facebook_pixel Press "Enter" to skip to content

Looking to start your TV writing journey?

Posts tagged as “FX”

Drama Spec Script 2012 – What is hot and what is not

Drama Spec Script 2012 – What is hot and what is not


UPDATED:
A brand new 2019 list has been posted.
Click here to access it.


Like every year, it is now time to review which TV shows are good to spec, and which are not.
Dedicated posts will be made respectively for the best comedies (half-hour) and the best dramas (one-hour).
As the title says, this post is all about the dramas.
In addition, you’ll also find (when available) a script for the corresponding show.
Canceled or dead shows have been removed since last season’s spec list.

NEW ADDITION:
Given Warner Bros’ new rules for their fellowship, I have indicated with an asterisk (*) series that they will not accept specs for (mainly first-season shows).

Let’s do another quick recap of how the list works:
The shows are divided into five categories regarding their appeal to readers and how well they are known/read:
– Over-specced (shows that have passed their prime, try to avoid doing them)
– Mainstream (shows that have matured enough that they have become on-the-nose speccers–and a lot of people are speccing them)
– Wild Cards (soon, everyone will spec those, maybe you can get a head start)
– Outsiders (specs that will get you out from the pack)
– Gamblers (risky shows that could pay off, or bomb)

There is also a grade regarding the show’s longevity in relation to its speccability.
Meaning, how long can you keep your spec script fresh without having to throw it in the trash?
To do this, we will use the greatest grading system on Earth; stars:
★★★★★ – Excellent
★★★★★ – Very Good
★★★★★ – Average
★★★★★ – Fair
★★★★★ – Poor

And here we go.

Over-Specced
Re-tool your spec if you have one, but you probably shouldn’t bother beginning a new one for these shows.

Burn Notice (USA)
Type: Light action procedural
The fact it’s entering its sixth season should give you an idea of why Burn Notice is here.
Longevity: ★★★★★ – Very formulaic but with enough of a twist to keep its fresh vibe.

CSI/Criminal Minds (CBS)
Type: Police procedurals
“Never give up, never surrender” should be their motto.
Longevity: ★★★★★ – Past its prime for about five years now.

Dexter (Sho)
Type: Serialized crime drama
Following last season’s cliffhanger, it is hard to tell where the series is headed
Longevity: ★★★★★ – Only two seasons left.

Grey’s Anatomy/Private Practice/House (ABC/FOX)
Type: Medical procedurals
I’m going to bet a lot of people are able to say: “Been there, specced that”.
Longevity: ★★★★★ – Virtually all medical storylines have already been explored through those three shows.

Mad Men (AMC)
Type: Serialized historical drama
“Out of sight, out of mind” does not hold true for the AMC classic that is still amongst the most popular.
Longevity: ★★★★★ – One of the over-specced shows with possibly the longest longevity factor attached to it. Doesn’t mean the competition isn’t fierce.

Mainstream
The current and new widespread shows in town that are getting read.

Boardwalk Empire (HBO)
Type: Serialized historical drama
A lot of people have fallen in love with Steve Buscemi’s eyes apparently.
Longevity: ★★★★★ – A third season, good ratings, great cast, big producers.

Bones/Castle (FOX/ABC)
Type: Light police procedural
Possibly the last season in the mainstream category for Bones. Castle on the other hand probably has at least a few years ahead of it.
Longevity: ★★★★★ – One is renewed for an eighth season, the other is still awaiting its fate on a fifth.

Breaking Bad (AMC)
Type: Serialized character/family drama
One of the best shows on TV, and one of the hardest ones to spec.
Longevity: ★★★★★ – This is going be its last season, albeit cut in two, which gives a bonus year before you can say farewell to it.

Fringe (FOX)
Type: Science-fiction procedural
There’s only so much science-fiction shows on TV right now, and Fringe is clearly the go-to drama in its genre. This will probably be the last season where I can say it hasn’t been over-speced already.
Longevity: ★★★★★ – Highly volatile.

Glee (FOX)
Type: Light serialized high-school dramedy
As popular in the spec world as on TV, the danger of a Glee spec continues to be that a major part of it will end up being lyrics. Some people might take that for laziness.
Longevity: ★★★★★ – Beware: major cast overhaul upcoming.

The Good Wife (CBS)
Type: Legal procedural
A very smart show to spec, if only for its near-perfect hybrid mix of procedural and serialization. Plus it’s on a network, which makes it more well-known than some of its cable counterpart.
Longevity: ★★★★★ – A slow-burner that will probably garner a few more seasons.

