50 The number of new series presented this year by the studios and independents at the L.A. Screenings was impressive, fulfilling the networks’ need to be competitive with original content 365 days a year. With new (and competing) TV services like Netflix, Amazon and Hulu, the rush to produce the greatest amount of original content seems unstoppable. Children (and tweens) provided the greatest inspiration for new series. This is the case for The Whispers (Disney) in which aliens engage children in a diabolical game whose ultimate goal is the invasion of earth. Here the kids are creatures capable of intercepting the new, potentially life-threatening and menacing threat. The Knick (HBO), which is reminiscent of House, opens with a shocking cesarean section. Also impressive is the beginning of The Leftovers (HBO): Two percent of humanity disappears instantly from earth, coinciding with the disappearance of a newborn. Extant (CBS) has a double threat: the protagonist, played by Halle Berry, may be pregnant with a supernatural being, while the child she is raising may actually be a robotic experiment that, despite her and her husband’s efforts to teach him moral values, is capable of considerable aggression and violence toward his peers and even his mother. In Scorpion (CBS), the protagonist is a child prodigy, a misunderstood genius. In the first episode he meets another extremely smart and seemingly autistic child who engages in a game of chess, played with containers of salt and pepper in a pizzeria. In Allegiance (NBCUni), children are betrayed by their parents (Russian sleeper spies who have been based in the U.S. for many years and are abruptly awakened). InThe Affair (CBS), the female protagonist lives the drama of having to survive the loss of her son. The list goes on and on, including Gracepoint (Shine)—a remake of theU.K. seriesBroadchurch, which centers on the disappearance of a little boy. The lack of confidence in the present brought on some series set in the past. Some examples: Marvel’s Agent Carter (Disney), set in the 1940s with a refined elegance worthy of Mad Men; and Outlander (Sony), where the protagonist is projected back in time to find herself among soldiers in the war between England and Scotland in the 18th century. State of Affairs (NBCUni) andOdyssey (NBCUni) are set in recent times, but the flavor ismore remote, focusing on events related to forgotten wars. Penny Dreadful (CBS), a supernatural horror, plays with classic Victorian themes (e.g., Dorian Grey). Warner Bros. presented the largest number of franchised series. In Gotham, we find Batman in the environment from Blade Runner, and while not presenting any particular innovation, it was produced with great resources. In The Flash, the story moves from the killing of the mother of the superhero protagonist when he was just a child and seems to refer to the vampires inBreaking Dawn. In Forever, where Elementary meets Highlander, we find the immortal character gathering clues and signs of crime with Sherlockian deductive logic. He finds himself in water every time he dies, only to be reborn, completely wet, a moment later. Constantine, based on a successful comic, is about a detective struggling with criminal cases from other-worldly dimensions. Outside the Warner Bros. lot, but still in the supernatural realm is The Messengers (CBS), where the vibrations caused by the fall of a meteorite inNewMexicogivepeople superpowers in the manner of Heroes. 12 Monkeys (NBCUni) is based on the movie of the same name, starring a real time traveler who returns from 2043 back to 2012, to completely alter the course of events, in order to prevent the spread of an epidemic intended to decimate the world’s population in 2015. The miniseries Rosemary’s Baby (Lionsgate), in which mysterious characters devote their obsessive attention to a couple who will hand them a baby used to perform evil feats, is also based on a movie. Outside a few series based on true stories like CBS’s Scorpion (think Numbers) and CSI - Cyber (CBS), realism seems to have had more impact in the half-hour sitcoms. Mission Control, set in the late 1960s, is the only comedy with an outer space character. It takes place at NASA, revolving around the preparations for the first trip to the moon. For the rest of the sitcoms screened, there is lots of romance — from the progressive and advancedMarry Me (Fox) to the more traditional Your Family or Mine(Sony) to the classic romantic comedyBenched (Disney). In Fresh off the Boat, based on a true story, a Chinese family struggles with the process of settling in Orlando, Fla. Plus, there are plenty of pilots in the vein of Modern Family, such as One Big Happy (Warner Bros.), for which TV host Ellen DeGeneres has created a family unit consisting of a pair of lesbians who decide to have a child; and the aforementioned Marry Me, in which the protagonist’s parents are an interracialmale couple. As far as sitcoms are concerned there are series catering to the black community, includingBlackish (Disney) and Bad Judge (NBCUni), based on a female judge with a black teenager. The black community is well represented in drama as well, with series such as How to Get Away with Murder (Disney) and State of Affairs (NBCUni), which both have black female protagonists. Plus, Empire (Fox), is a black family saga that follows a former drug lord who has changed his life and created a record label with great success. Also interesting are American Crime (Disney) and Secrets and Lies (Disney), two thrillers: one based on racial tension, while the other tells of a child murder victim. *Luca Macciocca is a Rai-2 Cinema and TV programming executive. By Luca Macciocca * ABuyer’sPerspective: Children, Retro inDramas; RealismInComedies; EthnicDiversityOverall October 2014 New U.S. TV Season Disney’sThe Whispers In NBCUni’sAllegiancechildren are betrayed by their parents.
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