All descriptions are taken from EW.com.
NBC
Go On
Logline: While an irreverent yet charming sportscaster tries to move on from loss, he reluctantly finds surprising solace from the members of his mandatory group-therapy sessions.
Cast: Matthew Perry, Julie White
I guess we haven’t figured out that Matthew Perry can’t carry his own show yet?
Susan 313
Logline: A single-camera comedy in which series star Sarah Silverman (The Sarah Silverman Program) returns to her old life after a breakup, ready to pick up where she left off, and finds it’s not as easy as she thought because those around her have moved on.
Cast: Sarah Silverman, Ken Leung
I’m willing to give anything Sarah Silverman stars in a try. However, if we’ve learned anything from Chelsea and Whitney, it’s that irreverent comics don’t stand a chance on a network that doesn’t allow them to showcase that type of humor.
Isabel
Logline: A comedy centering on an otherwise normal middle-class family that wrestles with the challenges of everyday life while raising a daughter (Sophia Mitri Schloss, Grimm) who has magical qualities.
Cast: Marcia Gay Harden, Kevin Nealon, Sophia Mitri Schloss
Loving the cast, hating the premise.
Save Me
Logline: A woman, who lets herself go while in a broken marriage, goes through a transformation where she becomes the best version of herself and creates miracles along the way.
Cast: Anne Heche, Michael Landes, Alexandra Breckenridge
Definitely willing to give Anne Heche a chance, but this premise is rake thin.
Nic and Jen
Logline: What happens between two lifelong female friends when a husband comes into the mix.
Cast: Minnie Driver, Andrea Anders, Rachel Dratch, Josh Hopkins
Again, seemingly rake thin premise. But obviously hoping Rachel Dratch does for this what Maya Rudolph did for Up All Night.
Downwardly Mobile
Logline: This multi-cam comedy brings Roseanne Barr back to series television as the proprietor of a mobile-home park and surrogate mother to all of the unique people who live there in a challenging economy. Cast: Roseanne Barr, John Goodman
This could either be the worst idea of the year, or the absolute best. Naturally, people will be curious to see Roseanne Barr and John Goodman reunite. But isn’t the multi-cam format outdated?
Animal Kingdom
Logline: A single-camera office comedy centered on a House-like veterinarian, who loves animals but usually hates their owners.
Cast: Justin Kirk, Tyler Labine
NBC certainly does need a new office comedy. Whether or not this will actually live up to the earlier seasons of The Office is anyone’s guess at this point.
Happy Valley
Logline: After being dumped by her fiancé, a shy, focused woman leans on her co-workers to help her come out of her shell and plot her revenge.
Cast: Mena Survari, Freddie Prinze, Jr.
So that’s the whole show?
Guys with Kids
Logline: Three thirtysomething guys enjoy the adventures of parenting despite the fact they haven’t grown up themselves.
Cast: Jesse Bradford, Jamie Lynn Sigler, Tempestt Bledsoe, Sara Rue
Sounds worse than Whitney.
The New Normal
Logline: A heartwarming comedy about a blended family of a gay couple and the woman who becomes a surrogate to help them have children.
Cast: Justin Bartha, Bebe Wood, Ellen Barkin, Jayson Blair
Now here’s something creative and unusual for NBC. Hopefully this lives up to the hype.
Friday Night Dinner
Logline: Based on the U.K. format, this single-camera comedy about a quirky family that has supper together every Friday night is adapted by Emmy-winning creator Greg Daniels.
Cast: Tony Shalhoub, Allison Janney, Kevin Bigley
Wonderful cast. But hopefully they can turn it into something less gimmicky by the time the show hits its stride.
Next Caller
Logline: A single-camera gender comedy focusing on a brash alpha-male DJ and his new, plucky, feminist cohost, set in the offices of a satellite radio station.
Cast: Dane Cook, Jeffrey Tambor
Not a fan of Dane Cook’s humor in any way.
Table for 3
Logline: A young woman returns home from overseas to find that her father is seriously dating the “mean girl” from her high school.
Cast: Scott Bakula, Brenda Song
It’s been done before.
1600 Penn
Logline: A family show set in the White House where all the kids are less than perfect.
Cast: Jenna Elfman, Bill Pullman, Josh Gad
This could be interesting if it doesn’t appear overly ridiculous. With Veep, is there enough room for two comedies in the White House?
CBS
Untitled Martin Lawrence Project
Logline: Martin Lawrence stars as a widowed father of two teenagers who, after losing his job in construction, decides to go to the police academy and become a cop at the age of 46.Cast: Martin Lawrence, Ethan Suplee, Regina Hall, John Amos
This sounds completely fine for CBS, but also completely uninspired.
Super Fun Night
Logline: A half-hour multi-cam comedy following three nerdy female friends on their “funcomfortable” quest to have SUPER FUN every Friday night.
