TVScriptDude

Don't Trust The Bitch In Apartment 23 (ABC) by Nahnatchka Khan

2011-04-30T21:13:00.000-07:00

What is it ? :
Comedy about an earnest, honest, optimistic girl from the heartland who is forced to move in with a sexy, unstable new york city party girl who has the morals of a pirate (futoncritic). It was written by Nahnatchka Khan (American Dad) and ABC gave it a pilot order.

Good/Bad :
If Don't Trust the Bitch isn't the the worst comedy script of the season, it's also far from the best. In the pilot, June, the ultimate cliche of naivety, moves to New York for work only to discover that the company who hired her declared bankruptcy. Broke, she decides to find a flatmate and comes across Chloe, the bitch, not in the lovable funny bitchy kind of way, just in the bitch way. Besides not being really funny, DTTB has the apparently recurring issue of having one-liners and scenes that are too vulgar to ever make it to the air on ABC. It isn't a few of them, it's more than half of them.

By the end of the pilot, it feels like the entire show has nothing more to offer, the bitch is actually not such a bitch and the naive is not so naive, it's incredebly predictable, dull and even if the relation between June and Chloe had its moments in the pilot, it seems there is hardly anything to add.

Supporting characters are inexistant besides being used as a punchline for yet more unfunny jokes while the two main characters simply lack of depth or anything that could get anyone to care for them.
I've always enjoyed unlikeable characters as long as I was given a reason to but much like the teenagers in I Hate My Teenage Daughter, Chloe, the bitch, is purely and simply a one dimensionnal bitch I do not care for.

From what I've been told, the script has changed a lot and I don't consider the whole concept of the show to be such a terrible idea, there might be a bit of hope for "DON'T TRUST THE BITCH IN APARTMENT 23".

Will it make it ?
The casting made this one kind of hard to pass on, especially since ABC really doesn't have anything better.

Will it work ?
As it is, I would have to say no.

Should it make it ?
I haven't read anything that made me hope so.

More as the Story Develops (HBO) by Aaron Sorkin

2011-04-18T00:49:00.000-07:00

What is it ? :
It's a drama (working titled More as the Story Develops) who's currently assembling its cast at HBO. The pilot is set behind the scenes of a cable news show and was written by Aaron Sorkin (Sports Night, The West Wing, Studio 60 and The Social Network).

Good/Bad :
Before you people get your panties in a bunch, I should probably say that I have always found Sorkin's work very enjoyable, the man is talented, no one can deny it without coming off as slightly retarded or jealous. I don't know him personally and I couldn't care less about his (dis)beliefs or about the way he runs his writing room. What I care about is that this yet to be titled project is good.
There is a bit of Studio 60, a bit of The West Wing and a bit of Sports Night but it doesn't feel like any of them. The style is similar, naturally, it's smart, fast and it won't allow you time to check your phone every once in a while.

In this one, Will runs the 8pm news show for a network called UBS and discovers that his entire staff decided to quit while he was on vacation because of his bad attitude. A suit at the network took the matter in his own hands and hired him a new executive producer, McKenzie who just so happens to have a complicated past with Will.

Before you people get your panties in a bunch again, yes, if you can put two and two together, I'm sure you will be able to tie this pitch with past arcs in some of the shows I mentioned before but the show explores something new and absolutely captivating (that's cable news if you haven't followed). Sorkin is great at making us love unlikable characters and at telling incredibly compelling stories and this script is exactly what the doctor ordered. It will make you laugh, cry and think and you can't say that much about a lot of shows.

If you were a fan of any of his past shows, rest assured, you won't be disappointed so you better get ready to welcome him back to television, if you only know him for The Social Network, then know that the best of Sorkin is on television.
The show will be another exciting and fascinating adventure with intriguing, absorbing and very intelligent people like only Sorkin can deliver. I can't wait.

Will it make it ?
Well, Sorkin should have been on HBO one failed tv show ago and especially thanks to The Social Network, I doubt the network will pass on this.

Will it work ?
It must.

Should it make it ?
Just like Veep and the rest of the network's projects in development... It should.

Veep (HBO) by Simon Blackwell and Armando Iannucci

2011-04-17T06:50:00.000-07:00

What is it ? :
Veep is a comedy about a former senator who finds being vice president is nothing like she expected and everything everyone ever warned her about. It was written by Simon Blackwell and Armando Iannucci who worked on political British television show The Thick of It as well as the excellent In The Loop.

Good/Bad :
Veep is incredibly coarse and entertaining, a lot like The West Wing and Eastbound and Down baby's would be. In the pilot, Fantastic Mr Fox is described as a sly fuck and the VP's Press Spokesman is threatened to have his tits sliced off and fed to his dog.

Selina Meyer (Julia Louis-Dreyfus), the Vice President, slowly discovers that her newly acquired title hasn't brought her a lot of respect and spends the pilot getting around or avoiding her staff's mistakes. The dialogue is fast and scathing, the one liners are hilarious, politically incorrect, full of pop-culture references and quirky which made the script one of the best read of this season.

