A.J. Langer in Eyes (2005)

[Sascha]

"Eyes" will air beginning April 13th, 2005, Wednesdays at 10pm on ABC.

[Nostradamus]

Nifty!

*Marks calendar*

[Sascha]

ABC moved the premiere to March 30th.

THE PREMIERE OF "EYES," THE NEW MIDSEASON DRAMA SERIES FROM JOHN McNAMARA, TO MOVE TO WEDNESDAY, MARCH 30, ON THE ABC TELEVISION NETWORK

The network premiere of "Eyes," the new one-hour drama series from John McNamara -- the executive producer of "Fastlane" and the co-creator of "Profit" -- will move to a new date, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 30 (10:02-11:00 p.m., ET), on the ABC Television Network.

In the new drama series, impulsive, sharp-witted Harlan Judd (Tim Daly) runs Judd Risk Management, a discreet, high-tech private investigation firm that handles the cases with the highest possible stakes, while operating at the absolute fringe of the law. Along with ruthlessly efficient Nora Gage (Garcelle Beauvais-Nilon) and a staff of brilliantly skilled, driven individuals -- some with their own agendas and secrets -- Harlan does whatever it takes to prevail in a world of unsteady alliances and uncertain loyalties.

"Eyes" will premiere following original episodes of "Lost" and "Alias," with most of the new show's episodes airing after original installments of the two established series. On average, ABC's "Lost" leads the Wednesday 8:00 p.m. hour with 16.5 million viewers and a 6.0 rating, 16 share in Adults 18-49. At 9:00, "Alias" has averaged13.4 million viewers and a 5.6 rating, 13 share in Adults 18-49.

"Eyes" stars Tim Daly ("Wings") as Harlan Judd, Garcelle Beauvais-Nilon ("NYPD Blue") as Nora Gage, A.J. Langer ("My So-Called Life") as Meg Bardo, Laura Leighton ("Melrose Place") as Leslie Town, Eric Mabius ("Resident Evil," "The L Word") as Jeff McCann, Rick Worthy ("Collateral Damage") as Chris Didion and Natalie Zea ("The Shield") as Trish Agermeyer.

Created and executive-produced by John McNamara ("Fastlane," "Profit," "The Fugitive"), "Eyes" is a McNamara Paper Products production in association with Warner Bros. Television.

[Nostradamus]

The pilot episode of Eyes is tonight! Looks like it will air against a new episode of Law & Order.

*Fingers crossed*

[emmie]

how is it possible that all of my favorite shows come on wednesday nights? I only have 1 VCR for crying out loud!! *sigh*

[Natasha (candygirl)]

I won't be home tonight, but I'm recording Eyes so I can watch it this weekend. Hee, now I will have Hall & Oates singing "Private eyes are watching you (clap clap)" stuck in my head all afternoon!

[Sascha]

From Variety:

The debut of "Eyes" was a little more private than ABC execs might have wished.

Despite stellar reviews and a big marketing push, Alphabet's new gumshoe drama finished third in its 10 p.m. slot Wednesday, averaging a disappointing 3.1/9 among adults 18-49 and 8.2 million viewers in Nielsen's fast national numbers. That's about 22% below what ABC had been averaging with reality hit "Wife Swap."

"Eyes" dropped 29% below its "Alias""Alias" lead-in (4.4/11 in adults 18-49, 10.8 million viewers) and, more troubling, dipped at the half-hour.

It was a rare disappointment for the Alphabet, which this season has scored three of the four biggest drama premieres with "Lost," "Desperate Housewives" and "Grey's Anatomy." But it was also in keeping with the net's consistent inability to launch a new drama at 10 p.m. Wednesday (RIP "Gideon's Crossing," "MDs," "Karen Sisco").

[SanDeE*]

I hope that's not because AJ Langer is in it. Of course, I didn't watch it, so I didn't do my part.

[emmie]

I caught Eyes the other night, and I overall I liked it. I like shows that have cunning characters that must find intuitive ways to get out of situations. and even though Tim Daly's character was a bit annoying, his charisma won me over. I was disappointed in A.J.'s character, not necessarily her performance. her character is rather bookwormish and timid, but hopefully will open up in later episodes. something I'm not sure about, however, are the subplots: [spoiler]I thought the subplots were vastly contradictory to the upbeat mood of the main story. especially with all the cheating and double crossing, it just seemed a bit much for a pilot. I didn't mind the seriousness of the gay character's storyline, but I honestly don't know why. perhaps I simply liked the actor better. dunno.[/spoiler] at this point, I'll check it out again, but it's not so compelling to make me have to see it again. one of those, if it's on I'll watch.

[starbug]

from the AI recap on TWOP:

But now whenever I see Bo, I think "Bice, Bice, Baby," thanks to SnippyScholar, which makes me think of the David Bowie song "Under Pressure," of course, which leads directly to Nip/Tuck normally, but this week leads to Eyes, the new Tim Daly/Laura Leighton show, and I need you to know that that show is freaking awesome. Where did ABC come from all of a sudden? I haven't been this impressed with a pilot since…well, Grey's Anatomy, a couple of days ago.

