Pilot season is in full swing, with tons of new shows being made with hopes of getting on the fall 2011 TV schedule Shows are still being cast and worked out, and while there are a lot of them, there are only a handful that I’m extremely excited for.
For a comprehensive look at the over 80 potential new shows, check out TVGuide’s very detailed list here. However, I’ve narrowed the large field down to my top 10 shows that I definitely hope make it on the air.
#10 Hallelujah (ABC)
This mysterious show about a battle between good and evil could be a modern-day version of Carnivale, and while having Desperate Housewives creator Marc Cherry as executive producer is a good thing, I’m more excited by the cast. The show has the always strong Jesse L. Martin, Donal Logue from the recently canceled but brilliant Terriers and Lost‘s Terry O’Quinn. That’s a winning trio.
#9 Alcatraz (FOX)
This new show produced by J.J. Abrams about a team tracking down a group of Alcatraz prisoners and guards who mysteriously disappeared and return 30 years later reteams Abrams with Lost‘s Jorge Garcia, which sounds pretty great to me.
#8 Person of Interest (CBS)
A CIA agent is hired to catch criminals by a billionaire, which isn’t the exciting part. The exciting part is that the billionaire is played by Lost‘s Michael Emerson. If you’ve noticed a trend with my first three picks, it’s because I’m very eager for Lost stars to get back on TV.
#7 Home Game (CBS)
This sitcom about a retired football star may sound fairly standard, but it stars the very funny Rob Riggle, who certainly deserves his own show.
#6 Wonder Woman (NBC)
A new Wonder Woman is cool enough, especially with Friday Night Lights star Adrianne Palicki taking on the lead role. Written and produced by David E. Kelley (Ally McBeal, Boston Legal), it could be interesting, especially since it also features Cary Elwes, who will forever be Wesley from The Princess Bride to me. I only hope my prayers that NBC puts this show on the air are met with the network saying, “As you wish.”
#5 Little in Common (FOX)
This comedy is about the families of a group of kids who play Little League together, but who cares about the plot. It’s written and created by Rob Thomas from Veronica Mars and Party Down, and that man can do no wrong in my book.
#4 Ringer (CBS)
Like every Buffy fan, the thought of Sarah Michelle Gellar coming back to TV gives me goose bumps. This drama about a woman on the run who takes over the identity of her twin sister sounds a little strange, but with Gellar, Lost‘s Nestor Carbonell and Life Unexpected‘s Kristoffer Polaha, I would definitely watch.
#3 Georgetown (ABC)
Sure, this prime-time soap about young people in Washington D.C. comes from the executive producers of Gossip Girl, but more importantly, it was Katie Cassidy and Lone Star‘s James Wolk, the most in-demand actor for rabid TV fans desperate for him to hurry up and find another show.
#2 Secret Circle (The CW)
Another show based on a series of books by L.J. Smith, the woman behind The Vampire Diaries? I love that show, so why not. Plus, with a cast that includes Life Unexpected‘s Britt Robertson and Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles‘ Thomas Dekker, they’re off to a very good (and very good-looking) start.
#1 17th Precinct (NBC)
There are nearly 100 reasons why I wish this show was already on TV. Not only does this show about cops in a supernatural town come from Battlestar Galactica‘s Ronald D. Moore, but it reunites him with BSG stars Jamie Bamber, James Callis and Tricia Helfer. If that doesn’t make you geek out, nothing will. But it also has Eamonn Walker (who was amazing on Oz and Kings), Matt Long (who I still remember from the short-lived but brilliant Jack and Bobby) and the woman who will always be First Lady Abigail Bartlett to me, Stockard Channing. All of that adds up to the show I am most excited about.
So which pilots are you most excited to see?
(Image courtesy of Syfy)
Senior Writer, BuddyTV
John watches nearly every show on TV, but he specializes in sci-fi/fantasy like The Vampire Diaries, Supernatural and True Blood. However, he can also be found writing about everything from Survivor and Glee to One Tree Hill and Smallville.
