Articles

THE SKED @ BUSTED PILOT THEATRE: “Wonder Woman”

Posted June 20, 2011 by Mitch Salem

> This year’s WONDER WOMAN pilot did not fly under the radar.  Produced by Warner Bros Television for NBC, it was the subject of speculation before it was even placed with a network, scrutiny while it was being produced, and analysis after it had been rejected.  With the exception of Terra Nova and Smash, it […]

Full Story »

Articles

THE SKED’S BUSTED PILOT THEATRE: “Metro”

Posted September 1, 2011 by Mitch Salem

> See A Word About Busted Pilots The word was that Stephen Gaghan’s pilot METRO was in serious consideration for NBC’s schedule until the very end (conventional wisdom has it that the final choice came down to Metro vs. Awake, and the latter made the cut).  That’s too bad:  the pilot is an impressive piece […]

Full Story »

Articles

THE SKED”S PILOT + 1 REVIEW: “A Gifted Man”

Posted October 1, 2011 by Mitch Salem

> A lot can happen between the creation of a TV pilot in the spring and production of episodes for the regular season:  a writing/producing team is hired, audience focus groups weigh in, networks and studios (which may have had their own turnover in the off-season) give plenty of notes, both helpful and otherwise, and […]

Full Story »

Articles

THE SKED’S MIDSEASON RETURN: “Grey’s Anatomy”

Posted January 6, 2012 by Mitch Salem

> Even diminished from the powerhouse it once was, GREY’S ANATOMY is the foundation of ABC’s drama schedule, and its return to the air after a nearly 2 month absence should lift the network’s Thursday considerably. WHERE WE LEFT OFF:  Things were grim when we last visited Seattle Grace.  Cristina (Sandra Oh) had, unknowingly, operated […]

Full Story »

Articles

THE SKED SEASON PREMIERE REVIEW: “Cougar Town”

Posted February 15, 2012 by Mitch Salem

> WHERE WE WERE: On a cul de sac in Florida, where for a brief period of time, divorcee Jules (Courtney Cox) pursued younger men–unfortunately, just long enough for this series to be pitched to ABC and launched with a title that, since midway in its first season, has had nothing to do with the […]

Full Story »

Articles

THE SKED’S PILOT + 2 REVIEW: “Magic City”

Posted April 3, 2012 by Mitch Salem

> A lot can happen between the creation of a TV pilot in the spring and production of episodes for the regular season:  a writing/producing team is hired, audience focus groups weigh in, networks and studios (which may have had their own turnover in the off-season) give plenty of notes, both helpful and otherwise, and […]

Full Story »

Pilot Reports

THE SKED PILOT REVIEW: “Bunheads”

Posted June 12, 2012 by Mitch Salem

  Back in 2000, the rapid-fire fizzy dialogue of Gilmore Girls prompted some to spread an utterly unfounded rumor that Amy Sherman-Palladino, its creator and chief writer, didn’t actually exist, and that Girls was really being written by Aaron Sorkin.  This was wrong in every possible way, of course, including the fact that Sorkin was […]

Full Story »

Pilot Reports

THE SKED PILOT REVIEW: “Political Animals”

Posted July 16, 2012 by Mitch Salem

  POLITICAL ANIMALS:  Sunday 10PM on USA – Potential DVR Alert   POLITICAL ANIMALS is a lot more Brothers & Sisters than it is The West Wing, which makes sense because it’s the work of Greg Berlanti, who took over as showrunner on B&S when show creator Jon Robin Baitz wasn’t giving ABC the soap […]

Full Story »