So, someone likes it!

[Natasha (candygirl)]

I finally had a chance to watch the pilot over the weekend, and I liked it. It's definitely a nice change from all the L&O/CSI dramas and reality shows, and it's much better than the typical half hour sitcoms out there right now. There was a lot going on, but I find that's pretty typical of pilots. Better to have a bunch of different plot lines to suck the viewers in than to bore them to death with a blah expositiony pilot. I thought Tim Daly had the right balance - you can tell he is having fun with this role and enjoying his character's obnoxiousness. Hopefully ABC will air this show long enough to let the other characters develop so we can see A.J. Langer become a force to be reckoned with.

[Sascha]

The 2nd episode had slightly better ratings:

"Eyes" ran third at 10 (3.2/9 in adults 18-49, 8.6 million viewers overall) - on parpar with last week's premiere and 1 share behind repeats of NBC's "Law & Order" (3.6/10 in adults 18-49, 11.5 million viewers overall) and CBS' "CSI: NY" (3.6/10 in adults 18-49, 9.7 million viewers overall).

source: http://www.variety.com

[Natasha (candygirl)]

A Canadian article about Eyes:

TV execs struggle to keep shows alive
By BILL BRIOUX -- Toronto Sun

Eyes opened at ABC last week. Can Eyes open wider?

The stylish detective drama, starring Timothy Daly and Garcelle Beauvais-Nilon, premiered to good reviews. "Eyes is entertaining, a breezy, sophisticated lark," said the Sun.

Then the ratings came out. Up against two formidable franchises -- CSI: NY and Law & Order -- the show scored 8.39 million U.S. viewers, coming third in its timeslot behind ABC's slow building Alias (11.08 million).

Last year, coming third on ABC was a cork popper, cause for celebration. Along came Desperate Housewives and Lost and expectations shot up.

Besides, just as with movies, TV is now all about opening big. That's why Eyes' executive producer John McNamara sent e-mails to critics over the weekend in a bold attempt to save his brand new show.

It's not an unheard of tactic. Arrested Development's creator, Mitchell Hurwitz, sent critics a T-shirt last week along with a plea to tell viewers to watch that struggling show's season finale (Sunday April 17 at 8:30 on Global and Fox).


Both producers know it takes more than making a good show to survive these days. "You know better than anyone," McNamara wrote. "TV, TiVo, DVDs, music and the internet are like a media rainstorm; a new show can fly by like a single drop. We need help keeping Eyes visible."

Contacted yesterday by phone, McNamara said he was thrilled to have critics from as diverse a field as The New York Times to US Weekly in his corner. The trick now was getting more of the 1,200 Nielsen families -- the test groups who determine the fate of all U.S. shows -- to tune in.

McNamara's been ahead of the curve before. In 1996, his dark drama Profit, about an amoral entrepreneur, flamed out in weeks. Some fans and critics are still trying to save that show.

He says Eyes shines because it combines two genres: Comedy and detective shows. He was getting bored with all those humourless procedurals on TV. "Why can't they be funny, too?" he asked. Eyes was his answer.

Can critics really make a difference, I asked? McNamara says just two words can save a show: "Critically acclaimed." That tag probably bought Arrested Development a second season, he figures.

It helps when the people at the network are patient, he says. He points out that ABC hung in with Alias where others would have bailed. Still, a taste of success has given ABC an appetite. Eyes is fighting for a fall berth, but another mid-season entry, the Sunday medical drama Grey's Anatomy, has jumped to the front of the renewal line.

This time of year, several shows are fighting for renewal (see list). Save Our Shows campaigns are launching earlier than ever, sometimes before a show even hits the air.

Do these fan-based, largely Internet initiatives help? McNamara points to Family Guy. The animated Fox comedy was cancelled three times before DVD sales went through the roof. "Family Guy is the Easter of television," he says. "It came back because people loved it so much and wouldn't shut up."

But do fans -- or critics -- from Canada make a difference? Yes, says McNamara, because we're the third largest International market -- behind England and Germany --and the only foreign simulcast market. In other words, a show could survive with middling U.S. ratings if it was raking in the bucks -- even Canadian bucks.

Meanwhile, McNamara isn't just relying on critics to get the word out. ABC is mounting a relentless campaign, Warners (the producing studio) is working their AOL connection and Daly is booked on every talk show in sight, from Kimmel to Ellen to Dennis Miller.

If that doesn't work, make stuff up, says McNamara. "Any blurb could actually make a huge difference. Write that I was arrested last week for murder: 'Producer kills to get show renewed.' Say I've got Robert Blake's lawyer. Just mention Eyes, Wednesday nights at 10 p.m. (on CH and ABC)."

[golden1]

Aww I missed it =/. Anywhere I can download the episode? I really want to see this series!

[dTheater]

I liked it bedcause it had AJ Langer and one of my other favorite actresses, Melissa Yvonne Lewis. But I'm sure it will be cancelled quickly while that piece of garbage Grey's Anatomy becomes the 2nd darling of ABC.