So ABC has recently announced a couple of shows they have decided to pick up for the fall 2011 TV season; Notably the new Charlie’s Angels reboot – based off the classic 70’s TV show AND the last decades film franchise, and Once Upon a Time – a fairy tale inspired mystery thriller where fairy tale legends exist in modern times. ABC has reached out to the nerd-sphere to get some early feed back and buzz about the two new shows, and we here at BSR! have been privileged enough to get a sneak peak at them. Now if there is ANYTHING that nerd guys and nerd gals might interpret differently – it’s Fairy Tales, and Charlies Angels. So we here at BSR have our own Citizen-Bot (a nerd male) and Bizarrobot (a nerd female) to hash out their plus and minuses on the two fledgling shows.

Here is ABC’s official copy on each show:

Charlie’s Angels

Everyone deserves a second chance. Even a thief, a street racer and a cop who got in a little too deep. After all, the three women who solve cases for their elusive boss Charlie Townsend are no saints – they’re angels… Charlie’s Angels.

This big, loud, fun take on the 1970’s smash hit series introduces us to three new angels, all fearless operatives, head-turning beauties and close friends. There’s Abby (Rachael Taylor) a Park Avenue Princess who became a world-class thief. Then there’s Kate (Annie Ilonzeh), a Miami cop who fell from grace, losing both her career and her fiance. Finally there’s Gloria, a disgraced army lieutenant who has a way with explosives. When one of the angels’ missions ends in Gloria’s tragic death, Charlie persuades them to partner with Gloria’s childhood friend, Eve (Minka Kelly), a street racer with a mysterious past. They may not know each other yet, but one thing’s for sure–Abby, Kate and Eve will always have each other’s backs.

Once Upon a Time;

Anna Swan (Jennifer Morrison) knows how to take care of herself. She’s a 28-year old bail bonds collector who’s been on her own ever since she was abandoned as a baby. But when the son she gave up years ago finds her, everything will change. Henry (Jared Gilmore) is 10 years old now and in desperate need of Anna’s help. Henry believes that Anna actually comes from an alternate world… and is Prince Charming (Josh Dallas) and Snow White’s (Ginnifer Goodwin) missing daughter. According to his book of fairytales, they sent her away to protect her from the Evil Queen’s (Lana Parilla) curse, which trapped the fairytale world forever, frozen in time. Of course Anna doesn’t believe a word, but when she brings Henry back to Storybrooke, she finds herself drawn to this unusual boy and his strange New England town. Concerned for Henry, she decides to stay for a while, but she soon suspects that Storybrooke is more than it seems. It’s a place where magic has been forgotten, but is still powerfully close… where fairytale characters are alive, even though they don’t remember who they once were–including the Evil Queen who is now Henry’s foster mother. The epic battle for the future of all worlds is beginning, but for good to win, Anna will have to accept her destiny and fight like hell.

BSR’s Take–Charlie’s Angels:

BIZARROBOT; As a fan of not only the original show, but also the last decade’s movie adaptations I was both curious and hesitant when I heard news that an attempt was being made to bring Angels back to the small screen. Chalie’s Angels isn’t rocket science, nor heady brain food. Its bad ass girls doing bad ass things. The ladies want to be them, the guys just want them. A very simple formula. The strength that carried and sold both the original show and the later movies has always been in the variety of personalities and temperaments represented in the Angels (If you had to oversimplify it basically comes down to the hot one, the smart one, and the trouble maker). While the original show suffered from dueling egos and saw a heavy rotation in the cast – it prospered for being so very different than anything else that had been on before. It really set a precedent. When the later films came out in the last decade they took what the original show put out there and cracked it up a notch. Not just with bigger stunts and crazier cases – but with a genuine sense of chemistry among Angels themselves (They really looked like they were having fun together). So It is a little sad to not see anything that promises any of this in the sneak preview of the new show. Maybe it is there. Maybe the girls actually have personalities defined enough you won’t need a voice over to remind you which one is which. The sneak peak isn’t very promising though. The voice over for Charlie sounds like he should be selling you ice cream, or children’s toys. Not clandestinely leading a detective agency. I was disappointed to not find anything that would make me want to give it a try. Just token pretty girls waving guns around in poses. Nothing fun. It seems very much marketed for men looking to watch pretty girls in exotic locals in bathing suits (Like EVERY OTHER show that takes place in Miami). But that is only from the sneak peak. I DO look forward to seeing what the first episode has to offer. But I am not hopeful.

Citizen-Bot: It’s funny that I’m encouraged and hesitant of a lot of the same things you are, but I come away actually somewhat hopeful for both of these series. ABC’s description says it best: “everybody deserves a second chance.”  Even 70’s era tv shows rebooted into action flicks?  Make it a third chance then.

This just seems a little generic to me, but just like ABC took Hawaii Five-O and updated it, I have hopes that Charlie’s Angels will be at least “not bad for a reboot,” which is how I classify Hawaii Five-O.  And did I watch the show this year?  Nope. Had a DVR full of them, never had time, am waiting to watch them over the summer either via Netflix or Hulu Plus.  But, this isn’t going to be the worst show set in Miami (as long as the Kardashian sisters are around, that will always be a safe bet) and might be the kind of brainless fun I might enjoy, as long as they play up the female empowerment angle a bit more. Otherwise, I’m probably not in. I’m sorry, but none of these girls make me want to watch this show just based on their looks, which is something I’m betting network execs are hoping for in the male demographic. But there’s no way I’m watching this show with the wife if, as she puts it, “It’s all about their boobs.”  Give me a story, make it fun, and don’t make them bimbos.

I have to agree with Bizarrorobot about the footage we saw and the AWFUL voiceover in it.  What I don’t get is ABC is saying the voice of Charlie is going to be played by Robert Wagner, which would be great. I mean, as far as disembodied voices go, he’s tops.  But this didn’t sound like Robert Wagner. It’s too bad because a lot of critics/bloggers, etc are going to be turned off by this and spew their nerd rage all over the internet.  Missed opportunity to maybe showcase the one real star you have in your show.

Also helping this show is its pedigree.  Drew Barrymore, who was in the McG craptacular movies (mildly enjoyed the first, h/t to Bill Murray, hated the second) is producing along with her producing partner Nancy Juvonen (she has also produced most of Barrymore’s movies from the great ones, like Whip It to the craptacular, like 50 First Dates, and everything in between: Never Been Kissed, Charlie’s Angels, etc).  Also producing is Leonard Goldberg, who produced the 70’s show, and a couple of guys who can be either great or awful: Alfred Gough and Miles Millar (early Smallville, Shanghai Noon, and were among the script committees who wrote Spiderman 2 and Iron Man… but on the bad side also Herbie: Fully Loaded, The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor, and ths year’s huge flop I am Number Four).  Put those together and you have a team that when they are on they are amazing and when they are off they are miserable failures.

But I’m willing to roll the dice on this one. I won’t lie.  I’ll set my DVR with a Season Pass on this show just because it looks like it might be worthwhile. But they better bring the goods in the pilot episode.

BSR’s Take – Once Upon a Time: