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Spot the Fake Pilot, Part II: Reality Edition!

BuzzSugar — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 05:45:48 -0700

Some of you were superstars at my quiz about fake TV pilots last week, so I decided to try to stump you again. Once again, the questions below are descriptions of TV shows that could be coming soon to a major network or cable channel near you. Once again, some of the shows are honest-to-pete real series or pilots, while others are mere ideas in my mind. Here's the new twist: This time, all the descriptions are of reality shows.

Reality shows are getting more and more ridiculous, as last week's news about ABC's show about people falling proves. Can you tell which of these really have a shot at coming to a small screen near you? Good luck!

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Can You Spot the Fake Pilots?

BuzzSugar — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 05:30:57 -0700

With the writers' strike over and the Upfronts just two months away, networks are starting to check out their pilots for the Fall TV season. We've heard a lot about how this year might be different (fewer pilots overall, more networks waiting till midseason to launch their new shows), but one thing is the same: A whole bunch of ridiculous-sounding pilots are already on the docket.

Some of the descriptions in the quiz below are real shows the networks are considering for next season. Others are fake shows I made up just for kicks. Can you spot which ones have a chance of making it to a small screen near you? Good luck!

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What We Could Be Watching: New York TV Fest Pilots

BuzzSugar — Tue, 11 Sep 2007 09:30:00 -0700

If the new crop of fall pilots that will premiere in a week or two is making you wring your hands over the current state of television, you might want to check out some of the alternative pilots screened at the recent New York Television Festival. The festival brought in 28 independent (read: non-network) pilots to compete in categories including drama, comedy and unscripted shows.

Three of the pilots won awards over the weekend: "Apartment 413," which used puppets in a suburban satire, won the prize for best comedy, while "Dear Harvard," about a prep school girl whose father is charged with securities fraud, was named the best drama. The biggest winner overall was "The Gauntlet," an unscripted series in which people with strange jobs (Zamboni driver; ice sculptor) face off for bragging rights. The show captured the prize in its category, and it also won the $10,000 artistic achievement award.

Some of the pilots sound good, but I wonder if they could actually hold their own on a network schedule. You can check out the trailers for all 28, and then let me know: Do you wish any of them were coming soon to a small screen near you?

Spot the Fake TV Pilots: The Answers!

BuzzSugar — Mon, 26 Mar 2007 10:06:22 -0700

How good were you at picking out the fake TV pilots? Whether you were a hapless viewer or a network executive, don't fear - I've got your answers right here. To see which shows could be coming soon to a TV near you, and which I made up just for kicks, read more

A drama about a suburban neighborhood watch group gone haywire
Answer: Real! This is an NBC pilot tentatively titled "The Watch."

A comedy about two soda salesman on a never-ending business trip
Answer: Real! This is an NBC pilot tentatively titled "Business Class."

A drama about a private investigator/vampire who's in love with a mortal
Answer: Real! This is a CBS pilot tentatively titled "Twilight."

A dramedy about four 20-something best friends in Chicago who vow not to have sex until marriage
Answer: Fake!

A drama about a family who must figure out the identity of a mysterious person revealed in their mother's will
Answer: Fake!

A comedy about an office in the Nevada desert that must watch over a manipulative alien
Answer: Real! This is an NBC pilot tentatively titled "Area 57."

A drama about a police detective who is secretly centuries old
Answer: Real! This is a Fox pilot tentatively titled "New Amsterdam."

A comedy about a set of competitive triplets who are all doctors
Answer: Fake!

A drama about a girl raised by a pack of wolves who attends a boarding school to become more human
Answer: Fake!

A dramedy about the devil's bounty hunter, who reclaims souls that have escaped from hell
Answer: Real! This is a CW pilot tentatively titled "The Reaper."

For more info on the real pilots, check out the Futon Critic's devwatch or Variety's pilot watch. Thanks for playing!

Quiz: Can You Spot the Fake TV Pilots?

