Wednesday, May 4, 2011

Pilot Script Review - Charlie's Angels

CHARLIE'S ANGELS
Network: ABC
Written By: Alfred Gough & Miles Millar
Draft Date: December 16, 2010
Pages: 64

Good morning, Angels.

In what seems to be a more-CW-esque move, ABC is rebooting iconic 70s series Charlie's Angels, this time with a multi-ethnic cast.

Yes, they're still PIs. Yes, they work for the Townsend Agency. Yes, one of them is still captured and the other two have to save her.

Oh, and Bosley isn't frumpy (I mean... upside-down crunches in gravity boots? Really, Bos?) Oh, and this time around, we the audience actually get to see Charlie (the Angels, of course, don't). Oh, and instead of three female cops quitting the force and being private investigators because they were annoyed with the crap work they were being given instead of actually solving crimes... we have three kinda-damaged women with different skill sets who Charlie has plucked out of misfortune and has given a second chance to.

Also, the show is now set in Miami instead of Los Angeles.

C'mon, you know what this format is about. Hot chicks kicking ass and taking names. Always has been, always will be. And, as a piece of escapist fantasy girl power fun? I kinda adore it. This is definitely going to be one of those pilot screeners I'm looking forward to, not because it's going to change my world, but because it's going to be a slick, glitzy ride to eat popcorn while watching. Even though the story does make a couple attempts to have pathos, mostly this is just a fun action hour, replete with over the top action heroine one liners.

The case of the pilot revolves around a villain named Pajaro and human trafficking. Turns out, Pajaro has a connection to one of our three Angels. And that connection... GETS HER KILLED.

Naturally, she's replaced by episode's end with a slightly more badass version of herself so the Angels are still a threesome and still just as multi-ethnic.

The Angels (per Charlie's voiceover in the opening moments as we see each in action... and then their mugshots):
- Abby (White). "A Park Avenue princess turned thief."
- Gloria (Latina). "A Miami street racer turned gang member."
- Kate (Black). "A decorated police detective turned dirty cop."

The "replacement" is Marisa (guess the ethnicity... since I'm choosing not to spoil who is killed), a dishonorably discharged Marine.

Reboots of former TV shows, even those that have lasted more than one season, seem to open big and quickly cool off. I gotta imagine this one is going to make the Fall 2011 schedule, unless there are big production snafus. Even if it's mindless, it'll still be mindless, sexy fun. Again, I'm not saying this was the best script ever, but you don't judge mindless sexy fun on the same playing field as, say, Breaking Bad.

5 comments:

Tim said...

Sounds like the changes to bring it update for today's audience just might work. I am still not sure from your description just how serious they will take themselves. I know - mindless sexy fun- fairly describes the general premise but Is it going to be like Covert Affairs, Chuck, Nikita (probably not Nikita) or completely tongue in cheek.

Personally, I never really liked Bosley as a silly character. I always preferred it when he was played as a guy-Friday that supported them behind the scenes, bailing them out when they ran afoul of the authorities or calling in the cavalry.

Still, I appreciate you blogging about the script. Maybe you can wrangle yourself a sneak preview of the pilot and let us know if they pull it off.

James said...

Do you think this will be better written than Hawaii Five O

Kenny said...

Anyone who has seen the cast list knows which Angel gets killed, and anyone who knows the actresses playing the parts also know the one who replaces the dead Angel certainly isn't of the same ethnicity, so it doesn't really stay that multi-ethnic past the first episode.

Travis Yanan said...

@ Taxmaniak

As I say in other reviews, I try to completely ignore any and all casting (or at least put it out of my mind) when I do my reads. I don't always succeed, but in this one, I did. As scripted, the dead Angel and the replacement were described as the same ethnicity. Things do change in later drafts and in production. Such is Hollywood.

Victor Hugo said...

I Just can wait to see this in fall, i'm even hearing the music theme(in the pilot had the music theme of the film??) yeah i knew it that would not be a huge script, its just a show to relax with funny and action things!! Oh I hope that this will became a big hit with ratings higher than middles 3'!!!

Sorry 4 my English!