Bookish TV: a sneak peek at Fall 2012

The few, the proud, the soon to be airing –  here’s a peek at the TV shows that survived the gauntlet of pilot season and are now officially set to arrive on our small screens this fall. Take a look at what’s to come:

666 Park Avenue (ABC)

EP/W: David Wilcox, Gina Girolamo, Leslie Morgenstein
Based on: The eponymous novel by Gabriella Pearce

Logline:  A young couple manages one of the most historic apartment buildings in New York City and unwittingly experience supernatural occurrences that complicate and endanger the lives of everyone in the building.  

Byrt’s take: Eh. I’ll give anything with Terry O’Quinn in it a try, but this teaser just isn’t doing a whole lot for me – seems like this show will be to horror what Grimm is to Urban Fantasy (i.e. a trope mire). But hopefully I’m wrong…

Last Resort (ABC)

EP/W: Shawn Ryan
Based on: Not a thing – but given that it’s a Shawn Ryan show (a la The Shield, Terriers), you know it’s going to be smart.

Logline: Follows the crew of the nuclear submarine USS Nevada who after disobeying a suspicious order become fugitives. They land on the island of Sainte Marina, where they take over the NATO Listening Station and declare themselves an independent nuclear nation.

Byrt take: Intriguing idea, with a serious cast to back it up – Andre Braugher is always a force to be reckoned with. Will it work? No idea, but I’ll definitely stick around long enough to find out.

Elementary (CBS)

EP/W: Rob Dohery
Based on: Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes

Logline: A modern-day adaptation of Sherlock Holmes, set in New York City. Oh and Watson’s a girl.

Byrt take: When I sat down to read this script, being the rabid Sherlock fan that I am, I was primed to hate Elementary on principle alone – but I actually found myself liking it. It’s different enough that it dosen’t bump up against Sherlock too badly, and the casting is inspired. I’m in.


Beauty & The Beast (CW)

EP/W: Sherri Cooper & Jenniver Levin
Based on: The 80’s TV show, which is based on, you guessed it, Beauty and the Beast.

Logline: This time around, Beauty is a Detective in modern-day New York City, and her Beast is an Iraqi war vet who was subjected to Army medical experiments.

Byrt take: Yes, it’s going to be sappy, and yes, it might not be all that good, but I am totally a sucker for this kind of show. I’ll be watching.

Green Arrow

EP/W: Marc Guggenheim & Andrew Kreisberg
Based on: DC’s Green Arrow comics

Logline: A modern retelling of the legendary DC Comics character Green Arrow.

Byrt take: Well, the boy certainly has nice abs, but the jury’s still out on this one. I’m afraid it might be trying a little too hard to be Christopher Nolan esque…


The Following (FOX)

EP/W: Kevin Williamson (yes, he of Vampire Diaries fame)
Based on: Nada. Zip. Zilch. But hey, it just sounds cool.

Logline: A thriller about an ex-FBI agent, Ryan Hardy (Kevin Bacon), who leads the search to catch a diabolical serial killer, Joe Carroll (James Purefoy), who has created a cult of serial killers.

Byrt take: Looks deliciously creepy – here’s hoping it’s smart too.

Do No Harm (NBC)

EP/W: David Schulner, Peter Traugott, Rachel Kaplan
Based on: Robert Louis Stevenson’s Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde (loosely) 

Logline: A brilliant neurosurgeon (Steven Pasquale) wrestles with his dangerous alter-ego, who threatens to wreak havoc on his personal and professional life.

Byrt take: I am 100% unconvinced – Revenge this is not – but I might, might watch the pilot…

And there you have it – but these are just the tip of the iceberg: The CW’s The Carrie Diaries (a Sex in the City prequel), and Cult, and NBC’s Hannibal (a Red Dragon/Silence of the Lambs prequel) also sound intriguing, but sadly no trailers have been released as of yet.

So what do you think? Will you be watching?