or


[04/14/05 - 12:00 AM]
Development Update: April 14
By The Futon Critic Staff (TFC)

LOS ANGELES (thefutoncritic.com) -- The latest development news, culled from recent wire reports:

Looking to keep track of all the various projects in development? Click here to visit our newly revamped "Series in Development" charts. Visitors can now filter our listings by network, genre and even development stage (ordered to pilot, cast-contingent, script, etc.). It's updated every day!

ABC'S 2005-06 SEASON PILOTS (ABC) - The Alphabet has confirmed various pilot title changes as well as given monikers to several untitled projects: the Brenda Blethyn-led, Holly Hester-produced comedy pilot about a middle-aged woman (Blethyn) who leaves her family life for a divorce and a job now features the title "Carol Potter Gets a Life"; Freddie Prinze Jr.'s comedy pilot at the network is now simply being called "Freddie"; Chris Kattan's workplace comedy has been branded "Enough About Me"; Mark Torgrove and Paul Kaplan's couples comedy "Play Mates" is now titled "Play Dates"; Fred Goss and Nick Holly's previously untitled comedy presentation, about siblings dealing with their respective families, has been titled "Sons & Daughters"; and the untitled Peter Dinklage-led comedy pilot now runs under the title "Testing Bob."

FOX'S 2005-06 SEASON PILOTS (FOX) - FOX has confirmed a trio of name changes for its 2005-06 season pilots: the Lonely Island Guys sketch comedy presentation has been titled "Awesometown"; the Chris O'Donnell and Adam Goldberg-led legal drama pilot "Crazy Lawyers" is now called "Head Cases"; and Paul Scheuring's prison break drama pilot has been shortened to just "The Break." In addition, FOX has apparently passed on two of its sketch comedy pilots ("The Barenaked Ladies Variety Show" and "The Davey Gee Show") while drama pilot presentation "Anatomy of an Affair" has reportedly been scrapped.

MASTERS OF DOOM (Showtime, New!) - Writer/producer Naren Shankar ("C.S.I.: Crime Scene Investigation") is developing an original movie about John Carmack and John Romero, the creators of the video game phenomenon "Doom." David Kushner's book "Masters of Doom" will serve as the basis of the project, which Shankar will adapt and executive produce. The telefilm then is expected to track the pair's rags-to-riches story as well as how the game changed the gaming industry with its release in 1993 and the controversies that followed.

MY LIFE WITH FRED DURST (New!) - Bischoff-Hervey Entertainment and producer Scott Sternberg have pacted with Limp Bizkit front man Fred Durst to develop a one-hour hybrid talk show/docu-soap around the recording artist/sometimes actor ("Revelations"). The project, which will begin formal pitches at various networks next week, will feature Durst conducting interviews with celebrities as well as his life as a father, businessman and musician. Eric Bischoff, Jason Hervey, Patrick Panzerella and Sternberg then will serve as executive producers of the project, additional details of which weren't specified.

NBC'S 2005-06 SEASON PILOTS (NBC) - Dan Mazer's untitled comedy pilot presentation, which takes a look at everyday America, has now been titled "American Lives"; the Janeane Garofalo-led comedy pilot about the life of poker champ Annie Duke has been retitled once more to "Deal"; both Tina Fey's and Dave Flebotte's comedy pilots (the latter of which is now titled "Goody's") have had filming pushed back to June and are now targeted for midseason slots; and Fred Goss and Nick Holly's other comedy pilot presentation (which also comes from NBC Universal Television and Lorne Michaels & JoAnn Alfano's Broadway Video), a partly improvised show about three families living on cul-de-sac, has been branded "The Weekend."

SOUTH BEACH (UPN) - Sara Foster ("D.E.B.S.") has joined the cast of the drama pilot, about three young adults whose dreams and aspirations lead them to Miami. No details however were given about her character. Vanessa L. Williams and Marcus Coloma also star in the project, which is set up at Nuyorican Productions, Flame Television and Paramount Network Television and comes from executive producers Philip Levens, Jennifer Lopez, Tony Krantz, Simon Fields and Matt Cirulnick.

THE STUDIO (A.K.A. THE LOT) (UPN) - The drama pilot, about a group of twentysomething assistants with big dreams working on a Hollywood studio backlot, is now being developed under the title "The Studio." Gina Gershon, Jessica Lucas and Kelly Overton all star in the Warner Bros. Television/Silver Pictures-based project, which is executive produced by Dana Baratta, Joel Silver, Jennifer Gwartz and Danielle Stokdyk.

UNTITLED RICH APPEL PROJECT (CBS) - The comedy pilot, about a divorced couple who remain best friends and share custody of their kids, has reportedly been shelved by CBS. No reason was given for the decision or if it will be shot later this year for possible midseason 2006 consideration. Rich Appel ("King of the Hill") is behind the project, which is set up at 20th Century Fox Television.

THE WB'S 2005-06 SEASON PILOTS (The WB) - The Frog has revealed two title changes from its 2005-06 pilot slate: the Jerry Bruckheimer-produced drama pilot "Dog Town Laywers," which stars Don Johnson and Jay Baruchel, has now been branded "Just Legal"; and the Liz Tuccillo-produced drama pilot about four adults sisters in New York City has been retitled from "Sisters" to "Related."

