My Wish List for Paley Fest 2015

Since 2004 I have been attended the annual Paley Fest hosted by the Paley Center for Media. Every year it is a guessing game as to which TV shows will be featured during the two week event.

The 2015 Paley Fest will, of course, be no exception with an official announcement expected in the early part of January. In fact, we may even learn about a few of the panels between the holidays; but until that time, I decided to make a wish list of the TV shows that I would love to see included in the annual fete.

I realize that many of these choices will not make the official list, but it sure would be great to see the cast and creative teams of these shows on the stage at the Dolby Theatre, the new location of the event since last year. Let’s hope that a few of them make it onto the list.

Here they are in no particular order:

Jane the Virgin – When it was first announced that this CW dramedy, based on a Venezuelan telenovela, was picked up by the network for the 2014-2015 TV season, I thought it was going to be a failure. But then I saw the charming and hysterical pilot at the Paley Center during its annual preview parties and I was hooked. The viewing audience as well as the critics have taken a liking to the show, too, with the series and star Gina Rodriguez earning Golden Globe nominations.

Arrow and The Flash – The Flash, of course, is a spin-off of the popular CW series Arrow, which has been featured during Paley Fest before; but wouldn’t it be great to have the two casts and their creative teams on the stage together. The Vampire Diaries and The Originals have joined together so why not these two shows, which are actually the top rated shows for the network.

Gotham – Gotham was one of the most anticipated new shows of the current fall TV season. The ratings for the show have not been in the double digits, but it has already built a loyal following and has aired some pretty impressive episodes, featuring classic characters like Ivy Pepper (Poison Ivy), Edward Nygma (The Riddler), Oswald Cobblepot (Penguin), Alfred Pennyworth, Selina Kyle (Catwoman), James Gordon and, of course, Bruce Wayne (Batman).

The Blacklist – This NBC drama starring legendary actor James Spader made a big splash last year, becoming the number one new drama of the 2013-2014 TV season; and it is still going strong in its second season. It would be great to have the cast and creative team on the stage before the show’s return on February 1 and maybe even get a sneak peek at what will be coming up on the show.

Scandal – Now in its fourth season, Scandal is one of the most-buzzed about dramas on the major networks right now with its apeshit crazy storylines and over-the-top characters. And, given that the show ended its November fall finale with Olivia Pope (series lead Kerry Washington) being kidnapped, who wouldn’t want to attempt to get some spoilers on who took her. Granted, series creator Shonda Rhimes is extremely tight-lipped about her shows and she keeps her casts on a tight leash so we probably won’t get much, but it would great to see the cast and creative team on stage.

Suits – Suits is the current top drama on the USA Network and is now in its fourth season, following legal eagles Harvey Specter, Jessica Pearson, Louis Litt and pseudo attorney Mike Ross as well as legal secretary extraordinaire Donna Paulsen and paralegal (soon-to-be-lawyer) Rachel Zane. As one of the best written cable series on the air, it deserves to be in the spotlight at the festival.

Outlander – This Starz drama is, of course, based on the international best-selling novel of the same name by Diana Gabaldon and quickly became one of the most-buzzed about shows of this year. The show was also recently chosen as Favorite Drama and its led characters Jamie and Claire were picked as Favorite Duo by TV Guide readers.

Teen Wolf – This MTV thriller, very loosely based on the box office film, has proven over its four seasons on air to be one of the best edge-of-your-seat dramas on cable TV. Yes, it has a lot of hot bodies and romance, but it is well-written with terrifying villains and amazing fight scenes.

Grimm – This NBC fairytale drama has been on the air for four seasons now, and deserves to get some love from Paley Fest. It has consistently surprised viewers with amazing special effects with all of the Wesen creatures it has introduced and the interwoven stories of all its characters.

Scorpion – The concept behind this new CBS drama, when first introduced, was hard to believe or buy into: a genius with an IQ of 197 runs his own company filled with other geniuses who work with the federal government on highly sensitive cases to save the world. But once it aired it quickly became a popular series that has consistently proven to be a ratings hit for the network.

Haven – Haven is the long-running Syfy drama based on the Stephen King short-story “The Colorado Kid” that centers on a small town in Maine where most of the residents have some kind of supernatural “trouble” that causes major disturbances for the entire town and the members of the local police department.

The Fosters – This ABC Family drama takes a different look at what makes a family, focusing on same-sex couple Stef and Lena Adams-Foster, who are the parents to five kids: one biological child from Stef’s first marriage, two adopted twin siblings and recent additions siblings Jude and Callie.

Orphan Black – This cable drama took viewers by storm two seasons ago on BBC America and stars one of the most talented actresses of the modern age, Tatiana Maslany, who has appeared as – in one way or another – about 12 different versions of a clone, who are being hunted by several different zealous groups.

When Calls the Heart – This family friendly drama from the Hallmark Channel is based on the book franchise by Canadian author Janette Oke, telling the story of a pampered socialite who ventures into the Canadian West to be a school teacher in a small coal mining town and her relationship with her students, the townspeople and the Canadian Mountie sent there to protect her.

There you have it: my choices for the 2015 Paley Fest. What TV shows would you like to see featured at this year’s Paley Fest. Please share.