S.I.L.A. (NBC) by Stephen Gaghan

What is it ? :
It's a drama written by Stephen Gaghan (Traffic, Syriana), set in the world of crime, law enforcements and politics in Los Angeles.


Good/Bad :
What an impressive script. S.I.L.A has nothing to do with Southland, it is actually like nothing you've ever seen before. It moves fast, it's shocking, compelling, brilliantly written, thought-provoking and above all, absorbing. SILA has a wide ensemble of characters that interweave along the pilot, each and every one of them being as appealing as it can get. Unlike most shows, S.I.L.A. does not take sides, it just shows every dark layer of cops, politicians and criminals. Some of the characters such as Max or Mullins (for those who've read it) are stunning while the twists surrounding them are unexpected and will make it hard to miss one episode.
If S.I.L.A hits the screen next September, it will be setting new standards for quality network television. It is as good as it gets.
And yes, we find out what S.I.L.A. means.


Will it make it ?
S.I.L.A looks very expensive and tough to broadcast at 8 or 9pm but it is what NBC needs to prove it can still make the right choice.


Will it work ?
It might be good enough to appeal to a wide enough audience, some will like it because NCIS is not on and others will root for it (the way it should be) like no other show on tv.


Should it make it ?
Hands down my favorite script of the new season, I really hope it will, I do.

Smothered (ABC) by Andrew Reich and Ted Cohen

What is it ? :
It's a comedy about a couple who's being smothered by their respective parents who desperately want to spend some time with their only grand child. Smothered is in contention at ABC and has been written by Andrew Reich and Ted Cohen (producer and writer for Romantically Challenged, Worst Week, Three, Welcome to the Captain and Friends).


Good/Bad :
The snooze fest continues with yet another 50 pages of unfunny jokes with Smothered where two grand parents are fighting over their only grand child. There is nothing new in this pilot and it feels drained out by page 20. On one side we have the pretentious and wealthy grand parents who are trying hard to be snobs and on the other side, the complete opposite. I can't understand how anyone could consider seeing this show making it past five episodes plot-wise nor how anyone would greenlight it. It is incredebly cliche, disorganised while the whole concept of the show is uninteresting. Once again, I have nothing good to say about this script, Smothered is purely and simply bad.


Will it make it ?
Not by a long shot.


Will it work ?
I doubt it.


Should it make it ?
Let's just say Smothered is almost as bad as I Hate My Teenage Daughter.

I Hate My Teenage Daughter (FOX) by Sherry Bilsing-Graham and Ellen Kreamer

What is it ? :
It's a comedy about two mothers who are being mistreated by their teenage daughters. It was written by Sherry Bilsing and Ellen Kreamer, two Old Christine alums.


Good/Bad :

I Hate My Teenage Daughter is plain awful. Aside the fact that I didn't even smile once during these 52 pages, I despised each character more than the other. I don't have a teenage daughter but I'm pretty sure that I would lock her up if she turned out that bad. While the plot of the pilot is incredibly predictable, I Hate my Teenage Daughter does make a decent job at showing how tough raising teenagers can be but the show is more of a terrifying look at what our youth is turning out than a comedy. It scared me a hell of a lot more than it made me laugh (because it didn't) and the only thing I liked about it was that the comedy is only half an hour because another 50 pages of this poor excuse for a comedy would have probably put me asleep. I sincerely don't have one good thing to say about this new comedy and I hope none of you get the misfortune of seeing it. I Hate My Teenage Daughter is plain awful.

Will it make it ?
I seriously doubt it.


Will it work ?
Probably not.


Should it make it ?
Easily the worst pilot I've read this season.

Man Up ! (ABC) by Christopher Moynihan

What is it ? :
Supposedly a comedy about what it takes to survive as a modern man. But it is really a comedy aimed at no one in particular about some guys who couldn't act manly if their lives depended on it (which is also the exact same pitch that another pilot at ABC has, accidentally that other pilot is called Man Up).


Good/Bad :
Well, Man Up ! has about three funny jokes and they all include the word vagina or hooker. I doubt any women will manage to stick past the opening where three dudes exchange silly comments over headsets and I doubt further that any one will take any interest in this show. The pilot centers on a father looking for the perfect gift for his son who is turning thirteen. The lead, Will, might be on some level lovable but the whole concept of the show seems very narrow and unsustainable (like, say, Raising Hope). He's like Phil on Modern Family, awkwardly funny; relentlessly trying to act like his wife isn't the actual husband in their relationship. That makes Man Up an early and unnecessary spin-off of Modern Family. Coming back to the humor, it seems a lot of scenes won't translate well on the screen while most of them seem like they can't be aired on a network. All in all, knowing that the show was written by an actor (Christopher Moynihan) is hardly a surprise and unless the show finds itself some supporting character, a lead that shouldn't be a supporting character, some heart, some humor, Man Up smells like a failure.



Will it make it ?
Nope.


Will it work ?
I can't see why it would.


Should it make it ?
ABC needs to move on from the success of Modern Family and explore something new before it returns to being terrible with comedies.