Sources: Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Reuters





  [april 2005]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S
     


· ANATOMY OF AN AFFAIR (FOX)
· AWESOMETOWN (FOX)
· BARENAKED LADIES VARIETY SHOW, THE (FOX)
· CSI: CRIME SCENE INVESTIGATION (CBS)
· DAVEY GEE SHOW, THE (FOX)
· DEAL (NBC)
· DOG BITES MAN (COMEDY CENTRAL)
· ENOUGH ABOUT ME (ABC)
· FREDDIE (ABC)
· GOODY'S (NBC)
· HEAD CASES (FOX)
· JUST LEGAL (WB)
· KING OF THE HILL (FOX)
· MARSHA POTTER GETS A LIFE (ABC)
· MASTERS OF DOOM (USA)
· MY EX-LIFE (CBS)
· PLAY DATES (ABC)
· PRISON BREAK (FOX)
· RELATED (WB)
· REVELATIONS (NBC)
· SONS & DAUGHTERS (ABC)
· SOUTH BEACH (UPN)
· STUDIO, THE (UPN)
· TESTING BOB (ABC)
· WEEKEND, THE (NBC)





[05/07/24 - 02:06 PM]
NBC's "Deal or No Deal Island" Renewed for Season 2
The elusive Banker will invite a new crop of players to compete in the season-long, fully immersive competition.

[05/07/24 - 02:01 PM]
Video: "The Test" Season 3 Trailer - Prime Video
Step into the heart of cricket's fiercest rivalries with the new season on May 24.

[05/07/24 - 01:30 PM]
Warner Bros. Discovery U.K. & Ireland Announces "Taylor Swift vs Scooter Braun: Bad Blood" (w/t), Expanding the Popular Format
The two-part docuseries, produced by Optomen, will explore the gripping feud between global pop-superstar Taylor Swift and music industry mogul Scooter Braun, delving into the $300 million dispute after Braun bought the rights to Swift's first six albums in June 2019.

[05/07/24 - 12:15 PM]
"Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" Picked Up to Series at ABC
Clea Shearer and Joanna Teplin, co-founders of the global lifestyle brand The Home Edit and the duo who made America fall in love with getting organized, are on board as hosts.

[05/07/24 - 11:13 AM]
Lifetime Announces New Movie Starring Teri Hatcher and June Movie Slate
Hatcher and Tahmoh Penikett will star in "The Killer Inside: The Ruth Finley Story," which tells the true story of an unassuming housewife who becomes the target of a mysterious stalker whom she and the cops fear is the BTK Slayer.

[05/07/24 - 11:00 AM]
CBS Announces Its Summer Premiere Schedule
The summer lineup launches with the network debut of "Tulsa King" Sunday, July 14 (8:00-9:00 PM, ET/PT), followed by the season 26 premiere of "Big Brother" Wednesday, July 17 (9:00-10:00 PM, ET/PT).

[05/07/24 - 11:00 AM]
Post Malone, Parker McCollum, Kelsea Ballerini and Noah Kahan, Blake Shelton and Gwen Stefani, and Nate Smith Feat. Avril Lavigne to Perform at the 59th Academy of Country Music Awards
Hosted by 16-time ACM Award-winning entertainment icon, Reba McEntire, the ACM Awards will be free to stream live exclusively for a global audience across 240+ countries and territories on Prime Video from Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, Texas on Thursday, May 16.

[05/07/24 - 10:15 AM]
NBC Celebrates Red Nose Day's 10th Anniversary with Hourlong Star-Studded Special Set for May 23 at 8 P.M. ET/PT
The star-studded special will look back at the hilarious, inspirational and unforgettable moments of NBC's Red Nose Day programming and the life-changing impact of the campaign's first 10 years.

[05/07/24 - 10:03 AM]
Video: Peacock Releases First Look of Ariana Madix as Host and Announces Premiere Date for Sixth Season of Hit Cultural Phenomenon "Love Island USA"
The new season will air exclusively on Peacock beginning Tuesday, June 11 at 6pm PT/9pm ET with new episodes six days a week.

[05/07/24 - 09:44 AM]
Netflix Top 10 Week of Apr. 29: "Baby Reindeer" Holds Strong; "Heeramandi" Breaks Records; Katt Williams and Tom Brady Live Events Bring the Laughs
"Katt Williams: Woke Foke" had viewers nationwide (and beyond) on his side, taking fourth place (4M views), and "The Roast of Tom Brady" took sixth place (2M views).

[05/07/24 - 09:26 AM]
Food Network Renews New Breakout Hit "24 in 24: Last Chef Standing"
The freshman culinary competition series, hosted by Esther Choi and Michael Symon, features 24 talented and fearless chefs who take on 24 food challenges in 24 consecutive, non-stop hours.

[05/07/24 - 09:16 AM]
Dale Earnhardt Jr. to Join TNT Sports NASCAR Broadcast Team
One of the most iconic racecar drivers of all time, Earnhardt will serve as an on-air commentator for TNT Sports' exclusive coverage of five NASCAR Cup Series races each Summer, airing in consecutive weeks on TNT and the B/R Sports Add-On on Max.

[05/07/24 - 09:05 AM]
The History Channel's Hit Survival Series "Alone" Returns For Season 11 on Thursday, June 13
Additionally, season two of the highly rated international version of the series, "Alone Australia," is set to air on The History Channel for domestic audiences on Thursday, June 20.

[05/07/24 - 09:03 AM]
Video: FOX Entertainment Celebrates AANHPI Month with #TVForAll
"The Cleaning Lady" star Élodie Yung shares the story of how she uses the resilience her father passed down to her as a way to connect to her heritage.

[05/07/24 - 09:03 AM]
Prime Video Welcomes Dale Earnhardt Jr. to its NASCAR Broadcast Booth
"I'm honored to be a part of Prime Video's entrance into NASCAR," said Earnhardt Jr. "It is an exciting opportunity to have the chance to give our NASCAR fan base yet another way to watch the sport. It will be exciting to see the innovation that Prime Video is going to bring to our sport and the fans."