The CW’s
president, Mark Pedowitz, emphasizes the social media appeal of his network.
The CW still gets poor ratings, but its social media scores are not poor.
During the upfront presentation, Mr. Pedowitz boasted about The Original’s
social media performance, and later added the network’s grown 43% since 2010.
Ratings matter less each season. Networks and advertisers like the numbers because
they have nothing else to use to gauge the success or lack of success for a
series. I think The CW is in a good place. One thing I did not preview was the
Veronica Mars web-series starring Ryan Hansen trying to get a spinoff made for
his character, Dick Casablancas.
CBS is CBS. The
network ordered more procedurals.
The CW
THE FLASH
Created By
Andrew Kreisburg, Geoff Johns, and Greg Berlanti
Premise: (from
The CW's press release, May 2014) Barry Allen was just 11 years old when his
mother was killed in a bizarre and terrifying incident and his father was
falsely convicted of the murder. With his life changed forever by the tragedy,
Barry was taken in and raised by Detective Joe West, the father of Barry's best
friend, Iris. Now, Barry has become a brilliant, driven and endearingly geeky
CSI investigator, whose determination to uncover the truth about his mother's
strange death leads him to follow up on every unexplained urban legend and
scientific advancement that comes along. Barry's latest obsession is a cutting
edge particle accelerator, created by visionary physicist Harrison Wells and
his S.T.A.R. Labs team, who claim that this invention will bring about
unimaginable advancements in power and medicine. However, something goes
horribly wrong during the public unveiling, and when the devastating explosion
causes a freak storm, many lives are lost and Barry is struck by lightning.
After nine months in a coma, Barry awakens to find his life has changed once
again - the accident has given him the power of super speed, granting him the
ability to move through Central City like an unseen guardian angel. Though
initially excited by his newfound powers, Barry is shocked to discover he is
not the only "meta-human" who was created in the wake of the
accelerator explosion - and not everyone is using their new powers for good. In
the months since the accident, the city has seen a sharp increase in missing
people, unexplained deaths and other strange phenomena. Barry now has a renewed
purpose - using his gift of speed to protect the innocent, while never giving
up on his quest to solve his mother's murder and clear his father's name. For
now, only a few close friends and associates know that Barry is literally the
fastest man alive, but it won't be long before the world learns what Barry
Allen has become... The Flash.
Thoughts:
Kreisburg, Johns, and Berlanti (along with Marc Guggenheim) have made
tremendous television with Arrow. Arrow’s the best super hero series on
television. The Flash seems likely to follow the structure, tone, and action-adventure
of Arrow. Arrow introduced Barry Allen last season (along with his two
friends), but he hasn’t been since the lightning strike. Suffice to say, he
survived the lightning strike. Marvel currently dominates movie adaptations of
comic books. People wonder how DC can compete with titanic Marvel Comics. Of
the two companies, DC has more forward momentum in television. Agents of
S.H.I.E.L.D. slugged along for most of the season until Captain America.
Arrow’s production team was not limited by movies. Superman vs. Batman won’t affect
The Flash. The Flash won’t need to sacrifice storytelling because of an
upcoming movie.
The CW would
love for 16 million people to watch weekly. 16 million watched the extended
trailer that’s available to watch on YouTube.
JANE THE VIRGIN
Created By
Jennie Snyder Urman & Perla Farias
Premiere Date: Monday, October 13 at 9PM
Premise: (from
The CW's press release, May 2014) When Jane Villanueva was a young girl, her
grandmother, Alba, convinced her of two things: telenovelas are the highest
form of entertainment, and women must protect their virginity at all costs. Now
age 23, Jane is a driven young woman studying to become a teacher, nursing a
dream to be a writer, and supporting herself with a job at a hot new Miami
hotel. All the years of watching telenovelas with the two women who raised her
- her sexy, young-at-heart mother, Xiomara, and her still-devout grandmother,
Alba - have given Jane a slightly unrealistic view of romance. Still, she is
determined not to make the same mistake her mother made - becoming an unwed
mother at 16. Jane has managed to find a wonderful fiancé: a handsome,
hard-working detective named Michael, who loves her enough to accept her
detailed timeline for their future together and even her insistence on
"saving herself" until they're married. All of Jane's meticulous life
plans are turned upside down, however, when she sees her doctor for a routine
check-up and is accidentally artificially inseminated with a specimen meant for
the patient in the next room. Unbeknownst to her, the specimen belongs to
Rafael, a reformed playboy and cancer survivor, who is not only the new owner
of the hotel where Jane works but also a former summer crush of hers. A few
weeks later, the unsuspecting Jane is faced with the most important decisions
of her life. Will she continue with the pregnancy? How can she explain the
situation to her fiancé and family? And what should she do about the wishes of
the biological father, Rafael, and his scheming wife Petra? Though she has
always tried to be the good girl who does the right thing, Jane's life has
suddenly become as dramatic and complicated as the telenovelas she has always
loved.
