USA IS AMERICA'S CABLE NETWORK... USA 2013 UPFRONTS

USA is home to some of cable’s most watched drama’s including; Suits, Burn Notice, White Collar, and many other. This year it launched a new drama series Graceland which I found to be interesting and a great addition to the stellar USA line up. The one thing that has been missing from USA’s slew of original series and marathons of NCIS and Law and Order SVU is a comedy show. To be honest I do not think there is a 30 minute show that runs on USA, this year that fact is going to change. Not only will there be 2 brand new original comedies finding a place on this drama heavy channel but the juggernaut MODERN FAMILY will officially start its syndication run on the network starting in Tuesday, September 24 at 8/7c.

NEW ORIGINAL COMEDY SERIES


SIRENS
follows three of Chicago’s best EMTs whose sometimes silly, self-righteous and even self-destructive personalities make them unqualified for sustaining relationships, friendships and most occupations. They are, however, uniquely qualified for saving anyone who winds up in their ambulance.

PLAYING HOUSE
is a single-camera buddy comedy about what happens when two best friends come back together, just when they need each other most. The original half-hour series is inspired by the ultra-close friendship between St. Clair and Parham. In PLAYING HOUSE, when mother to-be Maggie (Parham) asks her single and career-driven best friend Emma (St. Clair) to return home from her job overseas to attend her baby shower, she has no idea what’s truly in store.

COMEDY PILOT
LOVE IS DEAD (pilot order):
This single-camera comedy is set at a unique company that specializes in breaking-up romantic relationships -- rationally, compassionately, thoroughly -- on behalf of those who are willing to pay to not be around when it happens. It’s the unconventional romantic comedy that asks: “Why, if love is so fickle, do we keep coming back for more?”


DRAMA PILOT

HORIZON
is a period genre drama set at the height of World War II. At a time when many American women took more significant roles in the workplace than ever before, a secretary at the FBI begins a secretive investigation into files that have been stamped with the codename “horizon.” This mysterious project provides links to the death of her husband and the disappearance of a young girl, and has also - unbeknownst to her - aroused the interest of undercover Nazi spies working in the US. The pilot will go into production this summer.

USA’s DRAMAS IN DEVELOPMENT


THE ARRANGEMENT (Pilot Under Consideration)- 

THE ARRANGEMENT tells the story of Lourdes Nieves (Stephanie Sigman, “Miss Bala”), a Columbian woman who trades her tragic and mysterious past for a fresh start in Miami by entering into a marriage with Billy Whitley (Bryan Greenberg, “How to Make It In America”), a well-meaning and ambitious politician. In a union of political expediency, Lourdes and Billy manage a delicate dance of romance and clear-eyed pragmatism as she leverages her experience and contacts to help her husband battle the blood sport that is local Florida politics.

THE EDGE – THE EDGE is a thriller that explores one idealistic man’s journey after he leaves an NGO to join the world’s top venture capital firm. Jeff Cross believes he landed his dream job working with an elite team of progressive thinking investors who fund socially conscious projects to better the planet. As he rises through the ranks, he discovers a morally bankrupt workplace that perpetuates shadowy agendas to control governments, industries and global leaders to fill The Firm’s coffers. If he goes up against this financial goliath, Jeff risks his soul and the lives of those closest to him

COMPLICATIONS –
The story of an ER doctor whose life changes after he is involved in a gang shooting when he is forced to explore how active a doctor can be in treating the cause of his patients' medical problems.

BANK –
After an unconventional act of heroism gives her the opportunity to choose her next assignment, a young FBI agent surprises everyone by choosing the bank crimes division in Los Angeles. The city of LA is the epicenter of bank robberies in the U.S. with three to six banks robbed every day, representing 30% of all bank robberies in the country. It takes a special kind of person to confront such an unrelenting tide of crime, leaving her peers suspicious of her intent.

BLANCO COUNTY –
Based on a series of books by Ben Rehder, BLANCO COUNTY follows the story of John Marlin, a worldly pro baseball player who would rather spend his down time traveling the world than return to his small Texas hometown. After the death of his father, Marlin returns home to find a lot has changed since he left. The place is now booming with rich ranchers and tourists and there's an uneasy alliance between the locals and the nouveau rich. Believing the local cops to be inept, Marlin runs for sheriff and surprisingly wins. A man who spent his entire life running away from his roots must now adapt to a new way of life.

DON’T TURN AROUND –
A haunting limited series set on a beautiful but remote island. As the summer draws to an end and the vacationers/weekenders have all left the island, the young staff left behind is ready to finally let loose before they pack up as well. When an unexpected storm rolls across the island during the party, several people mysteriously vanish and turn up dead. Trapped on the island with no means of escape, the remaining group struggles to survive – against whatever is out there … and each other.

HUNGRY –
HUNGRY is an inside look at the opening of a New York City hot spot, inspired by Bastianich's life and his New York Timesbestseller “Restaurant Man.” Well versed in the toll that restaurant life can take on one’s relationships, the son of a famous chef nevertheless tries to open his own eatery. He juggles negotiating with teamsters, working the front of the house with high-end clientele, managing a large staff and finding time to follow his passion: cooking. He is monomaniacal in his pursuit of the perfect restaurant, at a steep cost to himself and those he loves

SHADOW COUNSEL ­
A legal thriller centered on Ethan, a former Army JAG attorney now working as a criminal lawyer in NY who is recruited by the FBI to crack an ongoing investigation. Ethan serves as a shadow counsel - a secret lawyer who operates behind the scenes and completely off the record to circumvent existing roadblocks (hired attorneys, interrogators, etc) in classified cases. Reluctantly agreeing to take the case, Ethan’s life rapidly descends into chaos as he finds himself on the run, unsure of who his friends are or who he can trust.  

Summer Schedule:

Tuesdays (beginning July 16)
9 p.m.: Covert Affairs
10 p.m.: Suits

Wednesdays (beginning June 12)
9 p.m.: Royal Pains
10 p.m. Necessary Roughness

Thursdays (beginning June 6)
8 p.m.: Summer Camp (Premieres July 8th)

9 p.m.: Burn Notice
10 p.m. Graceland (series debut)

BREEZY'S RECAP

As the oh so popular Burn Notice, finishes its final season, this summer on USA, one must admit that next summer will be a season of change. I have loved USA since I caught my first NCIS marathon, on their channel and I have been hooked ever since. I watch; Covert Affairs, Suits, White Collar, Necessary Roughness, Graceland, and even Royal Pains on occasion. With loss of Burn Notice and the lack of new series offered this summer it stands to reason that unless USA finds some new hit original series it is going to fall behind one of his biggest competitors TNT. Some of their development slate looks really good. for now I am gonna kick back, relax and faithfully watch Covert Affairs, Suits and Graceland. What about you... what will you be watching? Do you like USA's new series Graceland? What is your favorite USA original series? let us know in the comments!