The TV Journal

Dear Diary,

I’m keeping an eye out for these shows, which will hopefully be coming to a TV near me very soon.

‘Boldly Going Nowhere’

‘Nowhere’ is from the creators of FX’s ‘It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia,’ a show I’ve recently fallen in love with. Apparently the series, a workplace comedy set on a spaceship, has been kicking around Fox for a while and writers Rob McElhenney, Glenn Howerton, and Charlie are working on a new pilot script with help from Seinfeld writer/producer Larry Charles.

Why eye? Comedy and science fiction go together like chocolate and peanut butter. In other words, much better than you’d think they would. ‘Sunny’ is a gem and its creators have a unique brand of humor that expertly navigates the fine line between off-color and off-putting. What’ll be really interesting is seeing how these guys adapt their humor to make it safe for broadcast television.

Untitled Amy Sherman-Palladino Project

The new drama is about three sister, who are all writers and neighbors, and their presumably dysfunctional relationship with their mother. Amy S-P created the study in neurotic co-dependence that was ‘Gilmore Girls.’ Don’t get me wrong, I loved ‘Gilmore Girls’ and watched every episode, right up to and through the post-Amy era. The woman has some serious writing chops but more than that, she creates truly indelible characters.

Why eye? Because this series is being developed at HBO. Amy S-P’s quirky wit and unabashed estrogenicity have been sorely missed and now she’s bringing both to the grown-up table. The only thing I’d love to see more than this show is this show with Lauren Graham.

‘Tower Prep’ and ‘Live Action’

The former is about a teenaged boy at a sinister prep school. The latter is about mysteries at a natural history museum. These both sound like the kind of shows you might see on ABC Family, only for boys. Production starts on both series in January, according to Variety.

Why eye? Both of these live action series are set to air on the Cartoon Network, which has been dabbling in live action television for the past couple of years. Basic cable nets continue an aggressive programming agenda that has increasingly encroached on broadcast’s turf. But this may yet be the grandest experiment in growing beyond one’s cable niche. I can’t wait to see how it goes.

Still a fan,
C.C.

Posted in Uncategorized always sunny, always sunny in philadelphia, amy sherman-palladino, boldly going nowhere, cartoon network, fox, hbo, tower prep, unnatural history

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