Pilot Season! NBC Edition
WHITNEY
What's it about? Oh look, it's a sitcom about Whitney who's been in a relationship with a guy for five years and she's got a single friend and another friend in a fairly new relationship and her boyfriend has a single friend who is a horndog. Basically, it's every sitcom ever.
Who's responsible for it? The Devil? Oh wait, no, it's stand-up comedienne Whitney Cummings. Faces I recognized: Rhea Seehorn and Maulik Pancholik in a rare straight role.
Did I like it? OMGNO! Hey, Whitney, the late 1990s called, they want their show back. This pilot was excrutiating. I usually don't mind multi-camera studio sitcoms with a laugh track, but this one felt just like a bad episode of Ellen. There are maybe two good lines in it (which are probably just outtakes from Whitney Cumming's stand-up routine), the rest is cringe-worthily bad. At one point Whitney tries roleplaying to spice up her sex life, so she dresses up as a sexy nurse and surprises her boyfriend - only to hand him a lot of medical insurance forms to fill out. Who thought that would be funny? It's just stupid and treats the characters like idiots. So, just how I felt when I watched it.
BENT
What's it about? Freshly divorced mother of a ten-year-old daughter hires a contractor to re-build her house. He is an irresponsible womanizer still living with his dad, she is THE EXACT OPPOSITE! But they're both hot, especially for each other, so they snark at each other a lot.
Who's responsible for it? Amanda Peet and David Walton are the respective love interests (I'm one of the six people in the world who like David Walton so I'm happy with that couple). Jeffrey Tambor plays the father.
Did I like it? Too soon to tell. It was a pleasant, laid-back way to spend twenty minutes and it's refreshing to have a single-camera comedy that's neither a mockumentary or a frantic joke-machine. But it just doesn't feel like a pilot at all. It doesn't even feel like a TV show. From the look and the tone down to the writing and the quirky sidekicks it just screams "standard rom-com movie". Even the premise is a typical movie premise, how long will it take to re-build the house? If it was the beginning of a movie I'd probably stick around for another hour, but it is a TV show and I have no idea why. Honestly, it's one of the most puzzling pilots I've ever seen.
GRIMM
What's it about? Cop suddenly sees certain people's faces turn into demonic faces. Then he learns from his aunt that he's the latest "descendant of the Grimms" who fight against unspecified creatures. With this knowledge and the help from a human wolf he tries to find a kidnapped girl. It's basically Supernatural with a bland cop instead of two sexy brothers.
Who's responsible for it? Angel-writers Jim Kouf and David Greenwalt created it, David Giuntoli is our hero, but the real stand-out is Silas Weir Mitchell as the big bad wolf.
Did I like it? Meh. There's nothing in it that you haven't seen before and in the end it's just a formulaic cop show, the mythology is just as much a cypher as the hero's girlfriend he supposedly cares about. Who are those demonic creatures and where do they come from? Who are the Grimms and what are their powers? Questions that aren't answered here, instead we see really bad detective work and in the end the whole case of the missing girl is solved by the wolf guy simply leading the cops to the house of the kidnapper. Right now, I have no idea why I should root for that hero. And damn, does this show take itself too seriously. A little dose of humour could definitely help, right now it's just way too grimm. A little more magic could also help, the show feels as if they were too afraid to alienate the non-fantasy fans so a red hoodie on the first victim is practically the only thing that evokes a bit of fairytale feeling. The effect with the demonic faces is pretty nifty though.
SMASH
What's it about? It's a drama series about a group of people working on a Broadway musical about the life of Marilyn Monroe. One of the composers is in the process of adopting a baby, the other composer hates the director. The producer is currently divorcing her husband who was also her business partner. And two young actresses are competing for the lead role. It's actually a lot like Friday Night Lights if it were set on Broadway. Being Marilyn is just as important as being quarterback.
Who's responsible for it? Based on an idea by Steven Spielberg, it was created by NYPD Blue- (and Catwoman-)writer Theresa Rebeck. There's a bunch of stars in it, Broadway and otherwise: Debra Messing and Christian Borle are the composers, Anjelica Houston plays the producer, Megan Hilty and Katherine McPhee are the competing actresses, Jack Davenport plays the director. The pilot features some original songs from the composers of Hairspray and Catch Me If You Can.
Did I like it? Definitely! It helps that I'm kind of a theater geek, but just like Friday Night Lights is not really about football, you can also go into Smash not knowing anything about Broadway musicals. The characters matter and those all shine and are three-dimensional: The writing is excellent and the acting is stellar, after one hour I know how every single one of them ticks. There are a few musical numbers in the pilot, but they are all audition pieces and organically integrated into the plot, this show is definitely intended for a mature audience and not pop-obsessed teenagers. Seriously, give this one a try. I can't recommend it enough.
