Pilot Round Up: Part Uno

PUSHING DAISIES: Lee Pace? Bryan Fuller? Even before I read the script, I was inclined to like ABC's new "forensic fairytale." And I did. Now that I've seen the pilot (or pie-lette as it's so cutely labeled), I'm in love. It's the magic of Wonderfalls with healthy doses of Dead Like Me’s matter-of-fact, goofy darkness and Big Fish’s expansive visuals. I'm anxious to see where the story goes and also about how it will be received by a mass audience. Maybe its uniqueness will strike a chord. Maybe it'll be largely ignored like Fuller and Pace's other little masterpiece.

THE IT CROWD: Another one I wanted to like. It's not being picked up and it's just as well. I'm not sure why anyone was paid to write an almost exact replication of the UK version – save an Americanization or two and one dumbed down explanation of an originally absurdist joke. Oy. Instead of dwelling on miscasting and awkward execution, I'll just look forward to the UK's Season 2.

MISS/GUIDED: When I heard that Rob Thomas was going to be the showrunner of this one, I was so excited. Then he left amid "creative differences" and I was disappointed (don't you love this insight into my inner pysche?). I'm no longer disappointed. Judy Greer is a fantastic actress and very easy to root for. Sometimes I even felt myself rooting for her in 13 Going on 30 (and she's a villainous bitch in that). And yet, that fairly two-dimensional villain is way more interesting than her awkward guidance counselor in Miss/Guided. I don't even remember her name. And Brooke Burns (or Burke... the one who used to be blonde and broke her neck at some point) is completely flat as a generically bitchy former homecoming queen. I saw the twists coming from miles away and even then, they had me yawning.

SAM I AM: Speaking of 13 Going on 30, Christina Applegate's new show is a lot like a more grounded version of that film. And I mean that in a good way. This was a pilot that I wasn't apt to like. One of the co-creators, Cecelia Ahren, is a young, gorgeous writer whose first book I disliked so much I not only didn't finish it, I took it to the bookstore and demanded my money back. It's now been made into a film with Gerard Butler (mmm Attila...) so apparently not everyone had the same reaction. Anyway, I approached this pilot with the expectation that Ahren would once again disappoint. And she did. In that she didn't. Confused? Me too. Basically, I loved the pilot. Applegate has done no wrong since Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead and the supporting cast is stellar. Barry Watson is appealing as the mysteriously nice (ex)boyfriend and I'm already in love with Melissa McCarthy's cheerfully pathetic wannabe sidekick.