Before the L.A. Screenings begins, the action revolves around New York City, which has been a hotbed of industry activity this week, with the U.S. network Upfronts in full swing. Fox and NBC made their pilot pick-up announcements on Monday, May 17, ABC followed on Tuesday, and CBS and The CW will bring up the rear with Upfronts on Wednesday the 19th and Thursday the 20th respectively. VideoAge’s complete list of new shows for the 2010-2011 season will be available in print and online on May 22.
Meanwhile, the early pickup list shows NBC skewing towards drama, with seven one-hour drama orders as compared to five comedies and one reality show. Dramas include , distributed by NBC Universal, which follows the story of an honest cop who adopts the persona of a masked superhero after he is framed for a crime. On the comedy side is , centering on a group of friends who are not opposed to hooking up while they look for serious relationships.
On Fox’s lineup are three new dramas and four new comedies, for a total of seven pick-ups. Romantic comedy Running Wilde comes from the creators of quirky laugher Arrested Development, and stars Will Arnett and Keri Russell as opposites who attract. Also debuting this fall will be Lonestar, a provocative drama set against the backdrop of the oil industry in Texas.
For its part, ABC picked up 10 new shows, seven of which will be included in its primetime lineup. Medical drama “Off the Map” will join the ABC slate in midseason, while “Body of Proof,” which centers on forensics, will be makes its premiere in fall. Both series are distributed by Disney. On the comedy side is Matthew Perry vehicle Mr. Sunshine, as well as Happy Endings and family-oriented series Better Together.
At press time, CBS and The CW had yet to make their announcements. However, early buzz indicated that sitcom Mike and Molly could be a sure thing for CBS. Created by Chuck Lorre, the series centers on a couple who meets at a support group for over-eaters. Though there is no word yet from mini-net The CW, its safe to safe it will pick up a good number of the five drama pilots it commissioned.
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