The pilot is character driven, focusing a lot more on damage control than on a larger political picture (it's not clear what party the White House is occupied by), Veep offers a shocking version of a very respected and protected fishbowl which will most likely irritate a lot of people. Every character of the show is aggressive, rude, selfish and obnoxious but this time, it is for the best as from the opening scene where the Vice President admires a cornstarch fork and tests drive a hybrid spoon-fork, Veep is without a doubt a show that you do not want to miss.
It is all the way fast, captivating, hilarious and intelligent, simply good and true comedy like HBO has failed to do... until now.

It's HBO, that means you won't have to stupidly stare at your screen for five seconds waiting for the fake laughter to stop after a punchline is delivered and trust me, there are a lot of them. Seriously, do not miss this.

Will it make it ?
It was picked to series today.

Will it work ?
Great casting, great script, great network... What could possibly go wrong ?

Should it make it ?
Beyond any doubt.

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

2011-01-27T17:55:00.000-08:00

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

2011-01-17T16:02:00.000-08:00

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

2011-01-17T07:17:00.000-08:00

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

2011-01-17T03:59:00.001-08:00

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.

A few months later...

2010-12-19T00:07:00.000-08:00

Almost a year has gone by since my last review, Terriers, Rubicon and Lone Star were cancelled and Shit My Dad Says is still on tv. I wish I could take back what I said about 2010 being a good year for tv.

Harry's Law would make a decent lead-in for the young and the reckless, The Cape's pilot is, and that's a shocker, worse than its script, Mr Sunshine has been softened and once the laugh track is officially added, I will finally be able to call it a CBS show without feeling bad for the good script that the comedy is sort of based on. The only thing deserving your attention this winter is The Chicago Code because anything Shawn Ryan writes is gold but I will lose a few bets if the show stays on the air for more than a few weeks.

I've put my hands on a few scripts that were given pilot orders for next season and they are not all bad. Don't hold your breath, we are still a long way from September 2011 and there is plenty of time for them to turn to shit. Besides, we all know what the cancellation of Lone Star and My Generation is going to be very tough for original ideas on the major networks (and NBC).

Also, hello SAG Awards, we know America loves Betty White but is Hot in Cleveland really in contention for best comedy ? I mean I could see how some of them could have been confused into putting The Good Wife in the best drama category, but Hot in Cleveland ? And who the hell is Mariska Hargitay anyway ? Moving on... Golden Globes. I can't see Breaking Bad in that list and that beautiful lady from Covert Affairs seems to be nominated for ... Wait a minute ! Katey Sagal and Piper Perabo are on the same list for the same award ? And by the way, thanks for throwing at our faces the fact that nothing happened in tv comedy for the past three years. No writers with actual talent (should) cares about any of these awards but it is a real shame that people such as Vince Gilligan, Shawn Ryan or Kurt Sutter (although I could see why no one would want him at a fancy ceremony) are not rewarded for their amazing work.

I'm still open to receive any scripts that I'm willing to discuss here on the blog or via emails, don't hesitate.

Review : The Rockford Files (NBC) by David Shore

2010-02-21T19:04:00.000-08:00

What is it ? :
It's a cop show (pretending it's not one) written by House's David Shore. Just like in the original, it follows Jim Rockford, a "roguish" private detective.

Good/Bad :
Angela Bromstad [NBC's President of Primetime Entertainment] said this script was the best christmas present she's had in a long time ; and I can't help it but pity her a little bit. Rockford is not what you would expect from David Shore. Jim Rockford is a cynical unpleasant man who just happens to be very good at his job (Hello ? Greg House on the phone... Yea... Please give me back my personality...) except that, unlike House, I couldn't come to care about this guy, no matter how big is heart turns out to be (cool cliffhanger, huh ?). I wasn't entertained by The Rockford Files, not by the case, not by any of the characters. On top of that, The Rockford Files is not clever, these are things we've already seen quite a few times without the added value (e.g. a girl with large breasts, a talking dog or some young people dancing). I seriously had a hard time finishing the script and I get to read a lot of bad ones at work (meaning I'm usually quite good with reading things that bore me.)

Will it make it ?
NBC needs new shows and they are excited about having David Shore new project...

Will it work ?
The only problem is, The Rockford Files will disappoint because they will feel they already watched that show before (even for those who haven't seen the original).

Should it make it ?
This is definitely not what NBC should be getting into right now, we don't need another ordinary cop show on the air, CBS already has plenty. I'm tired of bad remakes and I'll probably get really drunk if I have to sit through the pilot.

Review : Women Are Crazy, Men Are Stupid (ABC) by Howard J. Morris and Jenny Lee

2010-02-21T18:59:00.000-08:00

What is it ? :
It's a romantic comedy written by Howard J. Morris and Jenny Lee just passed on by ABC. Women Are Crazy, Men Are Stupid follows a couple who just moved in together (Howard and Jenny if you wanted to know).

