttiere Factor: Tina Majorino also returns in voice mode.
Chances Of Airing In The UK: Possible.

New Girl
From The Good Folks At: Chernin Entertainment and Twentieth Century Fox Television.
What's It About? A newly single girl who moves in with three single guys. Wash X-rated thoughts from your mind now.
Potential Watchability By Me: Not out of the question, if it's engaging enough.
Alttiere Factor: The new girl in question is played by Zooey Deschanel, so there's several lovestruck male viewers right there.
Chances Of Airing In The UK: This could go on SkyLiving or E4.

Terra Nova
From The Good Folks At: Chernin Entertainment, Kapital Entertainment, DreamWorks Television and Twentieth Century Fox Television.
What's It About? It's about a season late (it was scheduled to launch last year). Also about a family who goes back in time - to prehistoric times - to try and save the human race of the 22nd century.
Potential Watchability By Me: High. Brannon Braga's involvement is counteracted by that of Steven Spielberg - at least his name is on the credits this time, unlike with Earth 2.
Alttiere Factor: Possibly provided by Shelley Conn and Allison Miller.
Chances Of Airing In The UK: High.

Touch
From The Good Folks At: Tailwind Productions, Chernin Entertainment and Twentieth Century Fox Television.
What's It About? A single dad (Kiefer Sutherland) discovers his autistic son, who doesn't like being touched by anyone, can connect just about anything and anyone.
Potential Watchability By Me: It certainly sounds intriguing, but it could get messy in the wrong hands - and there are people who doubt creator Tim Kring owns the right ones after Heroes (and Crossing Jordan). Still...
Alttiere Factor: Not immediately apparent, but Tailwind's previous series had Jill Hennessy and Hayden Panettiere, so the signs are good.
Chances Of Airing In The UK: Good.

NBC

Are You There, Vodka? It's Me, Chelsea
From The Good Folks At: Werner Entertainment, Borderline Amazing Productions and Warner Bros. Television.
What's It About? Based on the book of the same name by comedienne/chatshow host Chelsea Handler, it's about her 20-something days as a free-living bartender.
Potential Watchability By Me: Not out of the question, despite the involvement of Dottie Dartland Zicklin (who drained away all the goodwill she earned writing for Grace Under Fire by co-creating Dharma & Greg).
Alttiere Factor: Laura Prepon - as Chelsea - plus Natalie Morales, and the host of Chelsea Lately herself (as Chelsea's sister).
Chances Of Airing In The UK: If E! showed scripted programming, it would be a lock for the channel. Since it doesn't, I'll bet Comedy Central.

Awake
From The Good Folks At: A Company To Be Named Later and Twentieth Century Fox Television.
What's It About? Cop Jason Issacs finds himself living in two different worlds after a car accident - one in which he's a widower but his son survived, the other in which his wife survived but his son didn't...
Potential Watchability By Me: The premise is certainly intriguing, but how will it pan out?
Alttiere Factor: It may be down to Michaela McManus, who plays his son's vocal coach.
Chances Of Airing In The UK: Possibly Syfy?

Bent
From The Good Folks At: A Company To Be Named Later and Universal Media Studios.
What's It About? A supertough lawyer and single mother hires an equally outspoken recovering gambling addict to remodel her kitchen. (They're "bent, not broken," hence the title.) Do you think sparks will fly, perhaps?
Potential Watchability By Me: Not awful sounding. Plus anything with Jeffrey Tambor automatically has one thing in its favour.
Alttiere Factor: Amanda Peet plays the mom, Margo Harshman her sister. That'll do me.
Chances Of Airing In The UK: Could go either way.

Best Friends Forever
From The Good Folks At: American Work and Universal Media Studios.
What's It About? It does exactly what it says on the tin - divorced woman Jessica St. Clair moves back in with her best friend Lennon Parham, even though the latter's boyfriend lives there as well. (The two stars are also among the producers, which may explain why their characters are called Jessica and Lennon.)
Potential Watchability By Me: Not very high.
Alttiere Factor: I'm not entirely sure this is the kind of show that has such things.
Chances Of Airing In The UK: See Potential Watchability By Me.