Gossip Girl/90210 (The CW)
Type: Teen dramas
Last season for at least one of the two as being considered “mainstream”. Perhaps there are better show alternatives to consider.
Longevity: ★★★★★ – Potentially entering its sixth season this fall, Gossip Girl has still some life left into it. 90210 continues to be hit or miss on the cancellation scale.

Hawaii Five-0 (CBS)
Type: Police/Action procedural
As expected last season, Hawaii Five-0 has become a great action-procedural mainstream spec to add to your arsenal.
Longevity: ★★★★★ – Renewed and with a long life ahead of it.

Justified (FX)
Type: Police procedural
Justified is another series that completely exploded into the Mainstream category and has become one of the top specced show around.
Longevity: ★★★★★ – A fourth season is upcoming, and me thinks it will keep on going.

The Mentalist (CBS)
Type: Police procedural
In its prime.
Longevity: ★★★★★ – Already going on to its fifth season, The Mentalist is still the most solid police procedural around.

NCIS:LA (CBS)
Type: Police/Action procedural
Similar to Hawaii Five-0, NCIS:LA seems to deliver to people looking for an action/police hybrid drama.
Longevity: ★★★★★ – Let me guess; renewed?

Sons of Anarchy (FX)
Type: Serialized ensemble drama
Similar to Breaking Bad, Sons of Anarchy‘s serialized elements may prove difficult to spec. With that said, the FX series has definitely grown into becoming a high speccer.
Longevity: ★★★★★ – Those storylines, they keep on moving!

True Blood (HBO)
Type: Serialized fantasy drama
Although on the verge of being overspecced, the (supposed) unpredictability of the show makes it prone to fresh takes on the main characters. Or so they say.
Longevity: ★★★★★ – The upcoming season is the last for Alan Ball, and the show is catching up on the books. Be careful.

The Vampire Diaries (The CW)
Type: Serialized fantasy drama
On paper, it seems like a great, popular choice when it comes to fantasy series, with that said…
Longevity: ★★★★★ – …the constant flux in storylines may make you mad enough that you’d want to avoid speccing this one.

The Walking Dead (AMC)
Type: Ensemble/horror drama
Undeniably a very popular show, both on screen and on the page. The strong stand-alone aspect of the series makes it prone to lessen the serialized elements within your spec.
Longevity: ★★★★★ – Regardless of your stance about how good or bad the show is, it’s not going anywhere anytime soon.

Wild Cards
Not quite fully widespread but will get there given the chance.

Game of Thrones (HBO) *
Type: Serialized fantasy drama
People think they can easily write great adaptations, which makes Game of Thrones the best candidate for top-specced show of 2013. But just because you love the book doesn’t mean you can write it. And there’s also this small issue of coming up with original stand-alone stories not found in the novels.
Longevity: ★★★★★ – Hugely successful and over six books. Enough said.

Homeland (Sho) *
Type: Serialized thriller
The Showtime series made it surprisingly big last season, which inevitably transformed it into a popular spec show.
Longevity: ★★★★★ – The serialization may put some people off, but it shouldn’t be that difficult to craft an episode around a specific subset of Abu Nazir’s terrorist plot (oh, look, free advice).

Leverage (TNT)
Type: Light heist/con/action procedural
Take it now before it goes over the hill.
Longevity: ★★★★★ – Five seasons and still going strong; however, the amount of original cons left are dwindling by the episode.

Nikita (The CW)
Type: Action/spy procedural
The only spy drama option as of now (that will surely change next year).
Longevity: ★★★★★ – Average ratings and a pricey show means The CW could pull the plug, but Nikita is almost its only viable alternative series to the teen dramas.

Once Upon A Time (ABC) *
Type: Fantasy family drama
The most family-friendly show on this list, OUAT will probably be very specced by this time next year.
Longevity: ★★★★★ – A near-infinite pool of fairy tales coupled with big ratings means ABC has found its new long-standing drama.

Parenthood (NBC)
Type: Serialized family drama
First world problems: family edition.
Longevity: ★★★★★ – The serialized nature of Parenthood makes it hard to create a true stand-alone storyline, but a renewal is quasi-certain.

Person of Interest (CBS) *
Type: Crime procedural
The sci-fi touch is light but nonetheless makes Person of Interest an interest new addition to the crime procedural arena.
Longevity: ★★★★★ – Renewal is a done deal.

