Paley Preview Party: What The CW Has To Offer

This past weekend the Paley Center for Media continued with their annual Preview Parties, honoring what the major networks have to provide their viewers this fall. This time around the new shows coming to The CW were on display, starting with the new drama Arrow that is based on the character Oliver Queen aka Green Arrow from the DC Comics universe.

In this version of the story Oliver Queen is a billionaire playboy who goes missing and is presumed dead after a violent shipwreck. But, he is discovered five years after the at-sea tragedy on a remote island in the Pacific. Once home in Starling City, he is reunited with his family and best friend; but he is a changed man. He hides just how much he has changed and just how much he wants to make amends for his past actions by creating the persona of Arrow – a vigilante – to right the wrongs of his family, fight the ills of society and restore his city to its former glory.

After watching the debut episode of Arrow, a moderated panel, led by TV Guide Los Angeles correspondent Rob Moynihan, was held; including lead cast member Stephen Amell, Executive Producers Marc Guggenheim and Andrew Kreisberg as well as series creator Greg Berlanti.

Among the topics that were discussed during the panel, which was also streamed live online via Livestream, included the fact that Stephen was ironically the first actor who came in for an audition and the executive producers were sold on him from the get-go. This, of course, is not the norm; but they were very fortunate to find the right fit so quickly. The men also talked about the stunts featured in the pilot episode; namely the parkour used by Oliver throughout the episode that will be a prominent part of the series. There was also a discussion about the villains for whom Arrow will face in relation to the villains featured in the comic book world as well as how excited the cast and crew are in having actor John Barrowman (from Doctor Who and Torchwood fame) as a recurring guest star. Sadly, very little in terms of spoilers could be pried from the panelists so TV viewers will need to check out Arrow when it debuts on October 10 on The CW.

The rest of the evening was spent by watching the debut episodes for the new dramas Emily Owens, M.D. and Beauty and the Beast.

Emily Owens, M.D. is the new medical dramedy from The CW that will debut on October 16 that stars Mamie Gummer (Off the Map) – daughter of legendary actress Glenn Close – as first-year intern Emily Owens, who hopes to leave all the insecurities of her days in high school behind her by reaching her goal of becoming a doctor. On her first day at Denver Memorial Hospital she has her secret med-school crush – Will Collins (Justin Hartley from Smallville) – by her side; but to her shock her high school nemesis Cassandra Kopelson (newcomer Aja Naomi King) also works there. As the tagline goes for the show, “Emily is not only the new kid once again, but real life is also just as awkward as high school”. The cast includes Necar Zadegan (The Event and 24) and Michael Rady (The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants).

The new version of Beauty and the Beast, which will debut on October 11, is about Detective Catherine Chandler (Kristin Kreuk from Smallville), who witnessed the brutal murder of her mother by two gunmen back in 2003. She would have also been killed if not for some sort of “beast” who saved her life. In present day, Catherine finds a clue that leads her to the discovery of a handsome doctor named Vincent Keller (Jay Ryan from Terra Nova), presumed dead in 2002 while serving in Afghanistan. For the last ten years, Vincent has kept a low profile in order to hide the fact that when he becomes angry, he turns into a beast… the same beast that saved Catherine’s life years ago. The cast includes Austin Basis (Life Unexpected) and Brian J. White (Moonlight and Men of a Certain Age).

The audience response for the night seemed to be positive for both Arrow and Emily Owens, M.D. while Beauty and the Beast was on the receiving end of tepid response. For me, I highly recommend Arrow because it is dark with great action and good chemistry; Emily Owens needs a little work, eliminating the rather annoying voice-overs that seem to be far too prevalent in the pilot and rather focusing more on Emily’s relationship with resident Dr. Micah Barnes. As for Beauty and the Beast, I seem to be one of the few who actually liked it and can see promise in the show. It fits in with the typical programming for which The CW specializes and could become an interesting new take on the classic tale.

Tune in to the shows next month and judge for yourself.