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Mid-Season
2004/2005
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This
year, we have once again added a review of currently
announced Mid-Season
programs. However, predicting the success (or
failure) of these shows is even more difficult
than with the regular new shows considering the
time-slots are not yet known. Of course, it is
also possible that many of these show will never
even air (as was the case last year with Still
Life, Fearless and The Mayor).
In addition to these new Mid-Season programs,
CBS has also announced their intention of returning
Yes, Dear at some point in the coming year
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ABC
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CBS
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FOX
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NBC
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WB
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No New Mid-Season Shows Announced
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ABC
--- Hour Drama --- Mid-Season
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Premise
Tim Daly returns to the small screen as Harlan
Judd, the head of Judd Risk Management, a
21st century P.I. firm. Using a mixture of
advanced technology, a strong team of employees
and unorthodox methods, Judd goes to extremes
to help his clients.
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The
short-lived David E. Kelly series Snoops
was also about a high-tech investigation firm
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Familiar
Faces
Tim Daly (Wings)
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Our
Take
The key issue will be the timeslot. Many prior
crime dramas with similar tones have failed
as a result of poor timeslots.
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Expect
to Hear
"Remind
me what this suit is about again. I’m a little
fuzzy on the details, except that it is groundless
and we are going to win."
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Harlan Judd
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ABC
--- Half-Hour Sitcom --- Mid-Season
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Premise
This show features John Stamos as Jake Phillips,
a smooth-talking, well-to-do businessman
on a date with an artist named Kylie Clarke
(played by Mädchen Amick). Reportedly, the
series will track a single date over an
entire season in real-time (a la 24).
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24
meets Love & War (the ’90s CBS sitcom
about opposites dating)
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Familiar
Faces
John Stamos (Full House),
Mädchen Amick (Twin Peaks)
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Our
Take
John Stamos hopes to follow the same format
of 24 in spreading out a single day
(or date, in this instance) over an entire
season. The real challenge here is that
modern dating very rarely has the same levels
of suspense as a typical day on 24.
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Expect
to Hear
"My
blind date said we hooked up before, but
I don’t remember!"
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Jake Phillips
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FOX
--- Hour Drama --- Mid-Season
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Premise
The small community of Point Pleasant finds
itself changed when Christina Nickson, a
mysterious 17-year-old girl washes ashore.
Unknown to the community, the battle of
good versus evil is going on within this
girl’s soul.
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The
Omen meets Dawson’s Creek
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Familiar
Faces
<<None>>
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Our
Take
As a full pilot is not available (but only
a preview) and the timeslot is completely
unknown, it is almost impossible to predict
the future of this show.
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Expect
to Hear
<<Not
Available for Preview>>
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Law
& Order: Trial by Jury
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NBC
--- Hour Drama --- Mid-Season
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Premise
Law & Order begets another sequel
in this latest offering from Dick Wolfe’s
franchise. This series will reportedly focus
on cases beginning with the arraignment
and taking viewers through all the twists
and turns of a trial.
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Law
& Order meets The Jury
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Familiar
Faces
Jerry Orbach (Law & Order),
Candice Bergen (Murphy Brown)
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Our
Take
On the plus side is the Law & Order franchise
which has produced nothing but hits. The
show will also benefit from an established
Law & Order cast member. Of course,
the jury is still out regarding timeslot
and how the finished product looks.
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Expect
to Hear
<<Not
Available for Preview>>
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NBC
--- Hour Drama --- Mid-Season
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Premise
Patricia Arquette plays Allison DuBois,
a woman with the ability to see dead
people. She tries to live her life while
dealing with this strange ability. Along
the way, she uses her powers to help
the police and others solve crimes.
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A
grownup The Sixth Sense / A single
person version of the short-lived WB
series Dead Last
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Familiar
Faces
Patricia Arquette (Little Nicky)
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Our
Take
This high-concept show will depend greatly
on the final execution (a full pilot
is not currently available) and the
timeslot.
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Expect
to Hear
<<Not
Available for Preview>>
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NBC
--- Half-Hour Sitcom --- Mid-Season
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Premise
The Men’s Room features three
male neighbors who bond over the
problems the modern male faces.
The home for their bonding is The
Men’s Room, a special place that
neighbor Bob has established for
them to share these problems.
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The
short-run 1998 ABC series The
Secret Lives of Men also looked
at the personal lives of a group
of men
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Familiar
Faces
Scott Cohen (The 10th Kingdom,
The Practice),
John Cho (American Pie)
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Our
Take
The concept seems somewhat similar
to the failed sitcom The Secret
Lives of Men. The real challenge,
however, is where NBC will put it.
If it ends up on Thursday night,
it will have big shoes to fill.
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Expect
to Hear
Michael:
“Don’t you have a job or something?”
Bob: “It’s a full-time job just
keeping it real.”
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NBC
--- Half-Hour Sitcom --- Mid-Season
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Premise
This comedy follows the daily interactions
of a group of unusual office employees
as they present themselves in front
of a fictional documentary film
crew.
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Based
on the BBC series of the same name
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Familiar
Faces
Steve Carell (The Daily Show)
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Our
Take
While in the old days, English imports
worked quite well (All in the
Family, Three’s Company, Sanford
& Son), all of the shows were
not simple copies. The Office
is very similar to recent flop Coupling
in that the pilot is lifted almost
verbatim from the English version.
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Expect
to Hear
Michael
Scott: “Any messages?”
Pam Beesley: “No. Just a
fax.“
Michael Scott: “Oh. This
is from Corporate. How many times
have I told you there’s a special
filing cabinet for things from Corporate…the
waste basket.”
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WB
--- Half-Hour Sitcom --- Mid-Season
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Premise
Fran Drescher returns to Television
as a woman dating a man the same
age as her son. Matters are complicated
when her son moves back into her
home.
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A
sitcom possibly inspired by the
real-life Demi Moore-Ashton Kutcher
relationship
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Familiar
Faces
Fran Drescher (The Nanny)
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Our
Take
Fran Drescher only works in certain
roles. There is also the fact that
while she has fans, there are also
many people who find her annoying.
Additionally, many people seem perplexed
by the Moore-Kushton relationship,
and the plot of this sitcom may
make some people uncomfortable.
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Expect
to Hear
"My
mom’s just going through a mid-life
crisis. If she was a guy, you’d
be a Porsche."
-
Josh
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