CHICAGO (thefutoncritic.com) -- The latest development news, culled from recent wire reports:
BOY MEETS BOY (Bravo, New!) - The cable channel has committed to six episodes of America's first primetime gay-themed reality dating series. Like ABC's "The Bachelor," the series will feature a single man looking for love in a pool of 15 potential mates. The twist is that some of the suitors are actually heterosexual men who were paid by the producers to pretend to be gay, unbeknownst to the eligible bachelor. Dani Behr ("Extra") hosts the series, which wrapped production in Palm Springs on May 17. Douglas Ross co-created and is executive producing the project which is set for a July bow.
DINNER FOR FIVE (IFC) - Jon Favreau's chatfest is set to return for a third season as IFC has greenlighted 13 new episodes of the half-hour series. Production is set to start in August with several episodes expected to highlight an upcoming film, such as a recent "Daredevil"-themed outing. IFC shot 23 episodes of "Dinner" over the course of its first two seasons.
HURT BURT (FX, New!) - Stand-up Bert Kreischer will topline this new reality series that is reportedly close to a half-hour series or series of shorts order from the cable channel. The project, inspired by a feature Kreischer did for FX's "The X Show," features the comedian as he spends the day in another person's shoes, whether it be an exterminator and an attack dog trainer to an arena league quarterback. Barry Katz ("Last Comic Standing") is executive producing the project.
ONE TREE HILL (WB) - The Frog has named Ann Lewis Hamilton ("Party of Five") as the executive producer/showrunner of the project which is set for a midseason 2004 bow.
THE ORLANDO JONES SHOW (FX) - Lenny Kravitz, The Neptunes' Pharrell Williams and Sean "P. Diddy" Combs are set as the debut guests for Orlando Jones' new half-hour talk show, which premieres Monday, June 16 at 11:00/10:00c. Eddie Feldmann and Erwin Stoff are executive producing the series with Grammy Award-winning producer Dallas Austin as the music director.
TARZAN & JANE (WB) - P.K. Simonds ("Party of Five") has been tapped as the executive producer/showrunner of the Frog's "Tarzan" update. Simonds will share duties with Laura Ziskin, David Gerber, Eric Kripke and Molly Newman ("7th Heaven") on the project.
TRASH TO CASH (FX, New!) - The cable channel is reportedly close to greenlighting this new series starring comedian John DiResta (of the short-lived UPN comedy "DiResta"). The half-hour reality project will feature DiResta and his designer brother scouring neighborhoods looking for old pieces of furniture to refurbish as they help people do major decorating projects on very tight budgets. Barry Katz, one of the executive producers of the project, describes it as "Trading Spaces" for the blue-collar set.
UNTITLED ROSEANNE PROJECT (ABC) - The Alphabet network's reality series starring comedian Roseanne Barr is set to bow in late July. 13 episodes of the untitled project, which tracks Barr as she pitches her forthcoming ABC Family cooking series, have been shot.
Sources: Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Reuters
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