Media for La Brea

[formerlyfreedom]

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When a massive sinkhole mysteriously opens in Los Angeles, it tears a family in half, separating mother and son from father and daughter. When part of the family find themselves in an unexplainable primeval world, alongside a disparate group of strangers, they must work to survive and uncover the mystery of where they are and if there is a way back home.

‘La Brea’ Drama From David Appelbaum & Keshet Studios Gets NBC Pilot Order

[formerlyfreedom]

Some casting news;

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Michael Raymond-James (Tell Me a Story) is set to star in NBC drama pilot La Brea. Also cast as series regulars are Karina Logue (Tell Me a Story) and Zyra Gorecki (Chicago Fire) in the project from writer David Appelbaum (The Enemy Within), Keshet Studios and Universal Television. Additionally, Thor Freudenthal (Carnival Row) has been tapped to direct the pilot.

 

[formerlyfreedom]

Natalie Zea To Star In NBC Drama Pilot ‘La Brea’

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In La Brea, written by Appelbaum and directed by Thor Freudenthal, when a massive sinkhole mysteriously opens in Los Angeles, it tears a family in half, separating mother (Zea) and son from father (Michael Raymond-James) and daughter (Zyra Gorecki). When part of the family find themselves in an unexplainable primeval world alongside a disparate group of strangers, they must work to survive and uncover the mystery of where they are and if there is a way back home.

Zea’s Claire Wolcott is a busy working mom who’s sometimes a little overprotective and just trying to hold it all together.

 

[formerlyfreedom]

Caleb Ruminer, Angel Parker, Catherine Dent Among Five Cast In NBC Drama Pilot ‘La Brea’
 

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Finding Carter alum Caleb Ruminer is set as a lead in NBC drama pilot La Brea, and Angel Parker (Marvel’s Runaways), Catherine Dent (The Shield), Veronica St. Clair (Unbelievable) and Jag Bal (Beeba Boys) have been cast as series regulars in the project from writer David Appelbaum (The Enemy Within), Keshet Studios and Universal Television.

In La Brea, written by Appelbaum, when a massive sinkhole mysteriously opens in Los Angeles, it tears a family in half, separating mother and son (Ruminer) from father (Raymond-James) and daughter (Gorecki). When part of the family find themselves in an unexplainable primeval world, alongside a disparate group of strangers, they must work to survive and uncover the mystery of where they are and if there is a way back home.

Ruminer is Josh Wolcott, Claire and Gavin’s son. Bal portrays Scott Hasan, a well-meaning guy who is a survivor in the sinkhole. Parker will play a renowned geologist who is a leading expert on sinkholes. Dent will play Jessica Wolcott, Gavin’s older sister and a high-powered attorney. St. Clair is Riley Glass, Dr. Glass’ daughter and a high achiever.

 

 

[formerlyfreedom]

Jon Seda returning to NBC for drama pilot La Brea

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The Chicago Fire and Chicago P.D. alum will play Dr. Benjamin Glass, a former Navy Seal who knows how to take charge, in the pilot about a mysterious sinkhole in Los Angeles that tears a family  apart.

Seriously, this guy has a hell of a portrait hidden in his attic....

[paulvdb]

NBC: Series Prospect ‘La Brea’ Extends 2 Cast Members
 

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Of the two drama pilots put on a path to a series order, La Brea has released its entire cast with the exception of two of the leads, Natalie Zea and Zyra Gorecki.

La Brea, from Keshet Studios and Universal TV, had its script order upped to six this week. With six completed scripts, La Brea will be in consideration for a straight-to-series order. If it gets a green light, production on the series is eyed for 2021, so the network and the studio have opted not to hold the entire cast for at least seven more months, which would be costly. In case of a pickup, I hear NBC would likely reach out to other original cast members to invite them to rejoin the series if they are available.

 

 

[formerlyfreedom]

Picked up to series.

NBC Orders Natalie Zea Sinkhole Drama La Brea, Two Comedies to Series

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La Brea stars Natalie Zea (The Detour, Justified) as a mother whose family is ripped apart when a massive sinkhole opens in Los Angeles, separating Zea’s character and her son from her husband and daughter. “When part of the family find themselves in an unexplainable primeval world, alongside a disparate group of strangers, they must work to survive and uncover the mystery of where they are and if there is a way back home,” per the official description. TVLine hears that Michael Raymond-James (Once Upon a Time), who was among the originally announced cast, ran into scheduling conflicts due to the pandemic-related delays, but could rejoin the project down the road.

 

[paulvdb]

‘American Auto’ & ‘Grand Crew’ Comedy Pilots, ‘La Brea’ Drama Picked Up To Series By NBC

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For La Brea, which had filmed a few scenes pre-Covid, the network ordered multiple backup scripts for a total of six and extended the options on key cast members Natalie Zea, Zyra Gorecki and Chiké Okonkwo. The rest of the actors were released. Their roles now will be recast.

