Top Television Shows of 2004

Somewhere, somehow, the 2004-2005 television season became a goldmine of creative and interesting shows. Who would have guessed that one of the most viewed shows of the season would be about a group of people trapped on a desert island while a spin-off of one of the most horrible, and successful, shows of all time (Friends) would be struggling in the ratings? Every year people across the country hope for a good television season, this year the networks (other than the constantly good shows from HBO) delivered.

The best show on television this year would have to be David Milch’s epic tale of life in a real frontieer town – Deadwood. I had been looking forward to Deadwood for some time ever since I saw the first previews on HBO late in 2003. Set in South Dakota in the late 1800’s, Deadwood follows the boomtown of the same name. Here, the town of Deadwood is a haven for all things criminal and illegal being located outside the United States and out of the reach of any sort of real law enforcement. Not only is the story beind Deadwood a good one, it features some of the best characters to grace television screens since The Sopranos, namely Timothy Olyphant in a career defining role of Seth Bullock and Ian McShane as the criminal head of the town Al Swearengen.

I fell in love with the show shortly after the first episode and was watching it religiously week after week. I know a lot of people were turned off to Deadwood by the constant swearing by the characters in the first episode. (Which was toned back for subsiquent episodes.) However, I feel that what Milch was trying to show that the same ills that plague modern day society also plagued societies of the past.

Deadwood has got what a lot of other shows lack – a sort of true realistic grit.

The rest in alphabetical order:
Arrested Development Arrested Development follows the Bluth family as they cope with the head of the family, George (Jeffrey Tambor), being arrested for shady accounting practices at the family real-estate company. George is thrown in prison and the courts freeze the family’s wealth. Most families would be concerned with the father locked away in jail; the Bluths are mostly concerned about their lost money and the fact that they might have to get jobs and work for a living. Enter Michael Bluth (Jason Bateman), the only responsible member of the family who’s put in charge of the company and forced into the role of surrogate family head. Michael immediately puts himself at odds with the family after he tells them that the easy days of expensing luxury items to the company are over.

The comedy from Arrested Development arises from Michael trying to do the right thing by both his family and the courts and the family trying to stop him every step of the way in order to keep assets hidden and themselves a few dollars richer. It’s the family from The Cosby Show only dysfunctional in a 21st century kind of way.

Entourage
– At first, I didn’t care too much for Entourage. After watching the first episode I was a bit turned off by the characters. Sure, Entourage hit true as to what it’s like for a group of guy friends to hang out together. But I didn’t feel that I could like the characters. I was wrong. By the third episode I was hooked.

Entourage follows new hot movie star Vincent Chase (Adrian Grenier) who is coming off a highly successful movie and is trying to land his next role. In reality, though, the series focus is on a member of Vincent’s “entourage” and friend from back home Eric (Kevin Connolly). Eric is thrust into becoming Vincent’s manager and is tasked with landing his next role all the while Vincent and the rest of the entourage do their best to party and spend Vincent’s money. My guess is that Entourage is the most accurate look into the Hollywood movie industray since Fox’s 1999 failed sitcom Action.

LostThe series follows a group of airline passengers stranded on a deserted island after a violent crash. The survivors quickly realize that they must band together if they have any hope of surviving. Not only do they have to deal with the lack of food and clean drinking water, the survivors must also face a very large “monster” roaming the island when it makes it’s presence known by consuming the jet’s co-pilot. So far, the audience has yet to see the beast other than as it travels through the jungle knocking down trees.

Lost is so much more than a simple tale of people crashed on a deserted island. I would say that Lost is an interesting character study on the effects of a high stress environment on different types of people who’ve never met before suddenly forced to live together and depend on one and other for survival.

Veronica MarsThe basic plot of Veronica Mars follows teenage Veronica Mars as she deals with high school by day while working at her father’s detective agency by night. However, much like Lost, a simple synopsis of the show’s plot will not suffice. Like Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Veronica Mars’s basic plotline is a springboard into something more. Much more. There are two levels of story in Veronica Mars.

A few years prior to the events chronicled in the show, Veronica Mars’ best friend Lily was murdered. When Veronica’s dad, then the city’s sheriff, placed the blame of Lily’s father, the town turned their back on him and voted him out of office. And when Veronica didn’t turn her back on her father like everyone wanted her to, she was thrown out of the popular group in school.

One level is the very basic Veronica solving cases. But there’s a whole other level to the series in a second underlying sometimes-disturbing storyline of Veronica looking for the murderer of Lily.

The Office Christmas Special – What can I say that I haven’t said before about the greatness that is The Office? Simply put, The Office series, all fourteen and some odd hours, was the best fourteen and some odd hours of comedy on television. And The Office Christmas Special was the prefect ending to The Office series. It’s a shame that it’s all over for the show.

Read the top television shows of 2003 (according to Dangerous Universe) here.

2005-2006 Television Pilots (Incomplete at Best)

“TV Doesn’t Get Much Worse Than This”

Last Updated – 02/21/05
Begun – 11/02/04
Compiled from Zap2It.com, The Futon Critic & Yahoo
If you have any additions/corrections to this list, please send Bert an e-mail.
See the birth of bad television in the 2004-2005 pilot season
Relive the horror that was the 2003-2004 television pilot season
Witness the 2002-2003 television pilots

Network – FX
IT’S ALWAYS SUNNY IN PHILADELPHIA
: Comedy that revolves around a diverse group of friends who own a bar in philadelphia, one of whom reveals he has cancer in the first episode.

STARVED: Comedy that chronicles the misadventures of four thirtysomething friends (a bulimic cop, an obese writer, a commodities broker and an anorexic bisexual songwriter) as seen through the country’s obsession with food.

UNTITLED: Actor/comedian Eddie Izzard (“Ocean’s Twelve”) as a con artist patriarch of an Irish family that moves to the southern U.S.

EL CENTRO: Drama about a sheriff in Mexicali, the desert region along the California-Mexico border.

OVER THERE“: Revolves around a sergeant and his platoon stationed in Iraq. The first episode centers on a small battle, while the second focuses on the platoon’s attempt to guard a checkpoint. Stories involving the soldiers’ families on the homefront will be interwoven in the frontline drama. The ensemble would be ever-changing — some soldiers will be killed, relieved of duty or sent home while others would rotate in. (Sort of like the comic book The Nam from Marvel Comics in the 1980’s. – Bert.) From Steven Bochco and Chris Gerolmo (“Citizen X”).

THIEF“: Stars Andre Braugher as a professional crook.

ABC
LENNIE ROSE
: Drama about a single woman trying to find love and make it big in New York.

THE CATCH: Drama set in the world of bounty hunters. (Carry over from the 2004/’05 pilot season.)

Bobby Cannon: Comedy about a pro football quarterback nearing retirement who has to mentor his replacement while figuring out what to do with the rest of his life.

Joint Custody: Comedy about a recent college graduate who returns home to find his parents divorced.

Crumbs: Comedy about two estranged brothers — one gay, one straight — who are forced to come together and run the family business when their parents get divorced.

Neighbors: Comedy about dueling neighbors forced to contend with one another when their wives and children become unlikely friends.

Sally: Comedy about a middle-aged woman who suddenly decides to make a change in her picture-perfect family life by getting a divorce and a job.

COMPLICATIONS or GREY’S ANATOMY: Revolves around the personal and professional lives of five first-year interns at Seattle Grace Hospital.

Emily’s Reasons Why Not: Comedy about a self-help advice author who doesn’t follow her own advice.

Hot Properties: About four women in a real estate office. (ABC’s second pilot this season set in the wacky world of real estate. – Bert.)

IN JUSTICE: Drama which revolves around a group of impassioned lawyers who aid the wrongly convicted.

UNTITLED: Chris Kattan-led comedy who playsan egocentric consumer reporter at a fledgling cable news channel

PLAY MATES: Comedy which revolves around the lives of three quirky couples whose lives intersected after they met in a baby preparation class.

