Here is the third part of a look at some of the genre pilots currently in production for each of the major networks. (Thanks to Blastr for some of the background information!) Looks like NBC has an interesting variety to consider:
17th PRECINCT
Stars: Esai Morales (Caprica) and Battlestar Galactica’s James Callis, Tricia Helfer and Jamie Bamber.
Log Line: This police drama from Battlestar’s Ronald D. Moore takes place in an alternate version of San Francisco where magic rules instead of science. Michael Rymer (Battlestar Galactica) directs the pilot.
I have no idea if this would have any chance of succeeding, but the “BSG”/”Caprica” reunion party that this pilot has become makes me want to see news of an immediate pickup. It all comes down to execution, as usual, but this has tons of potential just waiting to be exploited.
GRIMM
Stars: David Giuntoli (Eli Stone), Reggie Lee (No Ordinary Family), Bitsie Tulloch (Lonelygirl15), Russell Hornsby (Haunted), Sasha Roiz (Caprica) and Silas Weir Mitchell
Log Line: A cop discovers that fairytale creatures are real and ends up being tasked with protecting humans from them. From David Greenwalt (Angel) and Jim Kouf (National Treasure).
This sounds like competition for “Once Upon a Time” over at ABC, so it would be weird if both of them wound up getting a series order (like the “Studio 60”/”30 Rock” thing a few years back). Despite Greenwalt, this really doesn’t have the cast to use as a highlight.
REM
Stars: Jason Isaacs (Harry Potter), Laura Allen (The 4400), Dylan Minnette (Lost), Cherry Jones (24), B.D. Wong (Jurassic Park)
Log Line: An Inception-like thriller that follows a police detective (Isaacs) after a horrible car accident when he finds himself living in two different realities. In one his son survived, and in the other his wife lived. From creator Kyle Killen (Lone Star), executive producer Howard Gordon (24) and consulting producer Tim Minear (Firefly, Angel).
The inevitable “Inception” cash-in series, but with an intriguing cast and Tim Minear, which is all for the good. But it also has Howard Gordon, one of my least favorite writer/producers. It’s got the high concept, but I have a bad feeling that it would degrade quickly under Gordon’s “write it on the fly” mentality.
WONDER WOMAN
Stars: Adrianne Palicki (Friday Night Lights), Justin Bruening (Knight Rider), Cary Elwes (Saw, The Princess Bride), Elizabeth Hurley (Austin Powers) and Pedro Pascal (The Adjustment Bureau)
Log Line: Updated from the DC comics, this Wonder Woman is a successful corporate executive and modern woman in L.A. when she’s not taking on bad guys as a vigilante crime fighter. From creator David E. Kelley (The Practice), with Jeffrey Reiner (The Event) directing the pilot.
Sigh. A show that will almost certainly get picked up, even though it already feels like a reboot train wreck on the order of “Bionic Woman” or “Knight Rider”. “Wonder Woman” worked during a time when camp was cool, and the flaws could be more easily dismissed. The Linda Carter show never would have passed muster in the modern age, and this looks inferior on several fronts. Never mind that David E. Kelley is a hack.
