Spotnitz and Gilligan Get Amped

[Blackoil]

Spotnitz and Gilligan Get Amped

Spike TV pilot sets up shop in Vancouver

A new television pilot from X-Files alumni Frank Spotnitz and Vince Gilligan recently began set construction in Vancouver. Amped, a story about humans in the near future who must battle genetically altered monsters in Los Angeles, will begin lensing in early October, with director Robert Lieberman (The Dead Zone) at the helm.

Spotnitz has set the series for Spike TV in a police precinct, and describes the story as scary, yet funny.

"The idea is that the world has changed," Spotnitz says. "It's a very dangerous world. A certain percentage of the population are mutating and turning into monsters. And it depends on your specific DNA what type of monster you become. So the cops who work in this precinct go out everyday, and they literally don't know what they're going to encounter."

X-Men meets The Island of Dr. Moreau meets NYPD Blue...? Time will tell.

Source: https://www.hollywoodnorthreport.com/article.php?Article=3462

[Guest betweenthelines]

Lieberman also directed the X/F episode 'Rush'. Wonder how many (if any) X/F and MM actors and crew members will be involved in this show, in addition to Gilligan and Spotnitz.

[Blackoil]

IMDb lists Steven Long Mitchell and Craig W. Van Sickle as executive producers. They were the creators of The Pretender.

And I hope to see Darin Morgan as a writer of the show.

[Guest MillenniumIsBliss]

IMDb lists Steven Long Mitchell and Craig W. Van Sickle as executive producers. They were the creators of The Pretender.

And I hope to see Darin Morgan as a writer of the show.

Hey Blackoil, clever member name... OK, I have a little confession to make. I don't know if I would like it as much if it came out today (probably not), but I thought the Pretender was a cute show when it came out, and I think I watched it for the first two seasons before I kind of burned out on it. I don't remember if I caught any episodes in S3 and S4 or not. It would be nice to see Darin Morgan and other Millennium and X-files cast and crew though. It will be interesting to see how good this show is.

[Guest SouthernCelt]

Hey Blackoil, clever member name... OK, I have a little confession to make. I don't know if I would like it as much if it came out today (probably not), but I thought the Pretender was a cute show when it came out, and I think I watched it for the first two seasons before I kind of burned out on it. I don't remember if I caught any episodes in S3 and S4 or not. It would be nice to see Darin Morgan and other Millennium and X-files cast and crew though. It will be interesting to see how good this show is.

Yes, clever name, anyone wondering where that one came from?

In my book, citing the Pretender as a major work in someone's resume doesn't impress me. I watched it only occasionally and while the acting and dialogue was ok, the story line was about the same every week. There was the continuing search for the main character by the not-so-nice people. (I thought the woman was attractive but, heavens, did she get that way with makeup? She looked almost like a clown in some closeups!) The 'hero' (don't remember character or actor names, sorry) always took on some crusade in his identity-of-the-week which seemed a bit odd since he was trying to not project a high profile and have his pursuers locate him. An occasional heart-felt demonstration of assistance might have been believable but not a new one every week.

[Guest MillenniumIsBliss]

Yes, clever name, anyone wondering where that one came from?

In my book, citing the Pretender as a major work in someone's resume doesn't impress me. I watched it only occasionally and while the acting and dialogue was ok, the story line was about the same every week. There was the continuing search for the main character by the not-so-nice people. (I thought the woman was attractive but, heavens, did she get that way with makeup? She looked almost like a clown in some closeups!) The 'hero' (don't remember character or actor names, sorry) always took on some crusade in his identity-of-the-week which seemed a bit odd since he was trying to not project a high profile and have his pursuers locate him. An occasional heart-felt demonstration of assistance might have been believable but not a new one every week.

Yes, I agree with pretty much everything you said, and this is why I tired of it before too long. There was enough good acting and charisma from Michael T. Weiss (sp?) and other characters, such as Broots, Sidney and Mrs. Parker, that it kept me watching for a while. As mentioned, the cast was really outstanding, with Weiss, Patrick Bauchau, Jon Gries, and Harve presnell, among others, but as you said, every show was pretty much the exact same rehashed formula, and it became tiresome. The whole premise where Jarod takes on an identity, saves the innocent, catches the bad guy and eludes the Center was very cute at first, but they should have deviated from this story line more often to keep it more interesting.

[Blackoil]

Hey Blackoil, clever member name...

Yes, clever name,

Thanks. :)

I watched only first season of the Pretender and actually I really liked it, there were some great actors mentioned here before (Michael T. Weiss and Andrea Parker) and I think some stories were quite interesting, too. I remember Ms. Parker, she was a very cool character, so bitchy and attractive, and she always smoked, she had ulcer though. :)

Anyway, I hope "Amped" is going to be a Spotnitz/Gilligan show - they created it, they are writers and executive producers. I believe they're very talented guys.

[Blackoil]

From TV-Guide:

Casting About: X-Files Guys Find Their Gal

TVGuide.com has learned that Sarah Joy Brown (Cold Case) has been tapped for the female lead in Amped, Spike TV's much-anticipated drama pilot about cops battling humans mutated by a mysterious virus, and penned by The X-Files' Frank Spotnitz and Vince Gilligan.

Sarah Joy Brown will play "Katrina Cabrera," a detective with the LAPD.

She's kinda hot.