The networks are revealing their upcoming schedules this week and with it comes first looks at their new shows. One of the shows I am most looking forward to this fall is NBC's telling of Dracula. Starring Jonathan Rhys Meyers as the titular vampire, NBC's version looks opulent and cinematic, the kind of show that would be more at home on HBO than a broadcast network. That could be because the head of NBC, Bob Greenblatt - who ordered Dracula straight to series without the traditional "let's start with a pilot" step - came from Showtime. With Dracula and Hannibal and midseason's pirate show Crossbones, maybe he is trying to bring a pay-cable aesthetic to a broadcast network.
Anyway, check out the official trailer and synopsis below. Dracula premieres this fall on Fridays at 10pm, following Grimm (which returns to its original 9pm slot).
Golden Globe winner Jonathan Rhys Meyers (“The Tudors”) stars in this provocative new drama as one of the world’s most iconic characters. It’s the late 19th century and the mysterious Dracula (Rhys Meyers) has arrived in London, posing as an American entrepreneur who wants to bring modern science to Victorian society. He’s especially interested in the new technology of electricity, which promises to brighten the night — useful for someone who avoids the sun. But he has another reason for his travels: He hopes to take revenge on those who cursed him with immortality centuries earlier. Everything seems to be going according to plan… until he becomes infatuated with a woman who appears to be a reincarnation of his dead wife. Victoria Smurfit (“About a Boy”), Thomas Kretschmann (“King Kong”), Jessica De Gouw (“Arrow”), Oliver Jackson-Cohen (“Mr. Selfridge”), Nonso Anozie (“Game of Thrones”) and Katie McGrath (“Merlin”) also star.