or


[01/16/09 - 06:09 PM]
Development Update: Friday, January 16
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 signature "Devwatch" section. There visitors can view our listings by network, genre, studio and even development stage (ordered to pilot, cast-contingent, script, etc.). It's updated every day!


ABC AT THE TCA - Alphabet chief Steve McPherson has confirmed the network won't be picking up "King of the Hill" after it completes its run on FOX. ABC flirted with the idea back in November, opening talks with producer 20th Century Fox Television to order addition scripts of the series. Meanwhile, Mike Judge's new animated comedy "The Goode Family" may not roll out until May while "In the Motherhood" is expected to bow in March, potentially as a lead out to "Dancing With the Stars." On the development side, McPherson said he hopes to shoot 10 comedy and drama pilots for next season with pick-ups set to begin as early as next week. And finally, fans looking for the remaining produced installments of axed dramas "Eli Stone," "Dirty Sexy Money" and "Pushing Daisies" will have to wait a bit longer - they could be burned off over the summer or streamed online at some point in the future.


LEGALLY MAD (NBC) - Hugh Bonneville ("Five Days") has booked the male lead in the drama pilot, about Brady Hamm (Charity Wakefield), a twentysomething woman who takes a job at her father's law firm. He'll play her father, Gordon Hamm, whom the casting notice details as follows: "Late 40s, any ethnicity. The firm's senior partner, part F. Lee Bailey, part Harold Hill of "The Music Man." Fun-loving, fast-talking, a little slick...it was either a career in law or used cars. He chose the law." Jon Seda and Kristin Chenoweth also star in the hour, which comes from Warner Bros. Television and creator David E. Kelley.


LEVERAGE (TNT) - The cable channel has quietly asked for six additional scripts of the series, which opened to 5.6 million viewers last month. The drama wraps its inaugural 13-episode run in February.


MAD MEN (AMC) - After months of negotiations, Matthew Weiner has finally closed a two-year, seven-figure overall deal with producer Lionsgate Television. The pact puts the writer/producer back at the helm of the Emmy-winning drama. He'll also develop new series projects for the studio, including a potential feature. It's understood AMC is helping fund Weiner's deal as is typical on the cable side. Production on the new season then is set to begin in time for a summer premiere.


PHIL ROSENTHAL PROJECTS (HBO, New!) - Emmy-winner Phil Rosenthal ("Everybody Loves Raymond") has lined up three projects at the pay channel - a comedy, a drama and a original movie. First up is "The Jeannie Tate Show," a comedy based on TheWB.com digital series created by Liz Cackowski and Maggie Carey about a neurotic soccer mom (Cackowski) who hosts a talk show from her minivan. Cackowski and Carey are penning the pilot and co-executive producing under Rosenthal's supervision with TheWB.com's Rich Rosenthal, Phil's brother, producing. Warner Bros. Television originally developed the project and remains a passive partner. Next is "Random Family," a drama based on the nonfiction book of the same name by Adrian Nicole LeBlanc and revolves around a multigenerational family in the South Bronx. LeBlanc and Chris Terrio likewise are writing the script and co-executive producing with Rosenthal and Neal Gabler serving as executive producers. And finally there's an original movie based on portions of Raymond Arsenault's book "Freedom Riders: 1961 and the Struggle for Racial Justice." Wayne Kramer is in talks to write and direct the film, which "chronicles civil rights activists' harrowing ride on buses through the South that escalated to a point where segregationists threw Molotov cocktails at them." Rosenthal and Gabler are executive producing.

Separately, Rosenthal is now editing the feature-length documentary "Exporting Raymond," about his outrageous experiences while remaking his own show in Russia. The series, "Vse Lubyat Kostya" (Everybody Loves Kostya), was ordered to pilot by Russian broadcaster CTC using Rosenthal's original "Raymond" script and produced by local production company Lean-M. Sony Pictures Television International, Worldwide Pants and HBO Independent Productions are behind the export, with Rosenthal's film chronicling the casting, the prep and the shooting of the pilot in December and ending with CTC's decision on whether or not to move forward with the show. No distributor has been set for the film, although Sony is widely expecting to.


Sources: Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Reuters





  [january 2009]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S
    


· DANCING WITH THE STARS (ABC)
· DEVELOPMENT UPDATE (TFC)
· DIRTY SEXY MONEY (ABC)
· ELI STONE (ABC)
· EVERYBODY LOVES RAYMOND (CBS)
· FIVE DAYS (HBO)
· FREEDOM RIDERS (HBO)
· GOODE FAMILY, THE (ABC)
· IN THE MOTHERHOOD (ABC)
· JEANNIE TATE SHOW, THE (HBO)
· KING OF THE HILL (FOX)
· LEGALLY MAD (NBC)
· LEVERAGE (TNT)
· MAD MEN (AMC)
· PUSHING DAISIES (ABC)
· RANDOM FAMILY (HBO)





[05/06/24 - 11:41 AM]
Bravo's "Vanderpump Rules" Three-Part Reunion Begins May 14 at 8 P.M. ET/PT
Extended and uncensored versions of the shocking reunion will be available to stream next day on Peacock.

