Let’s Take a Look at the Network Pilots – Dramas at FOX

In a few weeks the major networks will make their presentations to the New York advertisers, showcasing the returning and new shows that will appear on the primetime schedule starting this fall. There is always a lot of debate about which new pilots will be picked up and which ones will fall by the wayside. This is the final examination of each major network’s offerings, giving my thoughts on each new drama pilot. Only time will tell, however, if any of these shows will make it let alone if I am right in any of my choices; but it sure is fun trying to predict.

Let’s get started with the drama offerings over at FOX:

Cuba Gooding, Jr.

Guilty – This pilot is about a brilliant, morally questionable defense attorney who, after being falsely convicted of fraud and stripped of his legal license, uses his unorthodox methods to solve the cases he’s been prohibited from handling and to ultimately exact revenge on the man who set him up.

The cast includes box office star Cuba Gooding, Jr., Julian Morris (Pretty Little Liars), Eva Amurri Martino (Californication), Sharon Leal (Hellcats) and Jay Harrington (Better Off Ted).

My Thoughts: Having Gooding, Jr. as the lead could really pull in viewers, but there will have to be a reason for viewers to continue to turn in. This attorney will need to have heart not be just heartless or there will be no reason to like him.

Mastermind

Mastermind (working title) – This pilot is a thriller about the complex relationship between a diabolical serial killer and the damaged FBI agent who took him down. After the killer escaped, the agent is reactivated and discovers that he is no longer just hunting one man, but a massive cult of serial killers created and manipulated during the killer’s time in prison.

The cast includes box office star Kevin Bacon, James Purefoy (Rome), Shawn Ashmore (The X-Men franchise), Maggie Grace (Lost), Jeananne Goossen (Alcatraz), Natalie Zea (Justified), Nico Tortorella (Make It or Break It) and Valorie Curry (Veronica Mars).

My Thoughts: This will definitely be an extremely dark series given the subject matter and could scare away viewers, but this just might be the boost that the network needs to draw viewers in. But if it gets too dark it could be a big hit and then an even bigger miss.

Jordana Spiro

Mob Doctor (working title) – This pilot is about a young female thoracic surgeon with Bridgeport roots who is split between two worlds as she juggles her career and her lifelong debut to the South Chicago mob.

The cast includes Jordana Spiro (My Boys), Zach Gilford (Friday Nights Lights), William Forsythe (Boardwalk Empire), Zeljko Ivanek (Damages), Wendy Makkena (NCIS and Judging Amy), Jaime Lee Kirchner (Mercy), Jesse Lee Soffer (As the World Turns) and James Carpinello (The Good Wife).

My Thoughts: Could this do for doctors what The Sopranos did for the mob or could it completely backfire. For one thing the female doctor will have to be likable enough for the viewers to care about her even with her affiliation with the mob. And, there will need to be at least likable character within the mob family or viewers will flock away.

Saxon Sharbino

Rouge (working title) – This pilot focuses on an orphaned 17-year-old daughter of a CIA operative who encounters a mysterious rouge agent/assassin, who serves as both her surrogate father and professional mentor in the spy world.

The cast includes newcomer Saxon Sharbino, box office star Angela Bassett, Julian McMahon (Nip/Tuck), Rick Schroder (NYPD Blue), Joel Courtney (Super 8 ) and Louise Lombard (CSI).

My Thoughts: A 17-year-old brought into the spy world, really? Well, this could be Agent Cody Banks (the box office film that starred Malcolm in the Middle star Frankie Muniz) with better writing and a more believable storyline – only if it is written really well and portrayed realistically. This is a pretty terrific cast so there is room for potential if executed properly.

Ali Larter

The Asset – This pilot is set in the CIA’s New York City station focusing on a female agent with a very specialized and controversial area of expertise whose cover is that of a renowned photojournalist.

The cast includes Ali Larter (Heroes), Bradley Whitford (The West Wing), Jamie Chung (Samurai Girl) and Hamish Linklater (The New Adventures of Old Christine).

My Thoughts: This could be Alias all over, but hopefully without the Rimbaldi storyline that permanently sidelined the drama, scaring viewers away. If the pilot can maintain the spy aspect it could be a great combination of Covert Affairs and the better points of Alias.

Needless to say, there are a lot of drama pilots up for grabs at FOX; and if I had to choose the top three they would be: Guilty, Rouge and The Asset. Which of the above dramas would you like to see added to the FOX line-up this fall?

Artist’s Spotlight: This month’s artist’s spotlight is shone on Sandy Walker, who specializes in making art out of clay. She likes to call her creations “Muglings” inspired by Toby Mugs; but she also loves to draw, paint, sew, knit crochet, embroider and can even be caught doing some woodworking and refinishing.

Her family moved around the Midwest and several Southern states while she was a child, finally landing in the Lexington area when she was 7 years old. The influence of growing up in Kentucky laid the groundwork for her creativity as she shared that she likes “playing in the mud and working with my hands”. In fact, she joked that “it was just a matter of time before the two (interests) found each other”. The pieces that she makes are a result of her Kentucky roots, a deep love and respect for nature, her Scot-Irish heritage and an overwhelming obsession with myth, legend and fantasy.

While Sandy has no formal education in art she does have a degree in theater arts and her family is full of artists, including her mom, her graphic artist sister and another sister who is a “chef extraordinaire”. After college and getting married, she and her sweetheart moved to Los Angeles (with their cocker spaniel), eventually ending up in Burbank where they raised their sons. It was when her oldest son began his senior year in high school, that Sandy decided to take a class in Beginning Pottery, which opened up a whole new world for her. She joked that she has “been hooked ever since”. She has continued to take “every class available,” has studied at Glendale Community College, attended lectures and taken workshops from different artists in the area. She reads articles, subscribes to periodicals, watches YouTube videos and experiments with what she has picked up from all of these influencers. Additionally, she teaches a class in Surface Decoration.

She gets her inspiration from many places, but just some of the artists she loves are Bosch, Escher, Michelangelo, Rembrandt, Wyeth, Matisse, Boris, Frazetta, Tim Burton and Wendy and Brian Froud. The artists who work in clay who provide her inspiration include Barbara Rog, Jack Paul Miller, Claude Hulce, David Gilbaugh, Biliana Popova and Sarah Gutierrez. Music also plays a big part in Sandy’s creative process and you can expect to hear Bluegrass, Classic Rock, Celtic, Folk, Motown, Gospel, Classical, Baroque, Blues, Christmas, Big Band, Reggae and Easy Listening music playing while she is working.

Sandy also shared that a dear friend – 90-year-old Dory Pally, who was one of her longest-running students – recently passed away; but is one of her heroes. Sandy shared that Dory “was a fountain of wisdom, a constant delight with her quick wit and wicked sense of humor, and (she was) a talented ceramist. Dory was an inspiration to everyone in my classes. She had osteoporosis, but never let it get the best of her. She constantly challenged herself with her clay projects and always had a word of encouragement for others”.

Dudley by Sandy Walker

Her featured piece is called Dudley, who is the resident Dragon at the Walker home and has been hanging in their dining room where Sandy joked they occasionally “find a small rubber mouse or lizard poking out between his teeth”.

You can visit Sandy’s Facebook page here and also see some of her pottery here, which she had on display at Burbank’s Fine Arts Federation Show and the Instructors’ Show at the Burbank Creative Arts Center. You can also learn more about Sandy here. She also participates in the annual Burbank Holiday Boutique and had a table in the art show at the San Diego Comic-Con last year. She can be reached at Sandyscraft@gmail.com.