Good/Bad :
Women Are Crazy, Men Are Stupid dares to take us into the quirkiness of a relationship. The comedy explores couples like no others have done it before. You know the conversations women will have about things that appeared random to us, men (like wondering if somebody sounds too enthusiastic on a voice mail message)... You know ... The conversations we like to pretend don't really exist. Well, this comedy showed both sides of an argument between a couple. Women Are Crazy, Men Are Stupid is flawed, maybe not enough of a "proper" comedy and probably isn't network material but I certainly find it better, more original, than Livin' On A Prayer, How I Met Your Mother creators project that has been ordered to pilot at CBS (they both have the exact same plot). I can definitely understand why ABC didn't go through the pilot even though it would have made a decent show.

Will it make it ?
It didn't.

Will it work ?
I don't think it would have.

Should it make it ?
I would have been happy to sit through a few hours of Women Are Crazy, Men Are Stupid in the hope it would make me a little less stupid.

Review : The Walking Dead (AMC) by Frank Darabont

2010-02-14T02:21:00.000-08:00

What is it ? :

Dumb question. It's the Walking Dead, the tv adaptation of a great comic created by Robert Kirkman. It's about a cop called Rick who wakes up after a coma only to discover everyone is a zombie. The script was written by the great Frank Darabont.

Good/Bad :

Unlike most zombie flicks, The Walking Dead is chracter driven and that is exactlty what makes and will make this new AMC tv show one of the greatest. The Walking Dead was a fantastic pilot, both on the drama and the horror side. Darabont developped the first quarter of the first comic into a suspenseful and thrilling pilot with some scenes that have already made it in my favorite-tv-moments-of-all-time-notebook (I really have one). "Dialogues are subpar" according to my bad-mouthed co-workers but it is 10% true and 90% jealousy, and I'm sure they will be fixed by the time The Walking Dead makes it to the screen.

Will it make it ?

Every pilot AMC ordered became a tv show and there is absolutely no reason The Walking Dead won't.

Will it work ?

Better than Breaking Bad on top of Mad Men.

Should it make it ?

Dumb question.

Review : Chaos (CBS) by Tom Spezialy

2010-02-14T02:05:00.000-08:00

What is it ? :
Chaos was acquired by CBS, the spin-off network that can't do anything that doesn't involve lawyers or cops. Chaos follows a young CIA agent who realises he doesn't have a job at the Agency (recession is hitting everyone pretty hard...). After a confusing deal, he realises he was hired to spy on rogue operatives. The project was penned by Tom Spezialy and will be penned by Brett Ratner.

Good/Bad :
Besides the plot, there isn't much good there. The script contains too many twists and left me wondering who to care for. You know how they tell you that you need to show you characters going from A to B ? Well, Tom missed that class because nothing changes in Chaos. Nothing is exciting anymore in the fascinating spy business, it's just people betraying their own again and again, but wait, no actually he's not, but wait yes... This is confusing. It also seem to be missing the part where the rogues spies are combatting incompetence because all I saw was a bunch of spies doing whatever they want for no purpose whatsoever, maybe because they weren't mature enough to understand what no means.

Will it make it ?
Since everyone in town wants a spy show, chances are Chaos might (I'd give it a 60%).

Will it work ?
No, it won't, spy stuff is coming back big next year and no one is expecting, rightly, to watch anything original from the eye. And if people do watch it, they will quickly realize they've been fooled right before they go back to Undercovers and Covert Affairs.

Should it make it ?
No.

Review : Mr. Sunshine (ABC) with Matthew Perry

2010-02-02T23:06:00.001-08:00

Plot :

Mr. Sunshine is Matthew Perry latest baby, a script co-written with Alex Barnow and Mark Firek in which he will play the manager of a sports arena who discovers he's unlikeable.

Good/Bad :

Hands down the best script for the new reason I've read so far, Mr. Sunshine is a workplace comedy where each character is as absurd as the next one. It's not only funny, but also full of quirkiness that most comedies have been lacking these past years. The main problem is that none of the characters seems pleasant enough to appeal to a large audience (think Arrested Development or Action ...), a recurring problem with shows cancelled before their 13th episode. But if you can get over the fact that Ben doesn't care about anything and hates pretty much anybody (because it is also funny) and realize that likable characters are, in fact, boring, then Mr. Sunshine will definitely be your new favorite show.

Will it make it ?

Yes. ABC still need to replace a few comedies (Hank, Scrubs and Better Off Ted) and after Modern Family, I want to feel confident about "original" comedies. Besides, Matthew Perry is attached and after Cougar Town, I'm sure the alphabet want to give our other Friends a chance.

Will it work ?

Well... I'm not sure. It has the potential to and it'll probably come down to how ABC market it, but in the end, I still have a hard time seeing such a characters ensemble working on network television.

Should it make it ?

Hell yes, it should.

I'm back ....

2009-12-11T21:31:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone,

I'm back, and I'm bored. No one wants to send me J.J. Abrams script or David Simon's pilot (let's face it, this script was every reader's nightmare, but we can't really doubt the man's talent either ...). If you were wondering, Undercovers, Abrams' new show working title, is just all right while David Simon's Treme, on the other hand, is better than The Wire (well, I don't really believe it either, but that wouldn't surprise me if it turned out to be true...)