UNTITLED: Comedy about thirtysomething singles dating in Philadelphia.

ADOPTED: Comedy about a thirtysomething writer whose life is turned upside down when his biological mom shows up on his doorstep one day, resulting in his adoptive and birth mothers comically competing for his attention.

Night Stalker: An updated take on the 1970s ABC series “Kolchak: The Night Stalker.”

Lennie Rose: A lighthearted one-hour about a single woman trying to find love and make it big in New York.

In Justice: Revolves around a group of impassioned lawyers who aid the wrongly convicted.

LAWS OF CHANCE: Drama about the life of unconventional Houston assistant district attorney Kelly Siegler, whose 95% success rate in court was partly due to her theatrical presentation in arguing cases.

INVASION: Alien-themed drama about what happens in a small Florida town after a hurricane hits.

PROS AND CONS: Drama about five ex-cons who end up working with the government’s antifraud forces.

What About Brian?“: Centers on a thirtysomething single guy surrounded by his married friends. (OR) About a single man in his 30s still trying to figure out his life after all his friends have gotten hitched. From J.J. Abrams.

Westside“: Set in the cutthroat world of real estate and centers on an upscale real estate agency specializing in high-end homes in Los Angeles.

(The) Evidence“: A procedural drama that starts with presenting all the evidence and follows the efforts to deconstruct the crime. (Or better known as Law and Order: CSI. – Bert)

Commander in Chief“” About the first female president of the United States. Unlike “The West Wing” however, the series will spend more time examining the president’s family life.

UNTILED: Comedy about a soft-spoken gay man who lives with his very not gay brother.

UNTITLED: The Cheri Oteri-led/J.J. Abrams-produced comedy is understood to revolve around a woman who works at a children’s TV show.

THE CATCH: (ABC) – Bounty hunter drama pilot, which stars Greg Grunberg and Orlando Jones, with J.J. Abrams. Carry-over from last season.

MR. & MRS. DOE: Dramedy about two single F.B.I. agents who go undercover as a married couple.

SOCCER MOMS: Drama at the network about housewives who investigate suburban crimes. (Next up on ABC it’s Soccer Moms followed by Nascar Dads. – Bert) OR Two suburban housewives who team up as private investigators.

UNTITLED: About an unconventional teacher played by Peter Dinklage of The Station Agent.

UNTITLED 9/11 COMMISSION REPORT PROJECT: ABC is developing its own take on the “9/11 Commission Report,” coming on the heels of last week’s announcement of a limited series about the subject being in the works at NBC (read the story).

UNTITLED: David Boreanaz (“Angel”) is set to topline a new drama project about the life of undercover hit man Jack Ballantine. Boreanaz will play an undercover cop in the world of murder for hire in the project.

NBC
UNCOMMON SENSE
: Comedy about a columnist with a wry sense of humor, and his relationship with his wife.

ALL IN: The comedy, which is based on the life of Annie Duke – a world poker champion, tracks a single mom who’s a whiz around the poker table, but who could use some of those same smarts in raising her kids.

BOOK OF DANIEL: A dysfunctional family drama about a Vicodin-popping Episcopalian priest who finds himself speaking routinely with a hip, modern Jesus, who appears as a vision and offers valuable guidance.

HOT PROPERTY: Comedy about three immoral real estate agents in Houston.

Blue Skies: Centers on a a 27-year-old former golden child who finds herself constantly becoming the reluctant enabler to her crazy family.

Inconceivable: Set in a fertility clinic.

E-RING: Drama described as “The West Wing” set at the Pentagon, “E-Ring” revolves around the inner workings of the country’s military headquarters.

UNTITLED: “SNL” head writer Tina Fey has scored a pilot production order from the Peacock for a new comedy about the head writer of a variety show who has to manage her relationships with the show’s volatile star and executive producer.

UNTITLED: Comedy about an obese woman who turns thin and struggles in her relationships with her still-large family and friends.

LOVED ONES (AND OTHER PEOPLE WE HATE): Comedy about three adult siblings who lead very separate lives and yet they are always overlapping.

NOTORIOUS: Comedy starring Tori Spelling which is loosely based on Spelling’s real-life, pre-marriage experiences as a Hollywood celebrity and a member of the Spelling clan.

EARLY BIRD: Comedy about a twentysomething guy who moves into a retirement community.

LIES AND THE WIVES WE TELL THEM TO: Comedy about the marriages and friendships of four best friends and the secrets and lies they tell to keep them going.

Fillmore Middle OR FILMORE MIDDLE: About young teachers at a middle school.

I Love Faron Hitchman: Centers on newlyweds whose families can’t stand each other and are wondering if they tied the knot too quickly.

World of Trouble: Based on a real-life FBI unit investigating crimes against Americans and American interests overseas. (OR) About a squad of U.S.-based F.B.I. agents that solve crimes committed against Americans (and U.S. interests) overseas.

N-70 (A.K.A. THE FRENCH CONNECTION): Drama about the lives of real-life New York detectives Sonny Grosso and Eddie Egan. The pair helped bring about one of the biggest drug busts in U.S. history and were the focus of the 1971 feature “The French Connection.”

DANTE: Comedy about the life and family of a football superstar who has an extra-large sense of entitlement and often is out of touch with reality.

UNTITLED: Comedy about a fortysomething man (Scott Baio) who moves in with a guy in his 20s, turning his life upside down. (This screams ORIGINALITY! – Bert)

THE ASSISTANTS: Dramedy about a group of assistants who work in the same building in a number of different industries. The project is described as an “Upstairs, Downstairs” look at assistants and their bosses.

FATHOM: In the vein of James Cameron’s “The Abyss” focusing on mysterious creatures that live far underwater. In the wake of the breakout success of “Lost,” networks are showing more interest in adventure-themed pilots this development season. OR – About a group of naval officers, oceanographers and fishermen from around the world who encounter a group of mysterious sea creatures who turn out to be space invaders from Venus, here to make life on earth sustainable for even more creatures to come.

MY NAME IS EARL (Or) EARL: Comedy that revolves around a low-rent crook who, after winning the lottery, decides to use his limited yet oddly effective intelligence to right the wrongs he has made in his life.

UNTITLED: Drama set in the world of the Los Angeles real estate market.

CONFESSIONS OF A DOG: “Scrubs” creator Bill Lawrence and Eric Weinberg, one of the show’s writers, are set to team for a new comedy which revolves around a likable self-deprecating serial dater who has never been in a serious relationship and his two best friends – a guy who got married early and had an instant family and a woman who, after playing the field for years, has fallen in love and gotten engaged – all of whom have remained friends despite their divergent lifestyles.

KINGS OF NEW YORK (OR) FOUR KINGS: Comedy that revolves around four friends in New York, all best friends from childhood. (Sounds a lot like a million other comedies. – Bert)

GRAHM YOST UNTITLED 9/11 COMMISSION REPORT: Programming event that will define and explore the dramatic circumstances leading up to – and including – the tragic attack on America of September 11, 2001. From Graham Yost (“Boomtown,” “Band of Brothers”).

UNTITLED: Comedian Brian Regan is set to be the focus of a new sitcom at the Peacock from “Scrubs” creator Bill Lawrence and writer Tim Hobert about a married man who moves with his wife from the suburbs to Chicago in search of more out of life.

CBS
THREE
: Comedy about a newly single guy who suddenly finds himself the third wheel in the relationship between his best friend and the friend’s wife.

UNTITLED: Comedy that revolves around a New Yorker who marries and suddenly becomes a stepmom in suburbia.

UNTITLED: Comedy that revolves around three adult siblings (two brothers, one sister) who rally to support their eccentric professor father when their mother leaves him.

3 LBS.: Drama which revolves around the lives of a group of brain surgeons.

UNTITLED: Comedy that revolves around a divorced couple who remain best friends and share custody of their kids.

Old Christine: Comedy about a 35-year-old, newly divorced mom dealing with her ex and the other parents at her son’s school.

