NIELSENWAR 2014-15: More NBC Pick-Ups

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NBC picked up a handful of shows yesterday, but that was just the first installment, as an additional trio of new shows have been announced so far today.  2 are dramas and the other a comedy, and interestingly, all hail from Warner Bros Television.

DRAMAS

MYSTERIES OF LAURA:  NBC wasn’t out of the Debra Messing business for long, as the Will & Grace and Smash star is back with the Peacock already.  This time she plays a homicide detective who also copes with her ex-husband and twin sons.  It’s based on a Spanish format, and the US creator is Jeff Rake, whose recent credits include Beauty & the Beast and The Tomorrow People, and it’s unfair to prejudge a show before even seeing the pilot, but I’m trying to find some reason to get excited about this one.  The pilot was directed by McG.

CONSTANTINE:  Take that, Marvel!  DC Comics had every one of its 4 pilots picked up to series, and with Arrow, that will give it 5 shows on 3 networks, a tremendous haul.  This sounds like a potential companion piece for Grimm, about a “master of the occult” who has to defend humanity on a weekly basis.  (Some may remember the Keanu Reeves movie version of this franchise… or maybe not.)  The series creator is Daniel Cerone of Dexter, and the pilot was directed by Neil Marshall, who also directed the “Blackwater” episode of Game of Thrones.

COMEDY

A TO Z:  A rom-com set at an internet dating company, with a promising cast that includes Cristin Miliota (aka The Mother from HIMYM), Ben Feldman from Mad Men, and Leonora Crichlow, who was recently on Back In the Game (and before that, more belovedly on the BBC version of Being Human).  The series creator is Ben Queen, and the non-writing producers include Rashida Jones and her producing partner Will McCormack.