 |
 |
[03/08/11 - 10:52 PM]
Development Update: Tuesday, March 8
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!
AMERICA'S KARAOKE CHALLENGE (ABC, New!) - The Alphabet has ordered six episodes of a new reality series which tracks the annual Karaoke World Championships. Lincoln Square Productions is behind the project, which will roll out in July with a host and three-judge panel yet to be announced. As for specifics, the show will begin with regional competitions in four states with the 8 to 12 finalists then assigned coaches to help them smooth out their performance. The winners - one female and one male - will ultimately be crowned at the finals in Las Vegas. The Karaoke World Championships have grown in prominence in recent years, having featured performances by then-unknowns Taylor Swift, Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood.
AWAKENING (The CW) - Brian Hallisay ("Privileged") has joined the cast of the drama pilot, about two combative sisters - Jenna (Lucy Griffiths) and Jayce (Meredith Hagner) - who come of age amid the beginning of a zombie uprising. He'll play Matt Yeager ("piercing blue eyes, Calvin Klein handsome"), Jenna's boyfriend. Bill Laurin and Glenn Davis are behind the Warner Bros. Television-based hour, to be directed by David Van Ancken.
BENT (NBC) - Jeffrey Tambor and Margo Harshman are the latest additions to the comedy pilot, about Alex Meyers (Amanda Peet), a recently divorced "type A" single mother who tries hard not to fall for Pete Riggins (David Walton), the sexy "surfer-dude" contractor she hires to re-do her kitchen. She'll play Screwsie, Alex's "hot, free spirited" sister, a chef; with Tambor as James, Pete's father, a washed-up actor turned piano player at Nordstrom's who lives with him. Craig Zisk is directing the Tad Quill-penned half-hour for Universal Media Studios. Joey King also stars.
COUNCIL OF DADS (FOX) - Rick Gomez ("Justified") and Richard T. Jones ("Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles") will round out the "council of dads" in the comedy pilot, about Michael Wells, a dying man who appoints his four closest friends to help raise his two kids following his death. The former will play "fitness dad" Randy Iwai, who was in the same running club as Michael; with the latter as "homework dad" Bill Hillard, Michael's business partner for the last 11 years. Diane Farr, Ken Howard, Kyle Bornheimer and Patrick Breen also star in the project, from Sony Pictures Television. Peter Tolan penned the half-hour while Anthony and Joe Russo are directing.
GRIMM (NBC) - Sasha Roiz ("Caprica") is the newest addition to the drama pilot, about Nick Burckhardt (David Giuntoli), a police detective who discovers fairy tale creatures live among us and is tasked with defending humans from these mythical beasts. He'll play Captain Ericson, Nick's supervisor, in the Universal Media Studios-based project, which also stars Bitsie Tulloch, Russell Hornsby and Silas Weir Mitchell. David Greenwalt and Jim Kouf penned the pilot, to be directed by Marc Buckland.
HALLELUJAH (ABC) - Arielle Kebbel ("Life Unexpected") has boarded the drama pilot, about a tiny town in Tennessee which finds itself being torn apart by the forces of good and evil. She's presumably playing Veda Roman, the stunning wife of Del Roman (yet to be cast), a local mobster. Frances O'Connor and Jesse L. Martin co-star in the Marc Cherry-penned hour, which is set up at ABC Studios. Michael Apted is directing.
OTHER PEOPLE'S KIDS (ABC) - Judith Light ("Ugly Betty") has been cast in the comedy pilot, about Adam (Jesse Bradford), a 32-year-old guy with no responsibilities who suddenly finds himself with an insta-family when he falls in love with Michelle (Bonnie Somerville), an older woman with two kids. She'll play Laura, the mother of Michelle's ex Dave (Johnny Sneed). Claire Engler also stars as Emily, Michelle's wise beyond her years daughter, with Malcolm Barrett as Magnus, Adam's best friend. ABC Studios is behind the half-hour, which Michael Fresco is directing from a script by Hunter Covington.
