Sunday 20 May 2012

US NETWORK DRAMAS 2012-2013: ABC

The Alphabet network has six new dramas for the 2012-2013 season.

- 666 PARK AVENUE: Based on a book by Gabriella Pierce. A young couple is hired to manage a historic appartment building whose owners fulfil all the desires, needs and ambitions of their tenants. Apparently neither the guy nor his girlfriend read Rosemary's Baby and The Devil's Advocate or rented the DVDs.

The great Terry O'Quinn (Lost) is Gavin Doran, the owner, and Vanessa Williams (Desperate Housewives, Ugly Betty) plays his wife. At some point the couple has enough and moves to Stepford.

- LAST RESORT: Created by Shawn Ryan (The Shield). The crew of a U.S. ballistic missile sub refuses to use its nuclear weapons on Pakistan without confirmation and is fired upon in return and hit. Now renegades, they set up camp on the exotic island of Sainte Marina and declare themselves an independent nuclear nation as they try to clear their names. Apparently those men and women didn't rent Crimson Tide or The Rock on DVD. More seriously, sounds like a concept for a lavish miniseries or a movie of the week. The pilot looks epic, after all it's directed by Martin Campbell (Casino Royale).

The excellent Andre Braugher stars as Captain Marcus Chaplin. Robert Patrick guest stars. Amongst the cast there is Dichen Lachman. Hope her neck feels better since Torchwood: Miracle Day.

- MISTRESSES: Starring Alyssa Milano. From the network who brought to you Desperate Housewives comes this "salacious new drama about a group of friends caught in storms of excitement and self-discovery, secrecy and betrayal, and bound by the complex relationships they’ve created".

Adapted from the BBC television series, which says it all. Next, please...

- NASHVILLE: Rivalry between a country music female legend and "the young and sexy future" of the genre. Starring Connie Britton, Hayden Pannetiere (Heroes) and the legendary Powers Boothe. Would certainly be more interesting with a murder and Columbo on the case.

- RED WIDOW: This one is based on Penoza, a Dutch series from Endemol. Because you can't get enough network adaptations of foreign concepts and because it worked so well for Life on Mars or Outrageous Fortune. A woman whose husband is brutally murdered because of an illegal drug business deal faces gangsters and the FBI to learn the truth and protect her children. The presence of Radha Mitchell, Lee Tergesen and Rade Sherbedzija in the cast deserves our attention.

- ZERO HOUR: The wife of a man who publishes a paranormal enthusiast magazine has an antique clock shop. She's abducted and her husband finds a treasure map in one of the shop's clocks. With his two young associates and "a sexy FBI agent" the hero races "against the clock to find his wife and save humanity". Starring Anthony Edwards (ER) as Tom Hanks in The DaVinci Code. The pilot is directed by Pierre Morel (Taken).

Details and trailers:

http://www.deadline.com/2012/05/2012-12-abc-schedule-comedy-block-on-friday-revenge-gets-housewives-slot/
http://insidetv.ew.com/2012/05/15/abc-fall-trailers-nashville-mistresses-more/
http://danowen.blogspot.fr/2012/05/trailers-666-park-ave-last-resort-abc.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3d8Kmus_T6o (Zero Hour)

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