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Good Christian Bitches

With a title that’s both snappy and confident, Good Christian Bitches co-stars Kristin Chenoweth in a show about a former high school “mean girl” who returns to her hometown after a divorce to earn a second chance at making nice with her former peers. Darren Star, who’s created both hits (Sex and the City) and misses (Miss Match) over his lengthy career in TV, is the creative force behind it.

I think I’m more in love with the title than anything else, but having Chenoweth involved - she was also in ABC’s short-lived Pushing Daisies - doesn’t hurt.

Pan Am

I couldn’t help but think of a looser, soapier version of Mad Men when reading over this one’s synopsis. Titled Pan Am, the show is about a group of flight attendants - Christina Ricci included - working at Pan Am Airlines during the ‘60s Jet Age. I don’t know that ‘60s period piece is enough to help a show goes to series, but it seems to be working for me just fine.

Once Upon a Time

With Grimm, NBC apparently isn’t the only network invested in fairy tale characters. Once Upon a Time, with a very available Ginnifer Goodwin (she just wrapped Big Love), is about a woman who enters a world of magic and ambiguity after a young boy shows up on her doorstep. Seasonal characters will be Snow White, Jiminy Cricket, Prince Charming and so on.

The accessibility alone makes this one an easy choice, as does the idea of Once Upon a Time appealing to young families looking to teach their little ones about the world of fantasy without the need for books and illustrations. Well, I assume this one appeals to younger people anyway.

Damage Control

I’m rounding out my picks with yet another show from Grey’s Anatomy creator Shonda Rhimes, who’s quietly become the Dick Wolf, I guess, of ABC. She spun off Grey’s to form Private Practice, then started executive producing a struggling show about med doctors in the Amazon called Off the Map. Shonda stamps her name on things, and ABC usually accepts it.

And now, the shows ABC will, I think, likely pass on. I mostly didn’t go with these because they sounded a bit general, overplayed or not fitting in with network demos:

Georgetown - A soap revolving around the young people behind D.C. power brokers.
Partners - Two police detectives are extremely loyal to one another because they’re related.
The River - A family tries to rescue their missing patriarch in the Amazon. Paranormal Activity creator Oren Peli is onboard.
Poe - A crime procedural with Edgar Allen Poe as the lead.
Identity - An elite police unit fights identity-related crime.
Grace - A super soapy drama about a dance choreographer (Eric Roberts) who has three daughters from different mothers.
Revenge - A modernized version of The Count of Monte Cristo with a female lead.

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