Time once more to creep up the competency pyramid in this week's upfronts presentation, with ABC now unleashing upon us all the shows that it's planning to include in its 2013-14 season. You might not think that ABC would be that much higher up the pyramid than Fox, given that last year, despite the presence of the good but now cancelled Last Resort, ABC managed to give us the dreadful 666 Park Avenue, The Family Tools, How To Live With Your Parents For The Rest of Your Life, Malibu Country, Nashville, The Neighbors, Red Widow and Zero Hour, only two of which have been picked up for second seasons.

Yet this year, we do have a decent enough selection of shows to pick from – well, decent at first trailer-glance, anyway, and mostly in the drama rather than comedy section. Here's the rundown:

New dramas

• Betrayal: Two lovers on opposite sides of a court case. James Cromwell, Hannah Ware and Stuart Townsend star.
• Killer Women: Tricia Helfer as a Texas Ranger – what could be bad? Also features Michael Trucco and Marc Blucas.
• Lucky 7: Remake of BBC1's The Syndicate, in which a bunch of co-workers with exciting back stories win the lottery.
• Marvel’s Agents Of S.H.l.E.L.D: Fuck, yeah
• Mind Games: A cross between Lie To Me and Mission: Impossible. Christian Slater stars so it'll be cancelled within three episodes
• Once Upon A Time In Wonderland: Spin-off from Once Upon A Time set in Wonderland and Victorian England. Stars Sophie Lowe, Michael Socha and John Lithgow.
• Resurrection: The dead come back to life in a small town. Stars Omar Epps from House, as well as Kurtwood Smith

New Comedies

• Back In The Game: Failed pro softball player Maggie Lawson agrees to coach a team of kids. Also features James Caan and Lenora Crichlow
• The Goldbergs: Growing pains 80s nostalgia-fest.
• Mixology: Single people meet in a bar and discover how empty and pointless existence is. Who knew Happy Hour was due for a remake?
• Super Fun Night: Rebel Wilson paired with Kevin Bishop for a girls' night out. How unusual
• Trophy Wife: Reformed party girl Malin Akerman marries Bradley Whitford and has to deal with his family. I'd rather see the adventures of party girl Malin Akerman, myself.

After the jump, full summaries, trailers and a schedule.

Continue reading "ABC's upfronts 2013-4 – a rundown and clips from the new shows"

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In the US: Wednesdays, 10/9c, NBC. Starts October 10
In the UK: Acquired by Sky Living. To air this month

You'd have thought that NBC would have learned from its mistakes, wouldn't you? Not three years ago, Trauma burst onto our screens, a bombastic tale of daring emergency services personnel – in that case, paramedics. That got cancelled. At the same time, it was airing Mercy, a tale of regular-type nurses and their professional and emotional lives. That got cancelled.

A year later, after removing most Law & Order shows from its schedules, it picked up another Law & Order from producer Dick Wolf: Law & Order: Los Angeles. That got cancelled.

Yet, here, bursting onto our screens in less than a week from now is Chicago Fire, a bombastic tale of daring emergency services personnel – in this case, fire-fighters and paramedics – from Dick Wolf. Starring House's Jesse Spencer trying his level best not to sound Australian, Justice/The Whole Truth's Eamonn Walker doing pretty well as usual at not sounding English and Sex and the City's David Eigenberg, who actually is American but still sounding very New York indeed, it revolves around a Chicago fire station and its group of buff manly men, and a couple of tough but nurturing female paramedics.

As with Trauma, there's a terrible tragedy within the first few minutes that traumatises everyone and sets up tensions between members of the brigade. Also as with Trauma, there's a newbie who needs to learn the ropes, there's inter-staff sexual tension, one of the fire crew is hooked on drugs and everything comes all right in the end.

In fact, the only thing in Chicago Fire that's new or different from not just Trauma but also more or less any other TV show you've ever seen is a lesbian, a silent cameo by Rahm Emanuel and firemen getting their tops off a lot. I understand that's in the job description, though.

Here's a trailer:

Continue reading "Preview: Chicago Fire 1x1 (NBC/Sky Living)"

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The Daily News will be back on Tuesday

Film

• Patrick Stewart back for X-Men
• Mark Millar to look after Fox's Marvel movies

Theater

• Scrubs: the musical?

Canadian TV

• Trailer for Primeval New World

International TV

• Australia's ABC buys Jimmy McGovern-developed Aboriginal drama Redfern Now

UK TV

• William Hurt to play Richard Feynman in BBC Challenger docu-drama [subscription required]
• Citizen Khan gets a second series [subscription required]
• Harry Enfield and Bryan Elsley sell Dates to Channel 4
• Wednesday ratings

US TV

• Promo for season 7 of Dexter
• Major Crimes gets a second season
• Tuesday cable ratings: Sons of Anarchy comes second
• Wednesday ratings: The Neighbors starts okay, NBC comedies down a lot

US TV casting

• Olivia Munn to recur on New Girl
• Lauren Graham to guest on Go On
• Henry Ian Cusick to guest on The Mentalist

New US TV shows

• ABC buys heist drama from 24's Evan Katz
• NBC developing New Orleans marching band comedy The Swamp
• Gale Anne Hurd developing adaptation of Jeffrey Archer's The Eleventh Commandment for NBC
• NBC buys This Thing Called Love
• Fox buys buddy-buddy-buddyette cop show from House and Rescue Me creators
• CBS buys medical drama from Reaper creators
• Medium's Glenn Gordon Caron sells Motor City Shakedown and Near Dead to CBS

New US TV show casting

• Kirstie Alley to star in Giant Baby
• John Larroquette to recur on Infamous
• Kate Mulgrew joins Orange Is The New Black

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