Here is the fourth 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 FOX has a few shows on the slate. I wonder which ones will be picked up (and summarily canceled)?
ALCATRAZ
Stars: Sarah Jones (Sons of Anarchy), Jorge Garcia (Lost), Robert Forster (Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle), Sam Neill (Jurassic Park), Jason Butler Harner (Next) and Jonny Coyne
Log Line: A group of Alcatraz prisoners and guards vanish, only to reappear 30 years later leading a team of FBI agents to try to track them down and figure out the mystery behind their disappearance. From executive producer J.J. Abrams (Star Trek, Lost) and created by Bryan Wynbrandt (Kyle XY), Elizabeth Sarnoff (Lost) and Steven Lilien (Kyle XY). Danny Cannon (Judge Dredd) directs the pilot.
The other Abrams genre offering with a solid cast, great production pedigree, and concept just bizarre enough to make things interesting. I’m not sure about how it would spin out into a weekly series, but with “Lost” and “Kyle XY” folks behind it, I’d be willing to take a bet on it. (Of course, it’s FOX, so it could be picked up and then canceled before it hits the air…)
LOCKE & KEY
Stars: Jesse McCartney (Young Justice), Mark Pellegrino (Lost, Syfy’s Being Human), Miranda Otto (The Lord of the Rings), Nick Stahl (Carnivàle), Harrison Thomas, Sarah Bolger and Skylar Gaertner
Log Line: Based on the comic-book series by Joe Hill (Stephen King’s son), the series follows the adventures of the Locke children, who after the murder of their father move in with their uncle to the family’s estate in Lovecraft, Mass. There they discover special doorways that can be opened with keys hidden within the walls. Created by Josh Friedman (Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles). Executive-produced by Steven Spielberg and Fringe’s Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman.
Great cast, great production pedigree, solid source material. This one is much easier to conceive as a weekly series than a lot of the other genre pilots on the list, and it wouldn’t even need to be too serialized (always a boon to the networks). They’d have to try very hard to screw this one up.
TOUCH
Stars: Kiefer Sutherland (24)
Log Line: Life gets complicated for a JFK baggage handler when he discovers that his autistic, mute son can predict the future. This midseason replacement comes from Tim Kring (Heroes), with Charles McDougall (The Good Wife) directing the pilot. Sutherland is also on board as one of the executive producers.
Sutherland used to be a FOX staple, so this project has that going for it. But the concept seems a bit of a stretch, perhaps better as a film than a series, and Tim Kring lost all genre credibility after the debacle that was “Heroes”. Pass.