Pilot preview: CBS could win with Rupert Grint, Josh Holloway, Robin Williams
Welcome to the first of several pilot preview articles that we are going to be doing over the next several weeks, as the purpose here is to share some pilots that are standing out for each of the major networks. This is not necessarily to say that these are the ones that are going to be picked up or the network is favoring, but these fit into what their individual strategies are, and have some appeal beyond just what we traditionally see on TV every week.
It seems appropriate to start with CBS this time around, mostly based on the perception that they have the richest crop to choose from right now, despite having only a few holes in the schedule to fill. The only major change we could see the network making schedule-wise is pushing back “Person of Interest” an hour, moving “Elementary” to a new night, and going with an hour of comedies, and this is why of the network’s five pilots to watch right now, three of them are half-hour series.
“The Crazy Ones” – Even the name itself is a send-up of “Mad Men,” and it stars Robin Williams as an ad agency working with his daughter (Sarah Michelle Gellar). Williams alone is worth the price of admission, and he alone should bring in viewers across all demographics.
“Mom” – The fact that CBS has both this Chuck Lorre series, about a woman played by Anna Faris who tries to move forward following a history of addiction, and “The Crazy Ones” almost necessitates more time on the schedule for comedy, since as of right now there are five out of six spots filled. We see these two being as close to locks as locks can be.
“Super Clyde” – It may not be getting a ton of press, but it’s hard not to love the concept of “Harry Potter” star Rupert Grint playing a fast food worker doubling as a wannabe superhero. Plus, this show comes from Greg Garcia of “My Name is Earl” and “Raising Hope” fame.
“NCIS: Red” – The first four letters here signal a likely pickup for a show that stars Kim Raver (“Grey’s Anatomy”), and could be added to form a formidable Tuesday block of programming. Who needs anything else when you have “NCIS”?
“Intelligence” – In Between Michael Emerson on “Person of Interest” and Daniel Dae Kim on “Hawaii Five-0,” “Lost” alumni have fared very well on CBS as of late. Why not give Michael Emerson a shot, then? The show is a little similar to “Chuck” in that it revolves around a guy with some sort of powerful chip in his head that grants him extra abilities, but it also has “Once Upon a Time’s” Red in Meghan Ory to boot.
What probably makes this decision tough for CBS is that they also have “Beverly Hills Cop” on their slate, and really picking up the six shows that we’ve mentioned here fills up their entire schedule and then some. We don’t envy the decisions that Les Moonves and programming head Nina Tassler have to make here.
If you do want to read up on some other CBS pilots not mentioned here, you can do so at this link.
Photo: CBS