As the networks rally their new line-ups for the 2013-2014 TV season, we’re now getting a peek at some of the projects they’ve had in development, many of which will be replacing those that didn’t make the cut (such as the Beverly Hills Cop TV show, which was not picked up). Today, Fox unveiled a slew of new trailers for some of their upcoming shows, two of which show quite a bit of promise. J.J. Abrams‘ Almost Human, starring Karl Urban and Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci‘s Sleepy Hollow with Tom Mison both look like the right mix of action, sci-fi, concept, and character to draw in viewers that fit the demographic (i.e. most of us here). In addition, NBC debuted a trailer for its revisionist take on Bram Stoker‘s Dracula with Jonathan Rhys Meyers in the titular role, which is from the producers of…Downton Abby?
Scroll below for the trailers and synopsis for each show.
Executive-produced by Emmy Award winner J.J. Abrams (“Fringe,” “Lost,” the “Star Trek” and “Mission: Impossible” franchises) and creator J.H. Wyman (“Fringe,” “The Mexican”) and starring Karl Urban (“Star Trek”), Michael Ealy (“Sleeper Cell,” “Common Law”) and Emmy Award nominee Lili Taylor (“Six Feet Under,”), ALMOST HUMAN is a high-tech, high-stakes action drama set 35 years in the future, when police officers are partnered with highly evolved human-like androids. An unlikely partnership is forged when a part-machine cop (Urban) is forced to pair with a part-human robot (Ealy) as they fight crime and investigate a deeper cover-up in a futuristic new world.
From co-creators/executive producers Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci (the “Star Trek” and “Transformers” franchises, “Fringe”) comes the adventure thriller SLEEPY HOLLOW. In this modern-day retelling of Washington Irving’s classic, ICHABOD CRANE (Tom Mison, “Salmon Fishing in the Yemen”) is resurrected and pulled two and a half centuries through time to find that the world is on the brink of destruction and that he is humanity’s last hope, forcing him to team up with a contemporary police officer (Nicole Beharie, “Shame,” “American Violet”) to unravel a mystery that dates back to the founding fathers.
Golden Globe winner Jonathan Rhys Meyers (“The Tudors”) stars in this provocative new drama as one of the world’s most iconic characters.
It’s the late 19th century, and the mysterious Dracula has arrived in London, posing as an American entrepreneur who wants to bring modern science to Victorian society. He’s especially interested in the new technology of electricity, which promises to brighten the night – useful for someone who avoids the sun. But he has another reason for his travels: he hopes to take revenge on those who cursed him with immortality centuries earlier. Everything seems to be going according to plan… until he becomes infatuated with a woman who appears to be a reincarnation of his dead wife.
From the producers of the critically acclaimed, Emmy Award-winning hit “Downton Abbey” comes “Dracula,” a twisted, sophisticated and sexy take on Bram Stoker‘s classic novel, proving that some stories never die. One-hour drama.
I’m intrigued by each of these as they’ve all got quite a bit going for them. Karl Urban is perfectly suited for a leading man role in a J.J. Abrams show, Jonathan Rhys Meyers is a solid choice for Dracula, and the concept of Sleepy Hollow has me the most impressed. Seeing the headless horseman with automatic weapons in the modern day world with a fish-out-of-water Ichabod Crane? Insane! But, I love it. Let’s hope these can deliver on their premise (and promise). Otherwise, it’s off to the chopping block.
Almost Human, Sleepy Hollow, and Dracula air this fall on their respective networks. Check local listings for times.