The 2007 ABC Drama Pilots

A few weeks back I posted my hopes and predictions for the new fall TV lineups from the "big four" networks. I did a few brief write-ups on new pilots I've read about and would like to see on the schedules. Thing is, it was all wishful thinking. I have a better chance of being struck by lightning (twice and in the same place) than being even close to accurate.

Having said that, this week I'm going to go through all the drama pilots in production one by one. Yesterday was NBC. Today brings ABC.

My source for pilot info is, as ever, the all-powerful futon critic. I'm not going re-hash information that's already available. This is just me talking about what pilots I like the premises/casts/producers of so that when they're picked up I can say "I told you so" or when they're dropped I can eat my words. Words are yummy anyway.

There are 15 ABC drama pilots this year. That annoys me because I had only eight yesterday for the Peacock. Anyway, for each pilot, you got your pitch, your slant, your faces, and your puppetmasters. Try to ignore the weather forecasts that inexplicably accompany each potential show. I don't really know what they mean.

All Fall Down
The Pitch
Big-city lawyer girl joins daddy's practice.
The Slant
Daddy's practice is in small town with nutty family.
The Faces
Alyssa Milano is probably the lead even though the release doesn't say so specifically. The cast includes James Brolin and Mary Steenburgen, a pair I rather like. It also features Anna Camp, Ian Kahn and Misha Collins, who I last saw on "24" playing a terrorist in the first season.
The Puppetmasters
Rina Mimoun was most recently a writer for "Gilmore Girls" and "Everwood," according to IMDb which seems to suggest the title of this pilot is "Reinventing The Wheelers." It makes sense since most of the characters are named Wheeler. Lawrence Trilling is directing. We know him from "Alias" and the like.
The Forecast
Rainy Hasn't this been done under only slightly varied circumstances? The big-city lawyer moves back home to small town and comedy (or attempted comedy) ensues. "Ed," anyone? Damn that was a good show. When is it coming out on DVD?

Cashmere Mafia
The Pitch
Group of smart, executive women use each other for support.
The Slant
Hey, doesn't this sound a lot like the "Lipstick Jungle" pilot from yesterday? It does.
The Faces
I'm sorry about the premise of this show because there are some pretty good actresses on board. You've got Bonnie Somerville, Lourdes Benedicto, Frances O'Connor and Lucy Liu among others. Shame.
The Puppetmasters
Kevin Wade is listed as the creator. It's his first television effort if IMDb is any indication. But you want to know why this scenario sounds so much like "Sex And The City"? Darren Star is an exec producer. Ah, and it clicks. Peyton Reed is directing but it doesn't matter because I'm not watching it.
The Forecast
Severe Thunderstorms I hate the title so how can I not hate the premise? What is the point? This show has been made. Note to the nets and Star: please, please stop making it over again. Let it rest in peace.

Correspondents
The Pitch
Four female journalists from different media travel the country.
The Slant
I don't know, it doesn't say.
The Faces
Jeffrey Dean Morgan is the only one listed and you'll understand why if you keep reading.
The Puppetmasters
The pilot was created by Shonda Rhimes. She of "Grey's Anatomy" fame. She killed Morgan's much-beloved character of Denny and now I guess feels behooved to make it up to him. But dude, this show is so not getting made. The premise is four women journalist and the only cast member is a fella. Peter Horton is directing.
The Forecast
Severe Thunderstorms It's not that I don't appreciate Rhimes' work or the idea of this show (the little that we know of), but it doesn't seem like they're anywhere on it. It's all right, though, because ABC has 14 others to choose from.

Dirty Sexy Money
The Pitch
Rich, Kennedy-esque family is always getting in trouble.
The Slant
They blackmail Nate Fisher into helping them get out.
The Faces
Peter Krause, obviously. Plus, there's Donald Sutherland, Jill Clayburgh, Samaire Armstrong, and William Baldwin, among others rounding out the cast. I like most of those guys.
The Puppetmasters
Creator Craig Wright most recently wrote episodes of "Brothers & Sisters," "Lost" and, naturally, "Six Feet Under." That explains Krause. Greg Berlanti is listed as an EP and Peter Horton has yet another pilot to direct. This one probably has a better shot of making it.
The Forecast
Partly Cloudy Could be an interesting story if handled correctly. Either way, it sounds like just the sort of stuff that might fascinate an American TV audience. Only May will tell if this one was meant to be. But I'm on board.

