2013 Paley Preview Parties: FOX

The 9th Annual Paley Preview Parties is being held this week at the Paley Center for Media in Beverly Hills, saluting each of the major networks and featuring screenings of some of their new comedies and dramas set to debut in just a few weeks.

On Monday night, FOX took center stage with an appearance by the cast and creative minds behind the new sitcom Brooklyn Nine-Nine. The moderated panel handled by Debra Birnbaum, the President of TV Guide Magazine, featured cast members Andy Samberg, Andre Braugher, Terry Crews, comedienne-writer-actress Chelsea Peretti, character actor Joe Lo Truglio, soap star Melissa Fumero and newcomer Stephane Beatriz as well as executive producers Daniel Goor, Michael Schur and David Milner.

Since I am not a fan of comedies, I cannot really recommend Brooklyn Nine-Nine for your weekly viewing, but if you are a fan of Andy Samberg or Andre Braugher, I am sure you will find something to enjoy out of this workplace comedy set in a fictional New York police precinct. The sitcom will debut on FOX on September 17 at 8:30 PM so tune in and judge for yourself.

Following the screening of Brooklyn Nine-Nine and the moderated panel were screenings of the new dramas Sleepy Hollow and Almost Human as well as the new comedies Dads and Enlisted. I can happily state that both dramas are worth watching (more on that shortly); however, Dads – the sitcom starring Seth Green (late of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and the Emmy winning animated series Robot Chicken) and Giovanni Ribisi (My Name is Earl and the box office film Avatar) – is nothing more than a sad excuse for a series that will undoubtedly crash and burn before it has aired less than a handful of episodes. As for the new comedy Enlisted, I did not even stick around to watch it, as thankfully both dramas were screened beforehand.

Now, let’s get down to the two FOX dramas: Sleepy Hollow and Almost Human. First, Sleepy Hollow is a new mystery-adventure series from Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci (the men behind the Star Trek remake and the Transformers franchise as well as the TV series Fringe)

Sleepy Hollow focuses on Ichabod Crane (British actor Tom Mison from the box office film Salmon Fishing in the Yemen), who is resurrected and pulled two and a half centuries through time to unravel a mystery that dates all the way back to the founding fathers. [Thank you FOX TV for that description!] The cast includes Nicole Beharie (from the box office films 42 and Shame), Orlando Jones (MADtv) and Katia Winter (Dexter).

This was the second time I had the opportunity to see the pilot episode [Thank you San Diego Comic Con!] and I enjoyed the repeat screening as much as the first. The pilot episode provides great exposition on Ichabod Crane and the Headless Horseman, including plenty of action, gunplay and witty repartee between Ichabod and Detective Abbie Mills (Beharie) especially in her attempts to explain away 250 years of history to the 21st century-clueless Ichabod.

Sleepy Hollow will debut on FOX on September 16 at 9 PM.

As for Almost Human, the year is 2048 in a world where police officers are partnered with highly evolved human-like androids. Imagine the show as I, Robot – but without the three rules – and the Canadian time-travel cop drama Continuum in terms of the futuristic equipment and procedures. The drama has plenty of action and thrills and a long-standing mystery that will keep viewers tuning back each week to determine who done it.

The series focuses on Detective John Kennex (box office star Karl Urban), a cop who survived one of the most catastrophic attacks ever made against the police department. After waking up from a 17-month coma, he can’t remember much except that his partner was killed, he lost one of his legs and he is now outfitted with a highly sophisticated synthetic appendage. He also ends up with an android partner known as DRN – aka Dorian – (Michael Ealy from Common Law), a slightly lower level robot than the current MX models typically partnered with the cops of 2048.

Among the cast is Lili Taylor (The Conjuring and Six Feet Under), Mackenzie Crook (the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise), Minka Kelly (Friday Night Lights) and Michael Irby (The Unit). The series comes from uber-executive producer J.J. Abrams (Lost, Alias and Felicity) and creator J.H. Wyman (Fringe).

Almost Human will debut on FOX on November 4.

Mark your calendars for Sleepy Hollow and Almost Human.