When I spoke with Ron Moore at last year’s San Diego Comic-Con, he’d mentioned that he had a few new projects in mind, but nothing yet set in stone. Admittedly, I hounded him for more details, but he just wasn’t up for discussing them. So for many months now we’ve waited to see what might come of these new projects of his, and finally one peeks its head out. Moore’s supernatural cop drama 17th Precinct just got a pilot order from NBC, and one of the descriptions it’s being given is “an adult Harry Potter.” I’m not sure who came up with that description, but accurate or not, it’s a terrible idea.
Let’s use Battlestar Galactica as an example, because there’s somewhat of a lesson to be learned here. When it was on the air, a whole lot of episodes started out telling the viewer that the Cylons had “a plan.” Eventually, as the show progressed and we learned more about the Cylons, fans started to wonder what the heck was meant by this plan of theirs. Did they really have a plan? Were we going to find out? Moore had painted himself in a corner — actually, several corners — and he had to figure a way to apease the fans or risk more backlash.
Now someone — Moore or NBC — has decided to throw out a description to their show that they can’t possibly deliver: It’s Harry Potter, grown up. If it was Moore’s doing, he likely used it to help sell the show to the clueless executives, and they just went ahead and carried it to the press. If it was solely NBC’s doing, they’re shamelessly using a highly recognizable name to sell the show to the public. My guess is it was closer to the former. Either way, it should have been kept internally.
If this show — which sounds a hell of a lot like Eureka — is barely relatable as Harry Potter to people expecting it to be, many will likely be disappointed. Likewise, if the show comes across too much like Harry Potter-like adults, with grown-ups flying around on brooms and wielding magic wands, probably even more people will be pissed off, because it’s trying too hard to be like Harry Potter.
Using Harry Potter to sell the show to anyone is one hell of a tall order to fill. Nothing against Ron Moore’s abilities, but I’m not sure anyone can pull that off successfully unless the lead character really is Harry Potter.
Clacked by Keith McDuffee 
on Jan 20, 2011 @ 21:54 EST5EDT
If memory serves he did regret the “they have a plan” screen shot. I would have thought that his future marketing campaigns would be carried out with surgical precision.
Well it’s still early, I imagine.
I actually thought the “And they have a plan” tag was done completely by marketing w/out Moore’s involvement or approval.
I remember that from a Podcast early on….
That’s what I meant. He regretted that it happened. That’s why I say I’m surprised he does have Empire type control over all his marketing campaigns going forward.
*POST AUTHOR*
So will we hear the same thing from him about this Harry Potter business?
I don’t know if we will or not, but I’m sure James Parriott has an opinion on the matter :P
He was saddled with the same marketing BS as well, no?
I think the important thing about ‘the plan’ is that as a concept it worked on several levels. The cylons had a conscious plan to eradicate humanity. But unconsciously, their real plan all along was to re-merge with humanity in a way that would give rise to the human species on Earth (part human, part cylon). At the same time, the plan was also a very clear reference to the idea of God having a plan. If one didn’t look at the cylon plan to return to the humanity from which they’d been taken, then one could instead see it as God’s plan for the cylons and humans, that overruled any plans that the cylons or humans may have had. And throughout, the implication was that God, the gods, and the angels, were something ‘other’, something beyond human and cylon, responsible for the creation of both species. No doubt, such debates will surface again with BSG Blood and Chrome.
BSG had no plan, the sooner everyone realizes this the better off everyone will be.
It’s on NBC, it’s doomed.
Well, you could always say “the plan” was to confuse a lot of people.
Adult wizard solving crimes in a big city? Has anyone heard of the “Dresden Files”? Same exact concept, except for the millions of screaming fans. They aren’t gonna be happy he changes Harry Potter. And he will change Potter, thats what he does.
I was going to say the same thing, Dresden Files! A show that definitely got cancelled to early and I really excited for a somewhat similar premise in 17th Precinct. With all the recent casting, I think this show could be epic.