NBC Pilot Pickups Summary: What's New, What's Renewed?

NBC seems to have settled on their series orders (for now, anyway), has passed on the pilots it didn't want, and announced a couple of renewals in "Parenthood" and "Harry's Law." Which new NBC shows made the cut? Here's a quick rundown:

"The Playboy Club" made it onto NBC's schedule. The show is a period piece set in the 1960's about--you guessed it--Playboy. The series will star Amber Heard, Jenna Dewan, and Eddie Cibrian, and has the potential to be a "Mad Men" type of drama.

"Awake" has also been picked up. If you're wondering what the heck "Awake" is, it's the pilot that was previously called "REM." The show has been described as an "Inception"-type thriller, starring Jason Isaacs (of "Harry Potter" fame) playing a detective who loses his family and begins to have trouble separating his dreams from reality. Or something like that. It's supposed to be pretty complex. But with the success of both "Inception" and "Fringe," this show could be a big one.

"Grimm" is an interesting addition to the NBC lineup: the show is a cop drama, but includes fantasy elements. The title refers to the fact that the world of the show is one in which Grimm's fairy tales are real, and the characters therein exist. Will Hansel and Gretel pay for their crimes?

"Whitney" is a multi-camera sitcom in the vein of...well, most other multi-cam sitcoms. It's based on the stand-up comedy of Whitney Cummings (who recently appeared in the Donald Trump Roast), and centers on a young couple and their relationship problems.

"Prime Suspect" is an import of a British miniseries, originally starring Helen Mirren. The American adaptation will star Maria Bello as a New York detective, solving crimes and trying to make it in a man's world.

"Up All Night" is an exciting project for comedy fans: it's a single-camera comedy from Emily Spivey with strong ties to both the Upright Citizen's Brigade theater (a strong farm system for comedy talent) and "Saturday Night Live." Lorne Michaels will produce the show, which stars Christina Applegate, Will Arnett and Maya Rudolph as adults dealing with Parenthood and family.

"Smash" could be one of the biggest shows of the season. The show was developed in part by Steven Spielberg, and centers on a theatre group putting on a musical about the life of Marilyn Monroe. It's being referred to as "Glee for adults," which is appealing enough, and doubly so with Spielberg behind it.

Ultimately, there's some really exciting stuff here (even though NBC passed on "Wonder Woman"), and at least three of the pilots ("Whitney," "Prime Suspect," and "Up All Night") are either centered on women or written by women, which is a good trend for the currently male-dominated TV writing world.