TV pilots and pick-ups
‘Meant to Bes’
Who’s in it and where youve seen them: Youve seen Amy Smart as best friend to Ryan Reynolds in Just Friends, opposite Ashton Kutcher in The Butterfly Effect, and on the small screen in shows ranging from Felicity to Scrubs.
Whos behind it: CBS Paramount and creator Glenn Gordon Caron, writer/producer for shows from Medium to Moonlighting.
Why youll watch: Its the year of the blond: from Christina Applegate in Samantha Who to Judy Greer in Miss Guided, is there a trend in sitcoms leading ladies? (Admittedly, when has it not been a good year to be a TV blond?) When Smarts character loses out on life shortly after she elopes, shes earthbound as a Meant to Be, helping others find their destiny before she can go to heaven. (Stephen Lovekin / Getty Images)
‘Single White Millionaire’
Who’s in it and where youve seen them: Kevin Arnold
er, Fred Savage, best known as the cute kid with a crush on best friend Winnie in The Wonder Years. Savage also starred in the sitcom Working, and tried again with Crumbs.
Whos behind it: CBS, Warner Bros. and writer Ricky Blitt, whose writing credits include The Jeff Foxworthy Show and Family Guy.
Why youll watch: To root for Savage’s success as he plays an average guy with a million bucks who just wants to settle down. (Frederick M. Brown / Getty Images)
‘Cupid’
Who’s in it and where you’ve seen them: The revival of the Jeremy Piven show (which lasted for 15 episodes in 1998-99) has yet to cast couples or a lead.
Who’s behind it: Rob Thomas, the creator of “Veronica Mars,” is shepherding the project for ABC. Thomas is a triple threat this pilot season as he also preps his “90210” show for the CW and writes and executive produces an untitled pilot for ABC. The show is based on “Outrageous Fortune,” a crime family dramedy from New Zealand.
Why you’ll watch: “Veronica Mars” was beloved. If Thomas can infuse the series -- about a man who thinks he’s a god sent to Earth by Zeus to unite 100 romantically challenged couples -- with a bit of smart comedy to go with the romance, it could be a success. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)
Untitled Christian Slater project
Who’s in it and where you’ve seen them: Mr. Christian Slater in his first starring role on network TV. He’s done guest spots on “My Name is Earl,” “Alias,” and “The West Wing,” and one of his last films of note, “Slipstream,” was directed by Anthony Hopkins.
Whos behind it: Universal Media Studios and “Bionic Woman” -- don’t hold that against him -- producer Jason Smilovic.
Why youll watch: A mild-mannered suburban dad learns that his alter ego is a spy. It’s happened before (“Total Recall”-like), but this show is described as “The Bourne Identity” meets “Jekyll & Hyde.” That’s enough right there to give it a try. (Andrew H. Walker / Getty Images)
‘United States of Tara’
Who’s in it and where youve seen them: Toni Collette, mother of the creepy kid who saw dead people in The Sixth Sense, sister to the flaky yet lovable Cameron Diaz character in In Her Shoes, and the most memorable Muriel from Muriels Wedding. Her costar John Corbett is a TV (Northern Exposure) to film (My Big Fat Greek Wedding) to TV (Sex and the City) star.
Whos behind it: Showtime and Oscar-winner Diablo Cody, the writer with the backstory bigger than her oeuvre.
Why youll watch: Partly to see if Codys writing transcends Junos teen-speak. But mostly for the star power: Collettes acting chops will be showcased as Tara, a victim of multiple personality disorder. She was definitely in her right mind to marry hunky carpenter husband Max, not too far a stretch for Corbett, whose Sex character was a handsome man who was good with his hands, and with furniture. (Ken Hively / Los Angeles Times)
‘The Tower’
Who’s in it and where youve seen them: Not much to tell with no cast yet.
Whos behind it: Oscar-winning director Davis Guggenheim (“An Inconvenient Truth”) will executive produce the CBS/Paramount Network TV show alongside “Cold Case” creator Meredith Stiehm.
Why youll watch: A show about a group of reporters who, it seems, want to solve the crimes that they report on? If they could try the cases, it could be called “Media, Law & Order.” (Jennifer S. Altman / For The Times)
Ny-Lon
Who’s in it and where youve seen them: You may remember Elisha Cuthbert in films such as The Girl Next Door or as Kim Bauer, the disaster-prone daughter dodging terrorists and cougars in TVs 24.
