August 29th, 2007
THURSDAY
Big Shots (10 p.m., ABC; premières Sept. 27)
The concept: Michael Vartan, Christopher Titus, Joshua Malina, and Dylan McDermott play CEO types who endure various crises between Scrooge McDuck-style dips in their giant cash vaults.
Likely pitch: It's like Mad Men only contemporary and nowhere near as good!
Why is this on the air? Probably because the people who green-lit it were relieved to see a show about folks in their income-tax bracket.
Will it be any good? Finally, a show that boldly confronts the problems of wealthy white men.
FRIDAY
The Search For The Next Great American Band (8 p.m., Fox; premières Oct. 19)
The concept: It's American Idol with instruments.
Likely pitch: "It's American Idol with instruments!"
Why is this on the air? American Idol does very well. People like to hear other people play instruments.
Will it be any good? This one is up to America. Some talented musicians with heretofore-unrecognized songwriting skills could be discovered. Or we could wind up with "Battle Of The Wedding Bands." Either way, the chances of hair-tearing frustration are high.
Women's Murder Club (9 p.m., ABC; premières Oct. 12)
The concept: Four San Francisco women with various specialties in the crime field, led by Angie Harmon (Law & Order), circumvent the Justice Department's boys' club by taking on cases themselves.
Likely pitch: "Here's the title: Women's Murder Club." "Wow, that sounds edgy!" "Um, it's about women solving murders, not committing them." "Oh."
Why is this on the air? The dozen or so current prime-time crime procedurals aren't enough to satiate the American viewing public. In this subgenre, introducing an all-female cast to the formula counts as blazingly original.
Will it be any good? Any project produced by Jessica Simpson's creepy dad and Brett Ratner deserves to fail miserably, but this series, based on James Patterson's popular novels, does have a few good things going for it, including the participation of Angel writers Elizabeth Craft and Sarah Fain.
Moonlight (9 p.m., CBS; premières Sept. 28)
The concept: Sixty years after his bride turned him into a vampire, an undead private investigator gets caught between the moon and New York City while romantically pursuing a mortal and making "hardboiled" quips like "Being a vampire sucks."
Likely pitch: "It's like Angel or Forever Knight meets… Okay, it's just like Angel or Forever Knight."
Why is this on the air? As Heroes, Medium, Ghost Whisperer, and Bionic Woman prove, moody people with supernatural abilities are currently in vogue. Too bad for Angel and Forever Knight.
Will it be any good? Judging from the trailer and early pilot reviews, Moonlight's main character, Mick St. John, is a special kind of vampire: one who can suck the fun out of anything.
Nashville (9 p.m. Fox; premières Sept. 14)
The concept: A "docu-soap," a.k.a. reality series, about a group of young musicians trying to make it big in Nashville.
Likely pitch: "Laguna Beach: Country Western Style."
Why is this on the air? Never underestimate the power of the people behind Laguna Beach, and the pretty, pretty way they film reality and package it into shows.
Will it be any good? Define "good." Will it be an interesting, worthwhile piece of entertainment? No. Will it make good background TV for while you're washing the dishes or running at the gym? Probably, yes. Also, like Laguna Beach, the potential for unintentional comedy is high.
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