Everything I Know About Men: An adaptation of the BBC comedy “According to Bex,” is about a single woman and the men in her life. OR – Will track a single young woman juggling all the men in her life.

How I Met Your Mother: Comedy that centers on a middle-aged man reflecting on his dating exploits 20 years prior.

UNTITLED: Comedy that follows the intertwined lives of two divorcing couples, one of which is having a far easier time with the split than the other.

LANCASTER: Drama about the mayor of a mid-sized city who enjoys massive popularity even as he deals in backroom politics and shady deals.

STROLLER WARS: Comedy about a young couple who adjust to life as new parents in New York City.

UNTITLED: Comedy about a family of single doctors.

THE COMMUTERS: Drama which revolves around three couples in the suburbs, the husbands of which all commute together each day on the train to New York City.

The Unit: From writer-director David Mamet and “The Shield” creator Shawn Ryan. The show, about the lives of special forces soldiers and their families, is based on Eric Haney’s 2002 book “Inside Delta Force.” (Inside Delta Force was the source material for Mamet’s awesome Spartan.)

THE FAMILY MAN: From director Brett Ratner (“Red Dragon”). Revolves around a married couple — he’s a sports agent, she’s a magazine editor — juggling family and work.

Quantico: Focuses on behavioral analysts at the FBI

UNTITLED: Involving psychic James Van Praagh, about a newlywed who can communicate with the dead. (Ummm, like NBC’s Medium? – Bert)

CONVICTION: Drama about a defense attorney-turned-prosecutor who crafts his cases by telling a detailed story. OR – Revolves around a hotshot defense attorney who ends up switching sides, solving crimes for the prosecution.

Love Monkey: Told through the eyes of a record-company exec, it chronicles the lives of four friends dealing with dating, love and marriage.

American Crime: The series focuses on a upwardly mobile female prosecutor who is also a new mother. OR – About a female prosecutor who juggles the world of suburban crime with the challenges of being a new mother.

Threshold: About a female government agent who leads a team of military and scientific officers to respond to an alien threat. OR A female government contingency analyst who leads a team of scientists who begin communications with an alien entity.

WASHINGTON STREET: Comedy about the tenants in a modest apartment building who form a family, led by a nurturing single mom.

ICE: Eriq La Salle (“ER”) and his Humble Journey Films are developing a new drama which tracks two Miami-based Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents as they dismantle global crime rings. Eriq La Salle will not star.

UNTITLED: About a divorced woman and business owner who lives with her brother and tries to juggle all the things on her plate, including the challenges coming from enrolling her kid in an exclusive private school.

UNTITLED: Centers on two divorced couples – one of which split relatively healthy while the other was anything but. The latter couple shares custody of two kids while the former splits time with their two dogs. Appel hopes to put a human face on divorce with the project, doing for divorce what “Will & Grace” did for gay America.

The WB
UNTITLED: Drama about a mermaid who attempts to live on dry land in Miami. (Also known as the feature film Splash. – Bert)

PEPPER DENNIS: Drama about a Chicago-based TV reporter who juggles her career, love and family lives.

THE PRINCE: Tracks a rich New York family and the relationship between the father and his “anti-hero” younger son following the older son’s death.

UNTITLED: Dramedy which tracks four adult sisters in Manhattan who together struggle through career and romance. (*Cough* Sex and the City *Cough* – Bert.)

Supernatural: About two brothers who travel the country hunting down supernatural beings.

True: Anne Heche plays a young woman whose boyfriend breaks up with her while she is in labor with their baby, and she has to move back in with her parents. While the man doesn’t leave her life completely, the ordeal is a wake-up call for the new mother, who has been procrastinating her entire life, staying in school for as long as possible to delay stepping into the real world. (Bert won’t be watching this? True. – Bert)

HAPPY TOGETHER: Comedy about two life-long friends that must adapt to a new way of life when one of them gets engaged.

BERGDORF BLONDES: Adaptation of Plum Sykes’ bestselling novel of the same name. Revolves around the exploits of a spoiled twentysomething and the cast of characters who make up her New York-based “Sex and the City”-esque lifestyle, including her best friend, heiress Julie Bergdorf. (Paris Hilton the television series!? Please say it ain’t so! – Bert)

UNTITLED: Revolves around a group of women entering their 30s in Los Angeles.

WING MEN: A male buddy comedy. (What the world needs right now is a male buddy comedy. – Bert)

DOG TOWN LAWYERS“: Jerry Bruckheimer Television has confirmed its put pilot commitment at the Frog, about the relationship between a 17-year-old prodigy lawyer and his mentor.

SPY GIRL“: Based on the Amy Gray novel of the same name about a twentysomething Ivy League graduate who quits her publishing job to join a small Manhattan P.I. agency and pursue her childhood dream of being a private investigator. Said decision leads her to work with a gang of misfit colleagues where she discovers uncanny parallels between her investigations and her tumultuous love life. The project actually is the second take on Gray’s novel for the small screen as Jennie Garth toplined the original effort for NBC back in 2001.

NOBODY’S WATCHING“: Revolves around two twentysomething guys who win a reality show and get to create their own sitcom. As the guys struggle to fulfill their dream of making a TV comedy, their every move is filmed, and they are confined to live on a soundstage without realizing that they are the show. From Bill Lawrence (“Scrubs”).

Fox
UNTITLED: Drama about the complicated romantic relationships and the outrageous entanglements of the employees and clients of a one-stop-shopping Las Vegas wedding emporium.

PEEP SHOW: Comedy described as a look inside the disturbing minds of two roommates.

KITCHEN CONFIDENTIAL: Comedy from Darren Star about the life of Les Halles executive chef and Food Network host Anthony Bourdain. Revolve around the exploits of Jack Bourdain, a bad-boy, down-on-his-luck chef who takes over at a top New York restaurant and must fight off all the urges of his former lifestyle.

NEW CAR SMELL: Comedy about a used-car dealership.

ANATOMY OF AN AFFAIR: Drama which tracks a man and woman embarking on a workplace affair. Described as “Closer” meets “American Beauty.” (Based on two movies at once!? A guaranteed hit for sure! – Bert.)

CRAZY LAWYERS or HOUSE OF PAYNE: Comedy about a golden boy successful lawyer who has a nervous breakdown and teams with a mentally disturbed lawyer with an anger problem to represent people with all kinds of issues, not just legal ones.

Stacked: A comedy about a bookstore employee trying to shed her bad-girl past and the guys who come with it.

Deviant Behavior: Follows a team of cops that tracks serial killers.

UNTITLED: Set at a fertility clinic

REUNION: Drama which tracks the friendships of six high school friends for 20 years, all over the course of a single 22-episode season.

REVVED: Drama set in North Carolina that revolves around two brothers who work in a chop shop and also lend a hand when their neighbors are threatened by corrupt government officials or business interests.

Ticket to Ride: Explores the relationships between 20 people who hold winning tickets to a huge lottery jackpot.

Briar & Graves: Drama that follows a fallen priest who works with a female doctor to explore religious phenomena. (Sounds a lot like BBC’s show Strange. From BBC, “…defrocked Priest John Strange meets Nurse Jude Atkins, an ex-scientist, and persuades her to help solve the mystery.” – Bert)

Murder Book: “Cop drama” which revolves around L.A. detectives who solve crimes by using the evidence “book” on each case. (Again, how many CSI rip-offs can exist!?) (OR) About L.A. cops and the beat-by-beat way they go about their business, including compiling reams of info about a case in one giant book.

AMY COYNE: Centers on a woman who inherits her father’s sports agency when he dies.

UNTITLED: Focuses on a Secret Service agent who discovers the person he’s protecting is actually one of the bad guys.

THE INSIDE: Ayoung F.B.I. agent who works for the L.A. bureau’s Violent Crimes Unit. Carry-over from last year. The concept originally revolved around a 22-year-old federal agent (Rachel Nichols) working undercover at a suburban high school.

