The 2007 FOX 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 CBS. Today, I'll finish the week with FOX.

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 10 FOX drama pilots this year. 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.

The Apostles
The Pitch
A bunch of cops live on the same suburban street.
The Slant
Ah... but within their walls lie secrets. Naturally.
The Faces
Jessalyn Gilsig ("Nip/Tuck"), Keith Robinson and Leslie Hope ("24") are on board for the pilot. Would be nice if Hope could come back to network TV after her awesome run on the first season of "24" (which seems to be her only claim to fame).
The Puppetmasters
Chuck Pratt (who I've never heard of) is the creator and executive producer. David McNally is directing.
The Forecast
Rainy I'm sorry because I think Gilsig deserves her own series and Hope should be back on TV again, but I don't know the creative team and I'm not impressed with the network release on the premise.

Canterbury's Law
The Pitch
Elizabeth Canterbury is a defense attorney who will go to great lengths to protect the innocent.
The Slant
She and her husband wrestle with the tragedy of their missing son.
The Faces
Julianna Margulies ("ER," duh) toplines this pilot. I hope it works out for her too. A few months ago I watched "The Grid" and she was great. Other cast members include Linus Roache (a Brit), Ben Shenkman, Trieste Dunn, and Jocko Sims.
The Puppetmasters
Denis Leary and Jim Serpico (both behind "Rescue Me") have another pilot lined up for fall contention. The pilot was written by Dave Erickson and directed by Mike Figgis.
The Forecast
Partly Cloudy I'd like to see it for midseason, but I just can't shake the feeling that it doesn't have enough going for it, despite the great producers and actors involved. We'll just have to see how things turn out.

Company Man
The Pitch
Everyday engineer dude works for a defense contractor and has an average existence.
The Slant
Until he is forced to serve as an unwilling spy for the NSA.
The Faces
Jason Behr was the second to be cast as our main man, Paul Fisher. The network and producers weren't happy with their original choice (or title which was "N.S.A. Innocent"). And there's a bunch of other people I don't know.
The Puppetmasters
The creators are Bob Cochran and David Ehrman of illustrious "24" fame. So for that reason alone you know it has to be a hit. Want another anyway? Jon Cassar is directing (which makes me wonder if that's going to hurt "24" should it get a seventh season). "Twenty-four" execs Joel Surnow and Howard Gordon are also on this project.
The Forecast
Sunny I'm loving it! Send it on over. I was as surprised as anybody that they kept "24" going past season one. I couldn't be more impressed with any creative crew. I'm sure whatever they've come up with is top-notch and I'll be completely shocked if it's not on the fall schedule at FOX.

The Cure
The Pitch
Personal tragedy strikes a ruthless businessman of a doctor.
The Slant
So he puts together a crack team to research fringe medicine.
The Faces
Oded Fehr plays our lead so you can already count me in. I didn't see a lot of "UC: Undercover" but I liked what little I saw. Joining him are Anson Mount, Esai Morales and Liz Vassey.
The Puppetmasters
Created by John Zinman and Patrick Massett, this pilot is directed by Danny Cannon ("CSI: Miami"). What's really cool is Akiva Goldsman ("The Da Vinci Code") as EP.
The Forecast
Overcast It's like he's SuperHouse. I'm excited about the prospect of a show like this. The cast and creative team thrill me. But I guess I just don't have enough faith in FOX to expect it to actually be on the fall schedule.

K-Ville
The Pitch
Passionate cops keep order in their city.
The Slant
Their city is a post-Hurricane Katrina New Orleans.
The Faces
Anthony Anderson heads our cast alongside some great names including John Carroll Lynch ("The Drew Carey Show") and Tawny Cypress (who was recently killed off of "Heroes").
The Puppetmasters
Jonathan Lisco ("The District" and "NYPD Blue") is the creator and Deran Serafian ("House") is directing the pilot.
The Forecast
Partly Cloudy I'm not sure we should be making shows (read: making profits) off of natural disasters that killed people and turned lives upside-down, but I do like the sound of this story. Call me wishy-washy but I could see it on the schedule.