Poor fucking season, huh? It looks like we are gonna be dragging Shonda Rhimes's work of art for another twelve years, FlashForward is a disappointment (hey, I said seven months ago it wasn't good), The CW fucked up The Beautiful life (I said it seven months ago), Sons of Tucson sucks (where did they find these kids, seriously...), Confessions of a Contractor was killed by CBS (but we knew it was coming...), 100 Questions is a disaster (and that's what the geniuses at NBC will do to a script), HBO supposedly killed The Wonderful Maladys and shit, this was a great pilot, NBC will probably disappear before the CW (The Vampire Diaries? Brilliant. No one bothered to tell Ian Somerhalder that if you ever play a character called Boone, you cannot be taken seriously ever again...), Jason Hurwitz still doesn't have a show on air and I'm gonna stab the next idiot who dares comparing Arrested Development and Modern Family (which is great nonetheless)...

But seriously, let's cut the crap, this year was piss poor TV-wise, but I'm fairly certain 2010 is a good one. You just have to look at HBO's line up if you don't believe me ...
Anyway, I'll be back with the first scripts of the season in just a few weeks and I'll definitely be more active than last year.
I will have time for a few spec scripts next days, please send them at tvscriptdude@gmail.com if you would like a few advices.

Review of Confessions of a Contractor (CBS)

2009-05-06T07:19:00.000-07:00

I actually read this project thinking I would never see this since Confessions of a Contractor didn't meet its cast contigency, but I just found out that it was rolled over to mid-season, meaning that if this time they find the perfect lead, Confessions of a Contractor will have a good shot at getting made.

This script was penned by Richard Murhy, the same person who wrote the book that I didn't read (I did order it though). The writing wasn't brilliant and I encountered a few mistakes that made my eyes bled (and I'm not picky with spelling, English isn't my first language therefore I can't really be) and I'm guessing the novel didn't get published because of the writing but for the compelling story-lines, and it looks like it's going to be the same for the pilot (hopefully).

The project revolves around Henry Sullivan, a blue-collar Los Angeles based contractor quickly becoming Mullholland Drive's mascot. I'm guessing each episode will be a new home and a new story, and even though I found the first storyline weak, the characters and the universe will probably be enough to make me come back every week.

The fact that Shawn Ryan is attached to the project only reinforce my excitement. This is why I was first interested in this project and why I'll follow it until the end like I did with The Shield. Confessions of a Contractor is centered around a very compelling and complex character, Henry who happens to have this vision for decoration even though he apparently didn't get a proper education. He's surrounded by his team who also became his family over the years, two Hispanics brothers who pretend not to speak English to avoid talking to anyone and Erin, his right-arm, who seems to know him way too much.

Except for the principal storyline that was in every way too easy, all of the interactions were working well, the eccentric team was interesting to follow and that universe where nothing is what it appears to be was really compelling. We finally might see what's happening up on these hills through a mature vision.

All in all, Confessions of a Contractor was an okay script with a great concept and some fascinating characters, now all we've got to hope is that CBS doesn't kill it after three episodes because it wasn't mainstream enough (if it ever makes it to the screen).

Very early review of Cop House (FOX)

2009-04-28T17:54:00.000-07:00

First off, thank you to the dude that twitted me (for absolutely no reason) that Rachael Harris is married and out of my league anyway, it made me laugh. Let's talk about Cop House a new FOX comedy written by Adam Resnick, a former SNL writer. It's one of the shows that seem to be getting a good buzz and the all-star cast is probably helping. Rachael Harris, Tony Hale, Nick Kroll (from Cavemen, do you remember that one? I know some people who were part of green-lighting what will probably be remembered as one of the worst shows of the decade), Scott Caan, JoAnna Garcia (from the maybe-not-cancelled Privileged) and Curtiss Cook (who is going to be big soon).

Cop House is following a few police officers that have been suspended for random reasons like posing for Hustler or Stress Disorder and they now have to support their eccentric personalities into a rehabilitation center for useless cops.

I'm pretty sure about how Adam Resnick works : he has a few good jokes, two okay one-liners, a nice opener, and believes he can build something around it. Unfortunately, it's not how it works and with a build-up like this one, you most of the times end-up with story-lines going from weak to nonexistent.

Cop House is taking itself too seriously and is forgetting to be funny. It hasn't figured out if it wants to be a drama or a comedy, or both and while I was reading, all I could think about was if we would actually get see Rachael Harris posing for Hustler. You can't use a pilot as a trial, it's not the place to see what kind of humor you do best, or if you can make people cry and unfortunately, Resnick doesn't have a clue about his own writing.

As much as I like the opening, I don't believe in readiness, a character should be complex and elaborate, therefore, presenting ten of your characters in a thirty second scene shows immediate lack of composite (the rest of the pilot wasn't any better).

Both arcs from the pilot were absolutely uninteresting. The first one was about Tony loosing his mug and suspecting one of the guys for the disappearing and the second one was about making a choice between going to a sports game or a pistol competition. Seriously, how ridiculous did that sound? We should do the same thing into an Elementary school, it might actually work better (sending a memo to FOX, now).