UNTITLED: Ensemble workplace comedy at the network about cops who work the Times Square precinct. Described as a mix of “Barney Miller” and “NewsRadio.”

DARKSIDE: High-concept drama about a group of astronauts who go missing after tracing an S.O.S. signal to the dark side of the moon where they discover a mysterious compound. The series will also track an Earth-bound storyline about a government conspiracy to cover up what happened to the crew. (It’s Lost with space-ships. – Bert)

THE WAR AT HOME: Comedy about hypocritical parents who struggle to maintain dominance over their kids.

KIDNAPPED: Drama.

PRISON BREAK: Drama about an engineer who inserts himself into a prison he designed to help his brother, a death row inmate who insists he is innocent, escape. The story plays out over the course of the season.

SPRING STREET: Drama.

UNTITLED: The project centers on a guy right out of college who becomes the first among his friends to get a real job and straddles the fence between slacker and working man.

QUEEN B“: Features Alicia Silverstone as Beatrice, a narcissistic woman who used her manipulation skills to become the most popular girl (a.k.a. the queen bee) in high school but now finds it harder to use those unlikable traits to her advantage in her late 20s.

UNHITCHED“: About a dysfunctional family of lawyers working in a divorce-centered law firm.

Brennan: Drama about a forensic anthropologist who uses her expertise to help solve crimes when other investigative methods have come up short. (OR) About the real-life experiences and bestselling works of novelist-forensic anthropologist Kathy Reichs. The project will track a female forensic anthropologist named Marjorie Miles, who solves crimes using evidence supplied by skeletal remains. Miles will spearhead a team of experts to help her solve the mysteries of the bones, including a reconstructive artist and bug experts who can uncover clues about a case by analyzing the creatures surrounding a corpse. (Is CBS spinning their CSI franchise to Fox!? – Bert 🙂

UPN
Crazy: About a female psychiatrist who draws insight on her own life through the issues of her patients.

The Lot: Focuses on young Hollywood as seen through the eyes of several twentysomethings who work at a studio.

Triangle: Begins when the wife of a young doctor mysteriously disappears while they’re on their honeymoon. In order to find out what happened, he stays on the island and begins to treat the residents and visitors, the trade paper reported.

UNTITLED: Primetime soap set in Miami’s famed South Beach.

TNT
THE CLOSER: About the female deputy chief heading up a special unit of the L.A.P.D. that handles sensitive, high-profile murder cases.

THE DARK: Revolves around the F.B.I.’s tracking and apprehension team, which is only called upon when the most disturbing, dangerous and baffling serial criminals are on the loose.

HBO
UNTITLED: Based on the true story of a group of U.S. Army Engineers deployed to a remote base with no orders in Iraq in 2003 to search for weapons of mass destruction. The show picks up there, with the soldiers trying to find ways to occupy their time.

THE COMEBACK: Stars Lisa Kudrow as a one-time sitcom star who is trying to revive her career.

USA
KOJAK“: The cable channel will roll out its remake of the 1970s CBS detective drama “Kojak,” starring Ving Rhames in the role made famous by Telly Savalas, as a regular series set to debut in March.

Has Hollywood gone remake crazy?

Dreamworks is planning on a sequel to last year’s hit “The Ring.” Although there is no definite storyline set yet, I would assume that the sequel has something to do with an evil VHS tape that brings death seven days after viewing – and I’m not talking about old bootlegged copies of “Red Dawn” either.

Also in the works is a sequel to the moderately successful, but frighteningly cultish, “Night of the Living Dead” series of movies. The last one in the series, “Day of the Dead,” hit cinemas in limited release back in 1985. Although it didn’t do very well at the box office it none the less found a nitch in the home video market and was recently remastered and released on DVD this year. The next movie, the fourth, is tentatively called “Dead Reckoning” taking place after the zombie-apocalyptic events in “Day of the Dead.” The story follows, according to the series creator George Romero, “the remaining survivors living in exclusive gated communities that protect them from the dead outside. They attempt to live normally while ignoring the problem in the world outside their walls. The real horror and adventure comes into play with the group of people living in the gated city whose job it is to leave the safety of the city and venture out into the dead wasteland to gather supplies and things.” Sounds tasty.

Speaking of the “Night of the Living Dead” series of movies, the movie “Dawn of the Dead,” second in original trilogy (or is it now quadrilogy?), is being remade in Canada. The story follows a group of human survivors who take shelter in a mall when the zombies threaten to overrun humanity. Unfortunately for the survivors, the zombies retain some memories and tend to congregate at places that they remember. The survivors must escape the surge of zombies attacking the mall to try to escape to an island free of zombies.

In fact, there is more than one set of horror remakes on the horizon. Horror remakes have become the vogue of late ever since “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre” tore into theaters earning several million in ticket sales. The first is a remake to the classic (and remade twice already) “Invasion of the Body Snatchers.” This remake will stick more close to the source material than the last remake which took place on a military base. The second remake is to the “Amityville Horror” set of movies.

A movie in the works that is a sort of sequel and remake at the same time is “Aliens vs. Predator.” This movie is a spin-off of the successful “Aliens” franchise and the “Predator” series. Fans have been clamoring for the movie ever since an Alien skull was seen in the Predator ship at the end of “Predator 2.” “Aliens vs. Predator” follows a group of soldiers and scientists who discover a pyramid buried in the ice in Antarctica, which the Predators have been using these sort of “happy hunting grounds” for the Aliens. The humans get stuck between the Predators looking for Alien skulls, but willing to settle on less such as a human’s, and the Aliens just looking for blood. Fun ensues.

If you were expecting to see “The Alamo” in theaters this past Christmas (since it’s been advertised as coming out at that time in trailers and posters for months now) you’ll have to wait a little longer. It seems as the digital FX are holding up the production of the movie sliding the release date to early next year. Conspiracy theorists speculate that the real reason for the move was to keep the movie from the juggernauts that are the “Lord of the Rings” and “Harry Potter” series. Hollywood would never move the release date of a movie just to hopefully let it make more money, would they!?

When you think “The Six Million Dollar” man you think Lee Majors, at least if you’re a child of the late 1970s or early 1980s you do. Children of the 21st century will not think of Lee Majors, they’ll think of – Jim Carrey!? That’s right, Jim Carrey is slated to play the role in the big screen remake of this small screen hit. Don’t expect the series to be the action packed extravaganza that was the original. Directed by Todd Phillips, who’s making a career out of 1970s remakes currently directing “Starsky and Hutch” starring Owen Wilson and Ben Stiller, the new version is set to be a “comedy-action movie spoof.” I smell a franchise.

Well, I smell something.

2004-2005 Television Pilots (Incomplete at Best)

Witness the birth of Bad Television

Last Updated – 02/23/04
Begun – 01/12/04
Compiled from Zap2It.com & The Futon Critic
If you have any additions/corrections to this list, please send Bert an e-mail.
Relive the horror that was the 2003-2004 Television Pilot Season
Witness the 2002-2003 Television Pilots

Network – ABC
DEMARCO AFFAIRS“: Selma Blair (“Zoe, Duncan, Jack & Jane,” “Cruel Intentions”) is the first to join the cast of David E. Kelley and Jason Katim’s drama pilot. Blair will play the middle child of three sisters who inherit their family’s full-service wedding planning business, who is a pillar of strength on the outside but vulnerable on the inside.

UNTITLED JENNIFER LOVE HEWITT PROJECT: – Jennifer Love Hewitt’s (“Party of Five”) will play an up-and-coming sports producer and single mom who unwillingly becomes an on-camera reporter. Gabe Sachs and Jeff Judah (“Freaks and Geeks”) will write and executive produce the project which is based on an idea by Hewitt.

UNTITLED EARTHQUAKE PROJECT: Comedy starring the single-named comedian. The project, which is loosely based on Earthquake’s experiences, centers on a father of four (Earthquake) and self-proclaimed unluckiest man alive who tries to make ends meet with his wife.

