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Pilot Watch: Privileged

BuzzSugar — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 09:30:01 -0700

The networks have announced their Fall schedules, but which of the series will actually be worth watching? This Summer, as the networks release their pilots, I'll be posting my first impressions. A lot can change before a show makes it to air - especially this year, when the writers' strike severely gummed up the production of pilots - so consider these just some quick thoughts on how the shows look now. Today's installment: Privileged, a CW dramedy that will air after 90210 on Tuesdays.

What's it about? Based on the book How to Teach Filthy Rich Girls (which was also the show's original title), Privileged is the story of Megan Smith, a Yale grad who ends up personal tutor to spoiled Palm Beach heiresses Rose and Sage.

Who's in it? Joanna Garcia, Lucy Hale (who is not Nora Zehetner), Ashley Newbrough, Anne Archer, Michael Cassidy

The good: Garcia is wonderful in the lead role, a little reminiscent of Anne Hathaway in The Devil Wears Prada as she bumbles her way through various situations; she gets all of the most clever lines. Likewise, Newbrough is strong as the controlling, backstabbing Sage, and Hale turns on the sweetness to play the more delicate Rose. In fact, "sweet" is a good word for the show overall: It's very feel-good. Even the drama seems low-stakes, without the scandal of a Gossip Girl episode.

The bad: I didn't come to Privileged looking for an outstanding plot, but even at that, there were some baffling elements. The show hints that Megan has a past in Palm Beach - so why is she so surprised at the mansions and the money? And why would someone as smart as Megan supposedly is take a job as a tutor without even meeting the kids she's supposed to teach? I also can't believe this is a 9 p.m. show; it's not as family friendly as 7th Heaven or anything, but it still seems like it would appeal to a younger audience than 90210 will.

Will I watch? I'll probably check out a couple of episodes to see how the story progresses and then decide whether it's on my schedule for good.

To check out a preview and a gallery of photos, just read more.

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Photo courtesy of The CW

Pilot Watch: Do Not Disturb

BuzzSugar — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 05:30:22 -0700

The networks have announced their Fall schedules, but which of the series will actually be worth watching? This Summer, as the networks release their pilots, I'll be posting my first impressions. A lot can change before a show makes it to air - especially this year, when the writers' strike severely gummed up the production of pilots - so consider these just some quick thoughts on how the shows look now. Today's installment: Fox's Do Not Disturb, the network's only new comedy of the Fall, which will be paired with 'Til Death on Wednesdays.

What's it about? The Upstairs, Downstairs-style comedy focuses on the relationships between the employees of a ritzy hotel.

Who's in it? Niecy Nash, Jerry O'Connell, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Molly Stanton, Jolene Purdy

The good: This show has a lot of funny people who are hilarious on their own and should, ideally, be funny together. I love Nash on Reno 911!, I think infinitely higher of O'Connell after his Tom Cruise parody video, and executive producer Abraham Higgenbotham was a writer on Arrested Development (fellow Arrested alum Jason Bateman directed the pilot). Nash, in particular, has a commanding presence on screen and seems like she could really do a lot with her character.

The bad: Stereotypes. Everywhere. Some of them are actually funny (there's a great sight gag with the women at the reception counter going up on their tippy-toes to please O'Connell's character, after Nash's character gets them some more-comfortable but less-skyscraping shoes), but so many of them just made me cringe. Like what? Well, the plot line of the first episode revolves around an overweight phone receptionist who wants to interact with hotel guests but isn't allowed to because of her looks. Yes, the bosses keeping her hidden come off as abhorrent - but mostly I felt like the show wanted us to point and laugh right along with them.

Will I watch? The show will have to get a lot less broad and stereotypical if it wants to keep me as a viewer.

To check out a preview and see a gallery of photos, just read more.

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Photos courtesy of Fox

Pilot Watch: Fringe

BuzzSugar — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 06:30:54 -0700

The networks have announced their Fall schedules, but which of the series will actually be worth watching? This Summer, as the networks release their pilots, I'll be posting my first impressions. A lot can change before a show makes it to air - especially this year, when the writers' strike severely gummed up the production of pilots - so consider these just some quick thoughts on how the shows look now. Today's installment: Fox's Fringe, which will air Tuesdays this Fall after House.