Cast: Kevin Patterson, Alan Ritchson, Edi Patterson
I automatically thought “Big Bang Theory for girls.” If that’s the case, it could be super fun.
Untitled Louis CK/Spike Feresten Project
Logline: Ensemble of young people trying to achieve their creative dreams in these tough financial times.
Cast: Ashley Tisdale, Dan Byrd
Doesn’t sound like something Louis CK would be a part of, or even something CBS would do. That said, it seems different for the network.
Friend Me
Logline: Twentysomething best friends, Evan and Rob, move from their hometown of Bloomington, Ind., to Los Angeles to begin their exciting new lives working at GroupOn. Evan is having trouble breaking his old slothful habits and rather than go out after work to explore L.A. and meet new people, prefers to play online poker with his buddies back home. Rob has different plans and is determined to drag Evan, kicking and screaming, along with him.
Cast: Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Nicholas Braun
This could be huge for CBS.
Untitled Nick Stoller Project
Logline: Loosely based on Stoller’s real-life experiences, the pilot is a twentysomething ensemble comedy about a guy who gets his heart broken by his girlfriend and now has to work one cubicle away from her at an ad agency.
Cast: Randall Park, Brie Larson, Michael Angarano
Could either be really cliche or very endearing.
Untitled Larry Dorf/Ben Falcone Project
Logline: Comedy series about a single 37-year-old man (Ben Falcone) who loses everything he has in the real estate collapse and finds himself back home in the house he grew up in….with his parents.
Cast: Judd Hirsche, Emily Rutherford, Rachael Harris, Ben Falcone
This should come as no surprise considering these are CBS sitcoms, but haven’t we seen and heard this all before?
Partners
Logline: A personal story of two lifelong friends and business partners. Architects Charlie and Louis’ friendship has lasted longer than either of their romantic relationships and almost seems like a weird marriage. When Charlie decides to propose to his girlfriend, Louis’ neurotic attempts to be supportive nearly result in the breakup of his own relationship.
Cast: David Krumholtz, Michael Urie, Sophia Bush, Brandon Routh
That description is stupid and doesn’t tell you that one of those friends is gay and played by Michael Urie. We’d watch anything he does. This is something out of the box for CBS. Hopefully it’ll be picked up.
Untitled Greg Malins/Greg Berlanti Project
Logline: Nick has a health scare and realizes Wendy, his best friend and business partner of 15 years, is “the one.” Now he has to figure out how to break it to her.
Cast: Joanna Garcia Swisher, Greg Grunberg, Matt Cook
Yawn.
FOX
Ben Fox Is My Manny
Logline: Under the guise of being his niece’s nanny, a free spirited young guy moves in with his type “”A”” tightly wound sister and in the process will help her reenter the world.
Cast: Dakota Johnson, Lucy Punch
This makes absolutely no sense. Therefore, I can’t judge right now.
El Jefe
Logline: Tossed out of his Brentwood home, an affable but lost 30-year-old guy moves in with his longtime Latin American nanny, goes head-to-head with her strong-willed son, and finds himself in a family and work life very different from the one he grew up in.
Cast: Mercedes Ruehl, Ana Nogueira, Will Greenberg
Sounds racist. I’m not watching anything titled El Jefe.
Like Father
Logline: Comedy centering a on father-son relationship
Cast: Colin Ferguson, Kevin Michael Martin, Annie Q
Great description there. So much to work with.
Little Brother
Logline: A boisterous ex-con moves in with his level-headed brother and the brother’s family.
Cast: John Stamos, T.J. Miller, Rosa Salazar
I feel like a four year old wrote these descriptions for Fox.
The Goodwin Games
Logline: High-concept family comedy about a father who leaves his fortune to his three children only if they agree to his terms
Cast: Scott Foley, Becki Newton
Becki Newton? Count me in.
Living Loaded
Logline: A hard-partying blogger is forced to reevaluate his laissez-faire career plan when he gets a new job as a host on public radio.
Cast: Larry Wilmore, Donald Sutherland, Mike Vogel
Could be fun if done properly.
Prodigy Bully
Logline: A rare child prodigy with an attitude shakes up his Hogwarts-like academy, while bringing the rarified world of his school back home to his aggressive working class family in Lowell, Mass.
Cast: Mike O’Malley, Missi Pyle, Don Lake
As long as this doesn’t have a laugh track, it could be something special for Fox.
Rebounding
Logline: An uplifting comedy about a man recovering from the death of his fiance with the help of the idiots on his pickup basketball team.
Cast: Will Forte, Andrea Savage, Hayes MacArthur
I’m open to all SNL vets starring in prime time sitcoms.
Untitled Mindy Kaling Project
Logline: A young Bridget Jones-type doctor tries to navigate both her personal and professional lives.
Cast: Mindy Kaling, Chris Messina, Ed Weeks
I’d place bets that anything Mindy Kaling has to offer will likely be better than any other new comedy pilots of the season.