First Family“: Focus on a working-class family in Queens, N.Y. An adaptation of the BBC show “The Royle Family.” If it sticks to the premise of its ancestor, that family will rarely leave the house and interact pretty much only when there’s a lull in whatever’s on TV.

UNTITLED“: Sitcom starring pop singer Jessica Simpson, in which she’ll play “Jessica Sampson,” a fictionalized version of her tuna-and-chicken-confusing self. (Yes folks, we are in the end times here. Ditzy blond playing ditzier blond!? – Bert.)

UNTITLED“: Starring John Stamos as a guy on a daylong first date with a woman. The show is set up so that the entire season will chronicle that one date.

Thank God It’s Monday“: Looks at families through the lens of how men talk about their home lives while at work.

The Savages“: Partly inspired by Mel Gibson’s role as a father to six boys, the show will focus on a single dad raising five sons.

UNTITLED“: Based on the life of Time columnist Joel Stein from the magazine’s corporate sibling, Warner Bros. TV. Stein wrote the script, about the youngest reporter at a national publication, and will executive produce.

HARRY GREEN AND EUGENE“: Jason Segel (“Freaks & Geeks”) will star opposite Mark Valley in the drama pilot. Segel will play the inept brother of Mark Valley’s character, a private investigator in Los Angeles.

BLIND JUSTICE“: Ron Eldard (“ER”) will topline a new drama pilot at the Alphabet about a blind detective. The pilot is being targeted for a midseason 2004-05 debut. (Sounds like “Daredevil” to me! – Bert.)

Plan B“: Comedy about a stressed thirtysomething single woman who juggles romance, career, an intrusive mother and weight problems. Starring Caroline Rhea.

UNTITLED“: Set in San Antonio revolves around the tight bond between an unlucky-in-love Asian American advertising executive and her wilder, single mother, a 40-ish firecracker who co-owns a local restaurant. From writer Pang-ni Landrum (“Malcolm in the Middle”).

We Are Family“: About a man and his estranged father who reconnect when they both become new dads.

THE CATCH“: J.J. Abrams’ bounty hunter drama has been given the green light to produce a pilot. Stars Greg Grunberg (“Alias”).

LOST“: – Drama which follows a group of people stuck on a Pacific island and are forced to build a new society after surviving a plane crash. From J.J. Abrams (“Alias”) and Damon Lindelof (“Crossing Jordan”). The project is actually a revamped take on “Nowhere,” a drama from executive producer Aaron Spelling and writer Jeff Lieber, which ultimately did not go forward.

THE MIDDLEMAN“: Oscar-winning writer Chris McQuarrie (“The Usual Suspects”) has landed a premium script commitment at ABC for a new drama about a man who straddles the line between good and evil. The project, which has a substantial penalty attached should it not go to pilot, is described a 21st century take on “The Equalizer” in which the lead is viewed as a crook by the cops and a cop by the crooks. McQuarrie and wife Heather will executive produce the series with Oscar-nominated producer Matthew Gross for Touchstone Television.

YOUTH CRIME UNIT“: Drama which revolves around a New York undercover police squadron devoted to catching criminals under the age of 25.

HARRY GREEN AND EUGENE“: Dramedy about Harry Green, a Los Angeles private investigator whose life is complicated when his inept brother Eugene comes to town. From the team behind FOX’s short-lived “Keen Eddie” – actor Mark Valley, writer Joel Wyman, director Simon West.

KAT PLUS ONE“: – Revolves around a New York publicist who must suddenly raise a 6-year-old boy when her sister and brother-in-law die. From writer Maggie Friedman (“Dawson’s Creek”) and “Everwood” executive producers Greg Berlanti and Mickey Liddell.

Countdown (A.K.A. 41 MINUTES, 43 Minutes)“: Drama following a SWAT team. Each episode would play out in real time over the final 43 minutes of a crisis situation. From Graham (“Boomtown”) and Christopher Yost. (I wonder if it’ll be renamed “39 Minutes” if ABC wants ton insert more commercials? – Bert)

THAT’S MY RODNEY“: Standup comic Rodney Carrington’s comedy pilot is being redeveloped for consideration. Ric Swatzlander (“Eight Simple Rules,” “Hidden Hills”) is on board to write the revamped project which has been given the go ahead to produce a pilot. Swartzlander and David Himmelfarb will executive produce the project, which comes from Touchstone Television.

UNTITLED HENRY CHO PROJECT: Revolves around standup comic Henry Cho’s experiences as a Korean-American born and raised in Tennessee. Matt Goldman (“Ellen,” “Luis”) is on board to write and executive the pilot to the project, which will David Janollari will also executive produce.

UNTITLED JASON KATIMS/DAVID E. KELLEY PROJECT: Romantic drama which tracks three sisters who run a wedding palace on Long Island that they have inherited from their bitterly divorced parents. David E. Kelley is once again back at ABC where the prolific writer/producer has teamed with Jason Katims (“Roswell,” “Boston Public”). The Alphabet has greenlit production of a pilot for the project, which The pickup marks the first project to ever come from the 20th Century Fox Television-based David E. Kelley Productions that Kelley himself didn’t create. FOX reportedly offered a series commitment to Kelley but the producer opted to go with ABC’s pilot order instead.

THE FIVE PEOPLE YOU MEET IN HEAVEN“: Small screen version of Mitch Albom’s bestselling novel “The Five People You Meet in Heaven.”

CHARLIE’S ANGELS“: Carlton Cuse (“Black Sash,” “Nash Bridges”) and John Wirth (“The District”) have been tapped to bring the 1970s series back to the small screen. ABC has given a script commitment to Sony Pictures Television for the project along with a hefty penalty attached should it not go to pilot. It’s not clear how or if the producers plan to fit into the movie franchise’s continuity.

GRAMERCY PARK (A.K.A. 111 GRAMERCY PARK, 111 Gramercy Street)“: Originally developed for the 2003 pilot season, but the network determined that while the “Upstairs, Downstairs” themes were interesting, the actual concept needed improvements. The new version focuses on three nannies and their employers in an upscale New York apartment building. From Sally Robinson (HBO’s “Iron Jawed Angels”). (2003’s description of then titled “111 Gramercy Park”; Detailing the lives of residents and staff members at a posh New York apartment building.)

Eyes“: Centers on a high-end, high-tech security firm. ABC executives describe it as big and splashy. From John McNamara (“Profit,” “Fastlane”). OR – A high-tech security firm that operates along the fringes of the law in order to affect the outcome of a host of civil and criminal matters. Or about the owner of a “risk management” firm, a company that operates along the fringes of the law in order to affect the outcome of a host of civil and criminal matters.

Doing It“: D.B. Sweeney (“Strange Luck”), Lisa Darr (“Popular”) and Jessica Lucas have joined the cast of drama pilot, a coming-of-age drama about the sexual antics of three teen boys in Seattle. Sweeney and Darr wil play parents to Sean Faris’ character while Lucas will join Kelly Osbourne and Missi Pergrym as the teen female leads. Gabe Sachs and Jeff Judah are behind the project, which comes from Touchstone Television.

Secret Service“: Sarah Wayne Callies (“Tarzan”) has landed the lead role in the drama pilot, which comes from “Alias” executive producers Alex Kurtzman-Counter and Roberto Orci. Callies will play Laura, a young woman who struggles to balance her marriage with the demands and dangers of her career in the Secret Service.

Naked Hotel” Synopsis unknown.

DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES“: Darkly comic and offbeat soap that opens with the show’s narrator, a female resident of a neighborhood cul-de-sac, committing suicide. She then tells the story of the amoral, insidious and incredibly secretive lives of the inhabitants (as well as her own dark secret) from beyond the grave. Touchstone Television and writers Chuck Pratt (“Melrose Place”) and Marc Cherry (“Some of My Best Friends”) are behind the project.

