or


[12/09/10 - 06:25 PM]
Development Update: Thursday, December 9
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!


BIRD DOG (TNT) - Ashley Williams ("Saving Grace") and Gerald McRaney ("Undercovers") have booked the lead roles on the drama pilot, about an unlikely partnership between two cops who happen to be father and daughter. They'll play the aforementioned duo - Gail and Sam McGrath. Williams takes over for Eliza Dushku, who bowed out earlier this month over creative issues. Mike Robe is behind the Warner Horizon Television-based hour, which also stars Suzy Nakamura, William Ragsdale and Wynn Everett.


THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO (ABC, New!) - Mike Kelley ("Swingtown") is developing a small screen take on Alexandre Dumas's classic tale "from a female perspective and chronicles the story of a mysterious young woman who comes to the Hamptons to exact revenge on the people who destroyed her family." ABC Studios is behind the hour, with Wyck Godfrey and Marty Bowen - whose company, Temple Hill, recently inked a two-year overall deal with the studio - also serving as executive producers alongside Kelly. The news marks Temple Hill's second literary adaptation this year: the company is also behind a new take on "Romeo & Juliet" at the network, from writer Andrea Berloff and director Catherine Hardwicke.


DANNI LOWINSKI (The CW) - Neal Bledsoe ("Ugly Betty") is the latest addition to the Amanda Walsh-led drama pilot, about "a scrappy hairdresser a law school graduate who is brushed off by law firms and sets up her own practice in a shopping mall kiosk." He'll play "the youngest partner at a Chicago law firm." Richard Shepard is directing the CBS Television Studios-based hour from a script by Jennie Snyder Urman.


THE HASSELHOFFS (A&E) - The cable channel has pulled the newcomer - featuring single dad David Hasselhoff and his two daughters, Taylor Ann and Hayley - after just two episodes. Repeats of "Gene Simmons Family Jewels" will fill the Sunday, 10:00/9:00c hour effective immediately. A modest 718,000 viewers tuned into its launch this past Sunday (including a 0.3 rating among adults 18-49) with the second half-hour dipping to 505,000 viewers. It's not clear when or if the eight remaining half-hours will air.


HOMELAND (Showtime) - Mandy Patinkin ("Criminal Minds") has joined the cast of the Claire Danes-led drama pilot, about "an American soldier taken prisoner during the invasion of Iraq in 2003. Left for dead, the soldier miraculously returns to the U.S. after years in captivity. Danes plays Carrie Anderson, a driven CIA officer battling her own psychological demons, who becomes convinced that the intelligence that led to his re-capture was a setup and that this national hero may be connected to an Al Qaeda plot to be carried out on American soil." Patinkin is set as "the smart and politically savvy CIA Division Chief emeritus Saul Berenson who is Carrie's main champion in the intelligence upper echelon and her sounding board." Michael Cuesta is helming the hour, which comes from co-creators Alex Gansa, Gideon Raff and Howard Gordon.


HOUSE OF LIES (Showtime) - Matthew Carnahan's comedy, set in the world of corporate management consulting, is reportedly close to a pilot order at the pay channel. Stephen Hopkins ("The Unusuals") is on board to helm the potential half-hour, which is based on Martin Kihn's book of the same name. Production then would be contingent on casting the lead role of Marty, "a thirtysomething top management consultant who is cutthroat and not afraid to play dirty," with Don Cheadle already in talks. Carnahan is executive producing the project alongside Jessika Borsiczky.


LOVE BITES (NBC) - The Peacock and producer Universal Media Studios have confirmed the upcoming anthology has been rolled from 13 to nine episodes. Originally set to launch on Thursday nights at 10:00/9:00c this fall, various issues - from co-star Becki Newton's pregnancy to creator Cindy Chupack stepping down as showrunner - caused the network to push the series to midseason. "Love Bites" is one of three scripted properties ("Friends With Benefits," "The Paul Reiser Show" being the others) yet to be scheduled by the network.


LUCK (HBO) - Michael Gambon ("Angels in America") and Patrick J. Adams ("A Legal Mind") have both landed recurring roles on the upcoming drama, "a provocative look at horse racing - the owners, gamblers, jockeys and diverse gaming industry players." The former will play "a nemesis or worthy adversary for [Dustin] Hoffman's Ace Bernstein" with Adams as Nathan Israel, "who works closely with Bernstein." Dennis Farina, John Ortiz, Kevin Dunn, Richard Kind, Jason Gedrick, Ritchie Coster, Ian Hart, Tom Payne, Kerry Condon, Gary Stevens and Nick Nolte also star in the hour, due sometime next season.


THREE INCHES (Syfy) - The cable channel is reportedly considering redeveloping the drama as a single-camera comedy. The 90-minute pilot, directed by Jace Alexander from a script by Harley Peyton, revolves around "professional daydreamer and underachiever, Walter Spackman (Noah Reid) [who] is struck by lightning, and develops a unique "super" power -- the ability to move any object using just his mind... but only a distance of three inches. He's soon recruited by a covert team of superheroes each gifted with their own extraordinarily ordinary abilities." Said decision comes on the heels of fellow pilot "Alphas" landing a series commitment earlier this week. While the show's fate is being mulled, it's understood producer Fox Television Studios will extend Reid's option as well as "other key cast members." Andrea Martin, Antony Del Rio, Brandon Jay McLaren, James Marsters, Kyle Schmid, Naoko Mori and Stephanie Jacobsen also star.






