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ABC
2001 TCA Summer Press Tour
According to
Jim Session
Written
By Rick Ellis, July 23rd, 2001
ABC
spent two days unveiling its fall lineup to the gathering of television
critics in Pasadena. Here's a recap of what you missed. Click on
the show's title for photos, and more info on the show.
According
To Jim
The Premise: Originally called "The Dad," it marks
Jim Belushi's return to TV sitcoms after a couple of stabs at dramas.
The Panelists: Jim
Belushi, Courtney Thorne-Smith, Kimberly Williams, Larry Joe Campbell
and executive producers Tracey Newman, Jonathan Stark and Suzanne
Bukinik.
Things To Consider: While ABC has had some luck lately with
new sitcoms, this one is a tough challenge--even given the overall
strong cast. From what I've seen so far, there seems to be little
chemistry between Belushi and Thorne-Smith, and their acting styles
seem to be a mismatch as well. Reportedly, there's going to be some
major tweaking after the pilot, but this is a show that looks to
be a longshot. At least, in its present form.
Alias
The Premise: Jennifer Garner plays Sydney Bristow, an agent
of SD-6 (which is a "secret" division of the CIA). Not
surprisingly, while she's good at what she does, she can't help
thinking there should be more to life.
The Panelists: Jennifer Garner, Victor Garber, Michael Vartan,
Bradley Cooper, Merrin Dungey, Carl Lumbly, Ron Rifkin, Kevin Weisman,
executive producers Ken Olin and J.J. Abrams and director John Eisendrath
Things To Consider: If you've seen the promos for the show,
you already know that the show bears a strong resemblance to Dark
Angel and Le
Femme Nikita, two other shows that fall into the "strong
action chick" category. While the early word of mouth is good
for the show (and Garner in particular seems intriguing), scheduling
it opposite Fox's slumping The
X-Files and NBC's new Law
And Order: Criminal Intent is either suicidal or a mark of programming
genius.
Bob
Patterson
The Premise: Jason Alexander plays celebrity self-help
guru Bob Patterson who manages to inspire everyone but himself.
Yes, it's just as funny as it sounds.
The Panelists: Jason Alexander, Robert Chilean, Chancre Wilson,
Jennifer Aspen, Phil Beckman and executive producers Peter Tailed
and Ira Steven Bear
Things To Consider: It's generally not a good sign when the
show is completely revamped between the pilot and the season debut.
Next to NBC's Amarillo,
this sitcom is the recipient of the worst buzz, although part of
the comparison to the problems surrounding last season's doomed
Michael Richards
Show is a bit unfair. But it certainly doesn't help that the
promos airing on ABC for the show are painfully not funny. Jason
Alexander is certainly capable of turning things around, but this
seems to be leaning towards a Bette-sized
flameout.
Brian's
Song
The Premise: It's a remake of the classic made-for-tv movie,
and it will air in November. For those people who don't remember
the original, it's the story of two Chicago Bears football players,
Brian Piccolo and Gale Sayers, who begin as roommates and rivals,
but develop a close friendship that ends with the sad and untimely
death of Piccolo.
The Panelists: Sean Maher, Mekhi Phifer, Paula Cale, Elise
Neal, Gale Sayers, Joy Piccolo O'Connell, director/writer John Gray
and executive producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron.
Things To Consider: While come of ABC's competitors (such
as NBC), are complaining that no one cares about the made-for-TV
movie genre --at least, not on broadcast TV--ABC continues to crank
out well-constructed and well-received films. This certainly has
a strong storyline, and producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron did
good work with last season's Life
with Judy Garland: Me and My Shadows. In the end, it will all
depend on whether or not this remake compares favorably to the original.
The
Court
The Premise: The United States Supreme Court is the
setting for this new ensemble drama that explores the personal and
professional lives of Justices of the Supreme Court and the unseasoned
lawyers who serve as their clerks.
The Panelists: Sally Field, executive producers Rob Scheidlinger
and Oliver Goldstick
Things To Consider: It's a midseason show, so it's a bit
hard to determine at this point whether or not the premise will
fly. But it will air on Monday nights opposite Family
Law, which is presumably aimed at the same audience. And ABC
has had problems for years getting people to watch on Mondays once
the football season is over. But the positive is that Sally Field
is both talented and capable of promoting the show, so it's hard
to bet against the show--at least, not until you see the results.
The
Mole II
The Premise: A group of contestants are thrown together,
and compete to complete tasks and win money. All the while tying
not to get voted off the show, or tricked by one of their fellow
contestants, who is a "mole" included to foil their attempts
at success.
The Panelists: Host Anderson Cooper, first season "Mole"
Kathryn Price and executive producers Scott Stone, David Stanley
and Clay Newbill
Things To Consider: While last season's version of the show
wasn't a huge hit, it was the network's number one show among adults
18-34. The producers are promising to make the show's premise a
bit clearer, and plan to offer up more info about each contestant
(the number of which has been increased from 10 to 14). One side
note:original Mole Kathryn Price is now one of the writers on the
series.
Monday
Night Football
The Premise: Football...on Monday Nights
The Panelists: Al Michaels, Dan Fouts, Dennis Miller, Eric
Dickerson, Melissa Stark and producer Fred Gaudelli.
Things To Consider: While Dennis Miller's contributions are
still open to a lot of debate with sports fans, there's a feeling
that with a stronger lead-in show in the form of Who Wants To Be
A Millionaire, and some changes behind the scenes, the show is headed
upwards after a couple of lackluster seasons.
Philly
The Premise: Kim Delaney plays Kathleen Maguire, who just
one year out of law school owns her own firm and is steadily building
her reputation as a tough, no-nonsense attorney in the courtrooms
of City Hall in Philadelphia.
The Panelists: Kim Delaney, Tom Everett Scott, Rick Hoffman
and executive producer Steven Bochco. Things To Consider:
This show is only one of NINE law-oriented shows airing this year
in primetime. The positive part of its timeslot is that NYPD Blue
fans will no doubt be comfortable with the premise and the thought
of seeing Kim Delaney again. The downside is that the show is airing
against a well-established Judging Amy--a show which isn't that
different in concept and which should be a direct competitor the
show's target audience.
The
Runner
The Premise: In this midseason game of cat-and-mouse, a lone
runner is set loose in America to compete missions within a set
period of time. If someone from the public snares The Runner, he
or she could be eligible to win the prize.
The Panelists: Brian Jenkins, Bo Dietl, executive producers
Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, Sean Bailey and series producer Michael
Davies.
Things To Consider: Despite the intriguing premise and the
names behind the show, there are still few details about how it's
going to work. And there are reportedly more than a few questions
about liability. At this point, there are more questions than answers.
Thieves
The Premise: John Stamos and Melissa George portray Johnny
and Rita, two master thieves who are coerced into stealing on behalf
of the U.S. government.
The Premise: John Stamos, Melissa George and executive producers
Jim Leonard, Arnold Kopelson and Anne Kopelson.
Things To Consider: The track record of Moonlighting-type
shows hasn't been that great. CBS even failed with a similar premise
(Mr. And Mrs. Smith)
in the same timeslot several years back. The upside is that if the
show can find a male audience, it won't have much competition, since
it's airing opposite That's
Life, Pasadena,
WB's Reba and Raising
Dad and NBC's Dateline.
In fact, the only competition for the male audience might be UPN's
movie night, depending on what they're programming. The success
also might be dependent on whether or not audiences tune in for
its lead-in program, Mole II.
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