Revenge (ABC) *
Type: Serialized family drama
The ultimate breakout soap of the past season, Revenge will clearly become a great series to spec…
Longevity: ★★★★★ – …depending on where the dominoes will fall at the end of this season.

The Secret Circle (The CW) *
Type: Serialized fantasy drama
If you feel The Vampire Diaries has been overdone, then this is for you.
Longevity: ★★★★★ – Is it going to last? Two words: Kevin Williamson

Smash (NBC)
Type: Serialized musical drama
Make way for another musical series. Unlike Glee, you can showcase your lyrics talent given the show’s use of original songs.
Longevity: ★★★★★ – Already renewed.

Touch (FOX) *
Type: Serialized fantasy/family drama
It is probably too soon to begin thinking about writing a spec for this mid-season show.
Longevity: ★★★★★ – There’s too much serendipity in Touch for me to care, but at least it adds an interesting dynamic to the usual “problem-solving” storyline.

Treme (HBO)
Type: Serialized historical drama
Even if Treme is not that well known to be a good stand-out spec, let’s just say going toe-to-toe with David Simon is not recommended.
Longevity: ★★★★★ – A third seasons premiering this fall and a fourth one already planned; looks like New Orleans is en vogue.



Outsiders
The shows (mostly cable) you may be tempted to take a risk on, getting you on top of the reading pile. Beyond that, it depends on the willingness of the reader and his/her knowledge of the show. Who knows, maybe the showrunner is into less popular shows and will value your risk-taking.

Hart of Dixie (The CW) *
Type: Serialized medical/family drama
If you’re aiming for broad appeal with a cute soapesque family/medical drama, Hart of Dixie will suit you just fine.
Longevity: ★★★★★ – More WB than CW, the series will most likely always be on the bubble.

Psych (USA)
Type: Light crime procedural
A little less used (and known) than its spy counterpart making it not quite as overspecced.
Longevity: ★★★★★ – Psych‘s run is impressive, with a recent renewal for another full-16 episode season order, continuing its records as the longest-running series on USA Nework.

Southland (TNT)
Type: Police procedural
Southland offers a great option in the “edgy/realistic” police drama procedural.
Longevity: ★★★★★ – Once upon a time, the show was on its deathbed. It is now a popular basic-cable drama, in more ways than one.

Warehouse 13 (Syfy)
Type: Science-fiction procedural
Despite growing old, there are almost no purely procedural contenders in this genre. Like Eureka, Warehouse 13 will probably keep this slot until it bites the dust.
Longevity: ★★★★★ – You can never tell what crazy move Syfy will do next to shoot itself in the head.

White Collar (USA)
Type: Light crime procedural
A clear new winner for the blue-sky dramas from USA.
Longevity: ★★★★★ – No way Jose that this show is biting the dust anytime soon.

Gamblers
For one reason or another, these are much riskier specs to do right now. You have been warned.

Blue Bloods (CBS)
Type: Police/family drama
Blue Bloods is still too much under the radar to be considered as a main spec to send out, however the series offers an interesting family/procedural dynamic not really found on any other network shows.
Longevity: ★★★★★ – It’s on Fridays, so you can never know for sure.

Body of Proof/Harry’s Law (ABC/NBC)
Type: Medical/Legal procedurals
The shows are fairly weak to begin with, so trying to break out of the crowd by speccing either of them is disrespectful to your writing.
Longevity: ★★★★★ – Even if renewed, it would be quite hard to write a compelling episode.

Forty-five shows are listed this year and, like last season, a few things can be observed.

Network dramas are coming back in force, slowly eating away the piece of older, aging cable dramas from the big five (AMC, FX, Syfy, USA, and TNT). HBO continues to be home to bigger, grander series that are always more hazardous to spec. NBC continues to be absent for the most part, while CBS and (surprisingly) ABC are taking over the lion share, leaving FOX in the wind.

A clear trend is forming this time around when it comes to popular specced show: serialization.
With a growing and fiercer competition, people are ready to take more risks with bolder choices. Stand-alone procedurals have mostly fallen out of favor for most people, even diminishing the light character serialized dramas’ dominance of the past few years.
Interestingly enough, “fresh is best” seems also to be a new intrinsic concept for now, with first and second-season series being extremely popular out of the gate.

