One year ago, at the beginning of March 2011, the TV landscape—as far as the renewal prospects of scripted TV shows is concerned—was strikingly different. Although the number of cancelled TV shows was, oddly enough, identical to what we have today, there were already many more renewals. This season, it would seem, the major broadcast networks are not in a hurry to announce their decisions.
Chances are you’ve seen The Office, or have sat watching American Idol, wondering why people even show up for auditions. Or, maybe you just happen to be an avid Top Gear fan. In any way, these, and many other shows wouldn’t have made it to your screen without their original British versions. The stream of British import knows its flops (most recently, we deserve a medal for getting through the Free Agents pilot) and sometimes the British version does quite well on its own (Downton Abbey broke records last month on PBS). But with Being Human going strong on SyFy and Shameless earning a renewal from Showtime, it’s unlikely Hollywood will quit adapting British shows for the stateside audience. So here’s a feature dedicated to the shows that have yet to be touched by American hands, but have such appealing premises that it’s very likely. After all, banking on a concept that has proven its popularity is far more credible than an entirely new format.
After a couple of exploration episodes in which we got the most out of the current storylines, it was time for Shameless to get things going again. The writers kicked things into high gear this week by tying up a lot of loose ends to make room for some fresh input. ‘Parenthood’ was filled with story combined in a subtle, yet intriguing package.
This was Lip’s episode in a lot of ways. Karen was trying to figure out what to do with the baby and decided that she may as well get paid for sticking it out for nine months. Hopping from a Christian adoption center to an attorney, she discovered plenty of options for giving up her cargo, some of which don’t even require quitting weed. And since Veronica and Kevin are trying to have a baby, there may even be an option close to home.
Spring is almost here and many shows will be premiering or returning from a hiatus. Below are the shows that will grace our small screens with their presence in March – including returning shows and new additions.
The pilot season is moving ahead in full swing with casting underway for projects lucky enough to have received a pilot order. We have selected the week’s casting news that might be of interest to you. Fox’s untitled Karyn Usher spy drama has found its lead. Newcomer Saxon Sharbino will play Jane Forsythe, the orphaned 14-year-old daughter of a CIA operative who encounters a mysterious rogue agent/assassin who serves as her surrogate father and professional mentor in the spy world. If the logline is any indication, the lead could make or break the pilot.
This week, CTO Lynne Zappone trades in her business suit for a company uniform as she works with employees of Popeye’s Louisiana Kitchen. She meets some unique people, but was the outcome really fair?
Much like 2009, 2010, and 2011 we should just forget that ‘Leap Day’ exists and pretend that 30 Rock is on a pretty solid comedy streak. This week’s outing was funny, poignant, and had A+ story lines that easily could have filled an entire episode by themselves. The most impressive one of them all was also the least funniest. Once in a while comedies stray from their paths and give characters some depth and diversity. For Jack Donaughy this was that week. I’m not sure if it’s the idea that we’re just pretending Avery is not somewhere in Korea fighting off crying Asians or the fact that we ignore that Jack is a terrible absentee father, but for all intents and purposes, Jack hasn’t had much stuff to deal with. Which is why I was all too surprised to find that he had more character development in one scene than most of the characters on a Chuck Lorre show have in a year.
