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So far I've seen the pilots for Bosch, Hand Of God, Mozart In The Jungle and am mid-way through Red Oaks. Really liked the first two and am glad they're getting picked up for full seasons. Especially Hand Of God which reads like a much darker version of TNT's Saving Grace, which I quite liked. Mozart In The Jungle has some promise, but some elements could be done without I think.

I like what they are doing as far as the pilots, just putting everything up, and seeing what sticks. Hard to say what will be their breakout hit, but with the quality I have seen so far I imagine it won't be too long before we find out.

Did they ever pick up that Chris Carter show?

Time to finally watch that pilot!

I'm becoming a quick fan of Alpha House. Something comforting about seeing John Goodman in a half-hour comedy again.

Has Ridley Scott ever produced anything good for television? The Man in the High Castle is a good book, but I'm curious how it will work as a TV-series.

He's an exec. producer on The Good Wife and was one for Numb3rs with his late brother, both of which were critically acclaimed.

And let us not forget the pilot for The Vatican which he directed but which was never picked up for series. I keep hoping and assuming we'll see a release of that pilot eventually. Very curious if there is some obvious reason within it why it was rejected. Otherwise, its rejection remains a very startling surprise.

Also startling because it was for Showtime, which unlike HBO almost always picks up the pilots they produce to the best of my knowledge.

Really enjoyed the two seasons of Alpha House. Aside from Goodman it's a pretty solid cast supporting the rather sharp and witty political satire.

The rest of Mozart In The Jungle lived up to the promise of the pilot rather than hanging it's hat on a few of the elements I spoke of earlier (the sex for example, is there but toned down considerably). It reminded me a bit of Treme but without the obvious socio-political angles to the drama, instead focusing solely on the lives of the musicians and people surrounding the orchestra.

That's why I hate this pilot system they've worked out - why would I ever watch the pilot of this show if there's no certainty that they'll ever be any more of it at all? Feels like it'd be a real waste of time.

I guess maybe they have cold feet towards launching full seasons without the benefit of a pilot. What I'm wondering is if the pilot will still exist as something to watch, or will it be cast off to lesser places like Crackle.

The new pilots are up. So far I've seen Mad Dogs (I'm lukewarm on it, and likewise on the fence about whether it's renewed) and Salem Rogers: Model of the Year 1998 (ugh). In theory I like the idea of pilot season but funk hits the nail on the head.

Bosch is promising. If it can work out whatever didn't work in it's first season, it has the chance to be something of quality. Not ground-breaking but good enough to pass the time on.

Glad to hear that, I liked the pilot for The Man in the High Castle a lot.

http://deadline.com/2015/05/cannes-2015 ... 201425789/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Buried in this Deadline article is the news that Spike Lee; Terry Gilliam and Jim Jarmusch are all directing original films for Amazon's streaming service. The Spike Lee project has already been announced and is the terrible sounding musical starring Kanye West.

Mixed feelings about these companies suddenly getting in the movie business. Their movies should be available on the big screen first, everything else later.

Are these older projects though? There have already been reports on stuff long in the works by Jarmusch and Gilliam, I wonder if Amazon is just kicking in money for these pre-existing projects (that is, for distribution rights).

Hand Of God is at worse frustrating and a bit eye-rolling at times, but the strength of a few key supporting performances (Andre Royo mostly) elevate it slightly above domino's frustration with Bloodline for me.