CBS gives Swingtown a whirl

Way back in July 2007, TV Squad wrote about a bunch of shows CBS previewed and were slating for the upcoming season, including Swingtown. It was supposed to premiere in mid-season, but then mid-season came and it was nowhere to be found. The network will announce today their plans for the serial drama; it's going to run this summer. Instead of taking that move as a lack of faith in the show, executive producer Carol Barbee told The Hollywood Reporter that a summer run creatively suits the project. "A summer launch is perfect for Swingtown since the pilot takes place on the Bicentennial Fourth of July," Barbee said. Barbee has most recently been working on Jericho.

Swingtown is a continuing drama set in 1976 about the lives of some suburban Chicago couples who decide to try "swinging." You know, swapping partners, sexual experimentation, key parties. The pilot has some familiar faces, including Jack Davenport (Pirates of the Caribbean), Grant Show (Melrose Place), Molly Parker (Deadwood), and Josh Hopkins (Brothers and Sisters).

Since Swingtown is a continuing drama, like Lost -- but with a lot more soap, it should play better straight through, which was CBS's original idea for the mid-season run. That was before the WGA strike. The strike shut down production in November. They have only recently resumed filming.

Swingtown will premiere on Thursday, May 29, 10:00-11:00 p.m.

[via TheFutonCritic.com]