 

[paulvdb]

NBC Fall Schedule Announcement

TUESDAY
8-9 P.M. - The Voice
9-10 P.M. - LA BREA
10-11 P.M.   - New Amsterdam

[paulvdb]

NBC Sets Upcoming Premiere Dates

La Brea premieres on September 28.

[BetterButter]

 

[Frost]

The trailers for this look fun, but my stupid cable company doesn't get NBC so I won't be able to watch it.

[Terrafamilia]

On 2/28/2020 at 9:43 PM, saoirse said:

When part of the family find themselves in an unexplainable primeval world, alongside a disparate group of strangers, they must work to survive and uncover the mystery of where they are and if there is a way back home.

I wonder how long before they find a hatch.

[AnimeMania]

[AnimeMania]

Filming In Australia.

A massive sinkhole mysteriously opens in Los Angeles, it tears a family in half, separating mother and son from father and daughter. When part of the family find themselves in an unexplainable primeval world, alongside a disparate group of strangers, they must work to survive and uncover the mystery of where they are and if there is a way back home.

Natalie Zea as Claire Harris, the mother who falls into the sinkhole with her son, Josh.

Jack Martin will play Josh Harris, Claire’s son who coasts through life on his wit, great sense of humor and an undeniable charisma.

Eoin Macken will play Gavin Harris, Eve’s recently estrange husband, full of swagger and charm. Gavin and his daughter Izzy Harris, played by Zyra Gorecki watch as the events unfold, from the surface of LA.

Catherine Dent as Jessica Harris, Gavin’s older sister, and lawyer.

Jon Seda will play Dr. Sam Velez who carries himself like the general of an Army.  The father of a teenage girl named Riley played by Veronica St. Clair, who is a high achiever.

Lily Santiago will play Veronica. Very rigid and formal, she does her best to comfort and protect her quiet and introverted 12 year old younger sister Lilly played by Chloe De Los Santos.

Rohan Mirchandaney as Scott the tour guide at the La Brea Tar Pits Museum who does his best, through humor, to keep the people stuck in the sinkhole calm. 

Chiké Okonkwo as Ty Coleman one of the strangers who must find their way home.

Josh McKenzie as Lucas, is sarcastic with an air of danger, Lucas has gone down a road of crime and works as a drug dealer. He is on a much different path than his police officer mother, Marybeth.

Karina Logue as Marybeth Hill, a police officer with strong opinions.

Jag Bal as Scott Hasan, a well-meaning guy who is a survivor in the sinkhole. 

Nicholas Gonzalez as Levi Brooks, an Air Force pilot and Gavin’s best friend who is recruited to lead the mission to save the people who fell into the sinkhole.

[theredhead77]

This looks fun. I hope they run into the crew from Terra Nova so both shows can have a decent run but I suspect it will be prematurely cancelled because network audiences just don't seem buy into this sort of prime-time show. Much to my dismay.

[DanaK]

This looks so dumb, but I love scifi, so I'll give it a chance. Though it will likely be canceled quickly like most Broadcast TV scifi is

[AnimeMania]

The first 5 minutes from the TV Show "La Brea".

 

[tv echo]

An exclusive look at 47 of fall 2021's new and returning shows
By EW Staff   September 17, 2021
https://ew.com/tv/fall-2021-tv-preview-photos/?slide=01d38fb8-93a1-4862-9912-0e1df2b8f66d#01d38fb8-93a1-4862-9912-0e1df2b8f66d 

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La Brea (Sept. 28, NBC)

When a giant sinkhole opens up in Los Angeles, hundreds of people fall through and travel to a primeval world and must figure out how to survive on NBC's new mystery drama. One of those survivors is Ty, played by Being Mary Jane's Chiké Okonkwo in his first American broadcast network starring role. "In the first episode, we don't quite understand why he's facing the things that he's facing," says Okonkwo. "I can say that he's a psychiatrist by trade. He's a man who is slightly confused with finding himself in this world, and he doesn't deal with it brilliantly at the beginning." Okonkwo is very impressed with the show's scale and things audiences will be, too. "I just the ambition of the show. I loved how big it was," he says. —Chancellor Agard

 

Edited September 18, 2021 by tv echo

[AnimeMania]

Next Big Thing: Actress and Amputee Zyra Gorecki on Starring in NBC’s Apocalyptic ‘La Brea’

Edited September 18, 2021 by AnimeMania

[tv echo]

La Brea's Natalie Zea Previews 'Hyper-Extraordinary' Times, Lots of Running in NBC Drama's Land Down Under
By Matt Webb Mitovich / September 20 2021
https://tvline.com/2021/09/20/natalie-zea-la-brea-preview-nbc-series-primeval-world/ 

Edited September 20, 2021 by tv echo

[AnimeMania]

[KaveDweller]

Is the show's promo deliberately trying to imitate Lost? They have the close up of Natalie Zea's eye opening, which is very similar to Lost starting with Jack's eye opening. Then they have a line about needing to stay together to survive, which is also super similar to a Jack line in the Lost pilot.

