Upfronts 2011: ABC

This week I’m going to be posting my reactions to the Upfront presentations. For more info on the Upfronts click here.

Today’s presentation was from ABC. ABC is launching quite a few new shows and although they don’t appear to be direct rip-offs, like many of NBC’s, there’s not a lot of originality here either.

ABC

Charlie’s Angels:

A remake of the “classic” series, this one seems destined for disaster. Apart from it’s name, there really isn’t anything convince people to bother checking this out. The first promotional image looks more like a still from a tampon commercial than what is ostensibly an “action” series. Being terrible didn’t stop Hawaii 5-0 from pulling in ratings, but I don’t think that’ll happen here.

Good Christian Belles:

The title has already been watered down from the original Good Christian Bitches, and everything else about this series looks like it will follow in the same vein – a safe, predictable, evening soap.

Missing:

This series sounds like it may be worth a look. Rather than another procedural, this appears to be an ongoing mystery. The big question here is how the show will progress from week to week. It’s difficult to sustain a single mystery over the course of an entire season. The network will be wary of building in too much ongoing story as it makes it difficult for viewers to drop in casually, but there doesn’t seem to be anything for the characters to do from week to week outside the main mystery.

Once Upon A Time:

Like NBC’s Grimm, this is another “fairy tales are real” series. It again appears to borrow liberally from Bill Willingham’s Fables comics. Given the choice between the two series I would tend to lean towards this one as it seems to rely less on action and more on plot but, as with Grimm, it will be extremely easy for this show to go off the rails.

Pan Am:

This looks to be ABC’s attempt to do Mad Men on a network. It sounds like it will be a little soapier than NBC’s The Playboy Club, but I don’t think that will do anything to help this one survive.

Revenge:

The description here is a little vague, so it’s difficult to evaluate this drama, but there doesn’t seem to be any real hook.

The River:

A scientist goes missing in the Amazon and a group sets out to find him. There are hints that there may be some paranormal involvement and it sounds like they may be courting the Lost audience. Probably worth keeping an eye on, but plenty of other shows have tried to follow Lost’s success and failed miserably.

Scandal:

Grey’s Anatomy in the White House. That’s pretty much all the description you need to make your own decision about it.

Apartment 23:

Another victim of a watered down title, this one was originally called Don’t Trust The Bitch In Apartment 23. The title was about the only thing original about this show. It’s a familiar formula, but this may be funny. Until we get some clips, it’s difficult to tell.

Last Man Standing:

Tim Allen returns to ABC, which means this is almost sure to get ratings. It doesn’t sound like a great premise, as it’s yet another show about how tough it is to be a manly man.

Man Up:

Just like Last Man Standing, this is a comedy about how tough it is to be a manly man in the modern world. Giving it a different title isn’t going to make this one any funnier.

Suburgatory:

Another familiar concept, this time about the horror of living in the suburbs, but it’s one I have a weakness for, so I’ll probably give this one a chance once some clips arrive.

Work It:

This one sounds pretty terrible. It’s about a couple of manly men (again!) who dress as women to get jobs in pharmaceutical sales. I think this is my prediction for first cancellation of the season.

Tomorrow will be CBS.

Sleep well,

DTE