CBS UPFRONTS REACTIONS

R.I.P Dear Mr. Sawyer

Who doesn't love a cowboy with a computer in his
brain? Well, I guess CBS doesn't

CBS is probably my least favourite network. Sure, they are the most consistent network and make a lot of money but they represent everything I don’t like about television: Cookie-cutter procedurals. CBS has 100 shows that are EXACTLY the same and whenever they premiere a show that doesn’t have CSI/NCIS in the title, cancellation is almost guaranteed. CBS comedies are good [a little too mainstream for my taste], but dramas… I am not saying they are bad, but they all follow that old-fashioned cop show formula and I think TV has evolved beyond that [creatively speaking]. The only CBS show I truly like is Person of Interest and that is because it goes beyond the traditional procedural [and I love Jim Caviezel].

Last year I said I was excited for Hostages and Intelligence, precisely because they were different! I also predicted they would get cancelled… and they were. I never watched Hostages, but it looked like something I could have enjoyed. As for Intelligence… it wasn’t ground-breaking television, but at least it wasn’t the same old procedural, and Josh Holloway is damn easy on the eyes. So… yeah, I am sad to see it go.

2014-15 Season: You say New Orleans, I say Naval Criminal Investigative Service VAMPIRES!

I’ll try not to get too attached to the new CBS shows that look interesting because they will probably get cancelled. I am actually not that excited about any, but I will check out a few.The McCarthys looks reasonably funny [am I the only one disappointed it wasn't about communists & witchhunts?], Extant looks intriguing [will probably appeal to the Under the Dome audience] and I’ll watch Stalker for Maggie Q.

Madam Secretary, about a former CIA analyst who is called in to take over as Secretary of State, could also be good… but I have no idea what the tone is supposed to be… Is this going to be quick-pace-smart-people-talking-and-walking à la West Wing/The Newsroom? Sexy fun like Scandal? Or more serious like Homeland?  It will probably have a safer [more boring] tone than all of the above… I am just glad to see Zelko Ivanek is a regular on a show and I totally called it last year after he guest starred on EVERYTHING (Revolution, Banshee, The Americans, Suits, etc) [however, I was hoping to see Zelko on a cable show].

I had issues with picking a favourite for next year… Madam Secretary was in the running, but I finally went with:

My CBS pick of 2014-15: SCORPION

The premise comes down to: A bunch of geeks save the world. Sort of TBBT meets Leverage meets Touch. Premise is OK, trailer looks adrenaline filled and they had great one-liners. It’s possible they used all the good bits in the trailer and the show isn’t that good… but it looks more promising than the rest. I do have one big issue with this show: casting. I don’t like anybody besides Ari Stidham. Leading guy… totally missing the geeky charm he should have and Kat McPhee… never liked her much, she was growing on me during the first season of Smash only to go back to annoy me in the second season. Great great singer, not terrible actress and probably a lovely girl, but for some reason there is something about her that doesn’t click with me. [Note: I just found out that Nick Santora (Prison Break) and Kurtzman & Orci (Alias, Sleepy Hollow, Fringe) are involved in this show, so now I am TRULY looking forward to it]

Seriously, what's New Orleans w/o vampires?

What else is “new”? Oh, there will be a new CSI and a new NCIS… the SHOCK… I think the people at CBS think that going into cyberspace with CSI: Cyber will take them to the 21^st century or something. I admit, this CSI sounds a little more interesting than say CSI: Chicago… but… still. And NCIS is going to the land of Jazz and Mardis Gras, yeah next season will bring us NCIS: New Orleans. Not even Scott Bakula can make me watch this. I already tried with NCIS:LA [because I love Chris O’Donnell and LL Cool J], but couldn’t. I guess I should be thankful at least NCIS: New Orleans doesn’t have vampires… or maybe they SHOULD have vampires, at least that would make them different. [The more I think about it the more I like this idea! I am totally picturing a power struggle between Scott Bakula and Joseph Morgan now].

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