[AnimeMania]

Here is another sneak peek at Episode 1.

La Brea: Natalie Zea Lands in a Lost, Unreal World in NBC Drama Sneak Peek

[Tom Holmberg]

On 9/21/2021 at 5:47 PM, KaveDweller said:

Is the show's promo deliberately trying to imitate Lost? They have the close up of Natalie Zea's eye opening, which is very similar to Lost starting with Jack's eye opening. Then they have a line about needing to stay together to survive, which is also super similar to a Jack line in the Lost pilot.

Hopefully there won't be polar bears.

[xaxat]

On 9/21/2021 at 6:47 PM, KaveDweller said:

Is the show's promo deliberately trying to imitate Lost?

Every time I see one I think of Land of the Lost.

 

[AnimeMania]

How ‘La Brea’ Created a Giant Sinkhole in the Middle of L.A. for NBC’s New Drama

[KaveDweller]

20 hours ago, xaxat said:

Every time I see one I think of Land of the Lost.

 

That clip is hilarious. It really makes you appreciate modern effects.

I remember a different Land of the Lost, I think it aired on Nickelodeon in the 90s. I guess the premise of La Brea is more like that than anything else.

[tv echo]

The La Brea producers/showrunners and cast gave some media interviews in connection with the debut of the pilot...

'La Brea' Showrunners on What to Expect From the NBC Sci-Fi Disaster Series and the 'Lost' Connection
BY LIZ SHANNON MILLER   SEPTEMBER 28, 2021
https://collider.com/la-brea-show-premise-explained-showrunners-interview/ 

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So in the pilot, you have the character of Scott joke that "maybe we're in an episode of Lost." It's a good, funny joke, especially given the circumstances, but I really wanted to dig in and ask, when including a line like that, are you actively courting comparisons? Or are you just acknowledging that in the world of this show, the show Lost also exists?
APPELBAUM: I think the reason for it was that ... The comparisons to Lost at this point are inevitable, and it was kind of a tongue-in-cheek way of going right at it. And it's true. I love Lost. It's a fantastic show, and there are comparisons: It's about a diverse group of survivors who are trying to figure out how to get by, and figure out where they are and how they're going to get home.

But the show does go in a lot of different directions after that. We have a much different cast of characters. The world that they're inhabiting is very different. Really, it was just a joke. The show does have a lot of humor to it as well, so this was one way to highlight that, but also just to acknowledge that we're living in a world where those comparisons will be inevitable. So why not just have fun with it?

Sure, of course. What's interesting about it, too, is that I think a lot of people have had the experience of watching Lost or shows like it, where you're sitting on the couch saying, "Well, why don't they just do this or that?" Do you feel like that's going to be an element that you play with, just having characters try to outsmart the situation they're in?
APPELBAUM: That's an interesting question. One of the important characters in the show is the character of Scott, who's someone who has great knowledge of the world that they're in, has this knowledge of history. And he's one of these people who is always going to be trying to think about the setting that they're in. So I think we will find moments to do that. But really, these characters are just trying to exist moment by moment. And so, that long game speak, those long game ideas. certainly be a part of it. But I think more week-to-week, it's about the survival aspect and trying to figure out where they are and how they're going to get home.
*  *  *
Do you have a sense that you have to burn through a lot of plot in order to keep a show like this going, in an era like today?
APPELBAUM: That's one of the really important things of the show, is that we're always having twists and turns and surprising the audience and keeping them on the edge of their seat and not knowing where it's going. So we do go through a lot of story in a really fun and exciting way. But at the same time, we always try to find moments to slow the stories down, that we can focus on the characters and understanding their emotional arcs and their stories.

Every episode is going to be a thrill ride to a certain degree, and that will involve twists and turns, but we're always trying to find the spaces in between. Once we start getting further into later episodes, we really start to flesh out these characters even more, and we understand who they are. And the emotional stories start to take more center stage as well.
*  *  *
To wrap things up — in your heads, how many seasons does this show run, if you have your way about it?
APPELBAUM: That's a great question. One of the really good things about this process, even though it's taken two years to get from inception to screen, is that we've had a lot of time to sit and ponder and think about where the show would go. So we have a lot of big plans for what we want to do in future seasons.

We don't want to nail ourselves down to, it's going to be this X many seasons. But we think because it has such an interest group of characters who have their own stories. And it's also a world that has lots of mysteries that are unfolding. And as soon as you solve one mystery, another one opens up. We think it really has a potential to go for multiple seasons. But as far as like X number of seasons, that's not something that we've tried to nail ourselves to.

