I'm excited about "The Listener" in particular. "Dollhouse" hasn't moved me.
"Fear Itself", as you said in the article, sounds DOA, unless they really do a
bang-up job on it across the board. "Middleman"- NO. "Sanctuary" is a maybe,
despite it having all the inroads with Skiffy. (In other words, I'm betting
against it *because* it's a Skiffy production.) "Section 8" sounds apropos.
"True Blood"- MORE NO.
Finally, "Wizard's First Rule" is a great novel series. Watch them find ways to
muck it up.
"Tracey de Morsella (formerly Tracey L. Minor)" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
Which ones are you guys looking forward to/? You
think any will
actually survive?/
Martin wrote:
> Left left one out. (Pun utterly intended, and welcome.)
>
> There's a series slated to air on A&E later this year, called "Cleaner". It
> stars Benjamin Bratt, once of "Law & Order", playing a guy who dies of a
> drug overdose after he loses his son, and is resurrected to help others beat
> their addictions, "by any means necessary".
>
> http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117980708.html?categoryid=14&cs=1
>
> "Tracey de Morsella (formerly Tracey L. Minor)" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> By ED LEFT
> Source: SyFy Portal
> Feb-18-2008
>
> The Writers Guild of America strike has ended, and the networks are
> making their plans for the remainder of the season and beyond. And
> because of the strike, we didn't have a normal pilot season.
>
> Instead, the networks started ordering series directly instead of
> ordering a pilot, or even ordered foreign series.
>
> Here's a look at the new series coming to your screens in the next
> twelve months or so.
>
> "Dollhouse" will air on Fox, was created and produced by Joss Whedon,
> and stars Eliza Dushku. It's about men and women imprinted with
> different personalities and skills for different assignments, and then
> having those personalities wiped clean when the assignment is completed.
>
> When between assignments, they live like children in the Dollhouse,
> their dormitory/laboratory. They live with no memories of which they
> are, until Echo, played by Dushku, begins to remember.
>
> I like the concept behind this show. If it was airing on a cable
> network, I think we'd have a winner. However, it will be airing on Fox.
>
> Joss Whedon is a genre fan favorite, but let's face it, he hasn't really
> had a hit show. Although "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and "Angel" had long
> runs, they ran on minor netlets. Neither show would have lasted on a
> major network. "Firefly" did air on a major network, and it was a
> ratings failure.
>
> Dushku previously starred in genre series "Tru Calling," and it also
> failed in the ratings. Combining Whedon, Dushku and Fox does not spell
> success. I think we'll only see the seven episodes contracted, if that.
>
> "Fear Itself," a horror anthology from NBC, promises be much like
> Showtime's "Masters of Horror," providing 60-minute telefilms by name
> horror writers and directors. Anthologies don't work on network
> television anymore. This one is doomed before it starts.
>
> "The Listener" is being produced by CTV in Canada, and has been bought
> by NBC to air this coming summer/fall. Paramedic Toby Logan, played by
> Craig Olejnik, has "the power to listen to people's most intimate thoughts."
>
> With the help of his friend and partner Osman Bey (Ennis Esmer), they
> save lives and solve mysteries. Borrowing from "Heroes," they take the
> most lame of abilities and build a show around it. It could work, but it
> would depend on the strength of the writing and the acting.
>
> I don't hold out much hope.
>
> "Middleman" from writer-producer Javier Grillo-Marxuach of "Lost" fame,
> stars Natalie Morales as a struggling artist recruited by an agency to
> fight comic-book style villains. Matt Keeslay co-stars as Middleman, her
> superhero guide and mentor.
>
> It's on ABC Family, so expect it to be pointed at the family crowd, and
> it will probably have a "Kyle XY" look and feel. It seems on ABC Family,
> cast and chemistry is the most important aspect. If they're likeable,
> the show will probably stick around.
>
> "Sanctuary," the Web series picked up by the SciFi Channel, stars Amanda
> Tapping as Dr. Helen Magnus. Magnus runs the Sanctuary, which is a home
> to various creatures of myth and legend, who must be tracked down and
> protected. Dr. Will Zimmerman, played by Robin Dunne assists her in her
> quest.
>
> It's cheap to produce, and airs on SciFi. It's a match made in heaven.
> It also has "Stargate SG-1" connections, which will bring in a
> ready-made audience. This show could have legs.
>
> "Section 8" has been picked up by ABC for a six-episode order. The
> premise is a group of everyday people with "advanced neurological
> abnormalities" who work for a secret government agency. This sounds like
> a very thinly veiled "Heroes" homage. Or maybe it's more like "Misfits
> of Science"? We'll find out.
>
> "True Blood" is brought to us by HBO, and is based on the Southern
> Vampire book series by Charlaine Harris. It features Sookie Stackhouse,
> played by Anna Paquin, a mind reading barmaid in Louisiana who falls in
> love with vampire Bill Compton, played by Stephen Moyer.
>
> Vampires are no longer a secret, and can feed on a synthetic blood
> developed by the Japanese. It's HBO, so you know they will be spending
> some money on it. But I wonder if vampire fans will tune into another
> vampire series so soon after the demise of "Blood Ties" and the fate of
> "Moonlight" still up in the air.
>
> Getting Anna Paquin to star was a good move, and it guarantees I will
> check out the pilot, at least.
>
> "Wizard's First Rule" is a new first-run syndication series set to air
> this fall. Produced by Spider-Man director Sam Raimi, this series is
> based on the "Sword of Truth" book series by Terry Goodkind, and
> "follows the extraordinary transformation of woodsman Richard Cypher
> into a magical leader who joins with a mysterious woman to stop a
> blood-thirsty tyrant."
>
> It has guaranteed coverage on the Tribune stations, so it will air in
> the major U.S. markets. Straight fantasy has never done well on the
> tube, but campy fantasy has. It remains to be seen which this will be.
>
> So there we have it, the new genre series coming to our TV in the next
> 12 or so months. This doesn't include any of the current shows
> returning, or any additional series ordered from pilots. There were a
> few pilots ordered before the strike, and more are going into production
> as we speak. Next time out, I'll go over the pilot projects in the works.
>
> If you'd like to chat about this column, you can join our message board
> discussions by clicking here.
>
> Ed Left is a columnist for SyFy Portal, who was kind enough to take his
> mittens off long enough to type this article. He also is the Webmaster
> of Sci-Fi On TV. He can be reached at [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> http://www.syfyportal.com/pagetogether.php?id=4731&page=3
>
>
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> "There is no reason Good can't triumph over Evil, if only angels will get
> organized along the lines of the Mafia." -Kurt Vonnegut, "A Man Without A
> Country"
>
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"There is no reason Good can't triumph over Evil, if only angels will get
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