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Spring 2005 TV:
Harry Potter Update ► 11/18
COMING SOON
Fall 2005 TV Preview
Upfronts are Days Away (Saturday, May 14, 2005)
This month, I am going to give you a glimpse at the shows coming to a small screen near you. After the shows premiere, I will write and tell you what I will be watching in a special report due out around mid-October. To make it easier for you, I will be separating the new shows by networks (the six major networks only). This is be later this week, but we can only wonder until then.
This upcoming week will be very exciting, I can guarantee. Check the appropriate network's website on the day of the Upfront. We will post shows and information within a week. (Check TV.ZAP2IT.COM for up-to-the-minute information.)
By James Molnar
Pre-Upfront Buzz Quiet So Far (From Zap2it.com)
We're only days away from the first announcement of a network's 2005-2006
fall schedule. The broadcast networks' annual upfront presentations begin
Monday, May 16 with NBC unveiling its schedule for next season. But so
far, few pilots have picked up a great deal of buzz.
That could be due in part to networks and studios are keeping a tighter rein on the distribution of their pilots this spring, as Variety reports. The limits on screeners are designed to cut down on people spreading negative word about projects other than theirs, but whatever the reason, fewer tapes in circulation means fewer people talking.
Additionally, the networks have taken some of the suspense out of the upfronts by announcing a number of pickups of existing shows, from no-brainers like ABC's "Desperate Housewives" and "Lost" to surprises like UPN's critically loved but barely watched "Veronica Mars." The two current series most squarely on the bubble seem to be CBS' "Joan of Arcadia," which took a ratings hit in its second season, and FOX's Emmy-winning "Arrested Development," which hasn't been able to reach beyond a dedicated cult following.
The showbiz trade papers and other outlets have conducted a few buzz checks, though, and a few pilots have headed to the forefront. Among them:
NBC
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Jerry Bruckheimer-produced "E-Ring," a Pentagon drama that's been touted as a possible "West Wing" companion.
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Comedy "Early Bird," about a twentysomething (Timm Sharp, "Undeclared") who moves into a retirement community, has people interested as well.
ABC
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"Commander in Chief," a drama about the first female president (Geena Davis).
The WB
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Bill Lawrence comedy "Nobody's Watching" is lampooning both reality TV and rote sitcoms.
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"Route 66"-meets-"The X-Files" drama "Supernatural" is also considered a contender.