The Firm
From The Good Folks At: Entertainment One Television, Sony Pictures Television and Paramount Pictures.
What's It About? Based on (and set 10 years after) the John Grisham novel and the film it spawned. Mitch McDeere and his family have since emerged from hiding, but are they safe? Are they heck. No cast announced, but unlikely to have Tom Cruise returning as Mitch.
Potential Watchability By Me: The last TV series to be based on a Grisham work was The Client. Enough time has passed for everyone to forget that snorer, I hope.
Alttiere Factor: No idea.
Chances Of Airing In The UK: Universal or Alibi?

Free Agents
From The Good Folks At: Dark Toy, Big Talk Productions and Universal Media Studios.
What's It About? Two PR executives just off relationships (one's divorced, one's widowed) who cop off, and this could be but might not be the start of a beautiful relationship. Based on the cult (read: shortlived - one season in 2009, after a 2007 pilot) Channel 4 (not BBC) sitcom of the same name, with original writer Chris Niel on board.
Potential Watchability By Me: Not very likely, I have to admit...
Alttiere Factor: ...even though Kathryn Hahn is unlikely to have lost any of her cuteness since Crossing Jordan.
Chances Of Airing In The UK: Given the cast includes Hank Azaria (in his second show with British links - when Stressed Eric was shown in America he revoiced the title character) and Anthony Head (reprising his role from the original show, a rarity for such Transatlantic translations), not as unlikely as it seems.

Grimm
From The Good Folks At: Hazy Mills Productions and Universal Media Studios.
What's It About? A cop who discovers that he's descended from a group of people who have to keep humanity safe from ghoulies and ghosties, and so on, called Grimms. These ain't your father's fairytales. From Jim Kouf and David Greenwalt, but nothing at all like Secret Admirer; executive produced by Jack from Will & Grace (I am not making this up).
Potential Watchability By Me: High.
Alttiere Factor: No idea at this time.
Chances Of Airing In The UK: Very good - Channel 4, BBC2, Sky One, SkyLiving...

The Playboy Club
From The Good Folks At: Imagine Television, Golly and Twentieth Century Fox Television.
What's It About? The Playboy Club in Chicago in the 1960s, the women who work there and their seamy and dangerous lives.
Potential Watchability By Me: As long as it isn't as wonderfully acted, beautifully designed and completely unengaging as Mad Men proved to be for me, I'm in.
Alttiere Factor: The main female star is Amber Heard. I'm sold.
Chances Of Airing In The UK: Pretty good - More4, BBC3, Sky Atlantic?

Prime Suspect
From The Good Folks At: ITV Studios, Film 44 and Universal Media Studios.
What's It About? It's the US version of the now defunct and highly-praised UK Lynda La Plante thingy, with Maria Bello stepping into Helen Mirren's shoes.
Potential Watchability By Me: Zero, thank you.
Alttiere Factor: Maria Bello is, in this respect, an improvement.
Chances Of Airing In The UK: Not as remote as it might seem.

Smash
From The Good Folks At: Storyline Entertainment, Universal Media Studios and DreamWorks Television.
What's It About? The production of a Broadway musical about Marilyn Monroe. In-front cast includes Anjelica Huston and Debra Messing, behind-the-camera talent includes Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman. Executive produced by one S. Spielberg.
Potential Watchability By Me: Quite high, really.
Alttiere Factor: "...and introducing Katharine McPhee." Introducing? Still, if this means a resurgence of McPheever I'm all for it.
Chances Of Airing In The UK: Excellent, especially since Channel 4's relinquished Glee.

Up All Night
From The Good Folks At: Broadway Video and Universal Media Studios.
What's It About? PR exec Christina Applegate and stay-at-home husband Will Arnett are now parents...
Potential Watchability By Me: Depends. My not being a parent makes it hard to relate. :)
Alttiere Factor: Christina Applegate and Maya Rudolph, ladies and gentlemen. Mainly gentlemen.
Chances Of Airing In The UK: Quite good; Comedy Central, SkyLiving or Five might be the best bets.

Whitney
From The Good Folks At: Scott Stuber Productions and (you guessed it) Universal Media Studios.
What's It About? Whitney (Chelsea Lately's Whitney Cummings) and her guy are happy together - unmarried, but happy.
Potential Watchability By Me: Unsure.
Alttiere Factor: Unsure.
Chances Of Airing In The UK: I wouldn't bet on it, unless it's really funny.