All in all, I can't see this making a TV show, much less a good one and I can only hope FOX see passed the good casting before green-lighting this.

A not so early review of Glee (FOX)

2009-04-26T14:46:00.000-07:00

As it's premiering sooner than most of the shows I'm usually reviewing, you've probably all heard about Glee, Nip Tuck's creator Ryan Murphy latest baby. When I first heard about this, I was disappointed that someone like Murphy was about to lose his time on a network TV show. Last Nip Tuck's seasons weren't any good but you can't deny the brilliance of the first, and in case you have seen Pretty/Handsome, a pilot he wrote for FX which leaked online last summer, you can't deny either the genius of the man (oh and if you are wondering, yes, Pretty Handsome never made it to TV because it shocked people).

Murphy is going after a very difficult universe, high school. Difficult because stereotypes are a part of high school therefore it's hard to find a concept that won't feel like deja-vu on the subject. Although Glee is the perfect example of how you can revitalize a genre that's been dried again and again. Saying the show is going to be cliche-free is a lie, but the show takes a look at what's inside the head of these teenagers. Glee has a strong concept, a story-line for a whole season, some compelling characters and trust me when I say there are fewer and fewer scripts that can claim to have these.

Will has been Glee's Club manager for several years and he has finally decided to take it to the top. Besides a few problems assembling a real team, the principal of the school wants to rent their auditorium. Will manages to obtain an extra two months with the Club when claiming he will be able to win the regionals. If he doesn't, the Glee Club is out but we all know that not going to happen, don't we?

Ryan Murphy has proved his excellence and versatility writing Glee and I can only be glad to say that this show will take an interesting look under the appearances, much like the very realistic Freaks and Geeks did ten years ago. It does try too hard to be funny at some point but the well handled drama widely make up for it.

But it's not all there is to Glee, just in case you haven't heard, half Broadway joined the show as a regular (see the amazing Lea Michele) or as a guest star (see the talented Kristin Chenoweth) and that's just another sign that Glee is going to knock your socks off. Funny thing by the way, Jane Lynch's character doesn't appear anywhere in my draft, meaning her role has been added because she was available, and not because it belonged there, but let's not be a troll before it's clearly shown her character is unsubtle (oh wait, a trailer begs to differ).

All in all, with its post American Idol slot, its great writing, and its great cast, Glee has everything to work and as long as people stop thinking it's kinda like High School Musical, it will definitely be on next's season line-up.

Television at its best

2009-04-25T15:06:00.000-07:00

The last few weeks, I've been seeing more and more critics going after the Hollywood creative minds supposedly not being able to innovate enough for them.

As I do have the opportunity to talk with writers, their agents and read spec scripts like few people do in the country, I feel like I should make this clear. Creative minds are innovating more than ever, you are just not ready for it. I'm not going to debate about this, facts are here: Surviving Suburbia, the dumbest show of the new season is settling for over ten million viewers, According to Jim is in its fourth season, Friday Night Lights barely made it last season, and the list goes on.

Next season, more than any other years, all those scripts looked very similar, not because writers met up and decided they should all write about the same thing, but because it is common knowledge that everyone would rather watch some soon to be ten years old TV shows like Desperate Housewives or Two And A Half Men rather than to give a try to Chuck or even Dollhouse.

Do you think they are having fun getting cancelled after 10 episodes? Joss Whedon, Victor Fresco, Paul Feig, John Wells, Bryan Fuller, are some of the best writers out there that never or struggled to keep their show on air for more than ten episodes. Is it their fault? No. Is it the execs fault? No, well, yes, they shouldn't have overestimate America.

Maybe if there were fewer people watching idiotic shows like Surviving Suburbia (it makes me angry just to write it), Chuck ratings wouldn't look so bad. Stop the "Watch Chuck" campaign, do the "Stop Watching Bad TV" campaign, it'll work better.

Networks are done innovating, finding new talents; they now are working with people they know and ordering scripts about families having laughable problems. And you know what, you have no one to blame but yourselves.

PS: When I say you, I don't mean you, my readers, you guys are cool (as long as you didn't watch Surviving Suburbia.

Early review of Happiness Isn't Everything (CBS)

2009-04-22T12:54:00.001-07:00

I finally got my hands on Happiness Isn't Everything which is the latest work of Arrested Development's creator, the brilliant Mitchell Hurwitz and it looks like this review is going to make a lot of people happy.

After Arrested Development got cancelled, I always wondered why Hurwitz didn't stick it to the 20th Century Fox and went to see if some people were actually believing in his work at other networks, but he chose instead to make Sit Down Shut Up, that happens to be not good. Needless to say I was disappointed by STSU, especially because I consider AD's writing as the best and I wasn't expecting any less from this new show. AD had such an amazing stringency to the details and a dense humor that I cried myself to sleep a few times knowing I wouldn't be watching more episodes. Moving on, this is not another Arrested Development tribute.

