Årets Viktigaste TV-vecka? [ABC]

Årets viktigaste TV-vecka (den s.k Upfront Week) fortsätter, och som nummer två ut är succékanalen ABC. Bolaget har de senaste åren radat upp framgång på framgång, men satsar ändå stenhårt med inte mindre än elva helt nya satsningar/upplockade piloter.

Den som snabbt kollar i tablån nedan kan kanske chockas av att Lost saknas från onsdagarna, men lugn bara lugn. ABC har dels bestämt sig för att göra en kortare säsong av Lost (bara 16 avsnitt) och dels för att köra alla avsnitt i en följd (som man gjort i vår). Lost kommer därför inte att dra igång förrän en bit in i säsongen. Samma gäller för en hel del andra av de serier som fått grönt ljus – de kommer att dyka upp efter hand och lite beroende på vart andra serier fallerar. Borta är däremot till exempel Six Degrees, What About Brian och Knights of Prosperity.

Vad som är noterbart är annars att trots den stora nysatsningen så föll flera piloter det snackats en hel del om på förhand igenom och blev inte upplockade. Bland dessa märks främst de amerikanska versionerna av britt-hittarna Footballers Wives och Life on Mars (trist...kunde ju faktiskt blivit så bra), TV-versionen av filmen Mr. and Mrs. Smith, serien om klassiska deckaren Philip Marlowe förlagd i nutid och Guy Ritchie-producerade rättegångsdramat Suspect med Carrie-Anne Moss i huvudrollen!

De här blev i alla fall kvar, så så här ser ABCs vecka ut i höst:

Måndag:
20.00 Dancing with the Stars – Let's Dance i USA
21.30 Sam I Am – NEW! Christina Applegate (Kelly i Våra Värsta År) vaknar upp med minnesförlust och får lära sig att hon inte var en speciellt trevlig person tidigare (se A nedan)
22.00 The Bachelor

Tisdag:
20.00 Cavemen – NEW! Komedi sprungen ur en reklamfilm (se B)
20.30 Carpoolers – NEW! Komedi om fyra grabbar som samåker till jobbet varje vecka (se C)
21.00 Dancing with the Stars – Resultatet…
22.00 Boston Legal – The Practice (Advokaternas) spinoffen is still going strong

Onsdag:
20.00 Pushing Daisies – NEW! Serien om en detektiv som kan återuppliva döda "with a single touch" spås av många bli höstens mest omtalade*, och har skapats av killen bakom Heroes. (se D)
21.00 Private Practice – NEW! Här hitter vi Grey's Anatomy 2.0 som jag redan skrivit massa om. Go Addison! (se E)
22.00 Dirty Sexy Money – NEW! Den helt nya onsdagsuppställningen avslutas med Peter Krauses (Nathan i Six Feet Under) nya serie om kille som är advokat till en rik kändisfamilj a' la' Hiltons (och är ännu en pilot som hyllats i förhandssnacket) (se F).

Torsdag:
20.00 Ugly Betty – Självklart har ingenting hänt…
21.00 Grey's Anatomy - …med kanalens två starkaste timmar på veckan.
22.00 Big Shots – Tidsslotten som dödade de flesta serier under 06/07 försöker nu med Michael Vartan (Alias) och Dylan McDermotts (Advokaterna) nya serie om två mäktiga män (se G)

Fredag:
20.00 Men in Trees – Förnyat förtroende för Ellens gamla flamma
21.00 Women's Murder Club – NEW! Ett drama byggt på en bok av James Patterson om en grupp kvinnor som har brottslösande som hobby (se H).
22.00 20/20

Söndag:
20.00 Extreme Makeover: Home Edition
21.00 Desperate Housewives – I år är söndagsuppställningen intakt…
22.00 Brothers & Sisters - …och frågan är om inte B&S är starkaste kortet numera?

Nya serien Cashmere Mafia (se I) och de två vårnyheterna Notes from the Underbelly och October Road från i år kommer ha premiär efter att Dancing with the Stars och The Bachelor slutat för höstsäsongen på deras tider.