As a quick follow up on that, do you have a break-glass-in-case-of-abrupt-cancellation plan?
APPELBAUM: This is a 10-episode season, and we've completed the filming of the first season. So the first season has great stories and great climaxes. So I think we're telling really interesting stories. But as far as if it gets canceled, it's not something that we're really thinking about. Our job is just to create great stories and make the audience want to come back week after week. So it's not something that we're really planning for. We're just trying to tell the most interesting story that we can.

So there's no worry about leaving unanswered questions on the table?
APPELBAUM: The truth is that we're just trying to make a compelling episode. And if other people are making that decision, that's kind of out of our hands. We've never been asked to construct our story "in case of," but I think that can be a tough way to approach story, a defensive way to approach story. So we're just trying to make the audience be compelled and want to come back.

THE 'LA BREA' CAST AND SHOWRUNNER UNPACK THE PILOT'S SINKHOLE DISASTER & OUT OF TIME MYSTERY
Tara Bennett   Sep. 28, 2021
https://www.syfy.com/syfywire/la-brea-pilot-sinkhole-disaster-and-season-mystery-exclusive 

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David Appelbaum (Showrunner): Amongst the cast of characters down there, you're gonna find a number of different family units: father and daughter, you're going to find another mother and son, later on, you're going to find sisters. Family is really at the core of the show in a big way, which is something very different from Lost. Certainly, there are comparisons that will pop up. We were just starting to have fun with that in the pilot is we knew that it's inevitable because Lost is such a big show in our culture. But this one really diverges in a lot of significant ways, both thematically and in the world that we're creating.
*  *  *
Steven Lilien (Executive Producer): The important thing was to make the up-top world — that doesn't have the spectacle and the excitement of the sabertooths and wolves and this untouched Earth — to make that really matter to the story. That was important, so what we worked on is making Gavin matter on a character level, and starting to understand him and his relationship with Izzy, and what happened to this family. And maybe this is a second chance, but to start to dig into why this happened to Gavin, being able to see this [prehistoric] world and why he's connected to this world. I think it's gonna be really, really satisfying because we have those answers, and we're not going to shy away from them. And I think people are not going to see what we have coming and I think they're gonna be excited to learn more.

‘La Brea’ Bosses Tease the Mysteries Turning Everyone’s Worlds Upside Down
Meredith Jacobs      September 28, 2021
https://www.tvinsider.com/1015917/la-brea-series-premiere-gavin-visions-survivors-past/ 

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The survivors have somehow ended up in the past. What can you say about when they are?
David Appelbaum: That’s one of the big mysteries particularly in the early episodes. You’re going to get answers to that question early, and I think you’ll be rewarded, because it’s a really interesting answer. … It’ll be satisfying and it’s going to expand the scope of what the show is and make it a really interesting place to come back to.
*  *  *
What can you say about that mysterious person in the woods? Is he tied to the Mojave incident or something we have yet to hear about?
Bryan Wynbrandt: These are great questions and they’re also exciting questions because you’re honing in on the things we want you to be asking. … There’s a big spider web of connections in the show. Is he connected directly to the Mojave event? You’ll find out pretty quickly what his connection is.

Appelbaum: Everything that you’re seeing is really intentional and this is someone who’s going to play a pivotal role moving forward in the show.

Steven Lilien: The take away in the moment though is they’re not alone down there. There is a mystery and at least we know there is one other person out there. It’s going to expand the storytelling and open up the world.

Wynbrandt: And we are going to give you an answer this season.
*  *  *
Is it at all possible Gavin might know him due to what happened when his plane crashed in the desert three years ago?
Lilien: You’re dialed in. I love it. I don’t know if it’s about whether Gavin knows him or doesn’t know him. Right now as the story unfolds, that character is feeling the world down below, and Gavin’s dealing with his own story and his focus really is about his family and how to get down there. What’s compelling about the up top story is that we’re going to be unpacking a mystery up there that’s going to hook the audience, not just on an emotional level of a father and a daughter who are desperately trying to figure out how to get a mother and a son home, but also why Gavin is seemingly connected to this world in a way he can’t explain why he’s having visions.

Because the pilot doesn’t say which desert he crashed in, right?
Appelbaum: That’s right.
*  *  *
Can we trust any of the survivors as being 100% honest about who they are?
Appelbaum: They [all] have their own mysteries. We start to hint at that in the pilot, meeting the character of Ty. He’s at a really troubled place [before the fall, hinted at by him having a gun] and he’s contemplating suicide. One of the questions we’re going to be asking is why, and we’ll get a really satisfying, emotional answer to that. For a lot of the characters, we want to be unpeeling new layers of them as we go along. Some characters will be trustworthy, others won’t be.

Wynbrandt: The dangers don’t just come from the animals. There are characters and people in the clearing who aren’t necessarily law abiding citizens. So there’s definitely that element as well. We want it to feel like that Lord of the Flies element where you’re not sure who you can trust all the time. When survival is thrust upon you, how you behave and how you act is just heightened because it’s survival of the fittest at that point.

