Now that they’ve gotten their mid-season shows off the ground, it’s pilot-buyin’ time for the major networks. That means that, in the past few weeks, we’ve been deluged with news about shows in development, with headlines featuring such names as Louis C.K., Mindy Kaling, J.J. Abrams, and Roseanne Barr. Thankfully, for those of us who’ve had some trouble keeping up, The Hollywood Reporter was kind enough to post a full list of what we can look forward to from ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox, and The CW in the 2012-13 season. Since that roundup is still pretty daunting, we’ve narrowed the list to the 11 shows we’re most looking forward to; check them out and find out why we can’t to see them after the jump.
NBC just picked up Star Trek director J.J. Abrams‘ Revolution, a new “high octane action drama … following a group of characters struggling to survive and reunite with loved ones in a world where all forms of energy have mysteriously ceased to exist.” Sounds about right for the Super 8 filmmaker. Fans of mind-bending television will be happy to know that Supernatural writer Eric Kripke and Lost‘s Bryan Burk will be writing the script alongside Abrams. This will be the second pilot that director is working on. The other project is Shelter at CW, which takes place at a historic New England summer resort and explores the comical and emotional relationships of its staff. Entertainment Weekly points out a previous synopsis for Revolution that details an empty American landscape devoid of computers, cars, phones, and even light. Spooky and Abrams-y enough for you?
In related news, Star Trek 2 producer and co-writer Roberto Orci posted this image from the set on his Twitter account, sharing: “Whole family, from in front and behind the camera.” Excited for more?
Trekkies have been waiting with baited breath to find out who will be replacing Benicio Del Toro since the actor made his exit from Star Trek 2 — suspected to have been attached to the role of iconic villain, Khan. Keep in mind, there’s still no confirmation that Khan will actually be the baddie, but as the Internet goes, there’s plenty of speculation. The 1982 version of Star Trek II did feature Ricardo Montalbán in the villainous role, which has inspired the hopes of fanboys everywhere that they’ll be seeing their beloved, screaming tyrant once more. While it’s disappointing to lose Del Toro for the J.J. Abrams-directed sequel, reports now indicate that Carlos star, Venezuelan actor Édgar Ramírez, may be stepping in for the part. Ramírez will be testing for the role via Skype and Abrams will supposedly make a decision before the weekend since production is expected to start next month. Ramírez is phenomenal in Carlos and is certainly an interesting pick. Will he be the one?
Mid-season TV is totally underrated. Largely seen as primetime’s second string, the slate of shows that pop up each winter to replace the fall season’s biggest failures has more to offer than you might think — especially at a time when cable and premium channels are challenging the networks’ traditional September-to-May schedule. With that in mind, there are a whole lot of new series debuting from December through February that we at Flavorpill can’t wait to watch. From Don Cheadle and Kristen Bell as corporate bloodsuckers to Kevin Smith’s comic-book store to the return of Deadwood creator David Milch, our ten most anticipated mid-season shows are after the jump. Read More »
Are you totally overwhelmed by the number of projects J.J. Abrams has going? Earlier this year, he channeled ’80s Steve Spielberg with Super 8. And there’s the new Mission: Impossible, which comes out later this month, and the recently announced Star Trek sequel. On TV, he’s got Person of Interest, which is doing well in its first season. And now, we’ve got a teaser for Alcatraz, the sci-fi/adventure/cop drama that will premiere on Fox in January. As Vulture points out, the preview’s 30 seconds are packed with trailer clichés. Most of all, we’re worried that Alcatraz is going to be a watered-down version of Lost – with an island, a mysterious, action-catalyzing disaster, hints of time travel wonkiness, a spooky soundtrack, and even a familiar close-up of a worried Jorge Garcia (who will apparently play a geek on this show, too). It’s obviously too soon to render an opinion, and any Abrams production merits a chance, but we are starting to wonder whether the über-producer needs to slow down a bit. Watch the teaser and decide for yourself after the jump. Read More »
1. Twilight actress Ashley Greene has landed the starring role in Olivia Twisted, a modern-day take on the Charles Dickens classic, Oliver Twist. [via Variety]
2. ABC has scooped up Walk of Shame, a single-camera from producer Will Gluck (Friends With Benefits, Easy A) and co-written by SNL alum Casey Wilson that’s about “a group of 20-something friends in New York and features an opening scene about an embarrassing situation followed by flashbacks of the events that led to it.” [via Deadline]
3. A theme song for your morning: Florence Welch has released “Shake It Off,” another track from her upcoming sophomore album, Ceremonies, which is due out November 7. Pretty, no? [via The Hairpin]
4. Vulture reports that J.J. Abrams has officially signed on to direct Star Trek 2; pre-production is already underway, and the plan is to begin shooting this winter.
5. Before he begins filming on Les Miserables next year, Hugh Jackman is returning to Broadway this fall for 10 weeks in a one-man show that will feature a selection of his favorite musical numbers. [via ArtsBeat]
There’s not much to celebrate about the end of summer, but at least we can look forward to the end of re-runs and a new crop of fall TV shows. While they don’t all look like winners, and several will surely be canceled within the first few weeks of the season, quite a few series have caught our eye. Now that The TV Addict has put together a helpful calendar of premiere dates, this seems like a good time to count down our top 10 most anticipated shows debuting in September and October. Check them out and tell us what you’ll be watching after the jump.
The excellent Longshot magazine, whose staff you’ll recognize from their day jobs at places like Gawker and The Awl, has just published its second issue. The depressingly appropriate theme is debt — and not just the financial kind. Michelle Legro, Maria Popova, and illustrator Wendy MacNaughton contributed the “Circles of Influence” map above, a sort of record of creative debt that manages to link Voltaire to Moby with only four degrees of separation and Issac Newton to J.J. Abrams in six. If you’re significantly intrigued to read more of Longshot – and you should — you can buy a print copy here or read it online and consider making a donation. [via Lapham's Quarterly]
1. There’s something weird happening on Twitter this morning that will cause you to auto-retweet the problem-causing code anytime you mouse over the page. We recommend that you use mobile.twitter.com until it’s fixed. [via Boing Boing]
2. In case you missed it, Pavement played “Gold Soundz” on last night’s episode of The Colbert Report. [via Arts Beat]
3. J.J. Abrams has cast Kyle Chandler (aka Friday Night Lights’ Coach Taylor) and Elle Fanning (Dakota’s little sis) as the leads in his super secretive film project, Super 8, which is being produced by Steven Spielberg. [via THR]
4. Catch Me If You Can is being adapted into a Broadway musical by many of the same creatives who worked on the Tony Award-winning production of Hairspray. It will open next spring. [via Playbill]
5. Focus Features has announced that it will be campaigning both The Kids Are All Right stars — Annette Bening and Julianne Moore — for Best Actress. Note: That has only been successful five other times in Academy Awards history. [via EW]
In the dead of summer, now that Tremé has finished airing its first season and Gossip Girl and 30 Rock are in reruns, we overdose on bad reality programming (and True Blood) and start to despair about the dearth of good TV. Then we cheer ourselves up by getting psyched for all the new series we’ve heard about but haven’t seen yet. After the jump, we list 10 series we’re looking forward to at all stages in the development process. Lift our spirits by suggesting even more exciting projects we missed in the comments.