Let It Go
Logline: An ensemble comedy told through the perspective of a young father who is strongly committed in his beliefs and will go to any length to prove his point.
Cast: Zachary Levi, Kat Foster
Sounds like typical Fox propaganda. No thanks.
ABC
American Judy
Logline: A cosmopolitan woman gets married and becomes a fish out of water in the suburbs, having to juggle step-kids, her mother-in-law, and the ex-wife of her husband, who also happens to be the town sheriff.
Cast: Judy Greer, Ken Marino
We’ll welcome Judy Greer to primetime TV with open arms. Here’s hoping this one works.
Malibu Country
Logline: After her good ol’ boy rock star husband cheats on her and burns through most of their money, Reba divorces him and moves her three sons and mom from Nashville to the only asset they have left — a little house in Malibu.
Cast: Reba McEntire, Sara Rue, Jai Rodriguez, Lily Tomlin
Could be fun as long as it’s not overly family friendly.
Untitled Mandy Moore Project
Logline: Newlyweds Annie (Mandy Moore) and Ben get the opportunity of a lifetime to run a hip, new restaurant in Annie’s hometown, bringing her closer to her needy and high maintenance family.
Cast: Mandy Moore, Ravi Patel, Stockard Channing
I’m not placing any bets on Mandy Moore carrying her own show. However, this sounds like it could have a nice blend of comedy and heart.
The Smart One
Logline: Portia de Rossi stars as a brilliant and successful woman who begrudgingly goes to work for her less-brainy but more popular sister — a former beauty queen, weather girl and now big-city Mayor.
Cast: David Arquette, Jean Smart, Malin Akerman, Portia De Rossi, Nestor Carbonell
Yes please. Everything about this sounds wonderful.
Untitled Dan Fogelman Project
Logline: A family moves into a highly desirable gated community in New Jersey only to discover that the entire neighborhood is made up of aliens disguised as humans.
Cast: Jamie Gertz, Max Charles
Isn’t that what every neighborhood in New Jersey is anyway?
How to Live With Your Parents for the Rest of Your Life
Logline: Polly, a recently divorced single mom, moves in with her eccentric parents, Elaine and Max, a couple who are full of life but know no boundaries. Sarah Chalke will star.
Cast: Brad Garrett, Elizabeth Perkins, Orlando Jones, Rachel Eggleston, Sarah Chalke
Have we seen it before? Sure. But I’m open to the possibility of this being something good.
Dusty Goes to Awesometown
Logline: A raw, hilarious peek behind the curtain of modern twentysomething relationships.
Cast: Ben Rappaport, Dennis Miller, Amanda Crew
This tells me nothing.
Prairie Dogs
Logline: Neil, an uncool cubicle worker, or prairie dog, at one of the coolest companies in the world, is victim to identity theft. When he discovers the thief has created a much more fulfilling, kick ass life with his identity, he engages the charismatic conman to help him reinvent himself.
Cast: Cary Elwes, Dan Fogler, Kal Penn
This can only go so far and sounds extremely gimmicky.
Red Van Man
Logline: Based on the British format, the show centers on a man who is forced to put his dreams on hold in order to take over the family handyman business from his father.
Cast: J.K. Simmons, Kyle Bornheimer, Leah Remini
We’ll watch JK Simmons on a weekly TV series.
Only Fools & Horses
Logline: This classic comedy — a reboot of the British series — chronicles the misadventures of two streetwise brothers and their aging grandfather as they concoct outrageous, morally questionable get-rich-quick schemes in their quest to become millionaires.
Cast: Christopher Lloyd, Dustin Ybarra, John Leguizamo, Wendi McClendon-Covey
That cast is amazing and this sounds sort of brilliant. This could be ABC’s next big thing.
Counter Culture
Logline: Three aging sisters who run their family diner together in West Texas find that sibling dynamics are always getting in the way of getting the job done.
Cast: Delta Burke, Doris Roberts, Ken Howard, Margo Martindale
That cast screams hit.
Untitled Karl Lizer Project
Logline: The half-hour multi-camera project concerns a high-powered female executive, who has dominated corporate America for years, now faces the biggest challenge of her life: finding herself unemployed and acting as a full-time mom to her two teenagers.
Cast: Mary McCormack, Mo Gaffney, Horatio Sanz
Sorry Mary and Horatio, this sounds dreadful.
What We’d Pick Up | Susan 313, Friday Night Dinner, The New Normal, Downwardly Mobile, Partners, Friend Me, The Goodwin Games, Untitled Mindy Kaling Project, Rebounding, American Judy, The Smart One, Only Fools and Horses,
On The Fence | Isabel, Save Me, Super Fun Night, Untitled Louis CK Project, Prodigy Bully, Living Loaded, Counter Culture, Red Van Man, How To Live With Your Parents, Untitled Jersey Aliens Project, Malibu Country, Nic and Jen