BuzzSugar — Sun, 25 Mar 2007 23:46:54 -0700

The networks are prepping their pilots for the Fall TV season, and every year, there seem to be more and more ridiculous shows in development. In the coming weeks, I'll be looking at some of the big trends and trying to predict which pilots will make it to air.

But for now, I've taken some of the more unbelievable descriptions of this Fall's potential shows and mixed them in with some fakes. Can you tell the real TV pitches from the fake ones? (When you're done, you can see the answers here.)

A drama about a suburban neighborhood watch group gone haywire

Real

Fake

A comedy about two soda salesman on a never-ending business trip

Real

Fake

A drama about a private investigator/vampire who's in love with a mortal

Real

Fake

A dramedy about four 20-something best friends in Chicago who vow not to have sex until marriage

Real

Fake

A drama about a family who must figure out the identity of a mysterious person revealed in their mother's will

Real

Fake

A comedy about an office in the Nevada desert that must watch over a manipulative alien

Real

Fake

A drama about a police detective who is secretly centuries old

Real

Fake

A comedy about a set of competitive triplets who are all doctors

Real

Fake

A drama about a girl raised by a pack of wolves who attends a boarding school to become more human

Real

Fake

A dramedy about the devil's bounty hunter, who reclaims souls that have escaped from hell

Real

Fake

Christopher Guest, Mitchell Hurwitz Teaming Up for Pilot

BuzzSugar — Tue, 27 Feb 2007 05:00:40 -0800

Here's something to snap you out of that post-Oscars funk: "Arrested Development" creator Mitchell Hurwitz and Waiting for Guffman writer/director Christopher Guest are teaming up to make a comedy pilot for ABC.

According to Zap2it, Guest will be directing Hurwitz's adaptation of a British show called "The Thick of It," which - no surprises here - is filmed like a mockumentary.

My inner "Arrested Development" fan is already mourning the show's demise, but I'm going to try to be optimistic for a little while. After all, that other faux-British-documentary-turned-American-sitcom seems to be doing alright for itself, and Guest and Hurwitz rarely disappoint. What do you all think?

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TV Preview: "The Black Donnellys"

BuzzSugar — Mon, 26 Feb 2007 11:11:36 -0800

I'm just going to say this up front: NBC's "The Black Donnellys" is a little like "The Sopranos," if all of Tony Soprano's associates were incredibly attractive young men. Between the good-looking cast and the cinematic, almost epic look of the pilot, "The Black Donnellys," which premieres tonight, is definitely doing just fine in the eye-candy department.

The show, which is taking over the "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip" time slot for an undetermined amount of time, also has star power: creator/producer Bobby Moresco and writer Paul Haggis, both of Crash and Million Dollar Baby fame. Though both have worked in television before (most notably on the mid-'90s crime drama "EZ Streets"), their film work has garnered them most of their recognition. So it's no surprise that the first episode of "The Black Donnellys" feels like a movie, with its expertly composed visuals and tricksy editing. Yet for all its glitz, the show's pilot was only OK. To hear why, read more

The pilot moves at a dizzying pace, spurred on by "Joey Ice Cream" (Keith Nobbs), a classic unreliable narrator who tells (and constantly changes) his story from a jail cell. We're quickly introduced to the Donnelly brothers, four rough-and-tumble Irish boys from New York City who fall into a life of organized crime. Between the boys' backstory and the crime plot, there's a lot to digest in the first hour. Even with the luxury of a remote control to pause and rewind, I still got confused about which brother was which, which boss ruled the neighborhood, and which peripheral characters were on the Donnellys' side.

In fact, the only standout from the pilot is Tommy Donnelly (Jonathan Tucker), the sensitive art student who would leave the neighborhood if not for his unofficial job getting his brothers out of trouble. He's the rational one, the one you root for, and so it's perfect that he's the focus of the big twist at the end of the pilot.

