I caught the pilot of "Bram and Alice" and saw potential in it, but not as a network TV show. Bram is the author of one successful book, being hounded by his publisher to produce a second. He passes his days avoiding the publisher's phone calls and spending his advance money seducing pretty young women writers who come to him seeking advice or an entrée into the writing business. Alice is a daughter Bram didn't know he had, from a years-ago indiscretion with her mother, a woman he hardly remembers. Alice wants to be a writer and journeys to meet Dad to establish herself both as his daughter and as a writer.
For anyone who remembers NBC's "Buffalo Bill" from the mid 1980s, the same principles apply here: unlikeable characters in key roles and abundant cynicism. Of course, the door is open for redemption and unexpected kindness to blossom, but the show would need to have lasted for more than a couple of episodes.
On one of the cable networks this show could possibly have survived, even thrived, because its thorny matters of plot and character could have been worked out. On network TV (in this case CBS) "Bram and Alice" withered on the vine.
I seem to recall that James Burroughs directed the premiere episode of "Bram and Alice", the only one I saw; Mr. Burroughs' guidance plus the excellent cast made it memorable. But, like the aforementioned "Buffalo Bill", "Bram and Alice" died prematurely. I can't guess where this show might have gone given a fair chance.