ABC

Apartment 23
From The Good Folks At: Whatever Creator Nahnatchka Kahn, Going From Pepper Ann And American Dad! To Live Action, Calls Her Shingle and Twentieth Century Fox Television.
What's It About? A young woman's job and apartment go up in smoke as soon as she arrives in New York, and she gets ripped off by her roommate. But she soon gets her own back... and thus a friendship is born. (Huh?)
Potential Watchability By Me: Actually, this doesn't sound unbearable. Even if the cast includes James Van Der Beek as himself as his roomie's best friend. (Huh?)
Alttiere Factor: Dreama Walker (as our heroine) and Krysten Ritter (as the friend turned enemy turned friend again).
Chances Of Airing In The UK: E4? SkyLiving? Don't know.

Charlie's Angels
From The Good Folks At: Millar/Gough Ink, Flower Films, Panda Productions and Sony Pictures Television.
What's It About? Once upon a time there were three little girls, only one of whom in this case went to the police academy, and they were each assigned very gritty fates. But he took them away from all that, and now they work for him. His name is Charlie (voice of Robert Wagner, since John Forsythe is unfortunately no longer with us).
Potential Watchability By Me: Doubtful, mainly because I was never keen on the original show (although I did like the two movies, the first more than the second - both of which seem to be lighter than this new one).
Alttiere Factor: As well as Drew Barrymore returning from the movies (in executive producer capacity only, alas), your new Angels are Rachael Taylor, Annie Ilonzeh and Minka Kelly.
Chances Of Airing In The UK: Guaranteed. Sky One? SkyLiving? Five? Watch? Maybe even ITV2?

Good Christian Belles
From The Good Folks At: Darren Star Productions, Kapital Entertainment and ABC Studios.
What's It About? A mean girl who's had a change of heart since high school returns home after the end of her marriage, not necessarily to the townsfolk's forgiveness. Based on the book Good Christian Bitches (no prizes for guessing why the title was changed); developed for the box by Robert Harling (Steel Magnolias, Soapdish).
Potential Watchability By Me: Darren Star has to make another decent show sometime.
Alttiere Factor: Leslie Bibb is your main character, plus Kristin Chenoweth, Annie Potts and Marisol Nichols. So not bad.
Chances Of Airing In The UK: Not out of the question.

Last Man Standing
From The Good Folks At: 21 Laps Entertainment, Adelstein Productions and Twentieth Century Fox Television.
What's It About? Tim Allen's long-awaited (sic) return to TV as a manly marketing director who, sadly for him, is the only testosterone outpost in a home filled with females. Created by 30 Rock alumnus Jack Burditt...
Potential Watchability By Me: ...which helps a bit in that respect, my lack of fondness for Home Improvement notwithstanding.
Alttiere Factor: Nancy Travis plays his wife, and it's safe to say that two of his daughters may count as well.
Chances Of Airing In The UK: Not great, since Home Improvement wasn't a hit over here.

Man Up
From The Good Folks At: Garfield Grove, Tagline Television and ABC Studios.
What's It About? Three men who wonder if they qualify as "real men" in this more sensitive (stop laughing) age, and if not, what they can do about it.
Potential Watchability By Me: Given the presence of Dan Fogler, bordering on nonexistent.
Alttiere Factor: Teri Polo and Amanda Detmer try to lure me in.
Chances Of Airing In The UK: It's not out of the question.

Missing
From The Good Folks At: Stillking Films, Little Engine Entertainment and ABC Studios.
What's It About? Widowed ex-CIA agent Ashley Judd travels Europe in a bid to find her son.
Potential Watchability By Me: I'm not sure. It could be riveting. It could be Kidnapped. We'll have to see.
Alttiere Factor: High. It does, after all, star Ashley Judd.
Chances Of Airing In The UK: It may well find a home, although the title might have to be changed (there's already been a BBC series of that name, in addition to 1-800-MISSING being shown as Missing).

