Even as the 2007/08 season limped past the finish line, networks and buyers met in New York in anticipation of getting a fresh start in the fall with a new crop of shows, the lack of pilots be damned. And so we ask the Canadian media buyers who made the trip:

What were the best new shows at the upfronts?

It was slim pickings…but I liked Fringe from Fox, The Eleventh Hour from CBS and In the Motherhood from ABC. Hands down, laugh-out-loud funny was The Worst Week from CBS starring Kyle Bornheimer, about a bad-luck guy trying to impress his future in-laws. Three Stooges stupid humor – very funny if they can maintain the pace.
Sylvia Criger,
Managing director, MCS, Mediacom

The most promising dramas on the fall radar are The Mentalist from CBS, and
J.J. Abram’s Fringe on Fox. Also worth a mention is 90210, which generated the most excitement at the CW launch.
Josie Bumbaca,
Group director, PHD Canada

The best dramas were Harper’s Island, which is a murder mystery, Fringe, The Eleventh Hour from Jerry Bruckheimer, and The Mentalist, starring Simon Baker who everyone loved. The theme this year has to be a return to X-Files, as most of the dramas this year were very X-File-ish. In my opinion, the best comedy is definitely Worst Week and the most exciting drama is a toss-up between The Mentalist and The Eleventh Hour.
Kim Dougherty,
OMD Canada

Fringe. They had a terrific presentation clip and promises it will be the next big thing. Also Truth in Advertising, a buddy-buddy comedy drama set in an ad agency starring the two Canadians, Tim Cavanaugh and Eric McCormick.
Dennis Dinga,
VP, director of broadcast buying, M2 Universal

Without question Worst Week is great. It is really a laugh-out-loud comedy. That said, we only saw two minutes, so hopefully the whole half-hour is as good.
Sherry O’Neil,
OMD Canada