Having spent the last few months reading hundreds of scripts -- and hearing even more pitches -- executives at the five broadcast networks have largely settled on their new drama and comedy contenders for the fall.
Trying to spot trends at this point in the development process can be tricky, of course. While there might be five different buddy cop comedies greenlit in the works at the start of pilot season, viewers might never see any of them if, come May, executives opt to go in a different direction.
With that caveat in mind, TheWrap has combed through the dozens of loglines for this year's wannabes and come up with 10 early themes that seem to be forming as pilots take flight.
And just for fun, we're ID'ing at least one pilot from each group we're most intrigued to see in its finished form.
BIG NAMES, BIG HOPES
Every pilot season has its share of superstar showrunners and stars, but this year also brings some big names trying to recapture past success following either failure or a long time away from the game.
David E. Kelley, for example, has suffered back-to-back disappointments: Fox killed "The Wedding Bells" after less than a half-season, while NBC actually declined to pick up his pilot "Legally Mad" to series. Now Kelley is back at the Peacock with a new show called "Kindreds."
Also back at bat: Greg Garcia, whose NBC comedy "My Name Is Earl" faded too soon after a fast start (though it made syndication). He's at Fox with "Keep Hope Alive," a family comedy featuring the always awesome Cloris Leachman.
Amy Sherman-Palladino has been quiet since "Gilmore Girls" sputtered away, but she'll go back to her family roots with a new show at the CW. And Dana Carvey, who seemed to disappear from the face of the earth after a health scare and some bad projects, is now working on a sketch show for Fox.
Also hoping for a comeback: David Kohan and Max Mutchnick, the "Will & Grace" creators who've struck out several times since launching that hit in 1998. They're back at the plate again with "S--- My Father Says," the CBS comedy that sounded awful -- until William Shatner agreed to play the dad.
Early Pick: "Keep Hope Alive."
I LOVE THE '70S
Some us are still carrying a torch for "Swingtown," the super-groovy period soap CBS killed after less than one season. But since a revival is unlikely, those of us stuck in the '70s can look forward to ABC's "Funny in Farsi," a half-hour comedy set in the Me Decade and directed by Barry Sonnenfeld ("Pushing Daisies").
The nets are paying homage to the 1970s via remakes of "Hawaii Five-O" and "The Rockford Files." Alas, both take place in the much more boring present day.
Early Pick: "Funny in Farsi."
EVERYDAY "HEROES"
While "Heroes" may be ready for its last hurrah (assuming it's back for one more go-round), the networks are certainly still pumped on the idea of greatest American heroes.