Thoughts: Jane
the Virgin stood out to me because it marks the triumphant return of Justin
Baldoni, formerly of Everwood, in the role of Rafael, the cancer survivor and
former crush of the titular Jane Villanueva. The CW develops these warm-hearted
dramas that usually last multiple seasons—at least two, if not more. The
preview centers on the close bond between the three generations of Villanuevas,
and the importance of love. The antithesis of love in the series is represented
by the ‘scheming’ Petra, blonde and immaculate. Petra’s similar to the blonde
schemer on Hart of Dixie. There’s always a blond schemer. Jane The Virgin
certainly has potential.
CBS
MADAM SECRETARY
Created By
Barbara Hall
Premise: (from
CBS's press release, May 2014) MADAM SECRETARY stars Téa Leoni as Elizabeth
McCord, the shrewd, determined, newly appointed Secretary of State who drives
international diplomacy, battles office politics and circumvents protocol as
she negotiates global and domestic issues, both at the White House and at home.
A college professor and a brilliant former CIA analyst who left for ethical reasons,
Elizabeth returns to public life at the request of the President following the
suspicious death of her predecessor. The President values her apolitical
leanings, her deep knowledge of the Middle East, her flair for languages and
her ability to not just think outside the box, but to not even acknowledge
there is a box. McCord's team includes her Chief of Staff Nadine Tolliver (Emmy
Award winner Bebe Neuwirth), speechwriter Matt Mahoney (Geoffrey Arend), press
coordinator Daisy Grant (Patina Miller) and her charming assistant, Blake Moran
(Erich Bergen). As McCord debates third world problems and finesses foreign
dignitaries at work, that's just a warm-up for when she goes home to her
supportive husband Henry (Tim Daly) and their two bright children (Katherine
Herzer and Evan Roe), where "politics" and "compromise"
take on new meaning.
Premiere Date:
Sunday, September 21 at 8PM
Thoughts: What
‘new meaning’ do politics and compromise take on at home? Oh, CBS. That’s a bad
hook. The only worse hook would’ve been “But Elizabeth McCord’s public life is
nothing compared to her home life!” Of course, that would make it an ABC
sitcom. CBS’ First Look video essentially shrinks the “Pilot” into a
five-minute preview. Madam Secretary saves two kids from execution in Syria
while managing the home front and making allies and enemies in Washington;
plus, she maintains her principles, her sense of self, her independent spirit,
which we see displayed in two scenes: her exchange with a student, and her
resistance to the personal appearance assistant assigned to her by the
president. Madam Secretary is similar to USA’s Sigourney Weaver-led political
drama broadcast two summers ago. CBS hints Tea Leoni’s Madam Secretary will
eventually ascend to the presidency. Immediately, she will address
international and domestic issues, episode-by-episode, and investigate how the
previous secretary died. I’ll predict Zeljko Ivanek’s character planned the
previous secretary’s death. He made two light-hearted threats about respecting
him in the first episode. Madam Secretary seems like a solid series.
SCORPION
Created By Nick
Santora
Premise: (from
CBS's press release, May 2014) SCORPION, inspired by a true story, is a
high-octane drama about eccentric genius Walter O'Brien (Elyes Gabel) and his
team of brilliant misfits who comprise the last line of defense against
complex, high-tech threats of the modern age.
