Fall 2013 TV Pilots Review

Via

Once Upon a Time in Wonderland

UNDECIDED

I really wanted to like this show, but so far it's pretty boring (granted I've only made it through one episode, so it may get better). I love Once Upon a Time and it's spin on all the fairy tales, but Once Upon a Time in Wonderland doesn't have that same charm for some reason. It's largely centered around Alice and Aladdin's genie (who are in love), as they try to escape from Jafar and the Queen of Hearts. Bizarre? Yes, definitely. Bizarre in a good way? I'm not so sure.

Update --> 1 THUMB DOWN

I suffered through another couple episodes but couldn't take it anymore. This isn't a horrible show; it just doesn't have any intrigue to it.  The thing I love about Once Upon a Time is the million intertwining fairytales; it's a unique take on the classic tales that we know and love. Wonderland, on the other hand, has basically only two fairytales intertwining (Aladdin and Alice) and that's just not interesting enough for me to want to keep watching. The latest episode I watched did start to tie in Robin Hood as well, but it's too little too late (plus I keep hearing rumors of cancellations).

Ravenswood

1 THUMB UP

So far so good. This spin-off of Pretty Little Liars has a much more supernatural vibe to it, which is intersesting, although odd considering the show it spun off from isn't supernatural in the least. As it stands on it's own though, it's pretty mysterious and intriguing, which suits me just fine. It follows five teenagers that are stuck in a 'Final Destination'-like situation in a town that doesn't seem to have aged since 1960. I've seen the first two episodes and will definitely keep tuning in to see what happens next!

Update --> 1 1/2 THUMBS UP

Yeah I'm definitely loving this one.  The mystery of it all is intriguing enough to keep me watching and they're keeping me guessing enough to not be boring. Great job, ABC Family!

Lucky 7

1 THUMB UP

This show was pretty awesome... too bad it got canceled after only two episodes. It was one of those "a bunch of people win the lottery by pooling their money together" type of shows that come around every few years and get cancelled right away (remember the show Windfall?). I absolutely love this story premise, but unfortunately have never actually been able to watch a show about it because they keep getting cancelled! Come on, people! Wish fulfillment is awesome!

The Tomorrow People

UNDECIDED

I've seen the first couple episodes of this and I think I remember it being intriguing, although obviously not quite enough to make me want to watch the next episode yet. I may get around to it, but we'll see. It reminds me a bit of the movie Jumper, mixed with the X-Men. If I remember right, the storyline was kind of all over the place, which generally means it's not going to hold my attention very long.

Update --> 1 THUMB DOWN

Alright I've seen 4-5 episodes now, and while I really want to like this show, it's got far too much "monster-of-the-week" style writing and far too little actual character & plot development for my taste. Add the random gratuitous violence that continually sneaks in for no apparent reason and it really makes me completely over this show. While Tomorrow People has an interesting premise, the writers can't seem to do anything with it.

The Originals

1 THUMB DOWN

I love The Vampire Diaries, but so far this spin-off is very dull and boring. It doesn't help that it's staring my least favorite characters from TVD (moody Klaus, and even more moody Marcellus), as well as a some new, even more annoying, characters (I'm looking at you, Hayley!). The storyline is somewhat interesting, so I'm trying to push through and keep watching, but I have a feeling that unless something super interesting happens, this one won't last long on my to-watch list.

Unfortunately The Originals has none of the wit, charm, or Ian-Somerholder-ness that TVD has going for it, and so far the most interesting character is a not-seen-very-often barmaid, Camille (and only because she's played by Leah Pipes, who was in another couple shows that I loved but were cancelled prematurely (Life is Wild, and The Deep End)). I don't hold out much hope for this show.

Witches of East End

1 THUMB UP

So far so good. This show can be a little cheesy, but the storyline is pretty good. It's about two sisters who not only discover that they're witches, but also that they're doomed to die and be re-born as babies w/in the year. Their mom and aunt are trying to figure out how to break the curse so that the girls can live this time around. Meanwhile, there's an evil dopelganger of the mother roaming around town killing people. (Don't worry, it's on Lifetime, so is generally a very violence-free show, despite what it sounds like). Though not the best show in the world, I'd say it's got potential.

Update --> 1 THUMB DOWN

This show is quickly getting both painfully creepy and painfully boring. While I can tolerate creepy if the storyline is fantastic (think... X-Files or Walking Dead), creepy with boring just isn't a good combination. I've got through about 4 episodes and they're still on the same basic storylines without much development into the plot. We've got the shifter-killer stalking the mother, one of the girls with a slightly creepy fiance and very hot fiance's brother, and the other girl who's just a librarian (nothing much interesting going on with her). I would have hoped by this many episodes in that we'd know more of their backstory, met more supernatural bad guys, had some sort of love-triangle with the fiance's brother, etc. Nope, nothing except the occasionally creepy scene whenever the mom does magic (in between very monotonous scenes where she's telling her daughters never to use magic). Seriously that's about all the show is so far - they definitely need some new writers.

Reign

2 THUMBS UP

Totally awesome show. I definitely recommend this one! It's loosely based on the life of Mary, Queen of Scots, when she moves to France at age 16 to marry Prince Francis (actually I believe in real life, she married him around age 12 or 13). Besides having a super intriguing, semi-supernatural mystery storyline going on, Anne of Green Gables is in it! Megan Follows plays the evil queen, out to get Mary, which is pretty entertaining, I must say, since I really have only ever seen her playing Anne Shirley. I definitely hope this show sticks around at least a few more seasons because it's a great show with good acting, cinematography, and storylines.

Update --> 3 THUMBS UP

This show keeps getting better. So far every main character is being developed pretty deeply, which is refreshing. No one-dimensional characters here! Mary is a strong, female character in an extremely patriarchal society, which is fascinating to watch. Plus all the dresses are pretty! ;)