New Amsterdam

I truly have no idea if New Amsterdam, which premieres tonight on Fox after American Idol, is going to be a huge hit or a huge flop. It has quite a few things working in its favor: an attractive star (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau), an intriguing premise (detective will remain immortal until he finds true love), and a plum time slot for its premiere.

On the other hand, I found the first episode of the show to be utterly ridiculous. Again, that's not necessarily a bad thing; as I noted in my Pilot Watch last Summer, the show didn't work for me as a drama, but I thought it was an outstanding comedy. Or, upon further reflection, maybe I should have called it an outstanding soap opera. Every plot twist was so telegraphed, and every development so utterly unrealistic, that I couldn't help but be sucked in. Really, the guy's been living in New York for 400 years and nobody's realized that he still appears to be a strapping 40-something for all eternity?

The show has been compared to Pete Hamill's novel Forever, and while I haven't read the book, I can see some similarities between the two — most notably the degree to which you must suspend disbelief to make the story work. As a visual work, New Amsterdam is fairly impressive (noted film director Lasse Hallstrom, who directed the pilot and is one of the show's executive producers, probably has something to do with that). As a drama, it probably depends on how much you can take. Can you laugh out loud at the ridiculousness of a plot twist or premise and still enjoy a show? If so, New Amsterdam might be one for you; I admit I'll be watching for a while.

To watch a couple of clips from tonight's premiere — including one where Amsterdam nearly dies, but doesn't, because he's still yet to find love — just read more

Back when I was trying to guess which fall pilots would get picked up by the networks, I was smart enough to see that cop shows and paranormal phenomena were among the year's major trends. Too bad I didn't realize they were going to smoosh together into one big trend: the supernatural crime-solver show. Four such series are already in the pipeline for the new TV season, and this week, NBC bought the rights to a fifth.

This new one doesn't have a title yet, but it apparently ignited a fierce bidding war between networks who wanted to claim the spooky dramedy for themselves. Variety calls it "a police procedural with a hilariously horrifying twist that follows a team of regular cops dedicated to busting vampires, zombies and other criminal demons." Hmm, sounds a whole lot like "Reaper," if the guy from "Reaper" were a cop.

In addition to those two, we also have:

• "Moonlight," a CBS drama about a vampire-slash-private investigator who uses his powers to work outside of the law.
• "New Amsterdam," the Fox show — which recently got bumped to midseason — about an immortal detective who uses his numerous lifetimes worth of experience to solve murders.
• "Pushing Daisies," the ABC procedural-with-a-twist about a guy who can bring people back from the dead long enough to learn what they remember about their killers.

Yep, NBC's new purchase means all five networks will have a supernatural crime show in the pipeline for the new TV season. It's almost enough to make me long for the good, old-fashioned, and downright earthly detective work of "CSI" or "Law & Order."

Photos courtesy of CBS, The CW, ABC, Inc. and Fox

The networks have announced their fall schedules, but which of the series will actually be worth watching? Throughout the summer, as I watch the pilots, I'll be posting my first impressions. A lot can change before a show makes it to air, so these aren't comprehensive reviews, just quick thoughts on how the shows look now. Today's installment: Fox's "New Amsterdam."

What's it about? Short answer: John Amsterdam is a New York police detective who also happens to be immortal — or, at least, he will be immortal until he meets his one true love. If you want the long answer (and it certainly is long) here's the full description.

Who's in it? Nikolaj Coster Waldau, Stephen Henderson, Zuleikha Robinson

The good and the bad: I had to combine the categories here because, well, here's the thing: While I thought "New Amsterdam" wasn't a very good drama, it was pretty hysterical as a comedy. It's the kind of show that's meant to have a drinking game written for it, with instructions to drink every time Amsterdam mentions a suspiciously large unit of time (he's been sober for 15,000 days), every time he runs into an aging old girlfriend, or every time his image blurs with that of the Native American woman who put the immortality spell on him back in 1642. (Note that I don't necessarily recommend actually playing said drinking game, because you'd be plastered by the end of the pilot. Be safe out there.) Granted, the Lasse Hallstrom-directed pilot is pretty to look at, as is Waldau himself. But everything beyond that is ridiculous. How has nobody ever recognized him? What must his resume look like? How often must he change his name to stay under the radar — and why, oh why, would he pick Amsterdam?

Will I watch? I can't lie: I was pretty entertained, albeit probably not for the reasons Fox was hoping.

To watch a preview for the show and see a gallery of photos, read more

Thanks to Fox, we now have sneak previews of that network's new fall shows, to add to the clips we've already seen from ABC, NBC, CBS and the CW. I'm eager to hear what you think of these clips, so get watching!

"New Amsterdam" (pictured above)
I still think this story of an immortal detective is the strangest of Fox's shows.

"The Return of Jezebel James"
Somehow, I think this would be much better without the laugh track.

I've got clips from the other Fox shows plus lots of photos, so read more

It's TV pilot season, when hopeful writers, directors, and actors give the networks glimpses of what could be their next big hits. Few pilots will ever make it to air, and the odds might be especially long over on ABC, which has already renewed many of its current shows. Over the next few weeks, I'll be looking at the pilots and trying to spot the trends that could be coming soon to a TV near you. Last week I told you about the tough working women trend, and today I'm looking at shows about the supernatural.

It seems that every year, a crop of shows springs up trying to imitate the style of the past season's breakout hit. This season's producers seem to be taking their cues from the striking success of NBC's "Heroes" and putting forth a crop of shows about superheroes, time-travelers, vampires and more. Some of them were great fodder for my spot the fake pilot quiz, while others sound like they really could be hits. Here are a few:

• "The Bionic Woman": NBC has to have high hopes for this series, a remake of the '70s show that spun off from "The Six Million Dollar Man," and I wouldn't be surprised to see it either before or after "Heroes" on the network's fall schedule. The show stars British actress Michelle Ryan (at right) as Jamie Sommers, a struggling bartender who is near-fatally injured in a car accident and survives only by being "rebuilt" as half-woman, half-machine. Of course, she then must decide whether to use her superhuman powers for good or evil [insert cackle here].




• "New Amsterdam": This Fox pilot caught my eye for two reasons: First, it's directed by Lasse Hallstrom, whose excellent track record in film includes What's Eating Gilbert Grape, The Shipping News and The Hoax. And second, it had the single most ridiculous summary description of any pilot this year: "Police detective who is secretly centuries old." Fox later released a longer description of the show, which you can read over at the Futon Critic, but knowing more about the legend of John Amsterdam (who became immortal in 1642, if you were wondering) still left me baffled.

Three more, so read more