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PILOT PICKUPS: About a Boy, The Family Guide, Sean Saves the World, Believe, Crisis

NBC has started its pilot pickup process with five new shows joining the already picked up (and tentatively titled) The Michael J. Fox Show. Joining Fox's show are comedies About a Boy, The Family Guide, and Sean Saves the World and dramas Believe and Crisis.

About a Boy is a new single-cam sitcom from Jason Katims and based on the novel and 2002 film of the same name. The show stars David Walton as a bachelor man-child who develops a friendship with the boy next door (Benjamin Stockham). The show also stars Minnie Driver as the boy's mother, Anjelah N. Johnson, and Al Madrigal. This pickup means it will be double duty for Katims who also has season five of Parenthood on NBC next year.

The Family Guide (formerly Untitled DJ Nash) is an oddball new single-cam sitcom from Nash and Jason Bateman. The show is about a family brought closer together by divorce. Starring JK Simmons, Parker Posey, Harold Perrineau, and Ava Deluca-Verley, the show sounds a little bit niche but it was gaining momentum throughout pilot season. It wouldn't be shocking to see this paired with About a Boy next season.

Sean Saves the World (formerly Untitled Sean Hayes) is a multi-cam sitcom starring former Must See TV star Hayes as a dad who must suddenly parent his 14 year old daughter while dealing with a temperamental new boss and a pushy mom. Also starring Linda Lavin, Thomas Lennon, Echo Kellum, Samantha Isler, Lindsay Sloane, and Vik Sahay, the show has been a very hot pilot throughout pilot season. However, it is multi-cam and NBC just cancelled Whitney and Guys with Kids so it'll be interesting to see if another one gets picked up as a partner. It is interesting to note that all of NBC's comedy pickups so far are family comedies, which clearly signals a new direction for them.

Believe is a new sci-fi drama from executive producer JJ Abrams about a young girl with supernatural gifts and the wrongfully prisoned inmate who is tasked to be her protector. The show sounds like a tough sell but it has been a hot pilot and it does have Abrams name attached to it. The show stars Jake McLaughlin, Johnny Sequoyah, Delroy Lindo, Sienna Guillory, Jamie Chung, and Arian Moayed. This strikes me as a midseason entry for NBC but who knows.

Crisis (formerly Untitled Rand Ravich) has been another one of NBC's top drama pilots this season with stars Dermot Mulroney and Gillian Anderson. The thriller is about a new Secret Service agent who gets involved in a high-reaching international crisis and scandal. This is another high-concept drama from NBC on the heels of Believe not to mention Revolution. I think either this or believe will get the bulk of NBC's heavy summer promotion. The show also stars Lance Gross, Max Martini, Halston Sage, Rachael Taylor, Max Schneider, Stevie Lynn Jones, Michael Beach, James Lafferty, and Joshua Erenberg.

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