Previews for new shows on CBS..

Basq

Previews for all of CBS's new shows (launching in September).

Watch them here

They are (as follows):

— "The 11th Hour," a Jerry Bruckheimer-produced drama about a paranormal investigator
— "The Ex-List," a dramedy about a woman trying to find a husband from among her exes
— "Harper's Island," a murder-mystery serial whodunnit
— "Project Gary," a comedy about a pair of dueling ex-spouses and parents
— "The Mentalist," a drama about a celebrity psychic-turned-detective
— "Worst Week," a comedy about the romantic travails of a nice guy with terrible luck

Mr E

- 11th Hour - Interesting.... I'd like to see more.

- The Ex List - Ugh.

- Harpers Island - Great idea for a show. I assume its a one-off series? Could be great. Heavy metal music in the trailer is offputting though, like its trying too hard.

- Project Gary - Jay Mohr is as funny as a trip to the dentist. Pass.

- The Mentalist - Psych ripoff? Interesting trailer though.

- Worst Week - Made me laugh. Good enough for a look.

11th Hour - I really like Rufus Sewell and that combined with the interesting premise is enough to ensure I'll watch.

The Ex List - Trash.

Harpers Island - This looks very good, as long as they only intended to do one series. Like Mr E said the heavy metal music at the end is out of place given the great set up before. Should be interesting to see how it plays out.

Project Gary - I like Jay Mohr but this looks like lowest common denominator comedy. "Action" really was a long time ago.

The Mentalist - A Psych rip-off certainly but that Fangoria line has me sold on this.

Worst Week - Looks decent enough. I’ll give it a chance.

Kur4mA

NYOM new shows! *drools* I'll check these out when I get home later.

is_that_so

11th Hour - Hmm really good actor meets really bad hackneyed script.
But would still like to see at least one full show, although I think his accent is OTT.

- The Ex List - No redeeming qualities at all so it's sure to be huge.

- Harpers Island - Not sure here. Would like to see a bit more of it. Music is distracting. The problem I guess is whether the premise can hold enough water or will it just turn into Lost?

- Project Gary - Definitely no

- The Mentalist - OK but will probably pass on it.
How many times can they make this type of thing?

- Worst Week - En no, must be my sense of humour.

Necronomicon

Are any of the Lost crew involved in Harper's Island? I've a vague recollection of reading about it.

Mr E

I don't think so, Necro... I believe Jon Turteltaub (Jericho) is involved with this one.

is_that_so

Not sure but Irish actress in it. Also John Turtletaub is directing the pilot.

Necronomicon

Mr E wrote: »

I don't think so, Necro... I believe Jon Turteltaub (Jericho) is involved with this one.

Ah thanks, had my wires crossed between Lost and Jericho. Looks very promising.

Basq

Haven't watched the clips yet so I'll let you know what I think later.

But 'The 11th Hour' is apparently based on a British 4 part series that aired in 2006 starring 'Extras' Ashley Jensen. See it's Wikipedia page here. Never saw it though!

Basq

My 2 cents:

• "The 11th Hour" - looks like fairly standard fare to be honest. Kinda a mix of 'The X Files' and 'Life'.. but difficult to tell from a minute preview. Will give it a look when the pilots are out.
• "The Ex-List" - Elizabeth Reaser is a fox but the content in the clip actually caused me to commence projectile vomiting all over my keyboard.. it's cleaned up now though. Phew. Seriously, they couldn't pay me to watch that clichéd predicatable garbage!
• "Harper's Island" - if it remains quite dark, it could be excellent. But the "little girl sitting creepily repeating a phrase" has been done to absolute death - it's not creepy anymore. Just hackneyed. The cue of the heavy metal reminded me of music use in the 'Saw' movies. Noticed everyone's favourite supporting actor Bill Pullman in there too. He hasn't had any work in about 8 years so I'd say he's thankful for this!
• "Project Gary" - unlike Dave, I actually really like Jay Mohr (if just for his performance in the excellent 'Action' alone) but it really doesn't look great. There seems to be a common trend of marginally successful actors doing these "happy-families-type-domestic-situation" sitcom with an outcast son and attractive daughter. And they never end up good.. and I'm expecting this to suffer a similar fate. Horrific canned laughter too!
• "The Mentalist" - think Simon Baker's a very impressive actor also, and (although very similar) I expect this to be not nearly as light as 'Psych'. I'd say it'll be much more dramatic. Tough one to call!
• "Worst Week" - looks like a remake of another successful British comedy 'Worst Week of My Life'. Looks promising enough and the absence of a laugh track always sits better with me.

basquille

basquille wrote: »

Noticed everyone's favourite supporting actor Bill Pullman in there too. He hasn't had any work in about 8 years so I'd say he's thankful for this!

