CBS, which is having a strong year thanks to the return of Tom Selleck’s mighty mustache in Blue Bloods, recently picked up two new drama pilots. Will either of them break new ground in TV storytelling? Probably not.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the new pilots fall into two of the most conventional TV dramas out there: the medical drama and the crime drama. Boring, right? Before you get to snoozing though, you should know that there are a few wrinkles to the otherwise conventional-sounding shows.
The first show, The Doctor, isn’t just a medical drama, it’s also a family drama. Produced and written by Rina Mimoun (who developed the CW teen drama Privileged), The Doctor “centers on a mother who reconnects with her adult children when she joins the family medical practice.” Admittedly, it’s not the most thrilling logline, but the premise is sound. As with all things TV, the show’s success will lie in its execution.
The second pilot CBS scooped up, comes from writer and executive producer Jeff Wadlow. Titled Hail Mary, the show is “a buddy private investigator drama centered on a suburban single mom living in Atlanta who teams up with a hustler to solve crimes.” Producer Joel Silver will also serve as an executive producer on the project.
Something about Hail Mary‘s logline intrigues me. Maybe it’s because I’ve been watching a lot of Weeds lately, but there are a lot of interesting places you can go when you mix the tranquility of the suburbs with the gritty reality of the streets. Plus, the logline forces to ask, “Why does the suburban mom team up with a hustler to solve crimes? Is she bored? Is she seeking revenge? How much of a hustler is this hustler? Is he dangerous?” The show may ultimately turn out to be terrible, but there’s something to be said for a pitch that has you asking questions.
We’ll share the air dates for these pilots when they are announced. Check back then.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
