Z's Pilot Preview: "Good Christian Bitches"

I’m gonna take a break from my typical Must See Monday action to introduce a new weekly segment for pilot season called:

Z's Pilot Preview, wherein I think I'm smart enough to review new pilots before they get picked up.

I’m gonna look at some of the hot new pilots coming down the pipeline for next season and (without reading them) try to see into the future.

I’ll grade/dissect them in several categories, then make my call…we’ll see how I do next year (and how much I want to revise these after I read the scripts or see trailers for the shows).  Also, maybe this will help me make my own pilots better by avoiding potential pitfalls I stumble upon.

Today, I start with …

Good Christian Bitches – ABC

Description (from ABC via EW) - "Amanda...the ultimate mean girl in high school, returns home to Dallas after her marriage ends in scandal. Humbled, Amanda is nothing like the girl she once was, but as her old classmates reacquaint themselves with the new Amanda, will these “good Christian bitches” give her a second chance or is this their shot to seek revenge?"

First Impressions: Please, not another femsemble that tries (and fails) to be Sex and the City and/or Desperate Housewives.  Overall : C-

Source Material:  This is based on a book…I think that bodes well.  Book based soapy shows that appeal to women have done well in recent years (Sex and the City, Gossip Girl, True Blood, Vampire Diaries).  They come with a built in audience which is a plus, and being based on a book/book series implies the basic idea, characters, and some plot lines are already solidified/well thought out.  Not saying something totally original can’t be well thought out too, but sometimes pilots feel hastily thrown together.  One negative is that this seems to be based off only one book, not a series or collection/anthology of articles like those other examples, which means the ideas might be a little thin to carry an entire show.  The other negative I see in looking up this book on Amazon is that the critical ratings and book sales are lowish, not the best sign.  Overall: B

Actual Idea: As I said, my first impression of this wasn’t great.  Looking deeper, I could see it being good.  I mean, I love watching Real Housewivesesque train wreck shows as much as the next person, and I wouldn’t mind a femsemble that’s a little soapy, a little glamorous, and really…bitchy.  The show might piss off some people who think the title/concept is offensive, but that probably won’t matter too much (see Gossip Girl).  One fear I have is that this will simply be another copycat flop.  Networks have tried to recapture the magic of Desperate Housewives and/or Sex and the City with copycat shows about fabulously dressed women like Cashmere Mafia and Lipstick Jungle.  Those shows were more NYC than Wisteria Lane, so the fact this is Dallas and down home might be good/seem different.  So, maybe way better than I  originally thought, but still, this seems so similar to those other shows I expect it to lean on the writing and actors to stand out (or not stand out).  Overall: C+

Show Title:  While the title is memorable, and will grab people’s attention, I think it could be distracting.  Wacky titles like Hot Tub Time Machine and Snakes on a Plane get attention online, but not necessarily more people interested in watching.  Overall, the title is better than a generic title or a copycat title of the following: <Insert Women’s Product Here> <Insert Catchy Sounding Group/Locale Here> … Cashmere Mafia, Lipstick Jungle…Stiletto Samurais, Bustier Banditos, Tampon Tycoons (extra points for alliteration).  On the other hand, using “bitch” in the title could paint the show into a corner if the show isn’t all that bitchy (the way “cougar” in Cougar Town seems like a bad idea now). Overall: B

Writer: IMDB says it's Robert Harling, and he's pretty fab for a show about backstabbing southern divas.  Don’t believe me?  Watch Steel Magnolias and Soap Dish.  But, I think his best work is a tad…dated, plus he hasn’t done much lately, which is worrisome.  However, I think as a writer, he brings humor AND heart to his plays and films, which sounds great (though not totally “bitchy” or maybe bitchy funny not bitchy edgy).  Other question marks for me are  how good the source material is (of course) and how will Harling’s writing translate to episodic TV.  Overall: B+

Cast: The majority are good working actresses you probably haven’t heard of (yet) like Leslie Bibb who I liked in the Iron Man films...I can see her as a reformed Dallas "mean girl" and let’s see…who else…Annie Potts (ooh, intrigued) and…Kristin freakin’ Chenoweth!!!  Kristin Chenoweth is awesome.  She brings life and spunk to everything she does, and adds something DIFFERENT.  So does Annie Potts.  These ladies have CHARACTER.  I think these femsemble shows work when the writing is great AND when the casts work (the ones that fail seem to have a collection of actresses who might be good actors, and beautiful, but they just aren’t any fun to be around…or they’re playing dull characters).  Having Cheno is a MAJOR incentive for me to watch (just thinking there's a character in this that she's a good fit for is an incentive) but it doesn’t make the show a shoe in for success.  Chenoweth’s recent pilot Legally Mad didn't get picked up, but she’s gotten a lot of love from appearing on Glee.  Overall: A-

Director: Alan Poul – Six Feet Under, Swingtown, Rome, and Big Love.  Looks great to me, although leaning more dark and dramatic than I’d think for a show like this, but maybe that's a good thing.  Overall: A-

Producer: Darren Star – Melrose Place, 90210, (new) Melrose Place, (new) 90210, Sex and the City (the shows AND the movies), and Not Sex and the City (Cashmere Mafia).  He’s def got a pedigree for this genre, which is good.  As far as quality of the shows he’s produced lately, it could go either way.  Overall: B-

FINAL ANALYSIS:

Overall Grade: B (for bitchin’)

Despite my early reservations, Kristin Chenoweth saves this…for now.

Will it get picked up?  Yes.  Too much talent here to totally bomb.

Will it survive season 1?  Yes.  I think it's got a good shot.  The time slot will be VERY important.  This feels like it skews older which means Sunday night to me, but maybe it’s too similar to Desperate Housewives to put the two back to back…I guess I could also see it working after Dancing With The Stars.

Will it be good/will I watch? Yes...I guess.  I should love a show like this, but it’s kind of hard to get past my initial reaction (these types of shows have jerked me around before!).  I’ll say this, I’ll totally give it a chance and if the characters are really fun this could become a new favorite/guilty pleasure.