or


[03/26/10 - 12:08 AM]
Development Update: Friday, March 26
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!


ARE WE THERE YET? (TBS) - Telma Hopkins ("Family Matters"), Keesha Sharp ("Why Did I Get Married, Too?") and Christian Finnegan ("Best Week Ever") have all been cast in the upcoming comedy, about a woman, Suzanne (Essence Atkins), who - along with her two children - move in with her new husband Nick (Terry Crews). Hopkins will play Nick's mother, who "isn't happy about his marriage nor her new role as grandmother"; with Sharp as Suzanne's best friend, who "has a taste for men and the finer things in life"; and Finnegan as Nick's best friend and owner of a sports memorabilia store. They join executive producer Ice Cube, who will recur as Suzanne's SWAT officer brother. Ali LeRoi, Joe Roth and Matt Alvarez are also behind the half-hour, which launches in June.


EDGAR FLOATS (ABC) - Alex Solowitz ("Dark Ride") has landed a role on the drama pilot, about the title character (Tom Cavanagh), a police psychologist who becomes a bounty hunter. He'll play Mason ("like a big farm boy with a military hair cut and a big smile"), one of Edgar's fellow bounty hunters, who's regularly paired with another named Jesus (Raoul Trujillo). In addition, Miguel Ferrer ("Bionic Woman") is set to guest star as Bob Martin, an ex-con - whose son is on the lam from Edgar and company - that Edgar offers psychological help. Alicia Witt, Derek Webster and Robert Patrick also star in the Warner Bros. Television-based hour, which comes from director Jace Alexander and writer Rand Ravich.


FRANKLIN & BASH (TBS) - Garcelle Beauvais-Nilon, Reed Diamond and Dana Davis are the latest additions to the drama pilot, about "two street lawyers and lifelong friends (Breckin Meyer, Mark-Paul Gosselaar) who, after taking down a white-shoe law firm in a high-profile case, are recruited by the firm's patriarch (Malcolm McDowell)." Diamond will play the nephew of McDowell's character, with Beauvais-Nilon as his girlfriend. Davis will play an unspecified employee at the firm. Bill Chais and Kevin Falls are behind the hour, which is set up at Sony Pictures Television.


GLORY DAZE (TBS) - Tim Jo and Josh Brener have landed roles on the pilot, a dramedy about the lives of four incoming freshman in the 1980s - Joel (Kelly Blatz), Jason (Drew Seeley), Eli (Matt Bush) and Brian (Hartley Sawyer) - who pledge a fraternity at a Wisconsin college. The former will play Peter Chang, Eli�s roommate, who joins an Asian fraternity. Brener then is believed to be playing Zach Paulson, Joel's roommate, "an early aficionado of the MAC computer, Zach has the wild eyes of a guy who plays a lot of Dungeons and Dragons, and the fashion sense to match." Callard Harris, Julianna Guill and Tim Meadows also star in the ensemble, which comes from co-creators Michael LeSieur and Walt Becker.


HITCHED (CBS) - Thomas Middleditch ("Splinterheads") has scored a role in the comedy pilot, about a newlyweds (Kristin Kreuk, Jack Carpenter) dealing with their family and friends. He's on board as Zarnow, their hopelessly single best friend who's always seen wearing a vintage T-shirt, a vest and a fedora. Eugene Levy and Kurtwood Smith also star in the Warner Bros. Television-based project, which Rob Greenberg is directing from a script by co-creators Josh Schwartz and Matt Miller.


IN SECURITY (TBS) - Brandon Routh, Hal Linden, Amir Arison, Tina Majorino and Kevin Michael Richardson have all landed roles on the drama pilot, about "sisters (Constance Zimmer and Kat Foster) who take over their father's private-security business protecting the super-elite while dealing with personal and family issues." Linden will play their father with Routh as "a former Navy SEAL-turned-bodyguard at the firm who sleeps with one of the sisters." Details on Richardson, Majorino and Arison's characters, all employees of the company, weren't given. Pete Segal is directing the hour from a script he co-wrote with Ric Swartzlander.


THE LINE (CBS) - Terry Kinney ("The Unusuals") is the latest addition to the drama pilot, about Jack Donovan (Dylan Walsh), an ATF agent who hunts down the most dangerous criminals. He'll play Alex Gunderson, Donovan's nemesis, a "mystic, poet, philosopher, and fucking sociopath." Lorraine Toussaint, Michael Rapaport and Sean Patrick Thomas also star in the Michael Dinner-created project, a co-production of CBS Television Studios and Sony Pictures Television.