What's it about? After a creepy incident on an airplane (creator JJ Abrams seems to like those), an FBI agent ends up getting sucked into the world of fringe science, which essentially uses humankind as one large laboratory for exploring cloning, mind reading, and the like.

Who's in it? Joshua Jackson, Anna Torv, John Noble, Lance Reddick, Blair Brown

The good: The first episode does quick work of establishing the premise, the characters, and their central conflicts while also dropping some hints as to the mythology (and cool science-y plot twists) that will likely develop later. Jackson and Noble are great as a dysfunctional father-son team, grudgingly interacting again after years of silence. Two actors in relatively smaller roles - Lance Reddick as a Department of Homeland Security agent and Blair Brown as the head of science corporation Massive Dynamic - carry a lot of the weight of setting up the series' framework and do an outstanding job with it.

The bad: The pilot is super-sized (just under 90 minutes), and I'm not sure it needed to be. Some of the middle section dragged, which prevented me from being as completely wowed by the show as I'd hoped. I'm still not sure I completely understand Noble's character (he was borderline deranged at the start, then just kind of quirky by show's end), but that could have been intentional, since part of the premise is that he is a bit of a wild card.

Will I watch? Absolutely. A lot goes down in the final 15 minutes, and it was enough to make me want to see where the story leads.

To check out a preview and see a gallery of photos, just read more.

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Photos courtesy of Fox

Pilot Watch: Worst Week

BuzzSugar — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 09:30:34 -0700

The networks have announced their Fall schedules, but which of the series will actually be worth watching? This Summer, as the networks release their pilots, I'll be posting my first impressions. A lot can change before a show makes it to air - especially this year, when the writers' strike severely gummed up the production of pilots - so consider these just some quick thoughts on how the shows look now. Today's installment: CBS's Worst Week, which is set to anchor the Monday night comedy lineup.

What's it about? A guy, Sam, turns into a bumbling idiot anytime he's around his girlfriend's parents.

Who's in it? Kyle Bornheimer, Erinn Hayes, Kurtwood Smith, Nancy Lenehan

The good: It's interesting to see the most traditional network try a half-hour comedy without a laugh track. If you like slapstick, there's a lot of physical comedy in this episode. The actors do their best to sell some ridiculous situations, and there's a great cameo from Aziz Ansari, who was recently cast in The Office spinoff.

The bad: The funniest moment in your pilot shouldn't come from a guest star. It's hard to feel sorry for Sam when he does so many idiotic things; I like the idea of a guy becoming a human disaster around the people he's trying hardest to impress, but Sam chooses the least-logical option time and time again. I wanted to slap him, not laugh at him. The chain of disasters is assembled well, but it's also pretty predictable. I can't see the show being anything but that, week after week - and considering it's called Worst Week (as opposed to, say, month or year), it's as though CBS already knows its limitations.

Will I watch? Doubtful. I'm curious to see if later episodes change the format, though.

To see a gallery of photos and watch a preview, just read more.

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Photos and video courtesy of CBS

Pilot Watch: Eli Stone

BuzzSugar — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 08:30:13 -0800

With several new series set to premiere this Winter, I'm resurrecting my occasional pilot watch feature to share my first impressions of the upcoming shows. Up today: Eli Stone, which premieres after Lost this Thursday.

What's it about? A ruthless San Francisco attorney starts seeing visions of George Michael and learns that he's either 1) a prophet, or 2) dying of a brain aneurysm.

Who's in it? Jonny Lee Miller, Victor Garber, Loretta Devine, Natasha Henstride

The good: Eli Stone is the comfort food version of TV: easy to watch, not too challenging, and ultimately satisfying. The show's executive producer - Greg Berlanti of Brothers & Sisters and Dirty Sexy Money - knows how to make good television, and it shows in the way the first episode of Eli balances its weighty moments, comedy, and bizarre musical fantasies. Jonny Lee Miller, cleaned up since his Trainspotting days, is a total charmer as the conflicted main character having to face both his own mortality and the fact that he might need to do something besides screw the little guy out of millions.

