TVSquad

Every once in a while, a show creeps up on the American public and really captures its imagination. Unfortunately, a lot of times that show is in a terrible timeslot on a tiny little network struggling to survive. Such was the case with Jack & Bobby.

I'd like to think people didn't just automatically assume that this was a biopic about the Kennedys, though it certainly was playing with that notion intentionally by choosing that name. At its core, the show was simply another teen drama; the kind The WB had built a network around by the fall of 2004.

But it was also something more than that. It was an in-depth examination of the genesis of an American hero. How can someone go from being an ordinary person with ordinary problems into the most powerful man on the planet? While Jack and Bobby were typical all-American brothers, it was one of their destiny to rise to the seat of President of the United States by the mid-21st Century. That's the destination. Jack & Bobby was the journey.

With Maggie Friedman (Dawson's Creek) behind it, I have to imagine that The Witches of Eastwick ABC pilot project just announced may feature a younger cast than the 1987 film on which it is being based. The announcement specifically states that it is a variation on the film as opposed to the controversial John Updike novel. The book has been blasted for being misogynistic, while the movie offered more in female empowerment.

This will be third time someone has made a go of adapting the film for television. I can't help but think think of this as a more serious Charmed. Will the male antagonist, played by Jack Nicholson in the film, remain throughout the series, or will he just be an early problem dealt with by the three witchy leads? Considering Friedman's resume also includes the horridly under-appreciated Jack and Bobby and the brilliant Once and Again, there are a lot of ways she could go with this.

It looks like Everwood is really, really, really, really not coming back. You want proof? Well, how about the creator of the series, Greg Berlanti, leaving Warner Brothers TV and relocating to ABC and its sister production company Touchstone TV. Still don't believe me? Gosh, you're stubborn.

Berlanti, the creator of the recently canceled WB drama as well as the critically acclaimed Jack & Bobby (also canceled), has two drama pilots in development for ABC. One of them, a drama entitled Eli Stone, has earned a pilot order from the network. The other untitled drama, about a wealthy family seen through the eyes of their lawyer, has a script order.

According to Zap2it, Eli Stone, will center on a a lawyer (not the same one who represents the wealthy family) who thinks he is becoming a prophet because of visions he is having. Berlanti hopes that the show will discuss the subject of spirituality with a heartfelt sense of humor. The script for the show was written by Berlanti and Marc Guggenheim, who worked on Jack & Bobby as well as Law & Order and CSI:Miami.