With pilots being the most requested samples, are we moving towards “throwaway specs”, lasting merely a season?
Fudging with mythology, choosing new shows, the classic spec rules are slowly starting to fade away.

Serial or not, as long as a script and the show reflect your voice, it ends up being all about the writing.
Make your choice.

Click here for the Comedy Spec Script list.

Comedy Spec Script 2012 – What is hot and what is not

Comedy Spec Script 2012 – What is hot and what is not


UPDATED:
A brand new 2019 list has been posted.
Click here to access it.


Like every year, it is now time to review which TV shows are good to spec, and which are not.
Dedicated posts will be made respectively for the best comedies (half-hour) and the best dramas (one-hour).
As the title says, this post is all about the comedies.
In addition, you’ll also find (when available) a script for the corresponding show.
Canceled or dead shows have been removed since last season’s spec list.

NEW ADDITION:
Given Warner Bros’ new rules for their fellowship, I have indicated with an asterisk (*) series that they will not accept specs for (mainly first-season series).

Here is a quick recap of how the list works:
The shows are divided into five categories regarding their appeal to readers and how well they are known/read:
– Over-specced (shows that have passed their prime, try to avoid doing them)
– Mainstream (shows that have matured enough that they have become on-the-nose speccers–and a lot of people are speccing them)
– Wild Cards (soon, everyone will spec those, maybe you can get a head start)
– Outsiders (specs that will get you out from the pack)
– Gamblers (risky shows that could pay off, or bomb)

There is also a grade regarding the show’s longevity in relation to its speccability.
Meaning, how long can you keep your spec script fresh without having to throw it in the trash?
To do this, we will use the greatest grading system on Earth; stars:
★★★★★ – Excellent
★★★★★ – Very Good
★★★★★ – Average
★★★★★ – Fair
★★★★★ – Poor

Let’s get started.

Over-Specced
Re-tool your spec if you have one, but you probably shouldn’t bother beginning a new one for these shows.

30 Rock (NBC)
Going strong with its sixth season currently airing, the show is still the to-go one when it comes to single-camera comedies. Which means additional competition within the very competitive field of spec writing.
Longevity: ★★★★★ – How many original ideas are left to tackle?

How I Met Your Mother (CBS)
Renewed for an additional two more (final?) seasons, HIMYM has been for a while, and probably will continue to be, an interesting hybrid animal in the spec world.
Longevity: ★★★★★ – It is clear that speccing an 8-season plus show is not the greatest idea. Would you have done a Friends spec around their seventh season?

It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia (FX)
The format of Philly, although fairly unique for its time, has been put through every mold and peripeties imaginable. Writing a new spec may make you late to the party.
Longevity: ★★★★★ – Ten seasons and three movies?

The Office (NBC)
The change of cast brought a fresh perspective to the near-decade old show but it is kind of too little too late in the originality department.
Longevity: ★★★★★ – On its death bed with the inevitable Dwight spin-off.

Two and a Half Men (CBS)
If you’re that desparate for a Chuck Lorre-related spec, there are better choices out there.
Longevity: ★★★★★ – The Ashton Kutcher switcheroo brought new life to the series, which will probably make it last a few more seasons.

Weeds (Sho)
Despite the first two seasons being pretty straightforward and very speccable, the show has changed so much over the years that it’s hard to predict what misadventures are up next.
Longevity: ★★★★★ – Dead show walking.

Mainstream
The current and new widespread shows in town that are getting read.

Archer (FX)
One of the best, if not the best contender in the animation comedy category.
Longevity: ★★★★★ – Three seasons under its belt, a strong track-record of quality episodes; looks like the up-and-comer has become in vogue.

The Big Bang Theory (CBS)
If you’re thinking of a classic sitcom in its prime, this is the one. Careful though as it may go over the overspec hill pretty fast.
Longevity: ★★★★★ – One more season means twenty less storylines available, but don’t let this detract you from the most popular sitcom around.

Community (NBC)
A dangerous show to spec, if only for its tricky “on the nose” storytelling/dialogue, and the fact that it is always bordering cancellation.
Longevity: ★★★★★ – Tread very carefully.

Cougar Town/The Middle (ABC)
Surprisingly enough, despite being very low-key on either coasts, these two shows have begun what one might call a cult speccing trend.
Longevity: ★★★★★ – Never underestimate the under-underdogs.

Modern Family (ABC)
A mainstream single-cam that has matured enough to become the new king of comedy world.
Longevity: ★★★★★ – What a joke it would be if the show were to get canceled.