  [december 2010]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S
   


· ALPHAS (SYFY)
· ANGELS IN AMERICA (HBO)
· BIRD DOG (TNT)
· CRIMINAL MINDS (CBS)
· DANNI LOWINSKI (CW)
· DEVELOPMENT UPDATE (TFC)
· FRIENDS WITH BENEFITS (NBC)
· GENE SIMMONS FAMILY JEWELS (A AND E)
· HASSELHOFFS, THE (A AND E)
· HOMELAND (SHOWTIME)
· HOUSE OF LIES (SHOWTIME)
· LOVE BITES (NBC)
· LUCK (HBO)
· PAUL REISER SHOW, THE (NBC)
· REVENGE (ABC)
· ROMEO & JULIET (ABC)
· SAVING GRACE (TNT)
· SUITS (USA)
· SWINGTOWN (CBS)
· THREE INCHES (SYFY)
· UGLY BETTY (ABC)
· UNDERCOVERS (NBC)
· UNUSUALS, THE (ABC)





[04/17/24 - 01:03 PM]
Sunday Night's "Billy Joel: The 100th - Live at Madison Square Garden" Wins Its Time Period and Hits a High Note Scoring 5.73 Million Viewers
It originally aired Sunday, April 14 and due to the overwhelming demand from his legion of fans, will have a special encore airing this Friday, April 19 and available to stream live and on demand on Paramount+.

[04/17/24 - 12:16 PM]
Season Three of Musical Game Show "Don't Forget the Lyrics" Hosted by Emmy Award-Winner Niecy Nash Premieres Thursday, May 23 at 9/8c on FOX and the Next Day on Hulu
Additionally, the season finale of "Farmer Wants a Wife," previously announced as airing on Thursday, May 9, is now scheduled to air on Thursday, May 16 following the return of "I Can See Your Voice."

[04/17/24 - 12:10 PM]
Great American Family Announces Production Wrap on "A Christmas Less Traveled," Starring Candace Cameron Bure and Eric Johnson, Part of Great American Christmas 2024
In the film, "The Dine and Dash" diner has a stack of mounting unpaid bills, forcing its owner, Desi (Bure) to sell her beloved, mint condition, cherry red 1964 Ford F-100, a gift from her deceased father.

[04/17/24 - 11:00 AM]
National Geographic Honors WW2 Soldiers of Color with Two New Specials
Continuing National Geographic's 136-year record of giving viewers access to pivotal historical moments with new breadth and insight, the network will honor the contributions and sacrifices of overlooked Allied soldiers of color with two new specials on Monday, June 3.

[04/17/24 - 10:02 AM]
Paramount+ Announces New Episodes of "Behind the Music" to Premiere May 1
The new episodes profile Bell Biv DeVoe, Trace Adkins and Wolfgang Van Halen and remastered episodes feature 50 Cent, Bobby Brown, Ice-T, Milli Vanilli, The Notorious B.I.G. and Sinead O'Connor.

[04/17/24 - 10:00 AM]
National Geographic Unravels the Culture-Defining Stanford Prison Experiment and Its Controversial Legacy in "The Stanford Prison Experiment: Unlocking the Truth" (w.t.)
From director Juliette Eisner, executive producer Alex Braverman and Muck Media, the three-part series unravels the layers of intrigue and controversy surrounding one of psychology's most debated studies from the past 50 years.

[04/17/24 - 09:59 AM]
Iliza Shlesinger Heads to Prime Video for Next Stand-Up Comedy Special
The taping will take place at the Eccles Theater in Salt Lake City on November 2, and the premiere date for the one-hour special will be announced at a later date.

[04/17/24 - 09:49 AM]
"Saving Sakic" Now Streaming on ESPN+
The documentary follows the high-stakes saga that ensued when Colorado Avalanche Chairman/CEO Charlie Lyons was blindsided by an attempt to sign away the captain of his team, Joe Sakic.

[04/17/24 - 09:01 AM]
Video: "Sweet Tooth" - Final Season - Official Teaser Trailer - Netflix
Experience the final season June 6, only on Netflix.

[04/17/24 - 09:01 AM]
Apple Renews Globally Acclaimed, Hit Space Drama "For All Mankind" for Season Five and Announces New Spinoff Series "Star City"
"Star City" is a propulsive, paranoid thriller that takes us back to the key moment in the alt-history retelling of the space race - when the Soviet Union became the first nation to put a man on the moon.

[04/17/24 - 08:07 AM]
First Look: Hulu Documentary Film "Diane von Furstenberg: Woman in Charge"
An unprecedented look at the non-stop life of a cultural luminary, the film launches June 25 on Hulu in the U.S. and Disney+ internationally.

[04/17/24 - 08:03 AM]
All-New Season of "Ghost Adventures" Returns Wednesday, May 15 on Discovery Channel
This season documents some of the team's most haunting encounters yet, including sinister Skinwalkers and an unprecedented first-ever investigation of the iconic Los Angeles Hospital.

[04/17/24 - 07:20 AM]
"Live with Kelly and Mark" Celebrates One-Year Anniversary, Continuing Its Reign as Television's Number One Entertainment Talk Show
The series has increased in Total Viewers by 3% year over year (2.288 million vs. 2.229 million).

[04/17/24 - 07:07 AM]
Global Music Icon Barbra Streisand to Release New Single for Upcoming Peacock and Sky Original Series "The Tattooist of Auschwitz"
This will be Streisand's first ever recording for a TV series and will be released globally by Columbia Records on April 25, ahead of the series global launch on May 2.

[04/17/24 - 07:04 AM]
Video: Apple TV+ Debuts Trailer for Season Three of Global Hit Comedy Series "Acapulco," Starring and Executive Produced by Award-Winning Actor Eugenio Derbez
"Acapulco" returns for season three with the first two episodes debuting globally on Wednesday, May 1, followed by new episodes every Wednesday through June 26.