ONCE A DOG“: Writer Jill Franklyn (“Seinfeld”) and producer/director Gil Junger (“Hope & Faith”) are set to team for a new comedy about a 40-ish bachelor who ends up having a baby with a woman he hardly knows thanks to a one-night stand. The duo say the project is loosely based on Junger’s own experiences.

NBC
MEDIUM“: Drama about a woman who struggles to balance her psychic abilities with her family life.

UNTITLED: Comedy about a romance between an unlikely couple whose biggest obstacle is themselves.

UNTITLED: About a doctor who unravels medical mysteries.

BEVERLY HILLS S.U.V.“: Comedy from “The Bernie Mac Show” co-creator Larry Wilmore (also of NBC’s “Whoopi”) for a new workplace comedy revolving around salespeople at an upscale car lot in Beverly Hills.

NEVER IN MY WILDEST“: Romantic comedy.

WEEKENDS“: Comedy about an Orange County couple with a kid who still long for the carefree days of their youth.

NEVER MIND NIRVANA“: Comedy about what happens when an Indian-American doctor’s immigrant parents move in with him and his Caucasian wife.

UNTITLED: Comedy. Revolves around a 33-year-old guy who decides to go back to college after his wife leaves him for his best friend.

EDEN“: Centers around a group of young people from a mosaic of wildly different backgrounds who are thrown together on a summer study cruise that goes horribly wrong during a major storm. After being marooned, they have to re-build their own world on a remote island.The drama unfolds as the characters deal with the fact that their status in the past has nothing to do with the status in the new world. And in a twist, there is one person on the island who should never have been on the cruise to begin with and has a dark secret.

Everday Life“: A semi-improvised comedy from executive producer Rob Reiner. The series focuses on a pair of married shrinks. From Mary Gallagher (“Friends”) and Josh Radnor (“The Court”).

Untitled“: A procedural show about solving medical mysteries. (OR) Drama about a man who unravels medical mysteries. Jason Horwitch (“The Pentagon Papers”) wrote the pilot script and will serve as an executive producer with Bob Cooper and Scott Vila.

Home & Hardware “: – Alyson Hannigan (“Buffy the Vampire Slayer”) is officially on board the comedy pilot, which comes from NBC Studios. She’ll play the eldest of two siblings who ends up reuniting with her brother after not speaking for 18 months. (OR) Comedy which revolves around the relationship between two siblings, a workaholic ex-dork older sister (Hannigan) and her slacker brother, both single, who haven’t spoken in 18 months.

THE FRIENDLYS“: Offbeat comedy that revolves around the fight between a dead candy mogul’s trophy wife and his daughter over the business. From producers Robb and Mark Cullen (“Lucky”).

Untitled“: Comedy about a romance between an unlikely couple. From DeAnn Heline and Eileen Heisler (“Three Sisters”).

HUB“: A quirky drama set at Los Angeles International Airport. Mark Gordon and Nick Thiel are the executive producers of the project, which comes from NBC Studios. Starring Blair Underwood.

UNTITLED ROB REINER PROJECT: Comedy about a newlywed couple who are both shrinks who end up moving in with the husband’s family, which includes more psychiatrists and other eclectic characters. NBC has given a production green light to produce a pilot for the project, Will be executive produced by Rob Reiner, Alan Greisman and Dan and Sue Paige (“Once and Again”).

UNTITLED MARSH MCCALL PROJECT: The project centers on the relationship between a father, a professor at Stanford, and his son. From writer/executive producer Marsh McCall (“My Big Fat Greek Life,” “Just Shoot Me”).

My 11:30“: Comedy about a shallow fortysomething Los Angeles businessman and his no-nonsense therapist. Paul Reiser’s NBC Studios-based Nuance Productions has received a cast-contingent pilot pickup. Or Jeff Goldblum will play Jeff Sharpe, a shallow playboy New York financial consultant, in the project, who, after his high-pressure job and hectic lifestyle send him into a meltdown, begins to see a no-nonsense therapist.

THE OFFICE“: NBC’s makeover of the Britcom hit “The Office.” Millions pray that it is nothing like NBC’s makeover of the Brotcom hit “Coupling.”

MEDIUM“: Based on the true story of Allison DuBois, a research medium and criminal profiler, and revolves around her struggles to balances her psychic abilities with being a wife and mother. (She’s a psychic and this is a TRUE story!? Isn’t that an oxymoron? – Bert) Glenn Gordon Caron’s (“Now & Again”) drama at the Peacock has a title and a greenlight to produce a pilot.

PEARL CITY(A.K.A. HAWAII BLUE): The ensemble drama tracks a group of detectives in Oahu, Hawaii. Jon Avnet (“Boomtown”) is on board to direct the pilot, which received a production greenlight this week. Jeff Eastin (“Rush Hour 3”) is writing and executive producing.

REVELATIONS“: Six-hour limited series which focuses on the final showdown between God and Satan as foretold in the Bible’s book of Revelations. David Seltzer (“The Omen”) and Gavin Polone (“Curb Your Enthusiasm”) are the executive produces of the project.

FOX
MR. ED“: Comedy update of the 1960’s talking horse series.

LUCKY US“: Revolves around a couple forced together due to an unintended pregnancy. Leigh will play Lucy Reed, a conservative architect who gets pregnant after a blind date. Holly Hester (“Sabrina, the Teenage Witch”) is behind the project, which is set up at 20th Century Fox Television-based Original Television. Or about a mismatched couple who wind up permanently linked after their blind date results in an unexpected pregnancy

UNTITLED“: About parents having trouble cutting the cord with their kids.

Johnny Zero“: Based on a screenplay by Ken Sanzel, a former New York detective. Franky G (“The Italian Job”) is set to star.

POINT PLEASANT“: Drama. A cross between “Peyton Place” and “The Omen.” Centers on a beachside community that is turned upside down when a mysterious girl washes ashore. From John McLaughlin (“The Last Good Time,” A&E’s “The Great Gatsby”) and Marti Noxon (“Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” “Still Life”).

UNTITLED“: Comedy. The series will track a clean-cut Catholic family who moves from Brooklyn to Sin City and wind up living across the street from their morally challenged relatives. Writers Elizabeth Beckwith (“Ladies’ Man”) and John Rogers (“The Core,” “Cosby”) are developing an untitled comedy at FOX based on the former’s life growing up in Las Vegas.

Untitled“: The series focuses on the hilarity that ensues when the blunted rappers move into a big house in a New Jersey suburb. Starring former “Daily Show” correspondent Beth Littleford (“Spin City”). David Henry, Lahmard Tate and Peter Jacobson co-star in the pilot.

THE QUINTS“: The project revolves around a group of 15-year-old quintuplets who must forge their own identities and stay sane while living in a three-bedroom house in the suburbs. Mark Reisman (“Frasier”) will write and executive produce the project.

OAHU” OR “THE BIG ISLAND“: Drama which tracks a group of twentysomething employees who work at a luxury hotel on Hawaii’s Big Island. From Peter Elkoff’s (“Mr. Beautiful”). OR – An “Upstairs, Downstairs”-esque drama about the guests and staff at a luxury hotel in Hawaii.

RICOCHET“: Takes a “Memento”-like backward approach to storytelling as each episode starts out with the climax, with the rest of the show retracing the steps that led to said moment. Dondre Whitfield (“Hidden Hills”) has been cast in the drama pilot, which which Whitfield will play a second-generation police officer, a street-savvy, fast-talking charmer. Rene Echevarria (“Star Trek: The Next Generation”) and Jeff Kline (“That Was Then”) are the executive producers of the project.

UNTITLED“: Feature writer Sheldon Turner (“The Longest Yard”) has landed a blind script commitment from 20th Century Fox Television to develop a new drama series for the network and studio.

RELATED BY FAMILY“: Amy Yasbeck (“Wings”) will play the mother in the comedy, which focuses on two very different teenagers forced to live under the same roof when their parents remarry. From writer/producer Victor Fresco (“Andy Richter Controls the Universe”) and Paramount Network Television.

