Well, I know what I’m doing this weekend. Amazon launched its new slate of five new original television pilots today for users to watch and comment on before the company decides which ones it wants to turn into full seasons of content. The pilots include “The Cosmopolitans,” a show about American expatriates in Paris; “Hand of God,” which stars Ron Perlman as a judge/vigilante who receives visions from God through his comatose son; and “Hysteria,” a show about a town struck by an illness that spreads through technology.
Playing catch-up with Netflix is grueling business. Amazon posted five new online pilots aimed at adults in February and ordered full seasons of four of them in March. Now, before any of those shows have arrived, five more pilots are being posted Thursday on Amazon Instant Video. Like the February batch, this group consists of two hourlong dramas and three half-hour comedies and involves major names like Whit Stillman, Marc Forster and David Gordon Green. And again, over all, the comedies are better. Perhaps the prestige associated with outlets like HBO, AMC and Netflix still draws better dramatic projects. Here’s a rundown of the latest Amazon pilots, from best to worst.