10 THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT LA BREA FROM THE CAST AND CREATORS
by Fred Topel | September 28, 2021 
https://editorial.rottentomatoes.com/article/10-things-to-know-about-la-brea-from-the-cast-and-creators/ 

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4. TY WAS SOMEWHERE IMPORTANT BEFORE THE SINKHOLE
...
Okonkwo added that Ty’s whereabouts prior to the sinkhole would be important. The viewer meets Eve, Sam and their kids in their cars when the sinkhole occurs. Okonkwo said you’ll find out where Ty was later in the season.

“Ty’s been traveling from west to east on Wilshire from a particular appointment which will become relevant later on,” Okonkwo said.
*  *  *
5. THE PEOPLE ABOVE GROUND MUST SOLVE THE LA BREA CODE
...
“We have more of the kind of Dan Brown, Da Vinci Code, Indiana Jones kind of action at the top,” Macken said.

Wyndbrandt elaborated a bit on the Dan Brown analogy.

“We wanted to have fun in that Dan Brown kind of Three Days of the Condor–esque thriller; put the government in a position where they know information that we don’t,” Wyndbrandt said. “He’s talking about the Dan Brown of it all where he has to uncover clues that there are people who know answers that will not only shed light on where his family is, but why he has a connection to this place.”
*  *  *
6. GAVIN HARRIS SEES THINGS OTHERS CAN’T
...
“That actually goes to places that I don’t think you’re going to expect because I didn’t even expect it,” Macken said. “Fundamentally important to Gavin’s character is being able to have that redemptive arc, both as a father and as a professional as a pilot. And also being able to use those negative experiences he had to try and finally understand himself and get his family back.”
*  *  *
9. LOVE IS IN THE AIR UNDER LA BREA
...
Both Sam and Eve have teenage kids in the sinkhole with them. While the parents are trying to find food and shelter, Josh and Riley (Veronica St. Clair), Sam’s daughter, may just hit it off.

“I think while there is crazy action in this show and there’s a lot of wild plot events, I think what makes it really good is the character relationships,” Martin said. “I don’t want to spoil anything, but you’ll definitely get to see that play out.”

Zea said she understood how the kids took advantage of their situation.

“What a great place to get into some mischief,” Zea said. “’My parents are really distracted with survival, so let’s go make out.’”

 

Edited September 29, 2021 by tv echo

[mary2013]

*********

To wrap things up — in your heads, how many seasons does this show run, if you have your way about it?
APPELBAUM: That's a great question. One of the really good things about this process, even though it's taken two years to get from inception to screen, is that we've had a lot of time to sit and ponder and think about where the show would go. So we have a lot of big plans for what we want to do in future seasons.

We don't want to nail ourselves down to, it's going to be this X many seasons. But we think because it has such an interest group of characters who have their own stories. And it's also a world that has lots of mysteries that are unfolding. And as soon as you solve one mystery, another one opens up. We think it really has a potential to go for multiple seasons. But as far as like X number of seasons, that's not something that we've tried to nail ourselves to.

As a quick follow up on that, do you have a break-glass-in-case-of-abrupt-cancellation plan?
APPELBAUM: This is a 10-episode season, and we've completed the filming of the first season. So the first season has great stories and great climaxes. So I think we're telling really interesting stories. But as far as if it gets canceled, it's not something that we're really thinking about. Our job is just to create great stories and make the audience want to come back week after week. So it's not something that we're really planning for. We're just trying to tell the most interesting story that we can.

So there's no worry about leaving unanswered questions on the table?
APPELBAUM: The truth is that we're just trying to make a compelling episode. And if other people are making that decision, that's kind of out of our hands. We've never been asked to construct our story "in case of," but I think that can be a tough way to approach story, a defensive way to approach story. So we're just trying to make the audience be compelled and want to come back.

*********

These answers are making me want to stop watching.  It doesn't sound like he's planned out how this will end.  

 

Edited September 29, 2021 by mary2013
couldn't figure how to quote

[theredhead77]

2 hours ago, mary2013 said:

These answers are making me want to stop watching.  It doesn't sound like he's planned out how this will end. 

On the flip side, the Lost show runners kept touting their book and plan and look what we ended up with.

 

Signed,

- Still bitter about that ending

Edited September 29, 2021 by theredhead77

[shapeshifter]

17 hours ago, mary2013 said:

To wrap things up — in your heads, how many seasons does this show run, if you have your way about it?
APPELBAUM: That's a great question. [Doesn't give a real answer]...
As a quick follow up on that, do you have a break-glass-in-case-of-abrupt-cancellation plan?
APPELBAUM: [Not that he's saying]...
So there's no worry about leaving unanswered questions on the table?
APPELBAUM: [Nope?]
*********
These answers are making me want to stop watching.  It doesn't sound like he's planned out how this will end.  

