Skip to main content

Dancing with the Upfronts: Dramas, Comedies in at Eye

With just a day to go before CBS officially unveils its 2007-08 schedule to advertisers, the Tiffany network nonetheless announced some early pickups for a few dramas and comedies. The selected few are a rather bizarre mix of period drama, supernatural mystery, musical, and a rolled over comedy from last year. (I said they were a diverse bunch.)

First up is Laughlin, a US adaptation of popular Brit skein Blackpool (which aired on this side of the pond as Viva Blackpool on BBC America), which fuses musical and mystery genres into one, overblown package. Series, which comes from Sony, BBC, and CBS Paramount, stars Lloyd Owen (Monarch of the Glen) as an owner of a small-time casino who dreams of transforming little Laughlin, Nevada into another Vegas but his plans are disrupted when an associate turns up dead. Hugh Jackman produces and guest stars in the pilot.

Then there's Moonlight (formerly known as Twilight), from Warner Bros. Television, which follows a private detective (Alex O'Loughlin) who is a vampire (hmmm, yes, I too thought of Angel and Forever Knight when I heard that) as he struggles with the curse of his immortality. I give it three episodes before it's yanked and put on innertube.

The most original program that CBS has developed this year is Swingtown, a 1970s-set period drama about some suburban partner-swapping couples, which would feel much more at home at sibling network Showtime than at CBS; still, it boasts a fantastic cast including Jack Davenport (Coupling) and Grant Show (Dirt), even if it does feel miles away from the tone of the innumerable CSI installments--and assorted other procedural dramas--the network currently airs.

Finally, there's Cane (formerly known as Los Duques), an intricate soapy drama about the members of two feuding families in the sugarcane/rum business in Florida; it's smart, slick, and has mega-watt star power in Jimmy Smits, Nestor Carbonell, Polly Walker, Alona Tal, Rita Moreno, and Hector Elizondo. (If you couldn't tell, I liked it.) It comes from CBS Paramount.

On the comedy side, CBS has officially picked up comedy Big Bang Theory, starring Johnny Galecki and Jim Parsons as a pair of theoretical physicists who meet a women (Kaley Cuoco) who teaches them about life outside the science lab. Project, from Warner Bros. Television, was developed last season.

Keep an eye on fellow comedy pilots I'm in Hell (starring Jason Biggs and Undeclared's Timm Sharp) and star-studded The Captain, about a washed-up 20-something writer who moves into the legendary Hollywood apartment complex. Project stars Fran Kranz (The TV Set), Chris Klein, Raquel Welch, and Jeffrey Tambor. Both are said to be under strong consideration for series orders.

CBS announces their 2007-08 lineup Wednesday, May 16th.

Comments

Anonymous said…
I think it's bizarre that they're doing an American version of Viva Blackpool. The original Brit version was pretty good but I just don't see it playing here.

Swingtown and Cane both have great casts but, otherwise, don't really interest me. Of the two, Cane sounds like it has more potential. I'll at least check out the first episode (if only because Rome is over and I need my Polly Walker fix).

I haven't heard anything about The Captain but that looks like it could be fun. Do you have any more info on it? Is it supposed to be good?
Anonymous said…
CBS is definitely trying to branch out, that's for sure. I just don't see Swingtown working, as it's set up. I think it becomes their desparate housewives and the swinger stuff fades out.
Anonymous said…
So ... am I nervous or optimistic that none of the early CBS leaks have said anything about Jericho at all ... ???
Unknown said…
I think you mean Raquel Welch. ;)

Popular posts from this blog

Katie Lee Packs Her Knives: Breaking News from Bravo's "Top Chef"

The android has left the building. Or the test kitchen, anyway. Top Chef 's robotic host Katie Lee Joel, the veritable "Uptown Girl" herself (pictured at left), will NOT be sticking around for a second course of Bravo's hit culinary competition. According to a well-placed insider, Joel will "not be returning" to the show. No reason for her departure was cited. Unfortunately, the perfect replacement for Joel, Top Chef judge and professional chef Tom Colicchio, will not be taking over as the reality series' host (damn!). Instead, the show's producers are currently scouring to find a replacement for Joel. Top Chef 's second season was announced by Bravo last month, but no return date has been set for the series' ten-episode sophomore season. Stay tuned as this story develops. UPDATE (6/27): Bravo has now confirmed the above story .

BuzzFeed: Meet The TV Successor To "Serial"

HBO's stranger-than-fiction true crime documentary The Jinx   — about real estate heir Robert Durst — brings the chills and thrills missing since Serial   wrapped up its first season. Serial   obsessives: HBO's latest documentary series is exactly what you've been waiting for.   The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst , like Sarah Koenig's beloved podcast, sifts through old documents, finds new leads from fresh interviews, and seeks to determine just what happened on a fateful day in which the most foul murder was committed. And, also like  Serial  before it,  The Jinx may also hold no ultimate answer to innocence or guilt. But that seems almost beside the point; such investigations often remain murky and unclear, and guilt is not so easy a thing to be judged. Instead, this upcoming six-part tantalizing murder mystery, from director Andrew Jarecki ( Capturing the Friedmans ), is a gripping true crime story that unfolds with all of the speed of a page-turner; it

BuzzFeed: "The Good Wife Is The Best Show On Television Right Now"

The CBS legal drama, now in its sixth season, continually shakes up its narrative foundations and proves itself fearless in the process. Spoilers ahead, if you’re not up to date on the show. At BuzzFeed, you can read my latest feature, " The Good Wife Is The Best Show On Television Right Now," in which I praise CBS' The Good Wife and, well, hail it as the best show currently on television. (Yes, you read that right.) There is no need to be delicate here: If you’re not watching The Good Wife, you are missing out on the best show on television. I won’t qualify that statement in the least — I’m not talking about the best show currently airing on broadcast television or outside of cable or on premium or however you want to sandbox this remarkable show. No, the legal drama is the best thing currently airing on any channel on television. That The Good Wife is this perfect in its sixth season is reason to truly celebrate. Few shows embrace complexity and risk-taking in t