2012 may very well be the year of genre television, with all the major networks looking at pilots for sci-fi, fantasy, and super hero shows.
And although only NBC has come out with a mass of pick-ups yet, the cable networks can’t be far behind.
Indeed, this week we learned The CW, a prime-time only network devoted mostly to young adult dramas, is picking up two more sci-fi shows – both adaptations – to go along with (Green) Arrow which has already begun casting.
The Selection is a proposed series based on the urban fantasy novels by Kiera Cass, similar to the way The Secret Circle is currently being adapted.
The story follows a poor woman who is chosen by lottery to compete in a deathmatch tournament to decide the next Queen of her dystopian nation. Sound familiar? That’s because the novels are basically a knock-off of The Hunger Games, a popular young adult fantasy property, which has been adapted into a film from Lionsgate and hits theaters this year.
The other is Joey Dakota, based, oddly enough, on an existing Israeli television serial called Danny Hollywood. This story is about a documentary filmmaker who uses time travel to document her subjects more closely. When she goes back to the 90’s to document the tragic death of a rock star from that era, she falls in love with him, and becomes invested in finding a way to prevent his terrible fate.
Of course, as always with The CW, it’s hard to tell in advance if the shows will have the sort of universal appeal they found in Smallville, or if the drama – and melodrama – of the series will keep out everyone but the young adults the series are written for.
If they make it through the development process, I would expect to see both The Selection and Joey Dakota during pilot season this fall.