Those answers sounded to me like Appelbaum might just not be good at doing interviews,
but then I looked at Appelbaum's IMDb page (especially the Writer credits) and thought to myself:
Oh. Is he the guy responsible for the things I loved about those shows or is he the guy responsible for the things I loathed about those shows?

🤷‍♀️ *shrug*

[tv echo]

Ask Matt: ‘Law & Order’ Revival No Laughing Matter
Matt Roush   October 1, 2021
https://www.tvinsider.com/1014492/ask-matt-law-and-order-revival-nbc-la-brea-tony-awards-vera/ 

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Will La Brea Go the Way of Lost?
Question: I’ve just watched the first episode of NBC’s La Brea and it looks like it might be an interesting new series. That said, I am also having flashbacks to the first season of Lost. That show also started out promising, and no matter how weird and confusing it became, I had already drunk the Kool-Aid and stuck with it to the end. With one of the worst series finales ever, it was six seasons of wasted time. I’m hoping La Brea will not follow in Lost’s footsteps. I will definitely give the show a chance, but if it starts showing signs that it’s going in the same weird and confusing direction that Lost did, I will not hesitate to bail on it. Have you already seen some upcoming episodes and in your opinion does it seem to be heading in a no-nonsense direction? — JC

Matt Roush: I haven’t seen beyond the pilot, which only screened for critics shortly before the premiere, so I imagine we’ll all be experiencing this special effects-laden series more or less simultaneously. But before we speculate on its future, I disagree vehemently that however one feels about Lost’s controversial finale, that does not erase six seasons of sophisticated, challenging, and spectacular entertainment. And unless La Brea raises its game quickly and steeply, it’s not worthy of being mentioned in the same sentence. (Unless it’s how I phrased my preview earlier this week as “Lost for dummies.”) With that caveat, I’ll happily cheer the show on for its unabashed cheesiness and chutzpah. Network TV could use more big swings of B-movie escapism like this.
*  *  *
A Local’s View of La Brea
Comment: I watched the series premiere of La Brea as a So-Cal (Southern California) resident, familiar with the area where this is set, so I’ve been excited to see this series since I saw the first promotion. However, I might have to re-watch it just to see if they missed any clichés in this pilot: separated, hard-drinking, ex-military guy separated from his wife, angsty teens, etc. Add that to the obviously computer-generated animals in the sinkhole, and I’m not sure this is going to be a show I can watch without giving myself a headache from eye-rolls. I think I owe it to the actors to give it a couple more episodes to establish itself, but I’m not overly hopeful. What is your take? — Paul

Matt Roush: I’m only hopeful in the sense that La Brea opened to promising ratings, so those many Olympics promos seem to have paid off, and I’m happy these days if anything looks like a hit on the beleaguered broadcast networks, even if it’s unlikely ever to end up on my yearly top-10 list the way Lost often did.

Fred also wrote in to say he was “embarrassed to say I enjoyed the La Brea pilot. Of course, it’s not Lost quality (or anywhere close) but I’ll stick with it unless I get bored. Do you think we’ll ever see a network series on par with Lost again?”

Matt Roush: Now this last question really intrigues me. As I’ve been talking up the new season on radio and other platforms, when this subject comes up, I’ve said repeatedly that if Lost were to arrive on the scene today, no way would it be airing on ABC. It would be on Hulu or some other streaming service. That seems a given the way the industry is heading.

A Final La Brea Observation
Question: How many others have noticed that the crack in the sky in La Brea looks an awful lot like the crack through time in episodes of Doctor Who? Can we expect to see a TARDIS in future episodes? — LW

Matt Roush: You’re the first one to mention it to me. Maybe there are only so many ways to depict a magical time portal. But to your rhetorical question, I doubt even the Time Lord can fix what ails these poor souls who fell into the land of the lost.

 

Edited October 2, 2021 by tv echo

[shapeshifter]

50 minutes ago, tv echo said:

Ask Matt: ‘Law & Order’ Revival No Laughing Matter
Matt Roush   October 1, 2021
https://www.tvinsider.com/1014492/ask-matt-law-and-order-revival-nbc-la-brea-tony-awards-vera/ 

Another article linked on that page is: 
tvinsider.com/1015917/la-brea-series-premiere-gavin-visions-survivors-past
--which does have this comment from one of the show runners which gives hope to those of us who are hoping for a story that has at least some conclusion: "Wynbrandt: And we are going to give you an answer this season."

[shapeshifter]

On 10/2/2021 at 11:34 AM, shapeshifter said:

Another article linked on that page is: 
tvinsider.com/1015917/la-brea-series-premiere-gavin-visions-survivors-past
--which does have this comment from one of the show runners which gives hope to those of us who are hoping for a story that has at least some conclusion: "Wynbrandt: And we are going to give you an answer this season."

And: "Scott Israni (Rohan Mirchandaney): Look for this UCLA grad student to offer comic relief…although you have to wonder what mysteries his knowledge of anthropology might solve."

