
Ol’ G-Dubs, coming to a TV near you?
During a recent AMC pilot presentation, in which hopeful writers and producers laid out plans for their shows to the network’s Powers That be, “six scripts [were] identified…as the strongest pilot contenders,” according to Deadline. TOLD YA.com also got a bit of information about each series. After the jump, I’ve ranked the series on how badly I’d want them on AMC, from the least to most interesting sounding.
One note: It’s not a guarantee any of these series from the program will go to pilot (none did last year), but, says Deadline, “The year before, when the showcase was introduced for the first time, the script for “Hell on Wheels” was among the finalists.” So you never know. Here they are.
#6. Chris Mundy‘s “Low Winter Sun,” an adaptation of the New Zealand Gothic murder mystery series
Sounds like “The Killing,” so NEXT.
#5. Jason Cahill‘s “F/V Mean Tide,” about a Maine lobster fishing family
Aren’t there already 67 shows with this exact premise on the Discovery Channel? Jason Cahill does have the “Fringe” background going for him, though.
#4. Craig Silverstein‘s “Turn,” about George Washington’s spy ring
The Culper Ring helped take down the original Benedict Arnold, Benedict Arnold, so it’s an interesting topic. But I’d like to see AMC stay in the present, considering they already have two “historical” shows.
#3. Richard LaGravenese‘s “Philly Lawyer,” about a law student
“PHILLY JUSTICE”??? Alternate title: “The Danger Guerrero Story.”
#2. Jake Paltrow & Robbie Kinberg‘s “Crystal Pines,” about a journalist who signs up for a cloning experiment
It’s no “Dog with a Blog,” but I’m a sucker for TV shows about journalists, like, um, “Sex and the City” and “The Lone Gunmen”…OK, so maybe I like the IDEA of TV shows about journalists.
#1. Kerry Williamson‘s “Sacred Games,” an epic story of crime and punishment in modern Mumbai based on the novel by Vikram Chandra.
The book is nearly 1,000 pages long (plenty of material) and India is a fascinating, essentially untapped setting for a TV show. Plus, the plot – having to do with a Sikh member of the Mumbai police force and an Indian gangster – sounds intriguing. This show should happen.



India is a fascinating, essentially untapped setting for a TV show…
See, that’s true, but everything related to Indian culture that I’ve experienced, despite my best efforts to maintain a positive attitude, has left me feeling simply bored beyond belief.
Order chicken vindaloo and ask them to make it extra spicy. You’ll soon experience a wide range of emotions, but “boredom” won’t be one of them.
I think people said the same thing about Outsourced. Woof.
A Mumbai engineer falls in love with a Rolling Tide cheerleader from Tuscaloosa. Hijinks ensue when he brings her back to India to meet his parents, who have already arranged for him to be married!
Bama Sutra, coming this fall to NBC!
But I assume this one would actually be filmed in India. And chicken vindaloo is amazing, as is most Indian cuisine.
Indian food makes me Sikh.
But seriously, I would watch Turn, or at least give it a chance.
If the theme song to #3 is anything but “Motownphilly” by Boyz II Men, everyone at AMC should be fired.
#3. Richard LaGravenese‘s “Philly Lawyer,” about a law student. Alternate title: “The Danger Guerrero Story.”
Read as, “‘Franklin & Bash’ with cheesesteaks.”
Are there Tastykakes? If there are Tastykakes, I’m in.
Law student by day, Wawa manager by night?
First up on the docket, the case of Decency vs. Scrapple.
“India is a fascinating, essentially untapped setting for a TV show…”
Don’t forget about “Outsourced” on NBC.
Cancelled because the writers couldn’t manage to keep up the pace of twelve stereotypes per minute.
I’d go with Crystal Pines. If they take the ethics of cloning seriously, it’s got the potential to be reeeaaaally interesting.
George Washington’s very own API? One Colonial Rubicon please!
Yup. Turn, turn, turn, to everything there is a season.
The book was actually Sacred Games, and it was really fucking boring.
Wow. Nothing I’m moved by.
Can’t we just have Pete Cambpell Beatdown be a half-hour thing?
“Hi, join me later for Beatdown. I’m your host, Pete Campbell. Fellow victim this week will be Joffrey Baratheon. Our Celebrity smacker will be Sam Jackson, promoting The Avengers and also making us cry like little girls.”
Culper Ring TV series?
Only if it leads into a Y: The Last Man series.
Agent 355 can play Mrs. Washington!
I immediately thought the same thing. A Y the Last Man series would be fuggin awesome.
A series about the Culper Ring would be great. Like John Adams meets 24. Can we get a subplot about the Culper Ring helping to conceal Martha’s W’s pot garden from George?
Martha Washington maaaan she was a hip hip lady…
Only Turn sounds remotely interesting.
Turn. Though i don’t care for the title. “Washington: Impossible!” would be better.
…this parchment will self-incinerate in one hourglass…
AMC’s only scheduling concern should be which B-rate films from the 80′s and 90′s they can acquire to replace the hours of “CSI” reruns. Until then I’m not interested in hearing about new shows.
Being Indian, I think the Indian thing sounds pretty good. My people need to have better stereotypes than successful doctors and businessmen. We have very few stuck-up TV-actors, especially since Mindy Kaling is actually pretty cool.
I say none…. what AMC does well with their original / adapted shows is tell stories with very deep characters. So will they FINALLY take a Stephen King book like The Stand or The Dome or 11/22/63 and stretch it out over a couple of seasons. That would be awesome.
I’d love to see “Low Winter Sun” replace The Killing outright.