Let Pilot Season Commence

Had an opportunity to watch a couple of NBC's upcoming pilots a few weeks before they air. My thoughts (other than noticing that NBC has cast Britons as Americans in a lot of its new shows (just like Fox did with House, and that show's a hit!)):

Chuck
The promos for this show made me think this was about some nerd who works for the Geek Squad at Best Buy. (They aren't called that on the show, but, it is what it is.) And while "geek" shows have not historically fared well (witness NBC's own Freaks and Geeks), I guess the network thinks this one will do better.

What I found odd about this show is that it's not so much about geeks as it is about The Matrix. It's apparently an action/adventure show about a government-created computer virus that been downloaded into Chuck, the "nerd" of the title.

And speaking of "nerds," the nerds in this show are about as nerdy as, say, George Clooney. When I think "nerd," I look at the Systems guys at work. The guys in this show are waaaay cooler than that. Basically, they're called geeks because, if they weren't, there wouldn't be a show. I mean, the one gaming reference they make in the show is Zork, which is not even in the geek lexicon anymore; that's sooooo 1984.

Really pretty terrible.

-Probability of cancellation: Pretty decent, considering it stars Adam Baldwin (not relation to any other Baldwin), who stars on nothing but canceled shows.

Life
The definition of "high-concept": A cop, framed for a murder he didn't commit, is released from prison and resumes his job on the police force. Twelve years in Pelican Bay have driven him a little nuts, and the wrongful-imprisonment settlement he received from the city has put a big chip on his shoulder, plus, he really wants to know how he ended up in prison in the first place.

The "crazy cop" genre has always been a shaky one (even though Bruce Willis has made an entire career out of it). These shows go from either moderately successful, like Super Cop (also known as L&O: CI) or completely unwatched, like Raines (a show I liked, which, of course, doomed it for cancellation). Unfortunately, this falls toward the latter.

While I enjoyed seeing a guy who's lost a lot of his marbles in prison out solving crimes, meanwhile, grinding a serious ax against those that got him put away, when it comes to dealing with people, he tends to get a little too profound and touchy-feely for my taste. It sours the character for me quite a bit. (There's a lesson to be learned from the success of House: you're either an asshole all the time, or not at all.) And I think it may turn a lot of people off the show altogether.

About 63% watchable.

-Probability of cancellation: Extreme.

Journeyman
A newspaper reporter who, like Billy Pilgrim, has become "unstuck in time," randomly jumps back and forth between the past and present in what appears to be some "Grand Scheme of Things."

Quite honestly, a very good show. If they figure out how to develop the show in interesting ways (like the secondary character that also appears to be afflicted with the same malady), I think this show may gain a following, and become the next Lost or Heroes. Or, it may just crap out like 90% of pilots do.

I enjoyed it.

-Probability of cancellation: A toss up, but, being as I like it, it will probably be canceled.

I also managed to see a brief preview of Bionic Woman, which didn't give me any idea of what the show will be like, but it is nice to see that Katee Sackhoff has lined up a gig for when Battlestar Galactica goes off the air next year. (Also, nice pickup by NBC with Isaiah Washington, who, hopefully, will be less homophobic with this network, so NBC doesn't have to show how racist they are.)

We'll see how things pan out in two months. See ya then.