SF TV for fall 2012

psiphiorg
psiphiorg Posts: 24 Member
Most of the broadcast networks have announced their fall line-ups. There are a few interesting SF-looking shows (or shows likely to be of interest to SF fans). Short versions up top, full press release descriptions down below.

"The Neighbors" - sitcom, ABC. Short version: "Third Rock from the Sun", except there's one Human family and everybody else is an alien.

"Elementary" - drama, CBS. Short version: Sherlock Holmes in New York, except Watson's female.

"666 Park Avenue" - drama, ABC. Short version: Haunted apartment building with an evil owner.

"Do No Harm" - drama, NBC. Short version: Jekyll and Hyde, except... well, actually, that's it.

THE NEIGHBORS
How well do you know your neighbors? Meet the Weavers, Debbie and Marty. Marty, in hopes of providing a better life for his wife and three kids, recently bought a home in Hidden Hills, a gated New Jersey townhome community with its own golf course. Hidden Hills is so exclusive that a house hasn't come on the market in 10 years. But one finally did and the Weavers got it! It's clear from day one that the residents of Hidden Hills are a little different. For starters, their new neighbors all have pro-athlete names like Reggie Jackson, Jackie Joyner-Kersee, **** Butkis, and Larry Bird. Over dinner, Marty and his family discover that their neighbors receive nourishment through their eyes by reading books, rather than eating. The Weavers soon learn that the entire community is comprised of aliens from Zabvron, where the men bear children and everyone cries green goo from their ears. The Zabvronians have been stationed on Earth for the past 10 years, disguised as humans, awaiting instructions from home, and the Weavers are the first humans they've had the opportunity to know. As it turns out, the pressures of marriage and parenthood are not exclusive to planet Earth. Two worlds will collide with hilarious consequences as everyone discovers they can "totally relate" and learn a lot from each other.

ELEMENTARY
"Elementary" stars Jonny Lee Miller (Hackers, Eli Stone) as detective Sherlock Holmes and Lucy Liu as Dr. Joan Watson in a modern-day drama about a crime-solving duo that cracks the NYPD's most impossible cases. Following his fall from grace in London and a stint in rehab, eccentric Sherlock escapes to Manhattan where his wealthy father forces him to live with his worst nightmare - a sober companion, Dr. Watson. A successful surgeon until she lost a patient and her license three years ago, Watson views her current job as another opportunity to help people, as well as paying a penance. However, the restless Sherlock is nothing like her previous clients. He informs her that none of her expertise as an addiction specialist applies to him and he's devised his own post-rehab regimen - resuming his work as a police consultant in New York City. Watson has no choice but to accompany her irascible new charge on his jobs. But Sherlock finds her medical background helpful, and Watson realizes she has a knack for playing investigator. Sherlock's police contact, Capt. Tobias "Toby" Gregson (Aidan Quinn), knows from previous experience working with Scotland Yard that Sherlock is brilliant at closing cases, and welcomes him as part of the team. With the mischievous Sherlock Holmes now running free in New York solving crimes, it's simple deduction that he's going to need someone to keep him grounded, and it's elementary that it's a job for Watson.

666 PARK AVENUE
At the ominous address of 666 Park Avenue, anything you desire can be yours. Everyone has needs, desires and ambition. For the residents of The Drake, these will all be met, courtesy of the building's mysterious owner, Gavin Doran (Terry O'Quinn, Lost). But every Faustian contract comes with a price. When Jane Van Veen (Rachael Taylor) and Henry Martin (Dave Annable), an idealistic young couple from the Midwest, are offered the opportunity to manage the historic building, they not only fall prey to the machinations of Doran and his mysterious wife, Olivia (Vanessa Williams), but unwittingly begin to experience the shadowy, supernatural forces within the building that imprison and endanger the lives of the residents inside. Sexy, seductive and inviting, The Drake maintains a dark hold over all of its residents, tempting them through their ambitions and desires, in this chilling new drama that's home to an epic struggle of good versus evil.

DO NO HARM
Dr. Jason Cole (Steven Pasquale, "Rescue Me") is a highly respected neurosurgeon who has it all - a lucrative career, confident charm, the gift of compassion. But he also has a deep, dark secret. One morning when he wakes up disoriented in a wrecked hotel room amidst several near-naked women he's never seen before, he knows one thing: it's happening again. Every night at the same hour, something inside Jason changes, leaving him almost unrecognizable - seductive, devious, borderline sociopathic. This new man is his dangerous alternate personality who goes by the name of 'Ian Price.' For years he's battled Ian, keeping him in check with a powerful experimental sedative. But now his - their - body has developed a resistance to the serum, setting Ian free once again. And to make matters worse, after being suppressed for so long, Ian's hell-bent on taking revenge on his oppressor. With everyone Jason cares about at risk - patients, friends, coworkers and even the woman he loves - he's got to stop Ian once and for all. Will they find some common ground, or will they bring each other down? Hell hath no fury like an alter ego scorned. Also starring are Alana De La Garza ("Law & Order"), Mousa Kraish ("Superbad"), Michael Esper ("A Beautiful Mind"), Ruta Gedmintas ("The Borgias") and Phylicia Rashad ("The Cosby Show").

Replies

  • maxmariesfo
    maxmariesfo Posts: 173 Member
    Hmph. Here we go again. Trying to to ride British coattails. Moffatt's Jekyll as well as his Sherlock were/are fantastic. While I wasn't happy about the way they tied up Jekyll when the found out they weren't getting another season, the show was fabulous. I'm on pins and needles waiting for the next installment of Sherlock on Sunday.
  • jaric01
    jaric01 Posts: 132 Member
    ugh, can't stand Lucy Liu.

    I was really pissed that Terra Nova and Alcatraz got canceled, and yet Fringe gets another season. I just don't get Fox...
  • mixedfeelings
    mixedfeelings Posts: 904 Member
    Well I kind of like the sound of 666 PARK AVENUE but it could be pants, I won't get too excited.
  • mixedfeelings
    mixedfeelings Posts: 904 Member
    ugh, can't stand Lucy Liu.

    I was really pissed that Terra Nova and Alcatraz got canceled, and yet Fringe gets another season. I just don't get Fox...

    With American shows I always find the ones that get cancelled are usually much better than the ones that run for years.
  • maxmariesfo
    maxmariesfo Posts: 173 Member
  • jaric01
    jaric01 Posts: 132 Member
    ugh, can't stand Lucy Liu.

    I was really pissed that Terra Nova and Alcatraz got canceled, and yet Fringe gets another season. I just don't get Fox...

    With American shows I always find the ones that get cancelled are usually much better than the ones that run for years.

    Good shows always die at Fox. If I were a show creator, I'd almost rather be on cable than on Fox. I'm still p!ssed about Firefly :-(
  • Llyrian
    Llyrian Posts: 100 Member
    I still have a place in my heart for Fringe, even if it's downhill. However, they're getting canned after the next shortened season so at least they're given a chance to wrap up.

    I wanted to like Terra Nova, but it was far too family-oriented for my liking.

    I don't see these Sherlock and Jekyll type shows doing well past the first season unless they have something seriously new to offer. Yes, Moffat's BBC versions were incredibly solid and now US producers know there's a void to be filled. Too bad I don't expect US producers to give the necessary budget or creative freedom to someone to make a solid new show. Whenever I think of a stylistic editing fapfest, I think of Sherlock...