TVSquad

I didn't really know what to expect from these pilots. Well, I kinda did, but I thought they'd be...I don't know, a little better than this? There are four drama pilots (you can watch them here at MSN), and they range from very well done to amateurish.

Bloodhounds

Premise: It's about a small-time TV channel looking for a hit, and one of the workers (Bernie, so broke he's stealing money from his mother in the first scene) seems to have found one in a reality show that's (in his words) "a cross between America's Most Wanted and Survivor." A woman, Elizabeth Benton, has been missing for a while, and there are no leads, so why not have a reality show competition to see who can find her first? He convinces his boss Sam to put the show on the air, and soon it becomes a hit.

Review: This is a bizarre premise, but I have no doubt we'll see a show like this on television in the future. I mean, why not? We already have people eating bugs for money and lying and cheating and more than one show where people try to hook up with each other. And that's the best thing about this pilot, the idea, because everything else about it is so-so. The lead character comes across as creepy, not someone you can root for, and the whole 22 minutes has the feeling of an episode of The Outer Limits. It all builds up in a way that you expect some bizarre comeuppance for the lead character or some supernatural twist. But this is supposed to be a weekly show, and it just doesn't feel like one, even if they do throw in the disappearance of another character at the end. Acting ranges from bad to passable.

Quote: "Sam, they went to a psychic and got nothing. Where do you go from there?" - Bernie, to Sam, who wondered if the missing woman's husband would agree to do the reality show.

The Hub

Premise: Gang (I think) member is accused of killing two people (I think), but gets off on a technicality.

Review: I really wanted to love this one, because it's set in Boston (we need more shows filmed in Boston), but it's...eh. The first 10 minutes (and this is only a 20 minute pilot), I had NO idea what the hell was going on. I couldn't follow it. It's only near the end that you realize that the beginning (two men chasing and capturing a third man) was a flashback. It has to do with a gang member's trial (I think he was accused of killing two people?) being declared a mistrial, and the lead detective who feels guilty about it. Naheem is quite good as the leader of the gang, but I'm not sure at all where this one would go.

Rx

Premise: The exciting world of...pharmceutical reps! It's a soap opera, really.

Review: This actually has the potential to be a good show. It seems to be going for a Nip/Tuck or Six Feet Under sort of vibe. as I said, It's a soap opera, but one set in a world we don't see that much on television or movies, and that's always fun. I could see this on FX or Showtime. The acting is pretty good, especially Kelley Hazan as the head of the company and Amy Hunter as a top rep demoted from her Beverly Hills to Inglewood, and something happens to two characters at the end that had me wanting to see episode two.

Viagra Falls

Premise: The sex lives of horny senior citizens! Miles lost his wife and now wants to find someone new, so he answers an ad in the newspaper and goes out on a blind date, even as his barmates tell him to play the field instead of sticking with one woman.

Review: This, believe it or not, was the best of the bunch. I have no idea if people would want to see the sex lives of 70somethings week after week, but this was by far the best acted, best written, and best directed of this bunch across the board. The characters are likable and interesting, and it even manages to throw in inter-racial couple Miles and Elizabeth (if the senior sex angle wasn't enough controversy!) without seeming overbearing or too preachy. Paul Kent and Ruby Jackson are really great as Miles and Elizabeth (Kent is a movie and TV veteran), and the supporting cast is classic.

Funny quote, from Miles: "And if change means having to take my whole social security check and buy Viagra and condoms, then so be it!"