A Gifted Man

The renewal and cancellation news has been coming in swiftly ahead of the coming week's upfronts, and now CBS has announced its decisions too. The network has renewed Two and a Half Men and CSI: NY, but it pulled the plug on CSI: Miami, Rob, A Gifted Man, Unforgettable, and NYC 22. All of the canceled shows were freshman series, aside from CSI: Miami, which had aired for 10 seasons. As for the returning shows, this will be the 10th season for Two and a Half Men (and the second with Ashton Kutcher) and the ninth for CSI: NY.

Photos courtesy of CBS

This Fall, Patrick Wilson will be the face of one of CBS's new dramas, A Gifted Man. He plays a hotshot neurosurgeon who starts to rethink his arrogance when he begins seeing visions of his deceased ex-wife, played by Jennifer Ehle. Wilson and Ehle were both on hand to promote their show at the Summer TCA this week, talking about Wilson's musical talents and beyond. Here are highlights:

• Producer Neal Baer was quick to point out that Ehle's character, Anna, isn't definitely a ghost, referring to her as "a ghost or whatever she is," and later quipping, "She's no angel."
• On the show, Anna ran a clinic for the uninsured during her life, which will play a big role on the show. As Wilson's character, Mike, works in a fancy shmancy practice, the juxtaposition between the two environments will be one at the forefront of the series and a contrasting force between the two models of medicine.
• Another big theme of the show will be the contrast between Mike being a "man of science" vs. a "man of faith." Wilson said that he loves playing a character who refuses to believe in ghosts or magic, and thus thinks he's going insane when he starts seeing Anna. He added "I want to play it as weird as it would be" and "that constant struggle will continue to be explored."
• Wilson said he's excited about the show's Friday night time slot because it provides some "room to play" instead of worrying about completing against other shows. He also cited the show's NY location as one of the big draws, since he gets to go home each night and spend time with his family.
• Wilson, who has showed his musical talents on stage and in movies like The Phantom of the Opera gets to show off his piano-playing skills in the pilot (which was originally not in the script). Baer joked that he'd love to show off more of Wilson's musical background, saying, "You all know he can sing and dance, so we'll have to give him some neurological case where a person can't stop dancing."

The upcoming Fall TV season will be filled with familiar faces, many of whom are making the switch from the silver screen to the small screen. Patrick Wilson falls into this category with his new CBS drama, A Gifted Man. In it, Wilson stars as a hotshot surgeon whose life takes a dramatic turn when he starts seeing the ghost of his recently deceased ex-wife, Anna (Jennifer Ehle).

Where it works: Wilson definitely has what it takes as a leading man on the small screen. His character, Michael, is a bit of a jerk, but Wilson brings enough depth to make him sympathetic and keep the audience invested in his story. The juxtaposition of Michael's relationship with Anna with his work life also strikes a nice balance, making the series neither a strictly medical show nor completely supernatural-centric.

Where it doesn't: Though Michael's visions of Anna aren't hallucinations, A Gifted Man is a bit too reminiscent of Izzie and Denny's ghost sex fiasco on Grey's Anatomy. The pilot makes you want to root for a couple that will never be together again, which is difficult to grasp. It's also hard to determine how long one can stay invested in a show about a guy and his imaginary friend.

You might like this show if: You wish Ghost was a TV show.

When it's on: Fridays at 8 p.m.

See a preview of A Gifted Man when you read more

CBS is getting in on the upfronts action with its own announcements of new Fall shows. They've picked up a couple of pilots so far with some very exciting casting to boot, like Thor's Kat Dennings and one of my favorite Lost alums. Check out the details on their upcoming respective series.

COMEDY

• Two Broke Girls: Two girls in their early twenties (Kat Dennings and Beth Behrs) struggle to get by in New York City and fulfill their dreams.
• How to Be a Gentleman: Focuses on an odd-couple pair of male best friends; one is uptight while the other is a little more brusque. David Hornsby and Kevin Dillon star.,

DRAMA

• Person of Interest: In this J.J. Abrams-produced drama, Jim Caviezel plays a former CIA agent who's presumed dead and starts working with a billionaire (Michael Emerson) to prevent crime in NYC.
• The 2-2: Robert De Niro is producing this drama about six rookie cops in NYC. The ensemble cast includes Leelee Sobieski and Adam Goldberg.
• Unforgettable: Poppy Montgomery stars in this series about an NYPD detective with the ability to remember everything.
• A Gifted Man: Patrick Wilson stars as a hotshot surgeon who changes his outlook on life after his ex-wife dies and begins giving him advice. Julie Benz also stars.