New Amsterdam
The Pitch
John Amsterdam is a NYC cop who has lived there sicen 1642 when it was a Dutch colony.
The Slant
Yeah, dude's got the eternal life going but it's cool because he can die when he finds his "one true love" according to the Indian girl who did it to him.
The Faces
Nikolaj Coster Waldau (of Danish descent) is John Amsterdam, our main man. I don't know any of the rest of the cast but they are Alexie Gilmore, Stephen Henderson and Zuleikha Robinson.
The Puppetmasters
Allan Loeb and Christian Taylor are the creators/executive producers. (Taylor wrote one of the best episodes of "Lost" ever and a few for "Six Feet Under.") Lasse Hallstrom is the director.
The Forecast
Partly Cloudy Sounds like an unbelievably awesome premise to me and I have faith in Taylor's writing. I've never heard of the cast, so that's a drawback. But ultimately, I think it's too far out to actually get picked up and be run on an American network. Give this one to the BBC. They'll kick ass with it.

Nurses
The Pitch
A bunch of nurses serve at the whim of doctors.
The Slant
And one the nurses' daddy works at the hospital.
The Faces
Eliza Dushku appears to be the lead here, the nurse with checkered past and famous father. Other nurses include Drew Sidora, Jaclyn DeSantis, Ramon Rodriuez, Sara Rue, and Margo MacDonald. Yes, it's a very, very pretty cast. What interests me is that IMDb lists Carlos Bernard ("24") as a cast member. Hooray if he's coming back to TV!
The Puppetmasters
Andy Stern and Samantha Goodman are the creators and P.J. Hogan is directing. I don't know anyone on the creative crew.
The Forecast
Overcast I'd only be interested in seeing this show for Carlos Bernard. And even then that's given he's a regular. Otherwise, I couldn't be less interested. On the other hand, I get the feeling it's one of those projects FOX will love.

The Sarah Connor Chronicles
The Pitch
What happens to Sarah Connor and her son after T2?
The Slant
If this show gets picked up, you'll find out.
The Faces
Lena Headey (the queen on "300") plays our title character. Thomas Dekker plays her son and Owain Yeoman and Summer Glau are some of the other cast members.
The Puppetmasters
Josh Friedman ("War Of The Worlds") is the creator of the show and David Nutter is directing. Nutter has directed a ridiculous number of pilots, including "Dark Angel" several years ago. He also directed "Traveler" for ABC which we'll get to see on May 10, finally.
The Forecast
Partly Cloudy It sounds like it'll be rather pricey to make though I'm fairly sure FOX will have to pay a rather stiff penalty should they choose not to pick up the series. So I'm guessing it will be on the schedule. But I'm not really that interested in seeing it. Never saw the movies. Probably never will.

Supreme Courtships
The Pitch
It's like "Nurses" only in D.C.
The Slant
Duh, the Supreme Court, how did you not figure that out?
The Faces
Bridget Regan, Camille Guaty and Shane West are among the clerks we'll get to meet. Kate Burton ("Grey's Anatomy") and Kurtwood Smith ("That '70s Show") are a couple of the justices.
The Puppetmasters
Gary Tieche is the writer of this pilot. He wrote "MDs" a few years ago. It wasn't too bad but ABC pulled it pretty quick. Ian Toynton is directing. John Eisendrath and Marty Adelstein are a couple of the big-name EPs.
The Forecast
Overcast First, let me say that on further review, I wouldn't put this on my FOX prediction schedule. Instead, I'd place "The Cure" or "The Sarah Connor Chronicles" but whatever. I don't really see this show getting on the air this fall. But you never know. It would probably cost nowhere near as much as "Sarah Connor."

Them
The Pitch
Extraterrestrials live like a sleeper cell among the human race on Earth.
The Slant
Ah, but they can be tempted by the planet's offerings so one of them has to keep the rest in line.
The Faces
James D'Arcy is our lead and plays alongside Tricia Helfer ("Battlestar Galactica") and Rachel Nichols ("Alias") among others.
The Puppetmasters
Based on a Daniel Berman/Michael Oeming book, the pilot was written by John McNamara and David Eick. Jonathan Mostow is directing.
The Forecast
It's another one of those far-out FOX concepts but I like it. I think it has potential. I'm not sure what I'm basing that on as I don't know anyone on the creative squad. But I like some of the actors and I like offbeat subjects like this for TV shows.

And that will do it for the dramas. I'll post FOX's comedies a week from today. So be sure to check back for that.

Tomorrow is my day of rest. On Monday, we start in with the comedies and then the week after that, the real network schedules get announced. And you're crazy if you think I won't be posting them the very second they're made available online.

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.