Whos behind it: “Ny-Lon,” based on a British series, is produced by ABC Studios and would air on CBS. Written by Patricia Carr and Lara Runnels, who both wrote for ‘Til Death, Reba and Boy Meets World.
Why youll watch: British shows adapted to American audiences can be a winning equation The Office, Sanford and Son (Britain’s Steptoe and Son) and Threes Company (the British Man About the House). If nothing else, watch to see whether bombshell blond Cuthbert brings her 24 wide-eyed on-the-run look to her transatlantic relationship with a London stockbroker. (Kevin Winter / Getty Images)
‘Austin Golden Hour’
Who’s in it and where youve seen them: Too early to know, but we can say that the show follows a close-knit team of young emergency room surgeons and EMTs during the critical, adrenaline-filled 60 minutes immediately following a trauma.
Whos behind it: The CW and the man America loves to hate, “American Idol” judge Simon Cowell.
Why youll watch: The show is described as a real-time medical drama a la “24” in the trauma ward. Seems like a winner to me, and Simon hasn’t made a big bomb. Yet. (Kevork Djansezian / Associated Press)
“Kath & Kim”
Who’s in it and where youve seen them: Hilarious “Year of the Dog” star and “SNL” alum Molly Shannon and sultry Selma Blair -- set to appear in the summer comic book movie “Hellboy II: The Golden Army” -- star in the comedy series.
Whos behind it: The NBC show has some of the talent behind “American Gladiators,” “Miss Guided” and the original hit Australian sitcom that it’s adapted from.
Why youll watch: The show’s about a divorced woman, Kath, who’s dating a cool guy. Just as things are about to get serious, Kath’s daughter Kim leaves her perfectly nice husband and moves back in with mom. Or you can watch because Molly Shannon is funny and Selma Blair is good. Pretty simple. (Lawrence K. Ho / LAT & Andrew H. Walker / Getty Images)
“Knight Rider”
Who’s in it and where youve seen them: The new Michael Knight character, Mike Traceur, is played by soap vet (“All My Children”) Justin Bruening. Deanna Russo (another soap actress - “Young and the Restless”) and Sydney Tamiia Poitier (“Grindhouse,” dad’s an acting icon) also star. The Hof himself, David Hasselhoff aka Michael Knight, will also appear and the voice of K.I.T.T. is none other than Val ‘I’m your huckleberry’ Kilmer.
Whos behind it: Glen Larson was a writer on the original show and has penned a recent “Battlestar Galactica” script as well. Steven Shill, who directed the backdoor pilot, has recently guided episodes of “Dexter” and “The Tudors.”
Why youll watch: Because you may remember the theme: “Knight Rider, a shadowy flight into the dangerous world of a man who does not exist.” So cool. If not, it has a retooled version of one of television’s most well-known cars, with gadgets rivaling James Bond’s. (Richard Drew / Associated Press)
“The Pitts”
Who’s in it and where youve seen them: It’s animated, but the voices behind it are journeyman actor Dylan Baker as Bob Pitt, Lizzy Caplan (“Cloverfield,” “My Best Friend’s Girl”) as Faith Pitt, Allison Janney (“Juno,” “West Wing”) as Liz Pitt, and Andy Milonakis (star of his self-titled show) as Petey Pitt.
Whos behind it: “Simpsons” producer Mike Scully.
Why youll watch: It’s billed as “an animated comedy series about the unluckiest family in the world and their ongoing wacky adventures.” Though “The Simpsons” is still going strong, this could be a good cartoon companion. (Frederick M. Brown / Getty Images)
Untitled Cedric the Entertainer
Who’s in it and where youve seen them: Comedian Cedric The Entertainer, Regina Hall (Ally McBeal)
Whos behind it: Cedric The Entertainer (of course!), The King of Queens producer Rock Reuben, The King of Queens writer Mike Soccio and Code Name: The Cleaner producer Eric Rhone. Do we sense a pattern here?
Why youll watch: Its sort of like Beverly Hillbillies for 2008. ABCs multi-camera comedy series is about a modest family whose fortunes change almost overnight when they become rich and famous. (Stephen Shugerman / Getty Images)