Parks and Recreation (NBC)
Not only is it one of the best comedies around, it is still very fresh and very popular.
Longevity: ★★★★★ – Beware of the constant flux within the characters’ dynamics.

Raising Hope (FOX)
This one is quickly becoming a very popular series to spec, thanks to its atypical humor.
Longevity: ★★★★★ – Despite dips in ratings, it looks unlikely that FOX will cancel Raising Hope for at least another season.

Wild Cards
Not quite fully widespread but will get there given the chance.

Eastbound & Down (HBO)
Gathering cult status.
Longevity: ★★★★★ – The show’s third season has been announced as being the last. Send it out while you can.

Happy Endings (ABC)
Its countless meta pop-culture references may be reminiscent of Community, but unlike its NBC counterpart, the ABC shows deals with contemporary pop-culture instead of cultish/classic trends.
Longevity: ★★★★★ – With three other “group” comedies premiering the same season, no one expected Happy Endings to not only do as well as it did, but also be as good as it is. It’s the little network show that could, and does.

Mike & Molly (CBS)
Another classic multi-cam comedy that hasn’t been tapped to its fullest potential.
Longevity: ★★★★★ – With McCarthy’s new-found success, CBS will have a hard time justifying a cancellation of the sitcom.

New Girl (FOX) *
First we had Modern Family, then Raising Hope, and now New Girl. Watch out, we got a badass over here.
Longevity: ★★★★★ – Renewed without any surprise.

Suburgatory (ABC) *
A great light and fun family comedy that fits right in the ABC comedy line.
Longevity: ★★★★★ – Inventive and renewed; what more can you ask?

Two Broke Girls (CBS) *
If you like making racist jokes, the choice has been made for you. Just kidding?
Longevity: ★★★★★ – It’s a done deal on the renewal.

Up All Night (NBC) *
The new show under everybody’s radar, yet with one of the strongest comedy casts around.
Longevity: ★★★★★ – Although a lukewarm track-record, it is doubtful that NBC will cancel this one for now.

Outsiders
The shows (mostly cable) you may be tempted to take a risk on, getting you on top of the reading pile. Beyond that, it depends on the willingness of the reader and his/her knowledge of the show. Who knows, maybe the showrunner is into less popular shows and will value your risk-taking.

House of Lies*/Nurse Jackie (Sho)
Despite seeming like ridiculous contenders, Nurse Jackie specs have gone surprisingly far in various fellowships. And House of Lies‘ freshness, coupled with its hyper-cast, gives the Sho show potential for a strong script.
Longevity: ★★★★★ – Emmy-winning this, Oscar-nominated that. Two dramedies that are not going anywhere for the next few months, or years.

The League (FX)
The macho-man show has transformed into a great outsider spec.
Longevity: ★★★★★ – Recently renewed for a fourth season, The League may not go past another couple of seasons given the cast’s career trajectory.

Gamblers
For one reason or another, these are much riskier specs to do right now. You have been warned.

Childrens’ Hospital/NTSF:SD:SUV/Eagleheart (Cartoon Network/Adult Swim) *
None of them are strictly speaking half-hours, so it would be quite tough for any of these shows to be sufficient by themselves.
Longevity: ★★★★★ – They’re dirt cheap enough to not be canceled soon.

The Life and Times of Tim (HBO) *
Like the Adult Swim block, Tim is not only amongst the most un-politically correct show on this list, but more importantly is in a short-form structure that might not appeal to the mass spec market.
Longevity: ★★★★★ – Saved from the dead at the last minute this past season, it is unclear if a miracle can be pulled twice in a row.

Once again, it seems the comedy landscape is outshining this year the drama side with its many choices.
Following last season’s footsteps into marking their comedy territory, both ABC’s and FOX’s lineups are giving NBC a run for their (lack of) money. Parks & Rec, 30 Rock, The Office and (ironically?) Community are still the most popular specs, but it’s become clear that the alternatives will soon take the top seat. While the big dogs are fighting, the cable world is slowly pushing its underdogs to the top. Who’d have thought Archer would be the mainstream animation show when it premiered?
With Eastbound and probably Tim gone by next season, HBO is left in the wind in the face of Sho’s dramedies (which, for the most part, are strangely categorized as dramas). Meanwhile, Lorre is still reigning supreme over multi-cams while they are, little by little, slowly phased out from our screens.
The tone has been set.

