2011 Pilots That You Won’t See on TV

Neil Hopkins

Jewel Staite

Around this time every year, pilot season arrives with hundreds of potential projects being filmed; but very few will actually make it on the air at the major and cable networks. And, of those few pilots that make it to series, even fewer will succeed with the viewing audience. To say the least pilot season is a tough time of year.

Dichen Lachman

Mike Dopud

Just like last year, NiceGirlsTV wanted to bring you a list of just some of the hottest pilots that you will not be seeing mid-season (again at either the major or cable network)s, but it certainly would be fun if these shows did actually happen.

The pilots that follow are listed in no particular order and, yes, they are remakes/reboots of past shows, but that seems to be the norm right now:

David Blue

Kandyse McClure

1. Hart to Hart – This new ABC series, which is a remake of the popular 80’s series, chronicles what happens when billionaire tech-wizard Jonathan Hart (Neil Hopkins from Lost) meets world-renowned photo-journalist Jennifer Edwards (Jewel Staite from Firefly and Stargate Atlantis). Their first encounter was nothing short of a disaster; but out of that disaster comes a whirlwind romance and a grand-scale wedding. Now they work as amateur sleuths, combining their expertise and skills to help their clients.

TAGLINE: “They may be in over their heads, but at least they are in it together.”

April Bowlby

Ray Wise

2. I Dream of Jeannie – This remake of the 60’s classic series comes to Syfy, featuring Dichen Lachman (from Dollhouse) as a modern-day genie who wreaks havoc on the life of Major Anthony “Tony” Nelson (Mike Dopud from Stargate Universe) who is assigned to a special section of NASA. Rather than just giving the standard three wishes, Jeannie decides to stay with her “master” no matter what because while it may have been love at first sight for her, he isn’t quite so sure about her intentions.

TAGLINE: “Be careful what you wish for.”

Paul Telfer

Emmanuelle Vaugier

3. Three’s Company – This new A&E series, loosely based on the 1970’s camp comedy, stars David Blue (Stargate Universe) as Jason Thatcher, a caring nurse at a small Santa Monica clinic who ends up with two very unexpected roommates: freelance entertainment blogger Zoe Ward (Kandyse McClure from Battlestar Galactica) and her best friend Maggie Wilson (April Bowlby from Drop Dead Diva) whose career is always in flux (one week she’s a dog walker, the next week she’s a house sitter). Their friendship blossoms under the watchful eye of their obnoxious landlord Stewart “Stew” Rollins (Twin Peaks veteran Ray Wise).

TAGLINE: “They may not have a lot in common, but they are always there for each other.”

Tom Welling

Mechad Brooks

4. Cover Up – Much like the short-lived series for which this pilot from the USA Network is based, Paul Telfer (the made for TV movie Hercules) stars as former Marine Special Forces Operative Mitch Halston, who is hired to work undercover as a model for renowned fashion photographer Denise Royce (Emmanuelle Vaugier from CSI: NY and Covert Affairs) to find out who murdered her husband. When they learn that her husband was a CIA operative, his agency reluctantly hires them to continue his work in secret, bringing down mercenaries and protecting foreign diplomats.

TAGLINE: “Looks can be deceiving, but never underestimate the determination of a woman on a mission.”

Danny Strong

Zach Ward

5. Magnum, P.I. – In this modern-day retelling of the popular 80’s PI series, that will air on FX, Tom Welling (of Smallville fame) takes on the leading role of Thomas Magnum (sans the moustache), a former Iraq War veteran who decides to move to Hawaii to start fresh. There he ends up working as head of security for the reclusive Robin Masters, where he must endure dealing with Hutchens (Danny Strong from Buffy, the Vampire Slayer), the manager of the private Hawaiian estate, corralling his former Army buddies Taye “T.C.” Collins (Mechad Brooks from True Blood and My Generation) and Rick Wright (Zach Ward from Lost), who seem to get him into trouble on a daily basis, and freelancing as a private investigator to clients who have nowhere else to turn.

TAGLINE: “Who said living in paradise would be easy”.

Tyler Labine

Judy Greer

6. Mork & Mindy – The popular 80’s sitcom will be reborn on TNT, taking a slightly darker turn as Mork (Tyler Labine from Invasion and Reaper) is an alien who crash lands on Earth after his spaceship malfunctions, trapping him on our planet. But, this Mork is a bit more serious than his predecessor, as he is actually on a foraging mission for his home plant of Ork, a planet in an alternate universe, which is slowly dying. Here on Earth, he encounters Mindy Reed (Judy Greer), a research scientist, who could provide beneficial assistance in his mission; until he starts to have feelings for her.

TAGLINE: “What if your mission saved your home but would take the home of the woman you love?”

The above list, of course, does not represent actual television pilots that are being considered or even being pitched this television season; instead they are the fictitious fancy of those of us here at NiceGirlsTV. They are shows, however, that we would really like to see included in the next television season because they are shows we would watch. Now if only Hollywood was listening.