[tv echo]

La Brea Creator Recalls Initial Pitch for Sinkhole Series, Teases What's Next After Sabre-Toothed Tiger Reveal
By Matt Webb Mitovich / October 3 2021
https://tvline.com/2021/10/03/la-brea-preview-episode-2-sabre-toothed-tiger-reveal/ 

Quote

NBC’s La Brea may have drawn many lookie-loos with its ostentatious premise about a massive sinkhole that leads to a primeval world below and pulls those above into byzantine mysteries. But series creator David Appelbaum hopes it’s the emotional story that will keep viewers engaged.
*  *  *
When Appelbaum, who is co-showrunner alongside Steven Lilien and Bryan Wynbrandt, first started pitching La Brea to producers, “The main selling point was certainly this spectacle of people surviving in a strange and primeval land that has scope and scale,” he shared at a TCA presser. “But really what’s at the heart of it all is this family that is torn apart by this sinkhole. And that emotional connection to the show, I think, is what people responded to the most.”

“With a lot of shows,” especially in the sci-fi genre, “there can be ideas that are big and noisy,” Appelbaum noted. “But without that deep, emotional connection at the heart of it, people wouldn’t have responded to it. And that’s something that we try to keep at the heart of the all the episodes — this emotional story we’re telling about this family but also the emotional story of all the survivors who are down in the sinkhole as they’re trying to figure out how to get home, and also how to survive in this place.”
*  *  *
With so serialized a show, “it’s incumbent upon the writers and creators to think ahead and to plan, because what you’re doing in Episode 1 is hopefully setting up something that you’re going to see in a later episode,” he said. “And one of the real benefits that this show had was a really long development process. I pitched the show to NBC over two years ago, and since that time we started shooting a pilot and we were shut down by the pandemic…. So, we’ve had a lot of time to really think about where we’re going, which is really exciting and helps ground everything from the beginning. Having a sense of, ‘Oh, this is where we’re going to be taking it.'”
*  *  *
What the reveal of extinct-yet-very much alive creatures such as the tiger — as well as the Teratornis merriami (large birds from the Pleistocene epoch) that flew out of the sinkhole and into the L.A. skies — “brings up is only more mysteries and more questions,” Appelbaum teases. “But I think it’s … an exciting reveal and something that’s going to leave the audience wanting to understand more about this place and how it all came to be.”

 

Edited October 4, 2021 by tv echo

[tv echo]

Is Legends Baddie Obvious? Is L&O: OC Risking El's Family? Did NCIS Miss the Boat? Evil Kiss Unexpected? More Qs!
By Vlada Gelman, Matt Webb Mitovich, Kimberly Roots, Rebecca Iannucci, Ryan Schwartz, Nick Caruso, Mekeisha Madden Toby and Charlie Mason / October 15 2021
https://tvline.com/2021/10/15/legends-of-tomorrow-blew-up-their-own-waverider-season-7-tv-questions-answers/ 

Quote

12 | Is La Brea glossing over some things, like where the random hodgepodge of food stuffs came from (a sunken C-store?), and how Eve changed from khakis to jeans? Also, wasn’t Josh awfully spry for someone who almost died just a day ago and has possibly half-haphazard stitches in his abdomen?

 

Edited October 16, 2021 by tv echo

[AnimeMania]

‘La Brea’: Disaster Drama Debut Doubles Total Viewers & Triples Demo; Becomes Top NBC Premiere On Peacock

The premiere episode of La Brea on September 28, had 6.4 million viewers and now has over 15.6 million views, doubling its total viewers since launch.

La Brea is the No. 3 new show of the season after NCIS: Hawai’i and FBI International. The premiere has more than tripled in the 18-49 demo from 0.77 to 2.72. It is very popular with younger viewers.

[EllaWycliffe]

30 minutes ago, AnimeMania said:

La Brea is the No. 3 new show of the season after NCIS: Hawai’i and FBI International. The premiere has more than tripled in the 18-49 demo from 0.77 to 2.72. It is very popular with younger viewers.

My glorious shitshow might get renewed??? HURRAH!!!!

[tv echo]

I don't think this is a spoiler, so I'm posting it here...

Inside Line: Get Scoop on Succession, SVU, La Brea, S.W.A.T., Stargirl, Curb, New Amsterdam, The Rookie and More!
By Matt Webb Mitovich / October 20 2021, 
https://tvline.com/2021/10/20/succession-season-3-spoilers-new-characters/  

Quote

From what I read online, La Brea got only a 6-episode order from NBC. Is the season (and possibly the series) already over in November? –J.J.
Not to cast side-eye at your Search history, J.J., but I can assure you that Season 1 is due to run 10 episodes. In fact, here is Natalie Zea teasing an episode number higher than six! “Episode 7 is pret-ty cra-zy,” Eve’s portrayer told me. “It was pretty crazy to shoot, and I’m hoping that translates. I haven’t seen it yet, but shooting Episode 7 was a first for me — and I’ll leave it at that!”