The bad: Eli is pretty quirky - though not Pushing Daisies or even Ally McBeal quirky - and it won't be everyone's cup of tea. The show has the potential to get cheesy fast, though at least for now, the way it acknowledges its own cheesiness (part of the pilot revolves around Eli's stereotypical visits to a Chinese acupuncturist who later turns out not to be Chinese at all) is part of the fun. It's also a weird show to pair with Lost, though that isn't the show's fault.

Will I watch? Definitely. It's purely enjoyable: the TV equivalent of a nice, heaping plate of mashed potatoes or a hot grilled cheese on a cold night, which is just what I need in the midst of the writers' strike.

To check out a gallery of photos and clips from the premiere, just read more.

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Pilot Watch: Lipstick Jungle

BuzzSugar — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 08:30:00 -0800

With several new series set to premiere this Winter, I'm resurrecting my occasional pilot watch feature to share my first impressions of the upcoming shows. Up today: Lipstick Jungle, the second of this season's shows focusing on friendships between powerful New York women, which premieres Feb. 7.

What's it about? Three powerful New York executives trying to balance their careers, families, and friendships.

Who's in it? Brooke Shields, Kim Raver, Lindsay Price

The good: While Darren Star and Patricia Field went to Cashmere Mafia, Candace Bushnell stayed with this one, which is based on her book. And, in a way, Cashmere might be the best thing that ever happened to this show, because I found myself comparing Lipstick to Cashmere rather than to the gold standard of such shows, Sex and the City. Maybe it's because there was already a book to draw from, but the plot lines in the pilot seems less hurried than Cashmere's, and the characters seem a bit more fully formed. It's good to see Shields again, and Raver holds her own with a story line that could quickly become ridiculous.

The bad: The show doesn't seem fully committed to being a drama or a comedy. I was actually a bit taken aback by its seriousness; it made the few lighter moments feel awkward. The pilot has its share of broad, character-defining moments that seem improbable if not just silly (though to be fair, that's a problem with a lot of pilots). And the pilot has more misses than hits when it comes to hitting those "I would totally say that!" moments that SaTC did so well; for example, I can't believe that a woman being hit on by a young, hot guy would interrupt him to say "Do you know how old I am?"

Will I watch? I'll stick with it. A few of the ongoing plot lines seem intriguing, and I'm surprised at how much I like Brooke Shields in this role. Overall, based on the first two episodes of each show, I'd give Lipstick a slight edge over Cashmere, though both could still use a lot of work.

To check out a preview and a gallery of photos, just read more.

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Photos courtesy of NBC

Pilot Watch: Cashmere Mafia

BuzzSugar — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 14:30:03 -0800

With several new series set to premiere this Winter, I'm resurrecting my occasional pilot watch feature to share my first impressions of the upcoming shows. First up is the highly anticipated ABC series Cashmere Mafia, which premieres this Sunday, Jan. 6, before moving to its regular Wednesday time slot.

What's it about? Four business-school friends turned powerful New Yorkers conquer the boardroom and the bedroom.

Who's in it? Lucy Liu, Miranda Otto, Bonnie Somerville, Frances O'Connor

The good: The show has its roots in Sex and The City, with writer Darren Star serving as the show's executive producer, so that's not a bad pedigree for another series about female friendships. The pilot has a few genuinely funny moments, especially from Somerville and Otto, the latter of whom looks and acts like a junior Bree (Van de Kamp) Hodge. The outfits from SaTC costume designer Patricia Field are alternately brilliant and horrible, but at least they're never dull.

The bad: The first episode introduces far too many convenient plot lines to make a coherent story: There's an engagement, then a broken engagement; an affair, its discovery, and revenge; a nanny introduced and quickly dropped; a lesbian plot line that evolves from a quick glance to a kiss in mere minutes. It's so frenetic and covers so much ground that when one character said "I'm late," I half expected the next line to be "I'm due in June; the baby's yours." (The second episode calms that pace down somewhat.) The show is supposed to be about the characters' office lives, but after two episodes, I still didn't know what three of them actually did. And, maybe worst of all, the four main characters don't have the easy chemistry of the SaTC ladies or even the Desperate Housewives.

Will I watch? Well, there's not much else on, so why not? Honestly, though, the second episode was a bit better than the first - though still not great - and so I suppose I'll give it a few more shots. The show only completed seven episodes before the strike started, so it's not a huge commitment.

To check out a preview and a gallery of photos, just read more.

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