UNTITLED: Based on a Playboy article, about a woman who goes undercover at a high school to investigate a drug ring. Brothers Todd and Glenn Kessler wrote the pilot and will executive produce with director Kathryn Bigelow (“Strange Days”).

Hollywood Division“: Drama pilot, which revolves around young undercover detectives who infiltrate a Hollywood high school posing as students (a la “21 Jump Street”). D.J. Cotrona (“Skin”) is the first actor to sign on to the Cotrona will play a police cadet sent to investigate a drug trafficking ring. Barry Schindel (“Law & Order,” “Robbery Homicide Division”) and Rob Port (“10-8”) are behind the project.

UNTITLED DAVID SHORE PROJECT: Drama which focuses on a team of doctors charged with solving complicated medical mysteries that mystify other health-care professionals. Paul Attanasio and David Shore are behind the Universal-based project. Or revolves around a group of doctors who diagnose the toughest medical cases that have baffled the rest of the medical community.

Confidence“: Based on the 2003 Lions Gate grifter drama starred Ed Burns and Dustin Hoffman.

One Big Happy“: Takes a lighthearted tone as it follows the life of a blended family with five kids. Gretchen Berg and Aaron Harberts, who’ve worked on FOX’s upcoming “Wonderfalls,” “John Doe” and “Roswell,” are writing the pilot and executive producing with Levy (“Cheaper by the Dozen”). Or a man named Jack Denny who falls in love with and marries his wife’s best friend Ellie, and now must blend their families together.

Untitled“: Will focus on a team of doctors who diagnose cases that baffle other medical professionals. Paul Attanasio (“Homicide: Life on the Street”) will executive producing with Katie Jacobs and writer David Shore (“Family Law,” CBS’ Attanasio-produced “Century City”).

THE TEENAGE INVESTOR“: Domestic comedy about an ordinary family coming to grips with the financial genius of their teenage son. Produced by Kevin Spacey (“The Usual Suspects”) and based on the book “The Teenage Investor: How to Start Early, Invest Often & Build Wealth.”

CBS
UNTITLED
: Melanie, a sophisticated single New Yorker who makes the move from a small, edgy fashion house to a large corporation.

Washington Street“: Revolves around a group of tenants who form family-like bonds, with a single mother at the center.

Clubhouse“: Dean Cain along with Mare Winningham (“The Brotherhood of Poland, N.H.”) will star. The coming-of-age story centers on a New York Yankees batboy; Winningham will play the boy’s mother, while Cain (“Lois & Clark,” “Perfect Husband: The Laci Peterson Story”) will play a former all-star player.

UNTITLED“: About a blended family whose parents have very different perspectives on how to raise kids.

Center of the Universe“: John Goodman (“Roseanne”) as the peacemaker of an extended family living in Chicago.

Saint Louie“: About a New York couple who overthink the way they raise their toddler. “Chris Rock Show” alumnus Louis C.K. is co-writing and starring in

Nice Guys“: A Los Angeles private eye drama that has Thomas Schlamme (“The West Wing”) on board to executive produce and direct the pilot. Or a buddy action comedy about mismatched partners.

The Amazing Westerbergs“: Comedy. The series focuses on two 20-something brothers coming to terms with their own personal limitations in Manhattan. Chris O’Donnell, who has a development deal with CBS, is in negotiations with the network to star. He would play one of two brothers whose parents told them they could do anything but who find that real life isn’t that simple.

Wanted“: Athriller set in the fugitive section of the LAPD.

Sudbury“: Revolves around a family of witches. Sandra Bullock is on board as a producer.

Dr. Vegas“: Centers on a Las Vegas casino in-house physician.

UNTITLED TERRI HUGHES/RON MILBAUER PROJECT: Drama which revolves around a bounty hunter and his two sons, who join the family business. From writers Terri Hughes and Ron Milbauer (UPN’s “Kamelot,” “Idle Hands”). From Spelling Television, along with Aaron Spelling and E. Duke Vincent.

C.S.I.: NEW YORK“: “New York” will focus on the lives of two main characters, a man and a woman who work together as investigators, instead of a large ensemble cast. The two yet-to-be cast characters will be featured on this season’s second-to-last episode of “C.S.I.: Miami,” set to air in May, in which investigators from “Miami” will be called to New York to investigate a murder involving a Miami resident. Franchise creator Anthony Zuiker writing the pilot and executive producing along with Ann Donahue, Carol Mendelsohn and Jerry Bruckheimer. Zuiker is also expected to remain as showrunner of the New York series with Donahue running “Miami” and Mendelsohn the original Las Vegas-based series.

THE WEBSTER REPORT“: Drama about an offbeat New York private investigator. Writer Theresa Rebeck (“Law & Order: Criminal Intent”) has landed a cast-contingent pilot commitment. Emmy winner Stanley Tucci (“Winchell,” “Murder One”) has signed on for the lead role in the pilot, a drama about an offbeat New York private investigator. Barry Sonnenfeld (“Men In Black”) is on board to direct the pilot.

Numbers“: From Ridley and Tony Scott’s Scott Free Productions. About an MIT mathematician who’s enlisted by the F.B.I. to help solve crimes.

THE WB
JOINT CUSTODY“: Revolves around two young teens with divorced parents who spend part of their week living with ultrapermissive mom and the rest of the week with disciplinarian dad.

THE MOUNTAIN“: Drama from McG. The project centers on a 25-year-old who inherits his family’s mountain resort when his grandfather dies. Stephanie Savage (“The O.C.”) wrote the script to the pilot and will executive produce along with McG and David Barrett (“Jake 2.0”), the latter of whom is attached to direct.

Global Frequency“: Superhero show based on the DC Comics series by Warren Ellis. Frequency deals with a shadowy figure named Miranda Zero who starts a top-secret worldwide independent defense intelligence organization.

THE ROBINSONS: LOST IN SPACE (A.K.A. LOST IN SPACE)“: Newcomer Adrianne Palicki has been cast as Judy Robinson in the Frog’s revival of the 1965-68 cult-classic, which is now being developed under the title “The Robinsons: Lost In Space.” The news marks Palicki’s first professional acting gig. Doug Petrie, John Woo, Kevin Burns, Jon Jashni, Terence Change and Suzanne Zizzi are the executive producers of “Robinsons,” which comes from 20th Century Fox Television and Fox TV Studios.

Commando Nanny“: Based on “Survivor” maestro Mark Burnett’s experience as a young ex-British commando working as a live-in nanny for a Beverly Hills family.

Dark Shadows“: By “ER” and “The West Wing” producer John Wells, based on the old vampire soap opera “Dark Shadows.”

Raintree“: Focuses on a girl who trains a racehorse on a California ranch. It is reportedly inspired by “Seabiscuit.” From Michael Piller (“Dead Zone” and “Star Trek: Voyager”).

UPN
SECOND TIME AROUND“: A divorced couple who decide to take another crack at marriage.

ME, ME, ME“: Comedy about two best friends whose shallow New York ways are compromised when one of the pair’s younger sister comes to town.

Silver Lake“: Focuses on a record story owner who can talk to the dead.

Kevin Hill“: About a hotshot attorney who must change his life when his brother is killed in a car crash and he must raise his young niece. Or a thirtysomething playboy lawyer who suddenly finds himself charged with raising his cousin’s daughter.

Nikki and Nora“: About two female private eyes. (OR) About two lesbian private detectives based in New Orleans. Written by Leonard Dick (“Hack,” “Fastlane”) and Nancylee Myatt (“Night Court”).

Veronica Mars“: About a teenager who helps out at her dad’s agency. (OR) Drama about a spoiled teen girl who reunites with her estranged, down-on-his-luck father and ends up helping with his detective agency. From writer-producer Rob Thomas (“Cupid”) and Joel Silver (“The Matrix” movies).

