Pilots

It's pilot season at the major networks, more crucial this year at NBC due to the sudden need for 5 hours of programming at 10pm with the loss of The Jay Leno Show. As such, the Big Three (NBC, ABC & CBS) have ordered a total of 60 pilots, a handful of which will get series orders in May.

What's (already) disappointing is the lack of creativity in the concepts of these potential shows. True, a vague premise can only evoke so much interest and there's bound to be a winner or two among them, but that doesn't offset the fact that of 31 drama pilots, 17 are centered on law enforcement agencies and detectives (including some who solve crimes with unique observational skills - what a novel idea), 4 are legal dramas and 2 medical. What a relief! We hardly have ANY shows like that!

What we can look forward to are shows like "Mr. Sunshine," a sitcom starring Matthew Perry, Andrea Anders and Allison Janney; "No Ordinary Family," a drama about the home life of a family of superheroes (think "The Incredibles") starring Michael Chiklis; Matthew Broderick takes a stab at the small screen. Most of the comedy pilots center on families. In a sea of "same old, same old" sitcom set-ups, cast and writing will determine success. ABC seems to have the lead on interesting new sitcoms, while CBS is developing no less than 8 law enforcement/detective dramas. NBC, sadly, doesn't seem to have anything noteworthy in the pipeline and they need a hit more than anyone. We'll see what rises to the top in a few months when the networks pitch to the advertisers. Until then, hope for the best, but keep your expectations low.