Eli Stone
The Pitch
Soulless shark of a lawyer starts to care about a case.
The Slant
He starts having prophetic visions.
The Faces
Jonny Lee Miller (the failed "Smith" from last fall) is the title character in a cast that features Loretta Devine ("Boston Public"), Natasha Henstridge and Victor Garber (Spydaddy on "Alias"). I like Garber but "Justice" was a stupid choice for him last year. It's cancellation shouldn't come as a big shock to anyone.
The Puppetmasters
The folks behind "Brothers & Sisters" (which I watched only the pilot of last year) are all over this one. Greg Berlanti and Marc Guggenheim are the creators and Ken Olin is directing.
The Forecast
Sunny This was one of the projects I heard about in the early days of pilot season. I liked the sound of it then and still do. I expect to see it on the schedule.

Football Wives
The Pitch
It's hard being the wives of famous football players.
The Slant
I think it's just "Desperate Housewives" if the women were married to athletes.
The Faces
Gabrielle Union, Lucy Lawless and Kiele Sanchez, I imagine, are the wives. Sanchez is fresh on the heels of a short run on "Lost" which ended with her character being buried alive. James Van Der Beek, Eddie Cibrian and Ving Rhames are also members of the rather impressive cast.
The Puppetmasters
Marco Pennette, who wrote "Ugly Betty," is in charge of this sucker. EPs Bert Salke and Chris Brancato were producers on "North Shore," so I'm not really holding out much hope for creativity on this show. Bryan Singer is directing, so I'm a little confused.
The Forecast
Partly Cloudy I haven't seen the ITV version, but I've been meaning to. I hope it doesn't end up on the schedule, but knowing ABC, I can't imagine we won't be seeing it.

Judy's Got A Gun
The Pitch
Woman returns to work as a cop.
The Slant
She's a single mother trying to cure the world of its insanity and make her co-workers see her as more than just a mom.
The Faces
Louise Lombard is Judy Lemen. Other than that, I don't know anyone else on the cast, aside from Colm Feore (Anthony Heald's bro on "Boston Public").
The Puppetmasters
Robert and Michelle King created "In Justice" last year and that didn't pan out. So they're trying again. Someone called Sheree Folkson is the director.
The Forecast
Rainy I don't know, what's the point? Unless the writing is especially out of this world, I can't imagine being interested in a show like this. But as we know, I am not a good barometer when it comes to television viewers as a whole.

Life On Mars
The Pitch
Regular cop in big-time car wreck.
The Slant
He wakes up as a cop in the '70s.
The Faces
The puppetmasters have been finding it difficult to locate a good lead. Or other members of the cast.
The Puppetmasters
Matthew Graham, Ashley Pharoah and Tony Jordan created the original British series. David E. Kelley is adapting it for American TV. Dwight Little, who directs many DEK projects, will be directing this one as well.
The Forecast
Sunny Development has been pushed to midseason while they wait for a better lead actor to become available but I'm dying to see what Kelley comes up with. The BBC version was awesome and I've only seen two episodes of it at this pint. I can't wait to see the rest. Plus, I'm a fan of most of what DEK comes up with anyway.

Marlowe
The Pitch
Raymond Chandler's Philip Marlowe solves cases in a new City of Angels.
The Slant
Created in the style of classic Hollywood film noir.
The Faces
Jason O'Mara is Philip Marlowe. His cohorts include Amanda Righetti, Adam Goldberg and Sherman Augustus.
The Puppetmasters
Greg Pruss and Carol Wolper are the creators/EPs. I've never heard of them so I hope they don't screw it up too badly. Rob Bowman is directing.
The Forecast
Partly Cloudy I didn't put it on my schedule predictions, but I really like the sound of this show. I think NBC meant to make "Raines" a little more like what this show should be. It would definitely be a unique perspective to see on the tube every week. I'm pulling for it.

Mr. & Mrs. Smith
The Pitch
Husband-and-wife are top-secret, super spies.
The Slant
Neither knows who the other really is.
The Faces
Jordana Brewster and Martin Henderson take the title roles, replacing Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt.
The Puppetmasters
The guys behind the movie are helming the series, which is good news from a creative standpoint. Simon Kinberg is the creator and Doug Liman is directing.
The Forecast
Partly Cloudy This is just one of those silly ideas I'm fascinated by. I've only seen parts of the movie, but I like spy shows. "Alias" was one of my favorites ever. My only question is how long they can sustain a series of this nature.

