TCA 2009: CBS' NCIS: L.A., Three Rivers Get the Treatment

NCIS: Los AngelesTuesday 9 p.m. -The Premise:Spun off from sleeper success NCIS (itself a spinoff from JAG), Chris O’Donnell and rapper/sitcom star LL Cool J head line this ensemble drama about the people who work in the undercover unit of NCIS in Los Angeles. -Competition: Dancing With the Stars (ABC), The Biggest Loser (NBC), So You Think You Can Dance (Fox), Melrose Place (The CW) -Who Was on the Panel (at the Set Visit):LL Cool J, Chris O’Donnell, Rocky Carroll, Peter Cambor, Adam Jamal Craig, Linda Hunt, Daniela Rush and executive producer Shane Brennan. -The Scoop:Out of NCIS (and spun off from NCIS), the expectations for NCIS: Los Angeles are higher than any new series. According to Chris O’Donnell: “What’s exciting is having the network behind you and promoting the show. It’s tough whether you are doing a film or a TV show if you don’t have the support and the advertising and the marketing, which is obviously a huge part of it. It does raise some expectations. My biggest concern, and I think most of us, is to please the current NCIS fans because there’s very loyal fans and a huge following. And if new people tune into the show, that’s great. But I feel more pressure to live up to their expectations than I do to the network or the studio expectations, to be honest with you.” -The Reality:Yes, I am concerned that back-to-back hours of NCIS is one too many. The CSI franchise all airs independently, after all. But the compatibility is flawless. Lead-in NCIS is the unsung hero in primetime (and stands up well opposite American Idol). And the pilot was already clearly sampled. If there is one new show that will click, NCIS: Los Angeles is it. Too bad, though, that the idea is not more creative. -Chance of Survival for NCIS: Los Angeles (Based on a scale of 1-1 to 10-1):1-1 -Did You Know?:Chris O’Donnell’s first attempt at a regularly scheduled scripted series, Fox dramedy Head Games, lasted for only a handful of episodes in 2005. Three Rivers Sunday 9 p.m. -The Premise:Organ transplants and donation through the eyes of doctors, donors and recipients is the focus of this new medical drama. The cast includes Joaquim de Almedia, Christopher Hanke, Daniel Henney, Justina Machado, Katherine Moennig, Alex O’Loughlin and Julia Ormond. -Lead-in: The Amazing Race (CBS)-Competition: Desperate Housewives (ABC), Sunday Night Football (NBC), Family Guy and American Dad (Fox) -Who Was on the Panel (at the Set Visit):Christopher Hanke, Daniel Henney, Justina Machado, Kate Moennig, Alex O’Loughlin and creator and show runner Carol Barbee. -The Scoop:The premise of the show, according to Carol Barbee: “We are going to tell three stories that will ultimately become one story per episode. So we'll always drop into two separate worlds and introduce you to two separate groups of people, and you won't know who is going to be the donor or who is going to be the recipient until something happens and they end up at Three Rivers. The idea of the shooter is that the shooter himself isn't important. It's about how random things happen in this world, about how you think you have all the time in the world, and you don't. You never know what's going to happen, and the lives that get brought together in our show and actually in real life, they're brought together by random events. It is about dropping you into a world where you see these people and what’s at stake in the world and then watching them get some sort of resolution at the end.” -The Reality:Out of escapist The Amazing Race and opposite ABC’s Desperate Housewives, the last thing women (or anyone for that matter) will probably want to watch on the eve of returning to work is a serious medical drama. Unless CBS pushes back the start date, count on Three Rivers as the first new cancellation of the season. Former time-period occupant Cold Case could be back at 9 p.m. by the November sweeps (leading into drama repeats). Mark my words when I say that Three Rivers will not last. -Chance of Survival for Three Rivers (Based on a scale of 1-1 to 10-1):10-1 -Did You Know?:The last new drama of a medical nature on CBS, 3 Lbs, lasted a mere three episodes in November 2006.

Convergent TV

TCA 2009: CBS' NCIS: L.A., Three Rivers Get the Treatment

Marc Berman

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Marc Berman