Why you should care: I’m all for historical fiction, but the logline for “Quarry” - a Marine sniper coming home from Vietnam in 1973 finds himself shunned by those he loves and demonized by the public - sounds absolutely ridiculous. The title character was played by Logan Marshall-Green. “Rectify” screenwriters Graham Gordy and Michael D. Fuller wrote the script. The awesome John Hillcoat (The Proposition, Lawless) directed the pilot, which also stars Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Stellan Skarsgard, and Jamie Hector.
Why you should care: “Criminal Justice” has endured a turbulent 12 months. James Gandolfini was scheduled to begin filming this seven-part miniseries - a remake of Peter Moffat’s 2008 BBC drama - when he returned from vacation in Rome last June. When the former “Sopranos” star died suddenly it appeared as though the series was finished. Now it’s John Turturro in the lead role of Jack Stone, an ambulance-chasing New York City attorney who gets in over his head when he takes on the case of a Pakistani accused of murdering a girl. Richard Price (he wrote lots of books you should read) penned the story. Look, any material that’s strong enough to attract hitters like Gandolfini, DeNiro, and Turturro is going to make this list.
Why you should care: It’s nice to see Edward Burns again, even if it is on TNT. In this 60s-era po-leece drama, Burns is Terry Muldoon, an officer in LA’s Public Morals Division. Actually, according to the press release this is a place where “cops walk the line between morality and criminality as the temptations that come from dealing with all kinds of vice threaten to get the better of them.” Whatever. Known gator menace/fellow accent abuser Michael Rappaport shows up as Burns’ partner and Katrina Bowden gets non-pay-cable naked in the trailer. I’m in.
Why you should care: This is a remake of “Westworld,” the 1973 Yul Brenner classic based off the novel by Michael Crichton. No cast announced yet, but Jonathan Nolan (Christopher Nolan’s more famous sibling) will direct the pilot. If you believe as I do that “Westworld” is one of the few sci-fi classics that could actually benefit from a reinvention, these are the two guys you want infusing it with new life.
Why you should care: Ever watch “Game of Thrones” and think, “What this show needs is more Kurt Sutter? WISH GRANTED! According to Deadline, Sutter’s “The Bastard Executioner” tells the story of “a knight in King Edward III’s charge who is broken by the ravages of war and vows to lay down his sword. But when violence finds him again he is forced to pick up the bloodiest sword of all.” Filming won’t begin until “Sons of Anarchy” wraps production on its seventh season, so don’t expect casting news or a formal go/no-go announcement for a while…although Sutter did tell Larry King that he plans to cast some “Sons” actors in key roles.
Why you should care: “Billions,” from New York Times financial columnist and “Too Big to Fail” author Andrew Ross Sorkin, centers on the “collision and collusion between an aggressive U.S. attorney in New York and some of the richest hedge fund billionaires in the country.” Writers Brian Koppelman and David Levien (Rounders, the underrated Runaway Jury) wrote the pilot with Sorkin and will act as executive producers.
Why you should care: Even with 900 channels all starving for content, sci-fi still feels like an underexplored genre. Thank goodness for SyFy. Based on the novel “The Lotus Caves” by John Christopher, “High Moon” explores what happens when a Moon colony (h/t Newt Gingrich) harvesting lunar resources discovers a new form of life. Intriguing, right? Here’s where it gets really dope - Bryan Fuller (“Hannibal”) is the EP. Is that not enough? Are you not entertained? Fine, here’s your cherry: the screenwriter’s name is Jim Danger Gray.
Why you should care: Any time you have a chance to watch Paul Giamatti star in “a story of mid-life crisis and murder that features the hardboiled and possibly insane homicide detective Hoke Moseley in pre-chic Miami circa the early 1980s,” just do it. “Hoke” is based on a series of novels by a notable crime writer Charles Willeford. Scott Frank, who wrote the pilot and will act as showrunner.
