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 […]

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Articles

THE SKED’S BUSTED PILOT THEATRE: “Exit Strategy”

Posted July 1, 2011 by Mitch Salem

>See A Word About Busted Pilots On paper, EXIT STRATEGY looked like one of the hot FOX pilots this past season, a high-profile (Ethan Hawke’s first TV project) espionage thriller in the vein of 24 that could inherit that show’s Monday night slot and its House lead-in.  It didn’t happen:  the network chose Terra Nova […]

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Articles

THE SKED PILOT REVIEW: “Longmire”

Posted June 5, 2012 by Mitch Salem

      COMING THIS WEEK:  The New and Improved SHOWBUZZDAILY!     It’s a paradox of American pop culture of the moment that you can barely sell a movie ticket for anything that even smells like a western (Cowboys & Aliens and John Carter were the most recent to discover that), but the older […]

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Pilot Reports

THE SKED MIDSEASON PILOT REPORT: ABC’s “Red Widow”

Posted August 16, 2012 by Mitch Salem

  RED WIDOW:  Midseason TBD on ABC – If Nothing Else Is On… Disclaimer: Network pilots now in circulation are not necessarily in the form that will air in the Fall. Pilots are often reedited and re-scored, and in some cases even recast or reshot. These critiques shouldn’t be taken as full pilot reviews, but […]

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Fall Pilots

THE SKED PILOT REVIEW: FOX’s “Almost Human”

Posted November 17, 2013 by Mitch Salem

  ALMOST HUMAN:  Monday 8PM on FOX (after a Sunday Nov 17 preview) – Worth A Look The ALMOST HUMAN pilot has a whole lot of concept.  The show was created by J. H. Wyman, a senior writer/producer on Fringe (the pilot is directed by Brad Anderson, who also directed many Fringe episodes), and the […]

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Pilot Reports

THE SKED MIDSEASON PILOT REPORT: FOX’s “Rake”

Posted August 22, 2013 by Mitch Salem

  Read All Our Fall Pilot Reports here and Midseason Pilot Reports here. RAKE:  Thursday 9PM on FOX starting Midseason TBD – Worth A Look FOX’s high-profile midseason dramedy RAKE wastes no time in establishing its protagonist Keegan Deene’s (Greg Kinnear) lovable-heel bona fides.  In the opening minutes, we see Key (as he’s called) with […]

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Pilot + 1

THE SKED Pilot + 1 Review: “Fargo”

Posted April 23, 2014 by Mitch Salem

  FARGO:  Tuesday 10PM on FX – DVR Alert Previously… on FARGO:  It’s chance that puts mild-mannered, beaten-down Bemidji, Minnesota insurance salesman Lester Nygaard (Martin Freeman) beside sociopath Lorne Malvo (Billy Bob Thornton) shortly after Lester had a run-in with the bully who made his high school years a living hell.  But when asked directly […]

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2014-15 TV Season

THE SKED Fall Pilot Report: CW’s “The Flash”

Posted August 2, 2014 by Mitch Salem

  THE FLASH:  Tuesday 8PM on CW starting October 7 – If Nothing Else Is On… PLAYERS:  Series Creators/Executive Producers Greg Berlanti, Andrew Kreisberg and Geoff Johns, the first 2 of whom are also creators of Arrow, from which this Flash is a spin-off (he was introduced in an Arrow arc, and Stephen Amell makes […]

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