Click here for the Drama Spec Script list.

Pilot Pick-Up Review (Cable) – 2011-2012 Season

Development season is right now, and with the scripts picked to pilot about to be (or already) shot, the next best thing besides watching the finished product is reading them. As well as reviewing them.
Here is our final installment for the season, with some of the most anticipated cable pilots around.
(Given that most of these pilots have either already been picked up to series or will have their fate announced in several months, I thought it best to focus on the reviews.)

FX
Dramas (One-hour)
American Horror Story (Brad Falchuk/Ryan Murphy)
Logline: A dramatic series that explores a subversive modern horror tale.
With: Connie Britton, Jessica Lange, Dylan McDermott, Denis O’Hare
My thoughts:
I’m not the hugest Falchuk/Murphy fan (especially following that second season of Glee), but I have to admit they’ve got me hooked after reading this script.
Sure, the haunted house plot has been (virtually) done to death (yes it’s a haunted house story), and some people will continue to argue that they’ve “been there, done that”, but the pilot was not only very interesting but also not your classic “jump scare” horror flick. This is clearly angling to be a more psychological drama with supernatural elements rather than your run-of-the-mill spooky ghost story.
The biggest issue I’m having though is not with the pilot itself, rather the series as a whole. I’m having a hard time grasping how the concept of a haunted house psychologically torturing its inhabitants can last more than, well, a few episodes, let alone a full season. Longevity-wise, American Horror Story might be a gamble (depending on how serialized the show goes).
The cast however, is pretty much perfect.

Powers (Charles Eglee)
Logline: A dramatic series based on the series of graphic novels by Brian Michael Bendis. Heroes glide through the sky on lightning bolts and fire. Flamboyant villains attempt daring daylight robberies. God-like alien creatures clash in epic battle over the nighttime sky. And on the dirty city streets below, a homicide Detective Christian Walker does his job, solving murders involving superheroes, but he has secrets of his own.
My thoughts:
The closest show that comes to mind when reading the script is NBC’s own 17th Precinct, although Powers is clearly aiming to a much more, let’s say, grittier audience. Here again, you’ve got a serious cop show, and although 17th was the CSI of its genre, Powers is indeed closer to The Shield as some have described it. I would also compare it to a masculine version of Prime Suspect (albeit with superpowers involved). As any avid fan of the comic version will tell you, the world works and the story isn’t as ridiculous as it sounds. This is clearly not a lame The Cape-like series.
The disappointing side is that, since the show is so close to a cop show procedural, it ends up being not that compelling or original. Maybe future episodes will bring more interesting happenings.

HBO
Drama (One-hour)
More As This Story Develops (Aaron Sorkin)
Logline: A workplace dramedy with political elements set behind-the-scenes at a cable news network.
With: Jeff Daniels, Olivia Munn, Alison Pill, Marisa Tomei
My thoughts:
This one is without a doubt the most anticipated series of the bunch.
Cast-wise, you can guess I’m not the biggest fan of Olivia Munn (and I’m not really sure why she’s in there anyways). I’ll however be digging the Jeff Daniels/Marisa Tomei confrontation/omnipresent sexual tension.
What’s interesting is that no one has asked the most important question about the show: when does it take place.
Is it a period piece or is it set in an alternate world?
Well the answer is: neither (sorta). I have to issue a spoiler alert here (although if you’re reading this then chances are you don’t care).
The news show is set on, drumroll please…April 20, 2010. And if you know your (very) recent History, then you know that date corresponds to the Deepwater Horizon explosion. That’s right, the big reveal of the pilot (that pretty much comes halfway through it), is that the series goes on about a year before, well, right now. What a great way to comment on the media’s way of covering recent news without trespassing on The Daily Show/The Colbert Report.
Clearly Sorkin does not venture outside of his comfort zone with More As This Story Develops, and there’s nothing you won’t be able to find in his three previous shows. This is also not Network. Yet it’s still plenty interesting and compelling.
Clearly the man knows how to write–but who am I to state the obvious.

Comedies (Half-hour)
40 (Doug Ellin)
Logline: A single-camera ensemble comedy project that revolves around four lifelong friends who help each other navigate life at 40, which isn’t all they expected it to be. There’s the married milquetoast, the family man whose career’s been decimated by the financial collapse, a wealthy metrosexual and an impossibly toned trainer. Together, they face the terrors and joys of life past the fourth decade.
With: Edward J. Burns
My thoughts:
Four middle-aged guys living their lives. As you’d expect, it’s not that interesting. And although Entourage mainly worked thanks to the mystique and crazyness that is H-Wood, 40 doesn’t simply because of the mundane of it all. It’s never outrageous, it’s never laugh-out-loud hilarious, it just is.