With Happiness Isn't Everything, Mitch Hurwitz is going back to basics with a very dysfunctional family, the Hamburgers (for real). Jason (played by Jason Biggs) is an over thinker that seems to be normal on the outside (comparison to Michael can be made), and his brother, Jacky, on the contrary doesn't hide his craziness, just like their father, a renowned surgeon, who acts like he's 25. And then comes their mum, divorced from the dad, Audrey, who wants the Hamburgers to be a family again.

Although this script wasn't the funniest I read this season, Arrested Development wasn't either and it still become one of the best comedies ever made. Hurwitz's comedy works a lot with non-verbal communication (like it's all there is) that can only be showed on screen. Don't get me wrong though, the incestuous jokes I missed so much are back, just like the dark cultural references, even a few running jokes are already set by the end of the pilot.

The different arcs of the pilot were absorbing and twisted just like the characters that managed to be so eccentric and selfish though completely endearing (well, like in Arrested Development).

In case you didn't notice this will be on CBS and I'm still not sure whether it's a good or a bad thing. One thing is sure, for a comedy, it doesn't get any better than CBS, if it's there, they will find the audience meaning you won't have to fight to keep the show on air every goddamn year but on the other hand, the network has a way of transforming original ideas into mainstreamed products (see Harper's Island) that worries me.

I did compare it a lot to Arrested Development, even though it might be a little early, but as far as I'm concerned, I think this show has the potential to be the next AD, and I couldn't care less if there are a few similarities between the two as long as I can watch more of that magic touch Hurwitz has.

The pilot shot last week in LA, CBS has already ordered six additional scripts and it's getting a nice buzz meaning unless something goes terribly wrong, it'll be on the schedule next season.

Early review of Sons of Tucson (FOX)

2009-04-22T08:32:00.000-07:00

Sons of Tucson is one of next year original projects and I wanted it to be good, even more when I heard Tyler Labine (from Reaper) was joining the cast as a lead. It's not that I'm a huge fan of him, but he does have a lot of potential.

The father of the brothers Gundersons, a wealthy big shot banker recently got arrested for fraud leaving his three kids by themselves. One thing is sure, they are not going to foster care and that's why they are going to need help from an adult, one that doesn't have anything better to do than to pretend to be their father. That "adult" is Ron, a low-life salesman/hustler with no future that will later lose his job, home and girlfriend in the same day.

With a promising concept like this one, I was expecting a lot, probably because I believe it would be easy creating good and funny storylines around it. And yet, I was already feeling redundancy in the second part of the pilot. A thirty year old constantly being outsmarted, no matter how dumb he is, by a twelve year old, no matter how smart he is, will get old faster than I thought.

I just don't see Tyler Labine playing a dad just yet and this is just one of the things that doesn't feel right. It's a comedy therefore I don't mind letting go a few extravagances, but Sons of Tucson has too much of them to be compelling enough on the long-term.

Still, it was a rather funny script and I think it will work better on screen as the writing wasn't fantastic and some good camera work could make that script funnier than it is.

All in all, Sons of Tucson is the perfect example that a good concept with a few goofs and amusing one liners doesn't make a great show, well, it does sometimes, Sons of Tucson isn't there just yet.

Early Review of 100 Questions For Charlotte Payne (NBC)

2009-04-21T11:33:00.000-07:00

Edit : After watching the upfront's preview , I'm going to clarify a few points, the trailer indicates that the script has been rewritten a lot, not that it's a surprise, but they've apparently took off some good parts and replaced them with cliche ones. I'm highly dissapointed by NBC as this script was full of potential but they, instead, decided to turn it in some mainstream-CBS-type bullshit (and it's miscasted, but that's another problem).

Just after I struggled for a while trying to find out who were the people behind 100 Questions for Charlotte Payne (an actor and some writers from Psych), I started reading, confident that this would be good and as it turned out, it is.

Look, it's Sophie Winkleman,
she'll play Charlotte.

Charlotte Payne is a party planner working in her own company with her two girl friends, Jill (the sexaholic) and Leslie (the workaholic) and her two boy friends, Mike (the lack of confidence guy) and Wayne (the cut off spoiled adult kid guy). A bit stereotyped, it's hard to deny, but it sounds like they are sticking together for more interesting reasons : commitment issues and a Peter Pan syndrome (and because they are friends, but let's not get too obvious).

The concept is a bit doll, with a few vibes from How I Met Your Mother. Each episode starts off into the "Soulmates.com" agency which, you can guess, is there to find your better half. The Soulmates agent asks Charlotte a list of questions in order to find her the perfect mate. She is then going to tell a story to answer a question and bam, you got a Charlotte Payne's episode. Well, it doesn't sound so good on paper but the pilot was actually really funny.

The pilot's question is "Would you consider yourself an honest person?", and Charlotte does a pretty good job answering it. For some unknown reason, the lucky girl has been proposed to nine times and the whole point of the episode is to discover why .

And here comes why Charlotte Payne is better than Ted Mosby. They dropped all of that ethical part that's starting to seriously get on my nerves in How I Met Your Mother . As someone cool said, comedy is there to let your mind speak, to express all of the horrible feelings that you can't say in your day to day life and if you have to take them back at the end of the day, it's just not worth saying them.

