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Mid-Season
2007/2008
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We
are once again including a review of currently
announced Mid-Season programs. As in the past,
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
Mid-Season shows will never even air. Accordingly,
this year we are only focusing on shows where
pilots (or at least trailers) currently exist
In addition to the new Mid-Season programs listed
here, the following returning series may also
be back: According to Jim on ABC, Jericho
and New Adventures of Old Christine on
CBS and a plethora of reality shows (Pussycat
Dolls, Nanny 911, Trading Spouses, etc.)
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ABC
--- Half-Hour Sitcom --- Mid-Season
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Premise
Becky Freeley (Judy Greer) returns to her
High School as the guidance counselor, Unfortunately,
although she had hoped to leave her former
geeky high school experience behind, she soon
finds herself reliving the past when the most
popular girl from her class also joins the
faculty
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Familiar
Faces
Judy Greer (Arrested Development),
Brooke Burns (Pepper Dennis/North Shore),
Kristoffer Polaha (North Shore)
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Our
Take
A great deal of the show’s future will depend
on its eventual timeslot as well as what becomes
of the creative direction with the change
in producers
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Did
You Know?
MissGuided, which comes from Ashton
Kutcher’s production company, has had it share
of behind-the-scenes turmoil with a number
of changes in the production staff
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ABC
--- Hour Drama --- Mid-Season
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Premise
Attorney Eli Stone finds his life taking
a new direction when he begins to hear and
see pop stars performing different songs.
When he realizes that the songs have a direct
impact on one of his cases, he begins to
wonder if he is receiving directions from
a higher power
Note: Post-pilot, the producers have
added Julie Gonzalo (Veronica Mars)
as an associate at Eli’s firm
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Familiar
Faces
Johnny Lee Miller (Smith),
Natasha Henstridge (The Whole Nine Yards),
Victor Garber (Alias)
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Our
Take
Eli Stone has somewhat of a high
concept which normally either means a quick
death or cult status (Heroes/Lost).
Adding to the shows quirkiness is that producers
plan on having a different pop star appear
in Eli’s visions each week
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Did
You Know?
Star Johnny Lee Miller is British, but playing
an American – a common occurrence this year.
Other English actors faking American accents
this year include Michelle Ryan in The
Bionic Woman and Kevin McKidd in Journeyman
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CBS
--- Hour Drama --- Mid-Season
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Premise
Swingtown takes a look back at the 1970s
when couples were experimenting with open
marriage
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Familiar
Faces
Grant Show (Melrose Place),
Jack Davenport (Coupling – UK version),
Josh Hopkins (Pepper Dennis),
Lana Parrilla (Windfall/24)
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Our
Take
With only a trailer to view and no known
timeslot, it’s a little early to predict
what may happen with this program
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Did
You Know?
Swingtown is an example of how CBS
is trying to move beyond their traditional
image in taking greater programming risks
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FOX
--- Half-Hour Sitcom --- Mid-Season
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Premise
This series follows a group of friends as
they deal with the challenges of dating
in their 30s
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Familiar
Faces
Craig Bierko (Boston Legal),
Rashida Jones (Boston Public/The Office)
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Our
Take
This show is much more like the classic
FOX outrageous sitcom. Of course, it all
depends on the timeslot
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Did
You Know?
This series comes from Bobby and Peter Farrelly
(There’s Something About Mary/Dumb and
Dumber)
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NBC
--- Half-Hour Sitcom--- Mid-Season
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Premise
Based on a British sitcom of the same
name, The IT Crowd follows the
adventures of two geeky IT specialists
who find their lives changed when they
are assigned to report to a supervisor
with no real knowledge of computers
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Familiar
Faces
None
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Our
Take
Based on the pilots alone, The IT
Crowd appears to be a more amusing
sitcom than CBS’s geek comedy The
Big Bang Theory. However, it will
all depend on the timeslot
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Did
You Know?
A DVD set of the British series is scheduled
to be released in the United States
prior to the launch of this program
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