Veep (Simon Blackwell/Armando Iannucci)
Logline: A political comedy centering around a female senator who ascends to the office of vice president, only to realize it’s nothing like she expected and everything everyone ever warned her about.
With: Sufe Bradshaw, Anna Chlumsky, Tony Hale, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Reid Scott, Timothy Simons, Matt Walsh
My thoughts:
I continue to find The Thick of It and In the Loop both amazing, so it is without hesitation that I jumped on the script of Veep as soon as I had it.
First the good news: Yes, it’s funny.
Plus you’ve also got Blackwell’s astonishingly brilliant insults flying around (although these ones won’t be uttered by Peter Capaldi).
With that said, the subject-matter of the show, as always with political series, brings back memories of The West Wing. And if you know Iannucci’s style, then you also know he’s not only a master of satirical dialogue, but also of quick back-and-forths, similar to Aaron Sorkin. Obviously, the storylines are not as dramatic as The West Wing, but you won’t be able to deny (at the very least) a spiritual connection between the two shows.
It’s not a strike against Veep though.

Showtime
Drama (One-hour)
Homeland (Alex Gansa/Howard Gordon/Gideon Raff)
Logline: An action-adventure drama based on the Israeli Keshet format “Prisoners of War.” In this iteration, an American soldier who was presumed killed in Iraq returns 10 years after he went missing. But after the joy of his homecoming dies down, suspicions arise as to whether he was really an American hero or if he was part of a sleeper cell planning a terrorist attack.
With: Claire Danes, Laura Fraser, David Harewood, Diego Klattenhoff, Damian Lewis, Jackson Pace, Mandy Patinkin, Morgan Saylor
My thoughts:
Sure there’s plenty to like with this pilot. It’s interesting and the story holds (for how long?). But you can’t shake the feeling that Sleeper Cell has already covered most of that terrain five years ago. And that was a mini-series–well, technically, two.
Not that I want to be that guy again, but I’m also having troubles finding a longevity in the concept beyond a single season. Sleeper Cell somewhat successfully achieved one with its second season by not only changing virtually the whole cast but going into a very different direction. I’m curious to see how Homeland will game the system.
The story of the girl that cried terrorist can only work for so long.

Comedy (Half-hour)
Seek and Destroy (Neal Brennan/Dov Davidoff)
Logline: A mixed sitcom that will combine elements of single-camera comedy, sketches and man-on-the-street interviews. Each episode begins with stars Neal Brennan and Dov Davidoff discussing life over coffee.
With: Neal Brennan, Dov Davidoff
My thoughts:
This show doesn’t really belong on Showtime–or anywhere else for that matter. The dialogue felt edgy enough, but overall it wasn’t really hilarious. Plus it seemed more like a multi-camera comedy than anything else.

Syfy
Drama (One-hour)
Battlestar Galactica: Blood & Chrome (Michael Taylor)
Logline: The story begins during the 10th year of the Cylon War, and follows recent Academy graduate William Adama. The pilot focuses on an important mission Adama undertakes with a rookie pilot. During this critical mission, which could turn the tide of the war, Adama meets a potential love interest. The series would address a young man’s initiation into war: both the realities of war as fought by soldiers on the ground (and in Battlestars and Vipers), and the somewhat less real version portrayed in the media.
With: Ben Cotton, Luke Pasqualino
My thoughts:
It’s exactly what you’re expecting. An(other) action/military-driven series.
Gone are the philosophical, reflexive, and dare I say smart, plotlines of the mother-ship (no pun intended).
Say hello to combat in space, on planets and on ships, with monsters, aliens, odd creatures, and robots.
And it’s sadly not that interesting.
Obviously, and as always with any BSG-related stories post-season two, you’ve got some retcon thrown into the mix and (very) loose pseudo-mythological components (especially with the introduction of yet another wave of new Cylon designs coming out of Gods know where).
If you’re missing some fresh Human v. Cylon fighting action, then Blood & Chrome will be for you. Otherwise, pop-in any previous Battlestar episode and chances are you’ll be more satisfied. Heck, even Razor will do the trick.