These not so nice people are still very endearing (a bit like the Bluths although the comparison might a bit too flattering) and the storyline is going to be hard to drain out. All in all, Charlotte Payne is a promising sitcom with some rather provoking characters that seems to be getting some positive attention over at NBC and will probably make it next season.

An early look at Parenthood (NBC)

2009-04-21T04:12:00.000-07:00

And here is another one that seems to be getting its buzz essentially from its cast, I'm talking about Parenthood. Here's a little story : on my home desk, I have a pile of about twenty scripts that I'm never going to read (and probably see), because the headline would go like this: "Family tries to deal with problems". Although some of them might get lucky and get made because execs only have "family with problems" in mind this time of year, I'm tired of them, I have a sh*t ton of them and they all look the same. Therefore, I was getting ready to trash this thing hard 20 pages in.

Because the story was too dense, and because I still didn't know who was who and this most of the times means that I couldn't care less about all these characters, I didn't really understand why NBC had put so much faith in it. The writing was above average, just like the dialogues, but the characters and the storylines were weak. When I was half way through, I was asking myself if someone had played a prank on me and replaced Parenthood with the first draft of the Brothers and Sisters script. But one arc and its characters stroke me as interesting, and I even managed to finish this off.

There sure are a lot of problems, as I said before, it is way too dense, the characters are just too conventional (like every next season's TV show), and I had a deja-vu feeling all the way through the script, but the pilot ends up on a rather good opening to the rest of the season (no, the patriarch doesn't die) and uncovers that Parenthood isn't really what it appears to be. The only problem is, I doubt people will make it to the end of the pilot. And it is sad because the show might have some truly compelling arcs to offer and a witty original writing.

Parenthood can make a good show but the pilot needs a lot of work, there is not just yet that spark that made me want to know more about this family that wants to be so special, different but really isn't so much.

Early review of The Wonderful Maladys (HBO)

2009-04-20T11:34:00.001-07:00

After Mischa Barton, it's SMG's time to make her comeback and I am going to start right away with the punchline, this is the best thing I read in a long time.

The Maladys are a fucked-up family that lost everything before the game had even started when both their parents died as they were young, leaving them with nothing. Alice, played by Sarah Michelle Gellar found refuge into alcohol and aggressiveness. Mary, played by Molly Parker from Swingtown, found refuge into her work as a therapist even though not being able to follow advices she gives to her clients. The last one, Neil found refuge into, well, weirdness.

I've always been a fan of dramedy, even the not so good ones (I won't tattle) and it's why I was delighted by The Wondeful Maladys script. Some scenes (see at the end), literally made me laugh out loud, and it wasn't the dumb funny that I sometimes laugh at, it was the smart and edgy funny that you can't find these days on TV (you can look, you won't find). The thing that had me worried was how they were going to deal with the death thing and I was once again really surprised at how good they were. Some scenes simply were heart-breaking, and the way it made move the storyline was amazing. I just wish everyone could read how brilliant this is and shed at a tear at the Maladys.

It was also amazing to discover the characters, especially Alice (SMG), her obvious issues and her self-hate that you really only discover a few pages before the end in a sex scene (SMG fans sure aren't going to miss it) that was terribly hard to read and yet so fantastic. Mary, the oldest sister and the only one that looks a bit sane (she only looks that way) is married to a not so nice person and confronted to dilemmas such as : "if my husband asked me to buy me lesbian porn but without any black girls, does that make him racist ? ". Next comes Neil, that tells during a family therapy session one of the dirtiest story ever told also sounds fascinating, but the pilot doesn't center much on his story. When all your characters are screw-ups, it becomes too easy to be shallow but TWM focuses on what made them who they are, their personalities, their deepest fears and much more and when you think about it, that's what's interesting about them.

I still don't really know what The Wonderful Maladys is about, maybe about making their lives better, but honestly, I couldn't care less about what that show is about because it's still one of the best writing I've read in years and I'm going to watch it anyway.

Cast includes Nate Corddry as Neil Malady, Sarah Michelle Gellar as Alice Malady, Zak Orth as Charles (Mary's husband), Molly Parker as Mary Malady, Adam Scott as Doug (Alice's ex).

I'm not really allowed to do that, but here is a dialogue from the pilot.

GEEKY AUTHOR
I’m so nervous. I’m miserable at small talk.

ALICE
It’s a book party. Try to find something
negative to say about television. Or the
internet. Or just look forlorn and keep
asking, ”What happened to Woody Allen?”

ALICE (CONT’D)
The answer is always “the Republicans”. No
matter anyone says on any subject, blame the
Republicans. I’m serious. Totally works. Bad
weather? Global warming. The Republicans.
Movies suck? The studios went corporate.
Republicans. Toe blister? It’s the crappy
Chinese shoe factories. Thanks to the...?

GEEKY AUTHOR
Republicans.

Early review of Flash Forward (ABC)

2009-04-19T16:17:00.000-07:00

I finally found the time to read Flash Forward, a rather big project as ABC is planning to pair it up with Lost. One thing is certain, it's not going to be easy living up to the hype.