Once Upon A Time
From The Good Folks At: Whatever Creators/Executive Producers Edward Kitsis And Adam Horowitz Call Their Outfit Productions and ABC Studios.
What's It About? A young woman is found by the song she gave up, and takes her to an alternate world where it turns out she's the long-lost daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming.
Potential Watchability By Me: I love fairy tales, and I like modern takes on fairy tales. Hopefully this'll be as good as Enchanted or The 10th Kingdom (but without the occasional longeurs of the latter).
Alttiere Factor: Jennifer Morrison and Ginnifer Goodwin are daughter and mother, and Lana Parrilla is the Evil Queen.
Chances Of Airing In The UK: This sounds a lot more interesting than No Ordinary Family, and THAT found a British buyer, so...

Pan Am
From The Good Folks At: Jack Orman Productions, Out of the Blue Entertainment, Shoe Money Productions and Sony Pictures Television.
What's It About? Air stewardesses for Pan Am in the 1960s. And the other crew members, obviously.
Potential Watchability For Me: See The Playboy Club.
Alttiere Factor: Christina Ricci, Kelli Garner, Karine Vanasse and Margot Robbie are offering you your coffee or tea.
Chances Of Airing In The UK: ABC'll love for this to fly. And over here, it may show. (If all else fails, Sony Entertainment Television is on here now...)

Revenge
From The Good Folks At: Temple Hill Entertainment, Page Fright Productions and ABC Studios.
What's It About? New girl in town (town being the Hamptons, a posh area in upstate New York) is not so new, and she's out to get her own back on the people who blackened the family name.
Potential Watchability By Me: I may give this a go, although it sounds pretty limited.
Alttiere Factor: Not bad at all - Emily VanCamp (whose character, the main one, is called Emily), Madeleine Stowe, Ashley Madekwe (who plays a character called Ashley), and Christa B. Allen finally playing someone who isn't going to be played by Jennifer Garner in later life.
Chances Of Airing In The UK: It's not out of the question.

The River
From The Good Folks At: Good PR Productions, DreamWorks Television and ABC Studios.
What's It About? The son of a David Attenborough/Steve Irwin-type (Bruce Greenwood) who's gone missing in the Amazon sets out to find him, with the man's ex-producer getting it all on film. From Paranormal Activity's Oren Peli and Heroes' Michael Green, with Spielberg on board in the third show he has on air this autumn.
Potential Watchability By Me: I am contractually bound to give the once-over to anything with "Steven Spielberg" in the credits. But I'm not contractually bound to stay the course...
Alttiere Factor: I'm going to assume that's the responsibility of Paulina Gaitan, Leslie Hope and Eloise Mumford.
Chances Of Airing In The UK: Very few Spielberg productions don't.

Scandal
From The Good Folks At: ShondaLand Productions and ABC Studios.
What's It About? Shonda Rhimes forgets about hospitals for the first time since writing Crossroads (yes, the one with Britney) and turns her attention to a power consultant who starts a new firm after leaving her old job at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. Trouble is, her tendency to smooth over crises comes in useful with her own staff.
Potential Watchability By Me: Doubtful. But it's all in the execution.
Alttiere Factor: Kerry Washington is the lead, so...
Chances Of Airing In The UK: I'm not entirely sure on this one.

Suburgatory
From The Good Folks At: A Company To Be Named Later and Warner Bros. Television.
What's It About? A single dad and his daughter move from New York City to the suburbs, to the horror of the latter.
Potential Watchability By Me: Unless it has good word of mouth (and maybe not even then), zero. Can't we please have a comedy about people who move to the city and absolutely love it (The Beverly Hillbillies was almost 50 years ago, thank you)?
Alttiere Factor: I'm not really sure at this time.
Chances Of Airing In The UK: No idea.

Work It
From The Good Folks At: Bonanza Productions, Summer School Productions and Warner Bros. Television.
What's It About? Basically, it's Bosom Buddies for the 21st century; two manly men don drag to get work. Because there's nothing funnier than men dressing up as women, is there? Huh? Is there?
Potential Watchability By Me: NO. WAY.
Alttiere Factor: I've heard good things about Rebecca Mader.
Chances Of Airing In The UK: Possible.

CBS

2 Broke Girls
From The Good Folks At: Working Class Films and Warner Bros. Television.
What's It About? A pair of money-challenged females; waitresses who become friends and hopefully partners in a cupcake business.
Potential Watchability By Me: I don't know... I might give it a try.
Alttiere Factor: Though Beth Behrs (as one of the girls) is hardly an eyesore, you just know some male viewers earmarked this the second they discovered it means weekly doses of Kat Dennings (as the other one) and her torso-bombs.
Chances Of Coming To The UK: 5*, Comedy Central, E4 perhaps?