 

Edited October 21, 2021 by tv echo

[tv echo]

Fall TV Freshman Report Card: Here Are 20 Ways to Improve 11 New Shows
By Matt Webb Mitovich, Kimberly Roots, Vlada Gelman, Keisha Hatchett, Rebecca Iannucci and Mekeisha Madden Toby / October 27 2021,
https://tvline.com/lists/fall-tv-2021-new-shows-improvements-ncis-hawaii-la-brea-ghosts/ 

Quote

LA BREA (Tuesdays on NBC)
...
WHAT WORKS: The premise of this fall’s top-rated new series is superfun, and we never would have guessed that what’s going on “topside” (Gavin can “see” the survivors!) would oftentimes be as nutty as life in the “land down under.” Natalie Zea is a perfectly plucky heroine, and we’re counting the minutes until Jon Seda gets to toss aside that cane and be a more active participant.

WHAT NEEDS WORK: Filming wrapped a while ago on the 10-episode Season 1, so in the event of renewal: Some of the plot-driving coinky-dinks — “The L.A. excavation team dug exactly where the survivors set up camp 12,000 years ago!” — threaten to make our eyes roll out of our head. And while we’re too polite to name names, some of the acting is… um, indicative of having limited options for a months-long, mid-pandemic shoot in wintertime Australia.

 

Edited October 28, 2021 by tv echo

[tv echo]

Nominees include La Brea...

2021 People's Choice Awards: Complete List of Nominees
By ALLISON CRIST      OCT 27, 2021 
https://www.eonline.com/news/1305316/2021-peoples-choice-awards-complete-list-of-nominees 

Quote

Take a look at the full list of 2021 People's Choice Awards nominees below and vote now on the official PCAs site.

The People's Choice Awards airs live on E! and NBC on Tuesday, Dec. 7 at 9 p.m.

 

Edited October 28, 2021 by tv echo

[Cobb Salad]

SyFy is having a La Brea marathon today starting at 8 am if anyone is interested.  

[tv echo]

Fall’s New Shows: Which Ones Could Be Renewed? Which Have Us Worried?
Meredith Jacobs    NOVEMBER 3, 2021
https://www.tvinsider.com/gallery/new-fall-2021-shows-renewed-canceled-ratings/#2 

Quote

La Brea
Prediction: Likely Season 2 Renewal

La Brea is the top-rated new show this fall, and it’s been mostly steady through just over half its first season (other than a drop opposite World Series Game 6 on November 2).

Average (six episodes): 0.6 rating, 5.13 million viewers

 

Edited November 6, 2021 by tv echo

[tv echo]

There will be a La Brea panel at San Diego Comic-Con: Special Edition on November 27, 2021...

https://www.comic-con.org/ccse/programming-schedule 

Quote

NBC's La Brea

The cast and executive producers of La Brea gather for a virtual discussion of the hit series and share an exclusive first look of the season finale airing November 30 on NBC. Natalie Zea, Eoin Macken, Jon Seda, Chiké Okonkwo, and Nicholas Gonzalez will partake in a Q&A session alongside co-showrunners David Appelbaum, Steven Lilien, and Bryan Wynbrandt, moderated by TV Guide Magazine’s Damian Holbrook.
*  *  *
Start time: Nov 27, 2021 2:45 pm (GMT-08:00) Pacific Time (US & Canada)

End time: Nov 27, 2021 3:45 pm (GMT-08:00) Pacific Time (US & Canada)

COMIC-CON SPECIAL EDITION PANEL SCHEDULE RELEASED
by Kerry Dixon     November 5, 2021
https://sdccblog.com/2021/11/comic-con-special-edition-panel-schedule-released/ 

Quote

The programming schedule itself is very heavily focused on cosplay and gaming. For those hoping for Hollywood presence, probably the biggest panel in that regard is NBC’a La Brea on Saturday at 2:45PM in Room 6DE — however, this will be a virtual discussion.

 

Edited November 7, 2021 by tv echo

[AnimeMania]

‘La Brea’ Renewed for Season 2 at NBC

[EllaWycliffe]

Hurrah! Now we can plan on the Globetrotters!

Edited November 12, 2021 by EllaWycliffe

[raven]

They should go with no holds barred wackiness like Zoo did. 

[EllaWycliffe]

14 minutes ago, raven said:

They should go with no holds barred wackiness like Zoo did. 

We're... not at no holds barred wackiness???? :O

[eskimo]

On 11/12/2021 at 4:38 PM, EllaWycliffe said:

Hurrah! Now we can plan on the Globetrotters!

This might be one of my favorite comments of all time.  Smart, to-the-point, and hilarious!  

Edited November 17, 2021 by eskimo
Typo