Good News for The CW: Fall Freshmen Reaper and Aliens in America are Among the Critics' Favorite New Series

Ed Martin Live at the Television Critics Association TourBeverly Hills CA What a difference a year makesThe CW network39s presentation Friday at the Television Critics Association tour was that of a solid established network primed to enjoy significant success with its targeted demographic those ferociously fickle 1834 yearolds who would just assume talk or text or watch five minute viral videos than sit down in front of a television program and actually pay attention to itThat39s a big change from last summer when The CW felt like little more than a cobbled together mix of aging properties plucked from the remains of The WB and UPNIndeed The CW39s roster of new series heading in to the 200708 season seems to have the best collectivebuzz among the nation39s critics Seriously since the TCA tour began two weeks ago I have asked dozens of them which new shows they like best ABC39s Pushing Daisies is generally the first response followed by various ruminations on why it may not last but that39s an issue we39ll get to later this week when ABC closes out the tour Almost to a critic the next two series named are CW newbies Reaper and Aliens in AmericaFor those who may not know Reaper is a supernatural comedydramaactionadventure about a young man who learns that his parents once sold his soul to the devil and is now charged by Satan to capture demons that have escaped from hell Aliens in America is about a 16yearold nerd in a small Midwestern town who finds a new friend when his family inadvertently takes in a Pakistani Muslim exchange studentThe CW39s other two new scripted shows Gossip Girl and Life is Wild don39t appear to be headed toward anyone39s topten list but critics overall have responded to the high quality of both productions and they are very interested in both Gossip Girl about superwealthy teenagers on the Upper East Side of New York City who are so morally adrift they seem not to be human is becoming a lightning rod of controversy because many critics feel it depicts alcohol drugs and casual sex among teens as glamorous and is being largely targeted to teenaged girls Conversely Life is Wild about a veterinarian and his family who relocate to South Africa seems poised to fill the family viewing void left by the departure of the longrunning hit 7th Heaven As an added bonus it is filled with adorable animals two of which a snoozing baby lion and an adult cheetah with a very loud purr appeared with the cast via satellite from a location near Johannesburg during the session for this showThe response by the TCA membership to these series and other CW properties wasn39t a total lovefest but given the edgy contemporary content of so many of the network39s shows that couldn39t have come as a surprise to any of its executives There were many concerns expressed about Aliens the pilot of which plays right into every Hollywood stereotype about small town America and presents the young Pakistani Muslim as the very soul of tolerance and enlightenment a naturally combustible combo these days or so one might assume But even though several critics especially those from the south and the Midwest took the creators of Aliens to task during a press conference for that show the room never turned against it That39s because it39s wellproduced and wellacted and because Adhir Kalyan the young South African actor who portrays the exchange student was articulate engaging and very wittyBy the way I39m thrilled to report that a scene involving a gun in a school that had been played for laughs in the pilot and which I found especially repugnant has been removedDuring her press conference CW entertainment president Dawn Ostroff when she wasn39t answering questions about the Pussycat Dolls39 reality franchise a favorite target of TCA members addressed concerns about Aliens and Gossip She disagreed with the suggestion that Aliens is in any way condescending toward the Midwest quotWe look at it like it could be anywhere in Americaquot she said quotIt could be in a city and it39s just about a familyquotAbout the content of Gossip which one critic noted would likely quotgive a lot of parents a lot of troublequot Ostroff reminded everyone that the show is based on a series of youngadult books that have sold over 10 million copies so there is already broad familiarity with the franchise Gossip she said quottakes place in a heightened reality It39s just so glamorous and it39s not very much like everybody39s normal lifequotBut what about the CWgenerated Web site that invites kids into the world of Gossip Girl another critic askedquotIt39s more about being able to find the clothes that the characters are wearing and being able to tap into the music they hear on the show and viewers being able to watch the show while talking to their friends on the social networking part of our sitequot Ostroff explainedGiven that The CW is not yet one year old the fact that so many critics and journalists are suddenly so focused on so many of its shows has to be good news for executives at the network and its parent companies Warner Bros and CBS Last year during TCA nobody had anything good to say about Hidden Palms The Game and Runaways Critics instead were in an uproar over the decision not to include the beloved WB drama Everwood on The CW39s inaugural scheduleNot all of The CW39s new 200708 series will work but so far they are the most talked about freshmen class of the new season In fact if the response here at TCA is any indication and if its producers really focus Reaper could end up being the hottest new series on any network this fall That has to count for somethingamp160amp160amp160

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Good News for The CW: Fall Freshmen Reaper and Aliens in America are Among the Critics' Favorite New Series

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Good News for The CW: Fall Freshmen Reaper and Aliens in America are Among the Critics' Favorite New Series

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