The 2-2
From The Good Folks At: Tree Line Film, Tribeca Productions and CBS Television Studios.
What's It About? Six newly minted New York cops (this was originally called Rookies until the title was changed - with good reason, since CBS now owns the Spelling-Goldberg '70s show of virtually the same name). Executive produced by Richard Price, James Mangold (who directed the pilot) and Robert DeNiro, in his first TV venture since TriBeCa in 1992 (DeNiro only produced there as well - he does not do TV acting, although why someone who said yes to Godsend and Little Fockers is picky in that respect is a mystery).
Potential Watchability By Me: I might give it a try, even though the last TV series to involve James Mangold was Men In Trees.
Alttiere Factor: One of the cops is Leelee Sobieski, who will fill out that uniform very nicely.
Chances Of Airing In The UK: Universal, perhaps (even after Rookie Blue)? Maybe Alibi?

A Gifted Man
From The Good Folks At: Clinica Estetico, Timberman-Beverly Productions and CBS Television Studios.
What's It About? A surgeon whose late wife comes back from beyond to help him out with life. No, it's not a comedy. Created by Susannah Grant (Erin Brockovich, Catch And Release) and a rare venture into television for Jonathan Demme (who executive produces the series and directed the pilot).
Potential Watchability By Me: I don't know... at least it doesn't sound like it has "dark" written all over it.
Alttiere Factor: Jennifer Ehle is the wife and Julie Benz is his sister. Nice.
Chances Of Coming To The UK: It might.

How To Be A Gentleman
From The Good Folks At: Nedia Rights Capital and CBS Television Studios.
What's It About? A posh writer and a considerably less posh personal trainer.
Potential Watchability By Me: It doesn't immediately grab me.
Alttiere Factor: Mary Lynn Rajskub.
Chances Of Coming To The UK: Doubtful. It might have to be a hit first.

Person Of Interest
From The Good Folks At: Bad Robot Productions and Warner Bros. Television.
What's It About? Ex-CIA agent Jim Caviezel and billionaire Michael Emerson go after bad guys before they can actually commit crimes a la Checkmate and Counterstrike; cop Taraji P. Henson is in turn interested.
Potential Watchability By Me: It's got the hook there.
Alttiere Factor: Not immediately apparent.
Chances Of Coming To The UK: It's from J.J. Abrams, so it's not a matter of if but when.

Unforgettable
From The Good Folks At: Timberman-Beverly Productions, Sony Pictures Television and CBS Television Studios.
What's It About? Poppy Montgomery is a cop who returns to the force; she has total recall, which is a bonus in this job... but the only thing she can't remember is anything pertaining to the murder of her sister.
Potential Watchability By Me: I'd be lying if I said this isn't intriguing.
Alttiere Factor: It stars Poppy Montgomery, duh.
Chances Of Airing In The UK: Hmmm... Universal? Alibi? Channel 4? Five?

The CW

Hart Of Dixie
From The Good Folks At: Bonanza Productions Inc., Fake Empire, CBS Television Studios and Warner Bros. Television.
What's It About? As well as having the most groansome title in years, it's about a New York doctor (called Zoe Hart) who moves to Alabama to work and doesn't have the smoothest time of it.
Potential Watchability By Me: Not very high, to be honest, but it may prove to be as engaging as Privileged or the early seasons of The O.C. From the same people as the latter.
Alttiere Factor: Speaking of The O.C., Rachel Bilson stars. Jaime King also appears.
Chances Of Airing In The UK: Good.

Ringer
From The Good Folks At: Brillstein Entertainment, CBS Television Studios (the pilot was originally made for consideration by CBS, but it wound up going to the CW), Warner Bros. Television and ABC Studios.
What's It About? A recovering alcoholic who goes the run after witnessing a killing and adopts the identity of her sister... only to discover that sis has her own problems. Including someone wanting to kill HER.
Potential Watchability By Me: High. I want to check this out now.
Alttiere Factor: This marks the return to television of Sarah Michelle Gellar. Playing twins.
Chances Of Airing In The UK: Excellent, and that's without taking the Buffy factor into consideration. E4, BBC2, Syfy, Sky One...