NEXT UP: Free Agents, plus the screeners of Family Practice, Wonder Woman and the hilarious 17th Precinct
What's it about? Oh look, it's a sitcom about Whitney who's been in a relationship with a guy for five years and she's got a single friend and another friend in a fairly new relationship and her boyfriend has a single friend who is a horndog. Basically, it's every sitcom ever.
Who's responsible for it? The Devil? Oh wait, no, it's stand-up comedienne Whitney Cummings. Faces I recognized: Rhea Seehorn and Maulik Pancholik in a rare straight role.
Did I like it? OMGNO! Hey, Whitney, the late 1990s called, they want their show back. This pilot was excrutiating. I usually don't mind multi-camera studio sitcoms with a laugh track, but this one felt just like a bad episode of Ellen. There are maybe two good lines in it (which are probably just outtakes from Whitney Cumming's stand-up routine), the rest is cringe-worthily bad. At one point Whitney tries roleplaying to spice up her sex life, so she dresses up as a sexy nurse and surprises her boyfriend - only to hand him a lot of medical insurance forms to fill out. Who thought that would be funny? It's just stupid and treats the characters like idiots. So, just how I felt when I watched it.
BENT
What's it about? Freshly divorced mother of a ten-year-old daughter hires a contractor to re-build her house. He is an irresponsible womanizer still living with his dad, she is THE EXACT OPPOSITE! But they're both hot, especially for each other, so they snark at each other a lot.
Who's responsible for it? Amanda Peet and David Walton are the respective love interests (I'm one of the six people in the world who like David Walton so I'm happy with that couple). Jeffrey Tambor plays the father.
Did I like it? Too soon to tell. It was a pleasant, laid-back way to spend twenty minutes and it's refreshing to have a single-camera comedy that's neither a mockumentary or a frantic joke-machine. But it just doesn't feel like a pilot at all. It doesn't even feel like a TV show. From the look and the tone down to the writing and the quirky sidekicks it just screams "standard rom-com movie". Even the premise is a typical movie premise, how long will it take to re-build the house? If it was the beginning of a movie I'd probably stick around for another hour, but it is a TV show and I have no idea why. Honestly, it's one of the most puzzling pilots I've ever seen.
GRIMM
What's it about? Cop suddenly sees certain people's faces turn into demonic faces. Then he learns from his aunt that he's the latest "descendant of the Grimms" who fight against unspecified creatures. With this knowledge and the help from a human wolf he tries to find a kidnapped girl. It's basically Supernatural with a bland cop instead of two sexy brothers.
Who's responsible for it? Angel-writers Jim Kouf and David Greenwalt created it, David Giuntoli is our hero, but the real stand-out is Silas Weir Mitchell as the big bad wolf.
Did I like it? Meh. There's nothing in it that you haven't seen before and in the end it's just a formulaic cop show, the mythology is just as much a cypher as the hero's girlfriend he supposedly cares about. Who are those demonic creatures and where do they come from? Who are the Grimms and what are their powers? Questions that aren't answered here, instead we see really bad detective work and in the end the whole case of the missing girl is solved by the wolf guy simply leading the cops to the house of the kidnapper. Right now, I have no idea why I should root for that hero. And damn, does this show take itself too seriously. A little dose of humour could definitely help, right now it's just way too grimm. A little more magic could also help, the show feels as if they were too afraid to alienate the non-fantasy fans so a red hoodie on the first victim is practically the only thing that evokes a bit of fairytale feeling. The effect with the demonic faces is pretty nifty though.
SMASH
What's it about? It's a drama series about a group of people working on a Broadway musical about the life of Marilyn Monroe. One of the composers is in the process of adopting a baby, the other composer hates the director. The producer is currently divorcing her husband who was also her business partner. And two young actresses are competing for the lead role. It's actually a lot like Friday Night Lights if it were set on Broadway. Being Marilyn is just as important as being quarterback.
Who's responsible for it? Based on an idea by Steven Spielberg, it was created by NYPD Blue- (and Catwoman-)writer Theresa Rebeck. There's a bunch of stars in it, Broadway and otherwise: Debra Messing and Christian Borle are the composers, Anjelica Houston plays the producer, Megan Hilty and Katherine McPhee are the competing actresses, Jack Davenport plays the director. The pilot features some original songs from the composers of Hairspray and Catch Me If You Can.
Did I like it? Definitely! It helps that I'm kind of a theater geek, but just like Friday Night Lights is not really about football, you can also go into Smash not knowing anything about Broadway musicals. The characters matter and those all shine and are three-dimensional: The writing is excellent and the acting is stellar, after one hour I know how every single one of them ticks. There are a few musical numbers in the pilot, but they are all audition pieces and organically integrated into the plot, this show is definitely intended for a mature audience and not pop-obsessed teenagers. Seriously, give this one a try. I can't recommend it enough.
NEXT UP: Free Agents, plus the screeners of Family Practice, Wonder Woman and the hilarious 17th Precinct