Wonderful TV Pilots not Picked Up This Season
Posted by Jim on Thursday, July 08, 2010 in Author • Neely Swanson - Former SVP of Development for David E. Kelley, current adjunct professor at USC • Media Research • TV Blogs • (2) Comments • Permalink •
“The time has come," the Walrus said,
"To talk of many things:
Of shoes--and ships--and sealing-wax--
Of cabbages--and kings--
And why the sea is boiling hot--
And whether pigs have wings.”
Ah, yes, the age old question, here posed by Lewis Carroll in Through the Looking Glass. Do pigs have wings? Given some of the Network pickups, we’ll soon find out because in lieu of what they chose, they left some absolutely wonderful pilots standing at the curb. I will not express surprise, as some were just too good and unusual to ever find a place, no matter what, no matter where; some were made for the wrong network; some were miscast; and some were… well I don’t know why they weren’t picked up.
One network left more good material on the table than any other and deserves an entire article – ABC. Although not entirely dead, “Edgar Floats,” written by Rand Ravich and starring Tom Cavanaugh and one of my all time favorite, but criminally underused, character actors Jason Kravitz, is about a police psychologist who finds himself in financial straits and must take up a second job – as a bounty hunter working for his ex-father-in-law. Edgar, using his psychological training to good effect, finds that his exceptional skill is in finding the “Judas” in the life of the person who jumped bail, and using that information, he is able to trace the criminal. The premise is intriguingly different and the written character development was exceptional. “Edgar Floats” was one of my very favorites, so I hope that the order for 6 additional scripts is a good sign (especially considering the weakness of the shows that ABC did pick up to series).
I really liked the half hour pilot entitled “Nolan Knows Best” by Dana Gould about a grounded, sympathetic high school guidance counselor whose life is about to become much more complicated when his father, a demanding, irascible former football coach (at Nolan’s school) is about to move in with him and his physician wife. Though no new ground is broken here, Gould has created warm, empathetic, well-developed characters that make this family comedy seem fresh. Instead ABC picked up Rom/Coms “Happy Endings” and “Better Together”? Which brings us to “Funny in Farsi,” a marvelous character-driven comedy based on a book of the same name that recounts, from a middle schooler’s point of view, the trials and tribulations faced by her immigrant family after moving from Iran in the 70s to Newport Beach. The script was so laugh-out-loud funny and fresh that I knew instantly that it would never be picked up. I also knew that “It Takes a Village” by Casey Johnson and David Windsor would never be picked up. Howard and Karen Keener, now divorced, share custody of George, 14. They live across the street from one another. Karen is remarried to Carl, a relatively insensitive sports fanatic (at least according to George) who stays out of custody issues, especially since they are fairly complicated given the fact that Howard has come out of the closet and is about to let his lover, Scott, move in. Karen, very controlling, is feeling left out and Steve, an aerobics instructor, is pretty clueless about teenagers. The character development is wonderful and elevates this comedy above most others and the casting of James Patrick Stewart (a long time favorite of mine who deserves to be seen on a regular basis) and Cheyenne Jackson (a Broadway star of enormous talent) were inspired choices for the roles of Carl and Scott, respectively. It’s so different and so funny that it never had a chance.
ABC also produced two drama pilots that I loved, but neither was ever going to be a fit for a network that avoids dark, dangerous arenas; both shows would have fit nicely within the FBC or FX brand, or might have been good additions to the NBC “shot gun approach” to programming. In any case, both dramas were superior products. The first, entitled “Cutthroat” written by Michelle Fazekas and Tara Butters, concerns the trials and tribulations of a Beverly Hills soccer mom who also happens to be the accountant for the Tijuana drug cartel founded by her now deceased father. She must take Michael Corleone-style action against the violent new head of the cartel, while also plotting to get her son Alex into the prestigious private school that has rejected him. How can you not love such a mother? I thought this was the most exciting and best written pilot of the season; and it was never going to be seen on ABC. The second excellent pilot was entitled “Boston’s Finest,” written by Richard Hatem. Successfully incorporating his bent for Sci/Fi with police drama, “Boston’s Finest” is about a young female cop who is saved from certain death by a shadow – a supposedly corrupt cop, presumed dead, who went underground to try to clear his name. Surreptitiously teaming with the young cop, they set out to solve crimes and clear his name. The supporting cast chosen for this drama was especially interesting as it included acting legends Treat Williams and Kate Burton, along with the always wonderful Nia Long and Richard T. Jones. Again, this was not a fit for this network and would have probably been better suited to cable.
It might be wise for ABC to trigger the second bite on the above pilots as it is possible that the choices they did make might not last until midseason.
Next up – everyone else.
Neely Swanson Formerly Senior Vice President of Development for David E. Kelley Productions, Neely is presently an adjunct professor at the USC School of Cinematic Arts in the writing division teaching “The Entertainment Industry Seminar.” Neely also writes a blog about writers and wonderful scripts they’ve written that have never made it to the big or little screen. Check out her blog at www.nomeanerplace.com.
