TV Shows I Want To See

(part one of an infinite series)

What's up, TV executives? Hey, how about making these TV shows?

Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters - come on! This idea is just out there, begging to be made. It has everything - teenagers, mutant powers. Well, that's all, really, but isn't that "everything"? Yes, it is. So make the show.

   In case you need more reasons:

(1) Just think of the young hot cast you can get (cheap!) and then splash all over ads and commercials! Maybe two of them will start dating in real life - free publicity! Woo!

(2) You can cast a big name as Professor Xavier - now, you probably won't get Patrick Stewart, but I bet some other dignified Brit would be willing to whiz around in the wheelchair and provide wise guidance to young mutants. Ooh - or you could go for young Xavier, with added sex appeal!

(3) Ready made story ideas. You'd barely have to hire writers!

(4) Built in audience - not just from the comics, but from the movies too. Cha-ching!

    I do have one word of warning. If you mess this up, I will hunt each of you down and force you to watch Smallville. THE WHOLE SERIES. Let this be a warning and a lesson - if you take something awesome and ruin it like Smallville did, I will be very displeased, and you will have to watch Smallville High football players gain the ability to walk through walls from Kryptonite-infused tattoos. You don't want that.

Same Cast, Different Story - I remember after the first season on 24 no one had any idea how they would continue the show. We scoffed, "What, is Jack Bauer's daughter going to get kidnapped again? Oh, and terrorists happen to be attacking at the same time? Hah ha!" We were naive then, and didn't know that Jack Bauer's daughter could in fact be sort of kidnapped again, and that terrorists have awesome timing. But one of the ideas for the second season was to use the same cast, but tell a different 24 hour story about different characters. And I still love that idea. I stay awake at night wondering what Prison Break is going to do next year (assuming they either make it to Mexico or expose the conspiracy and are somehow not imprisoned for their actual (and numerous!) crimes). The show-runner joked that Michael and Linc would escape another high security prison, which was funny. Seriously, though, what are they going to do?

   Here's my idea: Use the cast, but now they are, say, investment bankers, one of whom is involved in the mob. Awesome! They get to wear suits, and there is suspicion all around, and maybe someone has a gambling problem, etc. The little bonus here is seeing the recasting - suddenly T-Bag is the dedicated family man and boss! Michael is into the mob for $250,000! Tweener the intern! The mayor runs the Abruzzi crime family (shoutout!). You get the fun of whatever the new plot is, plus the added charge of seeing the actors in new roles, with their old roles as sort of running subtext.

Firefly - I have this great idea for a show. It's set in the future, after a civil war has empowered a centralized monolithic government. People live on the fringes, forced to either cede to government control or scrape a living on the edges of society. Maybe a bunch of people commit crimes together to get by. They can all live on a ship, say a Firefly class ship, and come from different backgrounds. Maybe they are led by a damaged, laconic man with a tired thirst for revenge and a fierce loyalty to his ship and her crew. Oh, maybe we could throw in a crazed but lovely young girl (is she a danger? or salvation?). May I also suggest some unrequited love? Oh, and have everyone talk all cool.

Comments

[Ta]

Um...Ro?

[Ro]

Yes?

[Ta]

Uh, nothing. I have these DVDs you should probably watch though.