I've seen my share of gangster stories, so I can't say that twist was entirely unexpected - but the last 10 minutes had me riveted nonetheless. I'm not sure if that's a tribute to Tucker's acting or to the way those scenes were written and shot, but while I was ready to discard the rest of the pilot, those 10 minutes made me want to see another episode.

"The Black Donnellys" is very different from "Studio 60," and judging from the pilot, I think it will also be a tough fit in the post-"Heroes" time slot. The tangle of characters and plot points in the first episode might drive viewers away; after all, that's one thing that killed many of this season's serial dramas such as NBC's "Kidnapped" and ABC's "The Nine."

Then again, those last 10 minutes are good. Maybe it will be just enough to tide me over until "The Sopranos" returns in April.

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Kate Walsh Gets "Grey's" Spinoff

BuzzSugar — Wed, 21 Feb 2007 10:52:25 -0800

You've probably figured out by now that Kate Walsh (aka Dr. Addison Montgomery) is one of my favorite things about "Grey's Anatomy." So I am very interested in the news that the late-addition-turned-regular is set to star in her own "Grey's" spinoff on ABC.

According to a Wall Street Journal story published Wednesday, the still-untitled series is being developed by "Grey's" creator Shonda Rhimes and is likely to debut as a two-hour pilot in May.

As "Grey's Anatomy" insider points out, it's less common in this day and age for networks to pursue traditional spinoffs (a la "Frasier") but with a hit like "Grey's," can you really blame them? What do you guys think about the news? To hear my take, read more

So, wow. I'm conflicted about this one. It has been feeling a little crowded over at Seattle Grace recently with so many once-peripheral characters becoming series regulars, and I certainly wouldn't complain about watching an hour of Addison each week. Plus, I think Kate Walsh is a strong enough actress to hold down her own show; she's one of the best on "Grey's" when it comes to handling both the dramatic moments and the funny bits.

On the other hand, I'm worried this might be overreaching - and that it could hurt both shows. I'd hate for this to mean no more Addison on "Grey's," because I think she adds a lot to the dynamic. And as big as "Grey's" is now, I'm not sure its goodwill can carry over to a second show - especially after this somewhat up-and-down season.

I wonder if Kate Walsh was alluding to this when she joked on "Jimmy Kimmel Live" last week that with Meredith dead, she'd be taking over. Here's the video:

Oprah's Getting in Bed With HBO

BuzzSugar — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 11:30:39 -0800

Well, kind of. The days of Oprah Winfrey's talk show may be numbered, but don't expect her to disappear anytime soon. Just a few days after her big announcement, the media mogul already has a project with HBO in the works - and she's kicking things up a notch. Her company Harpo films is working to develop a steamy hour-long pilot about a woman who abandons her family in LA to explore her sexual fantasies and desires.

Erin Cressida Wilson is on board to write, which seems fitting since she also penned the S&M-themed flick Secretary. Oprah will be one of the executive producers.

HBO has never shied away from racy shows (True Blood, anyone?) - but it still feels kinda strange to see Oprah's name attached to a project that's centered on overtly sexual storylines. Then again, it's not like Winfrey will be the one starring in it, and I'm always game for something new from HBO.

Joshua Jackson Sets His Sights on a UFO

BuzzSugar — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 08:15:53 -0800

Looks like Joshua Jackson is ready to take his sci-fi acting experience from Fringe to the big screen. The actor will star in UFO, a film adaptation of the British TV series from the '70s. Jackson will play leading man Paul Foster, a test pilot who must protect our planet from a new race of body-snatching extraterrestrials.

As a bonus, Matthew Gratzner - the man behind Iron Man and Superman Returns - is on board for special effects, so you know Jackson's pretty face won't be the only stunning visual.

We haven't seen a whole lot of Jackson on the silver screen recently, so I'm looking forward to his triumphant return - even if alien entertainment isn't exactly my favorite genre. What do you make of this news? Are you familiar with the original TV show?