A few weeks ago I blogged about the new shows I planned to watch this fall, based mostly on whether the programs were in any way connected to Lost.
The pilot episode for Person of Interest -- which is executive produced by JJ Abrams, so check mark there -- kept me guessing, and all the credit goes to screenwriter/creator Jonathan Nolan (best known for Dark Knight and Memento).
Twist #1: The thuggish weapons dealers from the teaser show up a second time as an integral part of the plot. Did not expect to see them again.
Twist #2: The group controlling the criminals, the group they're terrified of... aren't other gang members but corrupt cops.
Twist #3: The woman our heroes are trying to protect is actually the perpetrator; her colleague's the one in danger.
I didn't see any of the twists coming, and for that reason alone I was very impressed with the pilot script. However, it's one of those shows that requires willful suspension of disbelief.
The show centers on an eccentric billionaire (Michael Emerson) who teams up with a former CIA operative (Jim Caviezel) to prevent crimes before they happen. (How do they know what's going to happen? They receive flagged social security numbers from covert surveillance software created for the government after 9/11. Yeah.)
If you're willing to accept certain elements of the premise without thinking about them too much, it's definitely worth tuning in.
Now back into the editing cave I go!
Showing posts with label pilot season. Show all posts
Showing posts with label pilot season. Show all posts
Thursday, September 29, 2011
Friday, January 29, 2010
It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year
Wait, wasn't that last month? Actually, it's the best and worst time for me at work. I read TV and film scripts for a living, and create character descriptions for the roles being cast so that agents, managers and actors know what to expect during auditions.
January through April is pilot season, the busiest time of the year. This is when all the networks buy pilots for new series, with an eye toward debuting them in the fall or next January. Actors from New York fly out to L.A. to maximize their chances and there's a general sense of excitement and momentum going into the "upfronts," the big demonstrations from networks to advertisers in which they trot out their new programming slates.
The Good:
I love getting the inside scoop on the most buzzed-about new shows.
The Bad:
I can't tell anyone about them!
The Good:
We're insanely busy.
The Bad:
We're insanely busy. It's not like everything else stops for pilot season, it's just added to it, so we're still reading regular episodes of established shows, as well as film scripts.
The Good:
I can play "Who Should They Cast?" in my head and see if I'm right.
The Bad:
Sometimes the pilot scripts that I love the most don't make it to air, and if it ends on a cliffhanger, I NEVER GET TO FIND OUT WHAT HAPPENS. I still remember a pilot I read in 2006 that didn't get a series pick-up, and I STILL think it would've been a great show, and I STILL wonder where they were gonna go with it.
January through April is pilot season, the busiest time of the year. This is when all the networks buy pilots for new series, with an eye toward debuting them in the fall or next January. Actors from New York fly out to L.A. to maximize their chances and there's a general sense of excitement and momentum going into the "upfronts," the big demonstrations from networks to advertisers in which they trot out their new programming slates.
The Good:
I love getting the inside scoop on the most buzzed-about new shows.
The Bad:
I can't tell anyone about them!
The Good:
We're insanely busy.
The Bad:
We're insanely busy. It's not like everything else stops for pilot season, it's just added to it, so we're still reading regular episodes of established shows, as well as film scripts.
The Good:
I can play "Who Should They Cast?" in my head and see if I'm right.
The Bad:
Sometimes the pilot scripts that I love the most don't make it to air, and if it ends on a cliffhanger, I NEVER GET TO FIND OUT WHAT HAPPENS. I still remember a pilot I read in 2006 that didn't get a series pick-up, and I STILL think it would've been a great show, and I STILL wonder where they were gonna go with it.
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