Beck and Call“: Follows the lives of three personal assistants living in New York. (OR) A drama set in the New York fashion world, as seen through the personal lives of the industry’s executives and assistants. Dan Bucatinsky (“All Over the Guy”) wrote the pilot.

WHOT“: Comedy about a young white woman who gets hired as the station manager for a hip-hop radio station, WHOT. Queen Latifah (“Barbershop 2: Back in Business”) is executive producing. Buddy Sheffield (“In Living Color”) and David Sheffield (“The Nutty Professor”) will write and executive produce the project.

Fly Girls“: Focuses on the star of a sci-fi series who somehow becomes endowed with real super powers.

The Point“: About a ritzy community haunted by a murder.

I DO, I DID, NOW WHAT“: Jenny Lee’s bestselling book of the same name about what happens to modern couples after they get hitched will be the focus of a new half-hour comedy at the netlet from executive producer Kate Hudson. Lee’s book takes a humorous look at contemporary marriage and the modern realities that couples discover after they survive their weddings.

FX
RESCUE ME“: Drama with comedic elements which revolves around the lives of a crew of firefighters who live and work in post-9/11 New York. Denis Leary, along with Peter Tolan, created and will executive produce the series.

ESPN
THE FIX“: Brian Koppelman and David Levien (“Runaway Jury,” “Rounders”) have landed script commitment from ESPN for a new drama set in the worlds of gambling and college football.

SHOWTIME
HUFF“: Drama. Reportedly set to be the network’s most expensive original series in its history with a per episode license fee of $1.75 million to Sony Pictures Television.

ELLIE PARKER“: Dramedy based on Scott Coffey’s short film of the same name. The actor/writer has teamed with Jill Franklyn (“Seinfeld”) on the project, which revolves around the life of a female actress struggling to make it in Los Angeles. The pay channel initially bought the short after it was screened at Sundance and has since put it under consideration for a production pickup.

LILAC LANE“: Drama series from famed playwright/director Neil LaBute (“In the Company of Men,” “Possession”). LaBute is expected to write, produce and direct each installment of the series, which tracks a young male college professor who finds himself disgraced and unemployed after having an affair with a co-ed with things getting even darker when the woman he slept with turns up missing.

HBO
UNTITLED
: Comedy. Still early in development, the series would follow a family of Indian immigrants as they go from first generation Americans to second generation. From “Monsoon Wedding” scribe Sabrina Dhawan

USA
FRANKENSTEIN“: the series is expected to take place in present-day Seattle with both Dr. Frankenstein and his monster surviving the past two centuries thanks to genetic engineering on both subjects. The two are then discovered by a female cop and her partner through a routine homicide investigation. Over the course of the pilot, Frankenstein’s monster joins forces with the cops and will combat Dr. Frankenstein and his other creations in successive weeks. From Martin Scorsese and author Dean Koontz.

ABC FAMILY
TANGLED UP IN BLUE“: Semiautobiographical comedy about an unconventional mom (Rosanna Arquette) balancing motherhood and her bohemian lifestyle and rock ‘n’ roll circle of friends. Dick Clark and Robert Downey, Jr. both made cameos in the pilot presentation.

THIS TIME AROUND: THE SERIES“: Series version of the recent telefilm. One of the telefilm’s writers, Chad Hodge (also of “Tru Calling,” “I Want to Marry Ryan Banks”) is on board to write the pilot, which picks up six months after the movie – which tracked a group of friends as they battled their high school demons – ends.

OXYGEN
MY BEST FRIEND IS A BIG FAT SLUT“: Comedy about a pair of Minnesota twentysomethings who move to L.A. in search of the Hollywood life. From Carsey-Werner-Mandabach (“That ’70s Show,” “Whoopi,” “The Tracy Morgan Show”). Writer Claudia Lonow (“Less Than Perfect”) created the series, which is being targeted for an April premiere date. Bree Turner (“Bring It On Again”), Joy Gohring (“Not Another Teen Movie”), Kevin Christy (“Love Don’t Cost a Thing”), Brent King (“Without a Trace”) and Nicole Hiltz (“Cold Case”) have all been cast.

LIFETIME
INFIDELITY“: Kim Delaney (“Philly”) is set to topline a new telefilm about a woman’s battle with her own unfaithfulness from director Harry Winer (“Lucky 7”) and writer Toni Kalem (“A Slipping Down Life”). Delaney will play a married family therapist who traces her own philandering back to her father and grandfather.

NETWORK UNKNOWN
APARTMENT 2H“: Sony Pictures Television is developing a new comedy from writer Pang-ni Landrum (“Friends,” “Malcolm in the Middle”) about a twentysomething Los Angeles woman whose life, and those of her pals, is complicated when her eccentric Chinese stepfather moves to town. Said character, Mr. Liu, is actually based on Landrum’s own experience as her own stepfather arrived unannounced on her doorstep straight from Beijing. The project was set up through the studio’s new program to develop more scripts with young and up-and-coming writers.

THE ENFORCERS“: James Ellroy (“L.A. Confidential”) has signed on with Kerry McCluggage’s Craftsman Films to develop a new L.A.-based cop series. Ellroy and McCluggage are executive producing along with Sebastian Twardosz.

Top Movies of 2003

2003’s been a weird year at the box office. Movies like “The Hulk” and “The Matrix: Revolutions” should have been hits were instead flops. And the number one movie at the box office last Summer was an animated adventure instead of the standard action “blow stuff up” fare.

It’ll be interesting to see just how the movie studios handle this Summer’s mess in the years to come. I wonder if we’ll see less action and more variety in movies for the coming Summer season. (Somehow, I doubt this.)

Best Movie of the Year – 28 Days Later: It’s been nearly half a year since I first saw this movie and I’m still thinking about it. Movies don’t usually effect me in such a way. Most times I forget about the movie until it comes out on DVD then debate whether or not to pick it up. With “28 Days Later” I was thinking about it from the time I left the theater to the time it (finally) came out on DVD.

I think it’s the idea behind 28 Days Later that makes the movie memorable. The idea that over the course of a very short period of time everything that we know can fall apart permiates the film. That it’s possible one day we could be going to the supermarket and the next we’re fighting for our lives outside that same market. 28 Days Later hits home in the post 9/11 world that we live in.

Since the movie was shot on a digital camera it adds to the whole “you are there” creepy feeling. (If you’ve never seen the movie trust me, the world that 28 Days Later exists in isn’t a place you want to visit!)

28 Days Later has probably single handedly reinvented the zombie/horror/holocaust movie. I would guess that this year’s”Dawn of the Dead” remake owes some of it’s being made to the success of 28 Days Later.

The rest, in alphabetical order:
Finding Nemo:
I’ve liked every Pixar movie that’s come out since “Toy Story” back in 1995. Every single feature they’ve made since their first has been pure gold. Not one has been a “miss” and “Finding Nemo” was no exception. From the story that hits your heart to the animation that makes Pixar’s ocean look more inviting than the real one, Finding Nemo’s a winner.

Kill Bill: Kinetic action mixed with Tarintino’s sense of dialogue is a pleasure to watch. And what is “Kill Bill” other than “kinetic action” and “Tarintino’s sense of dialogue?” Best of all the fight scenes are about as far away from the “Matrix” style fight scenes as a movie can get. (And we’re living in a world permiated with Matrix style fight scenes.) Kill Bill really harkened back to those old style 1960’s and 1970’s early asian kung-fu action movies. “Keeeeeeey-Ah!”

X-Men 2: X-Men United: I didn’t like the first X-Men movie. I found the storyline dull and the characters uninteresting. So I wasn’t too excited when the second movie was released but still went to see it anyway. About a half hour into the movie I realized that X2 was great! The characters/plot elements were more inline with the stories that came from the comic books and the action was over the top in a good way. There were elements in the story that I felt that only a true fan would understand. (How lame is that?)

I find myself counting the days until the next X-Men is released.