The Secret Circle
From The Good Folks At: Outerbanks Entertainment, Alloy Entertainment, CBS Television Studios and Warner Bros. Television.
What's It About? A teenage orphan moves in with her grandmother in her mother's hometown and discovers that she's part of a long line of witches... and things are even more not what they seem. Kevin Williamson and the works of L.J. Smith team up again after the success of The Vampire Diaries.
Potential Watchability By Me: I have to pass on this one, because I will never forgive Williamson or Wes Craven for Scream 4's underhanded treatment of Hayden Panettiere. (Unless this Scream 5 that Harvey Weinstein keeps mentioning happens, and she comes back. Alive (as has been speculated by many), thank you, none of this tapes-left-behind-after-demise crap a la Jamie Kennedy's character.)
Alttiere Factor: Britt Robertson (from the fine Life Unexpected), plus Phoebe Tonkin and Natasha Henstridge? Nice.
Chances Of Airing In The UK: The Vampire Diaries is a hit for ITV2, which also screens Gossip Girl (another Alloy/CW enterprise), so this is just about guaranteed to show up somewhere.

In Memory Of (titles in italics have been shown or been bought for screening in the UK; now with cable added):

100 Questions
Batman: The Brave And The Bold
Better With You
Big Love

Breaking In
The Bridge
Brothers & Sisters
The Cape
Caprica
CHAOS
Chase
The Chicago Code

Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior
Dark Blue
The Defenders

Detroit 1-8-7
Entourage
The Event
Friday Night Lights

The Gates
Glory Daze
The Good Guys
Greek
Hannah Montana (Forever)
Hellcats

Huge
Human Target
In Treatment
Jonas (L.A.)
Law & Order: Criminal Intent

Law & Order: Los Angeles
Lie To Me
Life Unexpected

Lights Out
Lone Star
Mad Love
Medium
Mr. Sunshine
My Boys
My Generation
No Ordinary Family
The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency

Outlaw
Outsourced
Party Down
The Paul Reiser Show
Perfect Couples
Persons Unknown

Rubicon
Running Wilde
Scoundrels
$#*! My Dad Says
Smallville
Stargate Universe

Terriers
Traffic Light
Undercovers
V
The Whole Truth
Working Class


And Charlie Sheen's future on Two And A Half Men. And maybe Two And A Half Men itself, depending on how Ashton Kutcher pans out...

Saturday, May 21, 2011

The So How Did I Do This Time Post?

Now they've announced the new shows, it's time for me to see how good I was at predicting which new entries last season would show up...

NBC

The Event
What I Said
: "Reasonable."
Was I Right? It turned out to be more than reasonable - Channel 4 took it.

Chase
(retitled for the UK)
What I Said
: "Pretty good."
Was I Right?
: Yep - it was bought by SkyLiving (although the series has yet to be screened by them).

Undercovers

What I Said
: "Better than my chances of having sex with Blake Lively. Much better. In fact, pretty much guaranteed considering past series."
Was I Right?
Well, I certainly haven't boned Blake yet... but it hasn't shown up over here. Yet.

Law & Order: Los Angeles

What I Said
: "Considering Hallmark, Five and Sky, it's not if but when."
Was I Right?
Not at this point in time.

Outsourced
What I Said
: "Not that high, I'd say."
Was I Right?
Yes.

Love Bites
What I Said
: "Very good."
Was I Right?
Nope. Also, it's been relegated to the summer.

Outlaw

What I Said
: "Could happen."
Was I Right?
It hasn't happened.

The Cape
What I Said
: "Good."
Was I Right?
No, but with NBC and Syfy being in bed together I still wouldn't count it out.

Friends With Benefits

What I Said
: "Do not count it out."
Was I Right?
See Love Bites.

Harry's Law

What I Said
: "All of his previous shows about the bar (with the exception of girls club) did..."
Was I Right? No.

The Paul Reiser Show (formerly Next)
What I Said: "Not great, Omid Djalili notwithstanding."
Was I Right? Yes.

Perfect Couples
What I Said: "Not out of the question - I mean, Rules of Engagement and 'Til Death did..."
Was I Right? No.