MIDLAND (FOX) - Mark Deklin ("The Ex List") and Hannah Leigh ("The Suite Life of Zack and Cody") have landed the final principal roles on the drama pilot, about a con artist (Jimmy Wolk) juggling two lives in two Texas cities with two different women (Adrianne Palicki, Eloise Mumford). He'll play Trammell ("Brooks Brothers suit, might as well have Wharton MBA stamped on his forehead"), the brother of Palicki's character, Cat. Leigh then is set as Grace ("cute but plain on purpose"), Cat's daughter from her first marriage. Bryce Johnson, David Keith and Jon Voight also star in the 20th Century Fox Television-based hour, to be helmed by Marc Webb from a script by Kyle Killen.


MR. SUNSHINE (ABC) - Portia Doubleday ("Youth in Revolt") and James Lesure ("Las Vegas") are both on board the comedy pilot, about Ben (Matthew Perry), a self-involved manager of a second-rate sports arena who begins to reevaluate his life on his 40th birthday. She'll play Ben's assistant Heather ("blonde, very pretty, very sweet") while he's set as Alonzo ("athletic, handsome, unbelievably happy"), a former basketball star whose sunny disposition annoys Ben. Allison Janney, Andrea Anders and Nate Torrence also star in the Sony Pictures Television-based half-hour, which Perry co-wrote with Alex Barnow and Mark Firek. Thomas Schlamme is directing.


NOMADS (The CW) - Luke Ford ("McLeod's Daughters") has joined the cast of the drama pilot, about a group of nearly broke young backpackers traveling the world who agree to earn money by working secret missions for the CIA. He's on board as one of them, Zack Morgan, "a shaggy blonde 20's Aussie surfer dude with the good nature (and sex drive) of a Labrador Retriever." Michaela McManus, Scott Porter and Warren Kole also star in the presentation, which comes from CBS Television Studios, Scott Free Productions and Warner Bros. Television. Ken Sanzel is directing off his own script.


PLEADING GUILTY (FOX) - Melinda McGraw ("Hank") has scored a role on the drama pilot, about Mack Malloy (Jason Isaacs), an ex-cop and recovering alcoholic now serving as a partner in a top-drawer corporate law firm. She'll play Elise, Mack's ex-wife with whom he shares a teenager daughter, Carrie (yet to be cast). John Larroquette, Madchen Amick and Omid Abtahi co-star in the 20th Century Fox Television-based hour, which Jon Avnet is helming off a script by Jason Tracey.


SOUTHERN DISCOMFORT (ABC) - Steve Talley ("American Pie Presents Beta House") has joined the cast of the comedy pilot, about "a tough, hard-core conservative Texan (Don Johnson) whose life is turned upside down when his grown kids move back in." He'll play Ty Dobson, the eldest son, "a slacker who kissed off a baseball scholarship to pursue writing." Mary Steenburgen also stars in the project, which is set up at ABC Studios and Sony Pictures Television. Chad Kultgen penned the script.


TRUE BLUE (ABC) - Rachael Carpani ("McLeod's Daughters") is the latest addition to the drama pilot, about a group of San Francisco cops who reunite to solve the murder of one of their own. She'll play Tess Flynn, the chirpy new partner of Malcolm-Jamal Warner's character whom he dubs "Veronica Mars." Also set to appear are Scott Elrod ("Men in Trees") as Kevin Ulster, the murdered cop in question; Malaya Rivera Drew ("The L Word") as Mia Sherman, Kevin's sometimes lover; and Titus Welliver ("The Good Wife") as John Leeson, her slick ex-husband and the prime suspect in Kevin's murder. Ana Ortiz, Eric Lange, Marc Blucas, Poppy Montgomery and Scott Foley are also among the ensemble. Chris Brancato and Jon Harmon Feldman co-wrote the ABC Studios-based hour, which Peter Horton is directing.


THE WALKING DEAD (AMC) - Jon Bernthal ("Eastwick") is the first to be cast in the drama pilot, which is based on the Robert Kirkman comic of the same name about a cop and his family trying to survive after a zombie apocalypse. He'll play Shane Walsh, the man's partner/best friend, an outgoing bachelor. Frank Darabont is behind the hour, which is set up at Circle of Confusion and Valhalla Motion Pictures.


