• by David Kaplan , May 10, 2005

A week to go before the major networks lift the curtain on their upfront presentations, a few announcements have slipped out about what media buyers and advertisers can look forward to.

Aside from non-surprises such as "Desperate Housewives" returning on ABC, NBC is touting producer Jerry Bruckheimer's ("Flashdance," "Beverly Hills Cop," "Black Hawk Down," "Pirates of the Caribbean") "E-Ring." Described as "The West Wing" set at the Pentagon, the drama was created by David McKenna and Ken Robinson, a former Green Beret who consults for CNN on terrorism and military intelligence.

Shifting gears, NBC has also generated some talk about the comedy "Early Bird." Perhaps a little too close to home for some scriptwriters, the show--which stars Timm Sharp ("Undeclared," "Six Feet Under")--is about a comedy writer who gets fired from his "Saturday Night Live" gig, and ends up living in a retirement community after he goes there to sell his late grandfather's condominium.

"The show has generated buzz thanks to plans to have a lot of older stars participate in it, such as Teri Garr, George Hamilton, Faye Dunaway," said one veteran media buyer who has seen some clips of it. "The hope is that it will appeal to both young hipsters, old hipsters, and everyone else in between."

Speaking of the next "West Wing," ABC would seem to be taking dead aim at the NBC show with "Commander in Chief," which stars Geena Davis as the first female president. Still, according to those who have been clued in, the show is a drama like "West Wing," but it plans to focus more on the President's private life away from the Oval Office and its immediate surroundings.