* Så här skriver till exempel TV-Guides Michael Ausiello:
ABC just released the 100,000 word opus that is its fall schedule announcement, yet all I see are two words: Pushing. Daisies. I've said it before, and, now that I've actually seen the complete pilot, I'm saying it again with added vigor: This is the show. The one everyone will be talking about. The one we'll be obsessing over. The one with the potential to replace Gilmore Girls as Ask Ausiello's favorite child. I can't wait for you guys to see it. It kills me that you have to wait until September. I'm tempted to stream the thing online myself, but then I'd be arrested and lose my job and that would suck for everyone. For now, you'll just have to take my word for it. The 2007-08 TV season will be all about them Daisies.

Precis som igår följer här lite "stulna" presentationer av programmen på engelska, denna gången hämtat från TV-Guides hemsida:

A) Sam I Am
When a terrible accident leaves Samantha "Sam" Newly in a coma for eight days, she wakes up with no recollection of any past experiences, memories or events. Faced with amnesia, Sam must start over. To her dismay she discovers that she wasn't a particularly honest, good-hearted or loving person. In fact she was self-involved, narcissistic and devoid of real relationships — in short a bitch. Sam must now struggle with her desire to be good and her temptation to be... not so good. Finding the line between good and evil is never easy.
Starring: Christina Applegate, Jennifer Esposito (Related), Kevin Dunn (Prison Break) etcetera

B) Cavemen
A unique buddy comedy that offers a clever twist on stereotypes and turns race relations on their head, this sitcom was inspired by the popular Geico Insurance commercials. The series looks at life through the eyes of the ultimate outsiders — three modern cavemen — as they struggle to find their place in the world. Joel, his cynical best friend Nick, and easy-going little brother Jamie are contemporary cavemen who live in the suburban South and simply want to be treated like ordinary thirtysomething guys. Despite their attempts at assimilation, Nick doesn't believe mainstream society will ever completely accept them, Jamie seems to take it all in stride and Joel straddles the middle, torn between his friends, his more traditional values and his loving fiancée.

C) Carpoolers
Four guys from very different backgrounds relish their daily commute as they commiserate about their lives, jobs and families in the carpool lane. There's Laird, the recently divorced playboy; Aubrey, the timid homemaker and breadwinner; the conservative and traditional Gracen; and eager newlywed Dougie. Together, between the pressures of home and work, these men find time to be themselves while driving to and from the office.

D) Pushing Daisies
From Bryan Fuller (Heroes) and Barry Sonnenfeld (Men in Black) comes an unprecedented blend of romance, crime procedural and high-concept fantasy in a forensic fairytale about a young man with a very special gift. Once upon a time, a mild-mannered boy named Ned realized he could touch dead things and bring them back to life. Grown-up Ned puts his ability to good use, not only touching dead fruit and making it ripe with everlasting flavor, but working with an investigator to crack murder cases by asking the deceased to name their killers. But the tale gets complicated, as all tales do, when Ned brings his childhood sweetheart, Chuck, back from the dead and keeps her alive. Chuck encourages him to use his power to help others, instead of merely solving mysteries and collecting the rewards. Life would be perfect for Ned and Chuck, except for one cruel twist: If he ever touches her again, she'll go back to being dead, this time for good.
Starring: Lee Pace (The Good Shepherd), Anna Friel (Rogue Trader), Chi McBride (Boston Public) etcetera

E) Private Practice
From Shonda Rhimes, the Golden Globe-winning creator of Grey's Anatomy, comes a story about new beginnings and old friends. Addison Forbes Montgomery is a renowned neonatal surgeon, respected by her friends and colleagues at Seattle Grace Hospital. Deciding she can no longer healthily co-exist with her ex-husband, McDreamy and her ex-lover, McSteamy, Addison heads to Los Angeles for sunnier weather and happier possibilities. Reunited with her once-married, newly divorced medical school friends, Naomi and Sam, Addison joins their chic private practice.
Starring: Kate Walsh (Grey's Anatomy), Tim Daly (The Nine), Taye Diggs (Day Break), Paul Adelstein (Prison Break), Merrin Dungey (Alias), Chris Lowell (Veronica Mars) and Amy Brenneman (Judging Amy).

