2007 Pilot Preview

I downloaded the four pilots that NBC made available at Amazon Unbox. We also found the pilot for The Big Bang Theory as an added thing on TiVo so we watched all five pilots this weekend.

Chuck

Chuck

Channel: NBC
Time: 8/7c
Premieres: September 24
Cast: Zachary Levi, Yvonne Strzechowski, Adam Baldwin, Joshua Gomez, Sarah Lancaster
Trailer

Synopsis: A supervisor of the Nerd Herd at the Buy More store, Chuck unwittingly downloaded thousands of encrypted images filled with government secrets into his brain when he opened an email (have to watch out for those attachments!). People are out to get him and others are trying to protect him. Chuck’s life just got a lot more exciting, but he’s not sure that’s what he wants.

I really enjoyed this one. I found it very charming and cute without being too coy. I didn’t roll my eyes once. I giggled mostly at it when it was over the top, but it was campy in a good way. It knew it was having fun. Chuck was great and the girl spy was very good too. I also liked his dorky friend who just doesn’t know when he’s overstayed his welcome, yet he’s never offended when anyone tells him to go. I liked the little joke about Chuck’s sister’s boyfriend being called Captain Awesome since he is always saying everything is awesome. Adam Baldwin’s character wasn’t too exciting. I was hoping he’d be funnier, but he’s playing it pretty straight. I hope he gets to loosen up a bit in future episodes. I do recommend it.

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Bionic Woman

Channel: NBC
Time: 9/8c
Premieres: September 26
Cast: Michelle Ryan, Will Yun Lee, Miguel Ferrer, Katee Sackhoff, Chris Bowers, Molly Price, Lucy Kate Hale
Trailer

Synopsis: An update on the 1970s series, but there isn’t much that is the same besides she is still called Jaime Sommers. After an accident that would have left her dead, she has her legs, one arm, her ear and one eye replaced with bionic parts. It is much darker and has tons of action.

I loved the action in this one. It was very serious though. I would have liked to see it lighten up a bit, but it was the pilot. It was setting up so much that it might lighten up as it moves on. If it does stay as dark and action-oriented, then it could still work. The action sequences were impressive except when they showed her running really fast. The computer generated image of her was much stockier than she was and it made her look like a guy. Beyond that though, everything else was believable. It reminded me of Alias in a lot of ways, which I loved so I can see myself getting into this.

journeyman_nbc

Journeyman

Channel: NBC
Time: 10/9c
Premieres: September 24
Cast: Kevin McKidd, Brian Howe, Gretchen Egolf, Moon Bloodgood, Reed Diamond
Trailer

Synopsis: A San Francisco reporter realizes he can travel back in time. He debates on whether he should change the past to keep his fiance from dying, but then destroy his current life with his wife and son.

The pilot was a bit disjointed and felt a little off, but I have hope for this series. It was like they had one thought, and then maybe had some suits tell them to make some changes so people would understand what is going on. What it ended up with is some weird jumps, and I’m not talking about the time travel parts. He can’t really hide his time travel since it likes to happen while he is sleeping or driving. I really enjoyed the little bits that showed you what time they were in, whether it was the 80s or 90s. There would be tv clips in the background from the Today show from the 80s, a sports game from the 90s where he already knew the score, a Less Than Zero billboard or people wearing huge padded shoulders with equally fabulous hair. I also liked that the scene where there was an intervention since his co-workers, family and friends think he’s on drugs since he disappears for days at a time when he time travels. You think his time travel would be more accommodating and put him back at the same time when he left, but apparently it doesn’t work that way. There is a mystery that might start explaining what’s going on with the time travel at the very end of show that makes me want to keep watching.

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Life

Channel: NBC
Time: 10/9c
Premieres: September 26
Cast: Damian Lewis, Sarah Shahi, Adam Arkin, Robin Weiger, Brooke Langon
Trailer

Synopsis: A cop was wrongly accused for a murder and was freed after 12 years. He gets a huge settlement from the government, but decides to go back to being a detective. He also is trying to figure out who framed him.

The previews that I saw for the show don’t do it justice. I really didn’t even want to give it a chance, even thought it was a free download. I’m glad I did. It was a lot better than I expected. He’s a kooky cop who is very Zen in order to survive being stuck in prison, and he has a thing for fruit. He eats a lot of fruit. I have no idea why, but I guess it is healthier than an addiction to chocolate or booze. What I don’t see in the trailers, but was my favorite part of the pilot was he was completely clueless about technology. He tries to catch up with new technology by buying a lot of stuff, but really doesn’t know what it does. He buys a Bentley and when his partner calls him, the car announces he has a call. He is baffled and says, “Hello?” while looking around. He’s amazed when she starts talking to him when he hasn’t touched a phone. Then she sends him a photo to his cell phone and that just startles him that can be done. He keeps saying he’s living in the future. It’s the lead actor that made this show for me, but I’ll be watching it.

Pilot_1

Big Bang Theory

Channel: CBS
Time: 8:30/7:30c
Premieres: September 24
Cast: Johnny Galecki, Jim Parsons, Kaley Cuoco, Simon Helberg, Kunal Nayyar
Trailer

Synopsis: A pretty blonde moves in next door to two geeks, but she finds them adorable rather than annoying.

We only watched this since we found it on TiVo sitting there waiting to be watched. Well, it is a typical sitcom. Some parts were funny and other parts were trying too hard. Jer was convinced that the taller of the two guys was reading off a cue card at one point. I wasn’t sure if it was that or if he was just not making eye contact to appear awkward. I haven’t ever really liked Kaley Cuoco. She seems off in her own little world and not really interacting with anyone else around her. She is the same way here. I won’t be watching this one, but I didn’t expect to anyway.

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