Upfronts 2011: NBC and Fox

This week I’m going to be posting my reactions to the Upfront presentations. For more info on the Upfronts click here.
Today’s presentations were from NBC and Fox. My first reaction is that they’re both fairly unimpressive. NBC’s looks like they just tried to rip off every successful series (in fact, NBC Entertainment Chairman Bob Greenblatt said, somewhat tongue in cheek, “We knew we wanted to be derivative this year, so that’s why we picked up all these shows.”) As I noted yesterday, less than half of their schedule is scripted for the coming year. Fox too has a fairly derivative schedule, but there are a couple of unique ideas.
NBC:
The Playboy Club:
While most of NBC’s schedule this year is derivative, this is easily the worst offender. In a nutshell, this is Mad Men for network TV. The problem with that idea is that historically network audiences haven’t exhibited the patience required by that type of series. Additionally, because it’s on a network, despite its racy theme, it will need to be toned down so much that it will turn off those who tune in looking for titillation.
Up All Night:
A comedy about “balancing work and life”. Nothing new here.
Free Agents:
A comedy about coworkers who sleep together and then have to deal with the fallout. Still nothing new.
Whitney:
Another sitcom about “modern relationships”. Still boring.
Prime Suspect:
And Americanised version of the British original, this sounds like a fairly standard cop show. There is some talent behind the scenes in the form of NYPD Blue’s Alexandra Cunningham and Friday Night Lights’ Peter Berg, so there may be reason to give this one a shot.
Grimm:
This one is at least a little different. A cop series which takes place in a world where fairy tales are real. The concept sounds like it borrows heavily from the Fables series of comics. If it can live up to the potential of that series, it could be great, but it could also easily go off the rails.
Smash:
NBC’s take on Glee, this is a musical about the behind the scenes goings on at a Broadway musical. Like Tera Nova (see below), this one is produced by Steven Spielberg. It may be worth checking out for that reason, but I’m not holding out much hope.
In addition to these shows, they will also be launching The Firm, Awake, Are You There Vodka? It’s Me, Chelsea (this sounds terrible, just based on the source material), Best Friends Forever, and Bent. There’s little information available on any of these, so I’ll withhold judgement for now.
Update: Clips can be found here. Spoiler: they make the shows look even worse than they sound.
Fox:
The X Factor:
Yet another singing competition. This one will surely get the ratings to be considered a success, but it won’t reach anywhere near even the flagging ratings of Fox’s own American Idol. There’s nothing special here and it likely won’t be generating any buzz after its first couple weeks
I Hate My Teenage Daughter:
Two friends trying to raise teenagers who are just like the girls who tormented them when they were young. Without a clip, it’s difficult to judge the level of humour, but the description provided by the network sounds like another cookie cutter sitcom.
New Girl:
Speaking of cookie cutter comedies, Fox is also launching New Girl. This sounds like a redo of Three’s Company with the genders reversed. Again, until we get a clip it’ll be tough to judge if this has any comedy potential.
Allen Gregory:
A new animated series from Jonah Hill. I’m a fan of his comedy in general, so this one may be worth checking out.
Terra Nova:
A sci-fi dinosaur fantasy executive produced by Steven Spielberg sounds like it would be a sure thing. This one has had so many problems and different creative teams throughout its development that there is ample cause for caution. You should still check it out, but be warned.
The Finder:
A spinoff from Bones. Unfortunately for Fox, the backdoor pilot which aired a few weeks ago didn’t go over well with fans. Look for substantial reworking before fall if there’s to be hope for this one to make it.
Alcatraz:
It’s from J.J. Abrams, which is enough to warrant a look on its own. The question here is if audiences will be scared away by the idea of another prison show after being burned by Prison Break, or if the toned down for networks prison experience will turn off those accustomed to cable TV.
Napoleon Dynamite:
An animated series based on the film from 2004. Though the film was considered a cult hit in its day, it has been largely forgotten since. I’m not sure if a weekly continuation of the film would be enjoyable or if it would quickly become grating. I think this is far too late to be attempting this as a series. It won’t last long.
Touch:
Not on the schedule for next year, but waiting in the wings to replace the inevitable cancellations. Not that this one will last long once it gets on the air. It’s from Tim Kring, the creator and destroyer of Heroes, who doesn’t seem to have learned anything from that experience. The series is about a group of unrelated characters with tragic pasts and an autistic boy who can see “how everything connects”. Sound familiar? This one won’t be around long either.