Sources: Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Reuters





  [march 2010]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S
 


· ARE WE THERE YET? (TBS)
· BIONIC WOMAN (NBC)
· DEVELOPMENT UPDATE (TFC)
· EASTWICK (ABC)
· EDGAR FLOATS (ABC)
· EX LIST, THE (CBS)
· FRANKLIN & BASH (TNT)
· GLORY DAZE (TBS)
· HANK (ABC)
· HITCHED (CBS)
· IN SECURITY (TBS)
· L WORD, THE (SHOWTIME)
· LAS VEGAS (NBC)
· LINE, THE (CBS)
· LONE STAR (FOX)
· MEN IN TREES (ABC)
· MR SUNSHINE (ABC)
· NOMADS (CW)
· PLEADING GUILTY (FOX)
· SOUTHERN DISCOMFORT (ABC)
· TRUE BLUE (ABC)
· UNUSUALS, THE (ABC)
· WALKING DEAD, THE (AMC)





[01/10/25 - 08:31 AM]
Cleveland Cavaliers Victory Over Oklahoma City Thunder on ESPN Averaged 1.87 Million Viewers
Wednesday's coverage peaked at 2.5 million viewers.

[01/10/25 - 07:06 AM]
"Puppy Bowl XXI" Returns Sunday, February 9 Across Animal Planet, Discovery, TBS, truTV, Max and discovery+
The annual three-hour television event will feature 142 rescue puppies from 80 shelters across 40 states - and two countries - as they compete in the cutest competition of the year.

[01/10/25 - 05:31 AM]
Venu Sports Will Be Discontinued
Venu Sports, the proposed virtual MVPD service from ESPN, FOX and Warner Bros. Discovery, will be discontinued.

[01/10/25 - 03:01 AM]
Video: "My Family" - Official Teaser - Netflix
A terminally ill father prepares his chaotic family to care for his two young kids and face life without him - but they must put old quarrels to rest.

[01/10/25 - 01:23 AM]
Disney+ and Curious Films to Produce "Caroline (w/t)" Original Feature Length Documentary Film
The film will celebrate the life and career of one of the UK's most popular TV presenters Caroline Flack and follows Christine, Caroline's mother, as she seeks to understand the events in the final months of her daughter's life.

[01/09/25 - 01:54 PM]
Video: Hunting Down the Truth - "The Hunting Party" - Trailer - NBC
After an impossible breakout at a top-secret prison, one team must race against time to recapture escaped serial killers who are more dangerous than ever before.

[01/09/25 - 11:21 AM]
CBS Program Advisory: "Hollywood Squares" Premiere Moves to Next Thursday
In light of the ongoing tragic wildfires in Los Angeles and the surrounding areas, tonight's premiere of "Hollywood Squares" will move to next Thursday, January 16.

[01/09/25 - 08:32 AM]
ESPN's College Football Bowl Viewership Reaches Record Highs for 2024-25 Season
The 33 non-College Football Playoff bowls averaged 2.7 million viewers, marking a 14 percent year-over-year increase and the largest audience since the 2019-20 season.

[01/09/25 - 08:25 AM]
"The American Revolution," A New Film from Ken Burns, to Premiere November 16, 2025
The new six-part, 12-hour documentary series that explores the country's founding and its eight-year War for Independence, will premiere on Sunday, November 16 and air for six consecutive nights through Friday, November 21st at 8:00-10:00 p.m. ET on PBS.

[01/09/25 - 08:01 AM]
Video: "Lucca's World" - Official Trailer - Netflix
Determined to help her son, who has cerebral palsy, Bárbara takes her family to India for an experimental treatment. Based on the book of the same name.

[01/09/25 - 07:00 AM]
WWE "RAW" Wrestles Up 4.9M Global Views for Netflix Debut
The inaugural event on Netflix averaged 2.6 million households (Live+SD) in the US, according to VideoAmp, which is 116% higher than "RAW's" average 2024 US audience of 1.2 million households, and higher than any other "Monday Night RAW" broadcast in the past five years.

[01/09/25 - 06:00 AM]
Video: "Onside: Major League Soccer" - Official Trailer - Apple TV+
Off the pitch and on the record. An access-all-areas look at Major League Soccer.

[01/09/25 - 05:31 AM]
Video: "Sakamoto Days" - Final Trailer - Netflix
Once the greatest hitman of all, Taro Sakamoto retired in the name of love. But when his past catches up, he must fight to protect his beloved family.

[01/09/25 - 03:01 AM]
Video: "The Snow Girl 2: The Soul Game" - Official Trailer - Netflix
A murder pushes Miren Rojo to investigate its ties to a cold-case disappearance, a deadly game and an elite school in Málaga - risking her life again.

[01/09/25 - 01:52 AM]
Video: "The Roshans" - Official Trailer - Netflix
This documentary series chronicles the trials and triumphs of Bollywood’s iconic Roshan family - musician Roshan Lal Nagrath, Rajesh, Rakesh and Hrithik.