Perfect Gentlemen
The Pitch
A foursome of male CEOs lean on each other.
The Slant
Um, isn't ABC making the female version of this show?
The Faces
Well the cast is the best part about this project. Dylan McDermott, Michael Vartan, Christopher Titus, and Joshua Malina co-star. Nia Long and Paige Turco join them.
The Puppetmasters
Jon Harmon Feldman, who last wrote "Reunion" for FOX, is creating this pilot. For what it's worth, I thought "Reunion" was a cool idea, but horribly executed. Charles McDougall is directing.
The Forecast
Overcast I'll watch for the cast, but I'm not sure I'll be able to stand the writing. But we'll see. I hate to pass such harsh judgement so soon.

Private Practice
The Pitch
Hey, let's make a spin-off of "Grey's Anatomy."
The Slant
Okay, should we center it around Addison?
The Faces
Sure. Kate Walsh will take the lead should this back-door pilot go to series. We'll get a sneak-peek when it airs as a part of this season of "Grey's" probably in May.
The Puppetmasters
Naturally, the folks (specifically, Shonda Rhimes) behind "Grey's" have this one covered. Michael Grossman will direct the episode.
The Forecast
Sunny Come on, it's "Grey's Anatomy" without the whininess of Meredith. I have little doubt ABC will pass on this one for the fall. But stranger things have happened.

Pushing Daisies
The Pitch
Ned has the power to briefly resurrect the dead with a mere touch.
The Slant
He brought back his childhood sweetheart, but if he touches her again, she's a goner.
The Faces
Lee Pace will play Ned. I can hardly contain myself. Chi McBride ("The Nine"), Kristin Chenoweth ("The West Wing") and Swoosie Kurtz (Locke's momma on "Lost") also star.
The Puppetmasters
Bryan Fuller is the creator! He's responsible for three of my favorite shows: "Heroes," "Dead Like Me" and "Wonderfalls" (which Lee Pace starred in). That's awesome! Barry Sonnenfeld ("Men In Black") is directing.
The Forecast
Partly Cloudy This pilot sounds so cool! If it sounds like I'm just discovering it, I kind of am. I must've somehow skipped it when making my schedule predictions or else I would have definitely considered it for a fall timeslot.

Suspect
The Pitch
It's an ensemble procedural set in Chicago...
The Slant
...set to Guy Ritchie's hand-held, rollicking style of filmmaking.
The Faces
Carrie-Anne Moss ("Memento"), Erik Palladino ("ER") and Charles S. Dutton are featured in this cast. I don't recognize the other names.
The Puppetmasters
Ed Zuckerman (who wrote the "Runaway" and "Killer Instinct" pilots last year) is writing this one. As mentioned, Guy Ritchie is directing. So that could be cool.
The Forecast
Overcast Still, I'm not quite sure it would have a place on ABC, though I'd certainly love to see it have a shot. I didn't put it on my predicted schedule for that reason. I wouldn't mind watching it myself, though.

Women's Murder Club
The Pitch
Chick cop solves crimes quickly but is annoyed at how long they take to prosecute.
The Slant
So she hires a bunch of women in various fields of work to help her circumvent the law. Which sounds wrong to me.
The Faces
Angie Harmon is the lead, named Boxer. Laura Harris, Rob Benedict and Tyrees Allen also star. There are a number of other folks who I am not interested in learning the names of.
The Puppetmasters
The series is based on a James Patterson book. Sarah Fain and Elizabeth Craft are the creators and Scott Winant is directing. It might also be worth mentioning that Brett Ratner is an executive producer.
The Forecast
Severe Thunderstorms No, no, no, no, no! Come on! Don't start with me! I don't want it. It's not worth talking about. Don't pick up this show! (Now watch ABC pick up this show.)

Are we finally finished? Geez. That certainly took long enough. And I'm plenty pissy, thank you very much. That was a lot of work. I think we'll be lucky if two of those actually get picked up despite there being plenty others more deserving.

I plan to be posting ABC's comedies a week from today. So be sure to check back.

Tomorrow is CBS so that's sure to be anything other than exciting. Please join me!

The information here is accurate only insofar as the futon critic has accurate information. As of this writing, this is what I know. And I only know what they publish. Now get the whole story there.