[05/06/24 - 10:36 AM]
ABC Thursday Dramas Dominate as "9-1-1," "Grey's Anatomy" and "Station 19" Deliver Stellar Multiplatform Audiences for Season Premieres
The "9-1-1" season debut also marked ABC's top MP+35 premiere in Total Viewers for the 2023-2024 season to date.

[05/06/24 - 10:02 AM]
A Record-Setting Month! ESPN Earns Its Highest April Prime Time Audience on Record, Averaging 2.1 Million Viewers Each Night
In the same month, ESPN's total day audience was its highest in 12 years, dating back to 2012, as ESPN averaged 781,000 viewers in any given hour.

[05/06/24 - 10:01 AM]
Paramount+ Orders New Comedy Series "Crutch" Starring Tracy Morgan
The series centers on its titular character, Francois "Frank" Crutchfield (Morgan) - or "Crutch" to those that know him well - a Harlem widower whose empty nest plans are put on hold after his millennial son and free-spirited daughter move back home.

[05/06/24 - 09:59 AM]
First Look: Jim Parsons & Mayim Bialik on the Series Finale of "Young Sheldon," May 16
The pair last appeared on screen together in "The Big Bang Theory" series finale, which aired in May 2019.

[05/06/24 - 09:02 AM]
The Landmark 20th Season of "Deadliest Catch" Premieres Tuesday, June 11 at 8PM ET/PT on Discovery Channel
Since its debut, the 59-time Emmy-nominated series has revolutionized unscripted television, utilizing best-in-class cinematography and storytelling to capture every death-defying moment at sea and captivating generations of viewers with authentic, tenacious characters.

[05/06/24 - 09:01 AM]
Video: "Unstable" Season 2 - Official Announcement - Netflix
Ellis (Rob Lowe) lays out a series of challenges and mind games for Jackson (John Owen Lowe) to see if he has what it takes to succeed him as the heir to the Dragon empire, but does a newcomer have other ideas?

[05/06/24 - 09:01 AM]
FOX Nation to Launch New Sean Hannity Fronted Series "Outlaws and Lawmen: The West" on May 8
Over the course of four episodes which will drop weekly on Wednesday nights, Hannity will delve into true stories of legendary wild west outlaws and lawmen, exploring law versus crime and hero versus villain, ultimately revealing the rugged path that led to the rise of modern law enforcement.

[05/06/24 - 09:01 AM]
Video: "LEGO Star Wars: Rebuild the Galaxy" - Teaser Trailer - Disney+
History will be rebuilt. "LEGO Star Wars: Rebuild the Galaxy" arrives September 13, only on Disney+.

[05/06/24 - 09:01 AM]
Video: "For Love & Life: No Ordinary Campaign" - Official Trailer - Prime Video
The film follows the life of Brian Wallach and his wife Sandra in the aftermath of his ALS diagnosis at age 37.

[05/06/24 - 09:00 AM]
NATAS Announces Melody Thomas Scott, Edward J. Scott and Lidia Bastianich to Receive Lifetime Achievement Honors at "51st Annual Daytime Emmy Awards"
The honors will be presented in person on June 7 and June 8 at the historic Westin Bonaventure Los Angeles. T

[05/06/24 - 08:53 AM]
HGTV Stars Taniya Nayak, Ty Pennington and Alison Victoria Face-Off in New Season of Home Renovation Competition Series "Battle on the Beach" Premiering Monday, June 3, at 9 p.m. ET/PT
Primed with the series' biggest-ever renovation budget of $100,000 and invaluable advice from their illustrious mentors, the teams will transform the rundown homes into the most desired waterfront dwellings on the beach.

[05/06/24 - 08:31 AM]
Video: "Kevin Hart: The Kennedy Center Mark Twain Prize" - Official Trailer - Netflix
Comedy's biggest stars gather to honor - and roast - Kevin Hart as he accepts the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor in a heartfelt, hilarious ceremony.

[05/06/24 - 08:02 AM]
Video: Paramount+ Unveils Trailer for New Docuseries "Lolla: The Story of Lollapalooza," Premiering May 21
What started as a farewell tour for the band Jane's Addiction rose from the underground to launch a cultural movement and change music forever.

[05/06/24 - 12:31 AM]
Video: "In Good Hands 2" - Official Trailer - Netflix
A newly reunited father and son grapple with new beginnings after tragedy, but can they manage to fill the void left by a beloved wife and mother?