F) Dirty Sexy Money
Some people say money is the root of all evil. They may be right. Although Nick George has always lived in the shadow of the Darling family, as an adult he's leading the perfect life as an idealistic lawyer — until his father's suspicious death. The absurdly wealthy Darlings of New York have asked him to take over his father's job as their personal lawyer, but the money that will allow him the freedom to be an altruistic do-gooder is only part of the deal. That same money pulls him into the dubious doings of the Darling clan. Power, privilege and family money are a volatile cocktail.
Starring: Peter Krause (Six Feet Under), Donald Sutherland (Commander in Chief), William Baldwin (The Squid and the Whale), Natalie Zea (Eyes), Glenn Fitzgerald (Six Feet Under) etcetera

G) Big Shots
This is the story of four friends at the top of their game... until the women in their lives enter the room. Lines between boardroom and bedroom blur when these competitive but dysfunctional CEOs take refuge in their friendship, discussing business, confiding secrets, seeking advice and supporting each other through life's surprising twists and turns.
Starring Michael Vartan (Alias), Dylan McDermott (The Practice), Christopher Titus (Titus), Joshua Malina (The West Wing) etcetera

H) Women's Murder Club
Based on James Patterson's best-selling novels, The Women's Murder Club, four working women in San Francisco — a detective, a district attorney, a medical examiner and a reporter — use their expertise and unique talents to solve murder cases. Each woman is successful in her own field, but because of their unique friendship, they realize that pooling their resources during investigations leads to undiscovered clues and answers in their work and their personal lives.
Starring: Paula Newsome (Little Miss Sunshine), Aubrey Dollar (Point Pleasant), Tyrees Allen (Alias), Angie Harmon (Law & Order), Laura Harris (24) etcetera

I) Cashmere Mafia
Four ambitious and sexy women, who've been best friends since business school, try to balance their glamorous and demanding careers with their complex personal lives in the city that never sleeps. They've created their own boys club to protect each other and discuss their ups and downs as they try to have it all. What good is it to break the glass ceiling without girlfriends to share in your success?
Starring: Lucy Liu (Ally McBeal), Frances O'Connor (Windtalkers), Miranda Otto (Lord of the Rings) etcetera

Senare under året:

Eli Stone
Many lawyers consider themselves prophets, but Eli Stone may be the real deal. Eli has built a successful career at a top law firm in San Francisco representing the biggest and richest corporations that make a habit of screwing over the little guy. But after experiencing a series of odd hallucinations, Eli wants to find a deeper meaning to life while trying not to lose his job and destroy his relationship with the boss' daughter. When Eli discovers an aneurysm in his brain, he wonders if his condition is health-related or if perhaps he now has a higher calling.
Starring: Jonny Lee Miller (Melinda and Melinda), Victor Garber (Alias), Natasha Henstridge (Commander in Chief), Loretta Devine (Crash), etcetera

Miss/Guided
Having navigated the awkward and sometimes traumatic world of high school, Rebecca Freely returns to her alma mater as a guidance counselor, free of the insecurities and orthodontia of her school days. Amidst student behavioral problems and the persistent romantic advances of the male nurse Gary, Rebecca is certain of one thing — she is interested in the hot auto-shop-turned-Spanish-teacher Tim. However, much as in her high school days of unexpected teenage angst, Lisa, a former cheerleader and nemesis of Rebecca's, returns as the new English teacher determined to make our heroine relive her unpopular past, setting her sights on Tim as well.

Oprah's Big Give
The first prime-time series from Harpo Productions centers on the competition, drama and emotion as millions of dollars are given away to make a difference in people's. Each week contestants will face a big twist that will test their nerve, drive, ingenuity and passion. Big-name stars will turn up throughout the series to join the Oprah's Big Give tour. During the eight episodes filmed in various U.S. cities, the field will be narrowed. The stakes will get higher and higher, with one person ultimately chosen as The Biggest Giver.

Wow! Tror man i den uppsättningen hittar minst 2-3 serier som det kommer skrivas mycket om här i bloggen efter sommaren. Hur spännande som helst! eller hur? ska bli jäkligt kul att se dem och recensera dem framöver.

Får för övrigt se om jag kan ge er flera uppdateringar om Upfront Week, nu när jag drar till bredbandslösa (i alla fall för min del) Göteborg över helgen - men annars kan ni räkna med en sammanfttning av vad de andra tre stora kanalerna har att erbjuda nästa vecka. Såklart.