First off, the writers planned to sell this to HBO who said that Flash Forward would work better on a network and it's when ABC bought it. The F-Word is all over the place and there are a few sex scenes that will need to be cut, but if it's all ABC does, it might work.

I'm not so fond of Flash Forward, maybe I was expecting too much from the plot I read on ABC's press release a while back, I mean, a global black out of two minutes and seventeen seconds where everyone see a few months into their futures, with a headline like this one, potential story-lines are countless.

On the other hands, the characters failed to interest me, an AA FBI dad married to a nurse with a kid whose babysitter has sex with her boyfriend while on the job, well, thanks but no thanks. Let's just say I hoped for a bit more. And it's sad to say but that's all there is to this project. After the black out, everything goes on, except the FBI AA dad has seen he was investigating something in its future and decides to work on it before it happens (hello life on mars). As for the rest, there is a clear lack of storyline. So yes sure, I will be back for episode, not because of the characters, but thanks to this blackout which is by far the most fascinating thing of this pilot.

HBO might actually not have refused to produce Flash Forward because it was too expensive, but maybe because it wasn't so good after all. Sure, it won't be bad, but I wouldn't call it the next Lost just yet. It obviously needs some work before the comparison can even be made, and because waste such a brilliant concept (and seven million dollars) would be a crime.

Early review of Rubicon AKA Jason Horwitch Project for AMC

2009-04-19T14:24:00.000-07:00

When I heard that AMC had found a new script and that they were ordering a pilot, I knew I needed to read it, then I saw the plot of what is now called Rubicon and realized that, I needed to read it fast.

The fact is, all I can think about is the day that I will get the second episode's script, yes, it's that good.

Will Travers works at a National Think Tank called the American Insitute Policy. Needless to say he's smart, very smart. New York Times' crosswords takes him about thirty seconds of his day. Will loves crosswords and he's going to find something weird about them, a pattern. The weird kinda thing that interests his bosses. His direct superior Haddas, a superstitious good friend of him is going to report this pattern and take credit for it. Problem is, the train he was on the next morning has an accident and Haddas is not going to make it. Something doesn't look right to Will and from that point, he is going to encounters more and more things that accident was about making disappear his friend.

Rubicon moves fast, from the opening teaser to the ending teaser, I wasn't bored for a second, and it took me abut fifteen seconds to get hook by the story, and with a plot like this one, I wasn't really surprised. The eccentric geniuses from the American Institue Policy all sound challenging and I can't wait to know more about their pasts, see what made them who they are. The development of the intrigue is very well put in place and his going to give work to the Lost fans.

I was instantly caught into the dark universe of Rubicon and its smart moves to a final teaser that gives us a first look at that secret society who can pull strings all around the world that might just be the best pilot ending of the last decade.

However, Rubicon is going to be hard to pull and challenging on so many levels. First for actors since playing a genius clearly isn't an easy gig, then because the conspiracy/mystery thing can be tricky, finding a balance between questions and answers (ask Lindelof) is one of the thing that comes to my mind, and because you can lose track of what you're doing even without noticing it. But this is AMC we are talking about, after Mad Men and Breaking Bad, I believe we should cut them some slack because if there is one channel that can pull this off, it's AMC.

Very early review of The Beautiful Life

2009-04-19T07:41:00.000-07:00

I received a few weeks ago The Beautiful Life but didn't really notice it until I heard this would mark Mischa Barton come back on tv. Not that I care or anything, but that just makes this show one of the most anticipated for the next season, yes, really.

Top models living together in New York, it does sound really cliche and while I was waiting for another Vampire Diaries monstrosity, it turns out The Beautiful Life has a lot to offer.

Chris is the small town genuinely nice guy who, while travelling to New York will catch the eye of Simon, a gay talent scout (how original), that offers to meet him at the agency where he will then meet Raina. They both click right away, and the development of their relation interests quickly thanks to a great writing that makes you wonder how Raina managed to stay so down to earth and naive in such a competitive world.

The characters are ordinary as I expected but it's quickly proven that they are not so one note and cliche as you would think. Especially the naive Raina who just had her big break played by Sara Paxton. For the rest, it's a CW pilot therefore I was expecting the show to focus on the beautiful and the pleasant part of the fashion world but The Beautiful Life, au contraire, focuses wisely on the dark part of modelling. Addictions to all sorts of things, bulimia and much more are parts of these teenagers' life. There are some interesting but hard subjects to talk about, first because it's easy to become too light on subjects that shouldn't be treated so and then because the lack of knowledge is obvious (but I guess it's kinda too early to talk).

I'm also glad a good spec script can make it these days, especially considering the fact that most of the next season's TV shows are coming from writers with a huge background. I mean, Adam Giaudrone only has two credits at IMDB (South Beach and Swingtown) and the network might actually get something good out of this.

Finally, this pilot is well done, and if I manage not to comeback for week two next season, it will be the CW's fault for destroying a script who could be above everything the network has done these last years.

The Beautiful Life will start if it gets pick up next season on the CW.