FOX

Raising Hope
What I Said: "As Possible Possum always put it, 'It's possible - it's possible...'"
Was I Right? Not so much possible as definite - Sky One bought it.

Running Wilde
What I Said: "Considering the pedigree, very good."
Was I Right? Will Arnett's last series, Arrested Development, was given a full repeat run on FX (Arnett and creator Mitchell Hurwitz came over to launch it). Running Wilde has yet to show up.

Lone Star
What I Said: "It just might."
Was I Right? It did - to Sky One, although it has yet to actually be shown.

Bob's Burgers
What I Said: "Not out of the question."
Was I Right? It also wasn't out of the question that it would join E4's lineup.

Terra Nova
What I Said: "Other than Invasion America, there are very few Spielberg TV productions that haven't come to the UK."
Was I Right? It's launching this COMING autumn, so...

The Chicago Code (formerly Ride-Along)
What I Said: "Three words - Ex. Cell. Ent."
Was I Right? Yes. Another one for the Sky lineup.

Traffic Light (formerly Mixed Signals)
What I Said: "One of the three friends is Kris Marshall from the long-running BBC sitcom My Family, so I'd say pretty good."
Was I Right? Like fellow Brit-starring US sitcom 100 Questions, this hasn't shown up here. Yet.

ABC

Body Of Proof
What I Said: "In its favour. Sounds right up Hallmark's or Alibi's alley."
Was I Right? Yes - Alibi bought it.

Detroit 1-8-7
What I Said: "Given that it stars Michael Imperioli from The Sopranos, I'd say so."
Was I Right? Was I heck.

My Generation
What I Said: "E4 or Fiver, maybe..."
Was I Right? Schedule filler being what it is, this could still arrive eventually.

No Ordinary Family
What I Said: "I'd bet on it."
Was I Right? I should have bet on it - it went to Watch.

Off The Map
What I Said: "Living, anyone?"
Was I Right? See My Generation.

The Whole Truth
What I Said: "Most lawyer shows do. As long as the programme buyers don't remember Justice..."
Was I Right? Apparently they did remember Justice.

Better With You (formerly Better Together)
What I Said: "It might."
Was I Right? It did, as the second new show on 5 Star (formerly Fiver, and the star in the channel's name is actually laid out as the internationally recognised symbol of a star - five points, the works - not as a word, but I can't represent it here thusly).

Happy Endings
What I Said: "I think it might, you know."
Was I Right? Not yet, but it started in midseason, so...

Mr. Sunshine
What I Said: "Chandler Bing and CJ Gregg? Count on it."
Was I Right? Er... no.

CBS

$#*! My Dad Says (formerly, as
it were, Bleep My Dad Says)
What I Said
: "I'd say pretty good."
Was I Right?
Better than pretty good - this was the first new show on Five Star (see Better With You).

Mike & Molly
What I Said
: "Living or Comedy Central, I bet."
Was I Right?
It was Comedy Central. I should have put money on this one.

Hawaii Five-O
What I Said: "It'll be here. Aloha."
Was I Right? Yep; it was the very first of the new crop to find a UK home, on Bravo... although that didn't keep the station (and Channel One, formerly Virgin1) from being closed down by new owners Sky. Which is why the new improved Kono and the new everyone else are now on Sky One.

The Defenders
What I Said: "It might have to be a hit first."
Was I Right?: That didn't stop FX.

Blue Bloods
What I Said: "A cop show starring freakin' Magnum and Donnie Wahlberg, from graduates of The Sopranos (Robin Green and Mitchell Burgess) and Leonard Goldberg, who used to make some of the most famous TV shows ever in partnership with Aaron Spelling? I'll be surprised if this doesn't come over."
Was I Right?: Yep; it's been bought by Sky Atlantic. Even though it's not an HBO (or AMC, or even cable) show.

Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior
What I Said: "Unless Living and sister channel Virgin1 lose their minds, good."
Was I Right? Virgin1 is out of the picture, and it hasn't otherwise shown up here - but I bet it will.

The CW

Hellcats
What I Said: "Gimme an E! Gimme a 4!"
Was I Right? The series is a rare scripted show on MTV.

Nikita
What I Said: "Sky One? Syfy? Virgin1? Five?"
Was I Right? It turned out to be the channel that we now have to call SkyLiving.