Premiere Date:
Monday, September 22 at 9PM
Thoughts: The
best procedurals involve action and adventure. Some of the better ones involve
an eccentric lead played by a recognizable lead. What if a procedural involves
action-adventure, an eccentric lead, played by a non-recognizable actor, and
his eccentric playmates? Well, it’s still a procedure. CBS profits from
procedurals because the audience devours procedurals. Procedurals are the heart
of the television industry machine. Scorpion comes from the Fast and the
Furious producers. Scorpion follows a genius and his team. Each episode,
they’ll figure out a defense that’ll work against high-tech threats. I’m not
sure about the Walter O’Brien/Katherine McPhee/genius kid storyline. Some it
smacks of Rian Johnson’s Looper, except the genius kid isn’t the massive
threat. Walter, for Katherine McPhee’s homely waitress character, represents a
connective line to her son. We all know where that storyline will go. The
secondary characters in Scorpion may not be more than devices/props/toys. I
don’t think one can build episodes around Finch from American Pie or the
socially lost mathematical genius character without it being derivative
nothing. At best, Scorpion should provide a decent distraction after a Monday’s
day of work. At worst, it’s still a procedural.
NCIS: NEW
ORLEANS
Created By Gary
Glasberg
Premiere Date:
Tuesday, September 23 at 9PM
Premise: (from
CBS's press release, May 2014) NCIS: NEW ORLEANS is a drama about the local
field office that investigates criminal cases affecting military personnel in
the Big Easy, a city known for its music, entertainment and decadence.
Thoughts: NCIS:
New Orleans will follow its older siblings in tone, structure, format, etc.
NCIS joins The Originals, TV’s other New Orleans drama. Neither show will match
the quality of David Simon’s and Eric Overmyer’s Treme.
STALKER
Created By Kevin
Williamson
Premiere Date:
Wednesday, October 1 at 10PM
Premise: (from
CBS's press release, May 2014) STALKER stars Maggie Q and Golden Globe Award
winner Dylan McDermott in a psychological thriller about detectives who
investigate stalking incidents - including voyeurism, cyber harassment and
romantic fixation - for the Threat Assessment Unit of the LAPD.
Thoughts: Kevin
Williamson battled critics at the CBS day during TCAs over Stalker. I assume
bad feelings lingered after The Following, which seemed to glorify violence
without condemning it. Williamson took to Twitter afterwards to make fun of
former AV Club TV Editor, Todd Vanderwerff, because Todd and others weren’t
nice to him about his shows. Kevin Williamson’s a hit-or-miss writer. Scream
and Scream 2 will always remain iconic horror movies. Scream launched his
career. Without Scream, there’s no Dawson’s Creek. Williamson’s last great
series was The Vampire Diaries, which he left a few seasons ago. Before that he
had a run of poor projects. I expect Stalker to match the quality of Cursed
rather than Scream or even The Faculty. Kevin Williamson inspired me to write
my first script at age 11 or 12 after I saw Scream for the first time. Before
the many writers I love and admire now, only Kevin Williamson inspired me. I’d
like Williamson to move away from psychological thrillers, horror series,
adaptations of poorly written young adult novels, and try another series
similar to Dawson’s Creek, Young Americans, or even Wasteland (maybe not
Wasteland).
THE MCCARTHYS
Created By Brian
Gallivan
Premiere Date:
Thursday, October 30 at 9:30pm
Premise: (from
CBS's press release, May 2014) THE McCARTHYS is a multi-camera comedy about a
loud, sports-crazed Boston family whose somewhat athletically challenged son,
Ronny (Tyler Ritter), is chosen by his father to be his assistant high school
basketball coach, much to the surprise of his more qualified siblings. Ronny
wants nothing more than to move away, join the singles scene and find a
partner. His distraught mother, Marjorie (Laurie Metcalf), is not upset that
her favorite son is gay, but that he wants to leave Boston and his family.
Ronny's plans change, however, when his politically incorrect and outspoken
father, Arthur (Jack McGee), stuns everyone with his choice for an assistant.
Touched by his father's offer, Ronny embarks on a completely different future -
and he can be sure that his loving, tight-knit family is going to have a very
vocal opinion about it.
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