The fleeting glimpse of Pullman grabbed me. He's turned in some great performances in a number of smaller films in recent years. Hopefully this is the reboot his career needs, the man really does deserve to be top named on another major summer blockbuster or three.

Saibh

"The 11th Hour," a Jerry Bruckheimer-produced drama about a paranormal investigator will have a look
— "The Ex-List," a dramedy about a woman trying to find a husband from among her exes no thanks
— "Harper's Island," a murder-mystery serial whodunnit definitely watch to see how it goes
— "Project Gary," a comedy about a pair of dueling ex-spouses and parents no, did nothing for me
— "The Mentalist," a drama about a celebrity psychic-turned-detective again will have a look to see how it goes
— "Worst Week," a comedy about the romantic travails of a nice guy with terrible luck preferred it to "Project Gary"

cosgrove80

• "The 11th Hour" - I was with it until he mentioned cloning. Seemingly though the show is more scientific than paranormal, which would be preferable. Isn't JJ Abrams bringing out a paranormal show this season?
• "The Ex-List" - One for the ladies but still looks unbearable.
• "Harper's Island" - Seems like a cross between Battle Royal and Murder She Wrote. I agree: creepy doll girl = lazy. Again, would be stronger without any paranormal element. "The Bad Man" reference triggers a cliché alert too. Wouldn't be too concerned about the heavy metal. It's probably just the network selling the idea that there will be loads of "cool action bits".
• "Project Gary" - Reminded me of The War At Home. Not a good thing, not a good thing at all.
• "The Mentalist" - no evidence of the psychic element in the trailer, just criminal profiling. Doesn't come across as a comedy like Psych, more witty than "playing for laughs" funny.
• "Worst Week" - Impossible to judge a comedy on one scene. Could be the funniest bit of the whole series. Worth a watch though I'd say

Harper's Island looks the most original of the bunch with the most potential.

Chances are most of us here will watch the first episode of every new series that comes on this year regardless. Well, apart from The Ex-List

Mr E

Yep, JJ's show is on Fox, and its called Fringe.

Nearly 15 years after "The X-Files" launched, Fox is looking to scare a new generation of viewers with "Fringe," a spooky skein from the minds of J.J. Abrams, Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci.

Net has made a series commitment to the Warner Bros.-Bad Robot production, which will start off with a two-hour pilot budgeted at more than $10 million. Abrams, Kurtzman and Orci -- the brain trust behind Par's new "Star Trek" feature -- wrote the project on spec and shopped it to nets this week.

Trio will exec produce "Fringe" along with Bryan Burk ("Lost"). A search has begun for a pilot helmer as well as a series showrunner.

"Fringe" mixes elements of "The X-Files" and Paddy Chayefsky's "Altered States" with what Abrams calls "a slight 'Twilight Zone' vibe." It will focus on brilliant but possibly crazy research scientist Walter Bishop, his estranged son and a female FBI agent who brings them together.

Episodes will explore self-contained mysteries of the paranormal, as well as the relationships between the three leads.

"So much of the story is relatable people in extraordinary situations," Abrams said. "The show is definitely a nod to 'Altered States' and 'Scanners' and that whole Michael Crichton/Robin Cook world of medicine and science."

There'll also be an overriding mythology that will come into play from time to time, as well as a healthy dose of humor.

"It does the stuff my favorite TV shows and movies do, which is to combine genres that shouldn't fit together," Abrams said. "It's definitely meant to scare the hell out of you, but it's also meant to make you laugh... It pushes all the buttons of things we loved from our childhood."

Driving the show will be the Walter Bishop character, a larger-than-life figure who bears some resemblance to the titular character in Fox's "House." In the pilot, he's in a mental hospital.

"Imagine that your father is Frankenstein mixed with Albert Einstein," Orci said. "He's someone who has the mental ability to solve so many problems but is so different that communicating with them is almost impossible."

Basq

Yep, 'Fringe' and Whedon's 'Dollhouse' have to be two of the most anticipated...


.. in my mind anyways!