PAN AM (ABC) - Kelli Garner ("My Generation") and Jonah Lotan ("Generation Kill") have both joined the cast of the pilot, a period drama about the pilots and flight attendants working at the iconic Pan Am airline in the 1960s. She'll play Kate, a stewardess who's envious of Laura (Margot Robbie, who graces the cover of the latest edition of Life Magazine). Lotan then is set as Dean, a pilot - always wearing his signature aviator sunglasses - who carries himself with a confident swagger. Christina Ricci and Michael Mosley also star in the Sony Pictures Television-based hour, from director Thomas Schlamme and creator Jack Orman.
POE (ABC) - Natalie Dormer ("The Tudors") has joined the cast of the pilot, a period drama which envisions famed author Edgar Allan Poe (Chris Egan) as the world's very first detective in 1840s Boston. She'll play Celeste Chevalier ("a beautiful spitfire with a firm moral center -- the logical yin to Poe's wildly theoretical yang"), the owner of the Boston Sentinel who doesn't buy into Poe's often outlandish theories. Alex Graves is helming the Warner Bros. Television-based pilot, which was penned by Chris Hollier. Kevin McNally, Leslie Odom Jr. and Tabrett Bethell also star.
PRIME SUSPECT (NBC) - Brian O'Byrne ("Flash Forward") is the latest addition to the drama pilot, about Jane Timoney (Maria Bello), "an iconoclastic female detective who has to make her bones in a tough New York precinct dominated by men." He's believed to be playing Reg Duffy ("thin and mean"), a detective who's the most hostile towards Jane. Aidan Quinn, Joe Nieves, Kirk Acevedo, Tim Griffin and Toby Stephens also star. Peter Berg is directing the Universal Media Studios-based hour, which was penned by Alexandra Cunningham.
REVENGE (ABC) - Gabriel Mann ("Mad Men") and Connor Paolo ("Gossip Girl") have both scored roles on the drama pilot, about Emily Thorne (Emily VanCamp), a mysterious young woman who comes to the Hamptons to exact revenge on the people who destroyed her family. The former will play Nolan Ross, "a Howard Hughes/Mark Zuckerberg-ian tech genius cum social misfit" who helps Emily in her quest; with the latter, based on his age, presumably as Declan Porter ("a rough and tumble kid"), the pill-popping black sheep of the blue collar Porter family. Ashley Madekwe also stars in the ABC Studios-based hour, from creator Mike Kelley and director Phillip Noyce.
S.I.L.A. (NBC) - Madchen Amick ("Damages") is the latest to board the pilot, about a drama depicting a complex web of crime, policework and politics in Los Angeles. She'll play Mary McCarthy, a successful lawyer at a high-profile firm in Century City. Also featured in the ensemble are Daniella Alonso, Danny Pino and Matthew Levy. Stephen Gaghan wrote and will direct the 20th Century Fox Television-based hour.
SMASH (NBC) - Tony-nominee Brian d'Arcy James has booked a role on the drama pilot, a show-within-a-show vehicle about a group of people who come together to put on a Marilyn Monroe-themed Broadway musical. He's on board as Frank, the husband of Debra Messing's character, Julia, with whom he has two children: 15-year-old Lobo and seven-year-old Laura. The ensemble cast also includes Anjelica Huston, Christian Borle, Jack Davenport, Katharine McPhee, Megan Hilty and Raza Jaffrey. Michael Mayer is directing the hour from a script by Theresa Rebeck for Universal Media Studios.
SMOTHERED (ABC) - Brooke D'Orsay ("Gary Unmarried") has booked the female lead on the comedy pilot, about a young couple - Zach (Kyle Howard) and Gillian (D'Orsay) with a one-year-old daughter who find themselves smothered by their two very different sets of parents - his (Marcia Gay Harden, Adam Arkin) are pretentious and disengaged while hers (John C. McGinley, Julie White) are scrappy and exuberant. She'll play the aforementioned Gillian in the Warner Bros. Television-based half-hour, from co-creators Andrew Reich and Ted Cohen. Andy Ackerman is directing the project, which films next Friday.
UNTITLED SUSANNAH GRANT PROJECT (CBS) - Afton Williamson has scored a role on the drama pilot, about Michael Halstead (Patrick Wilson), an ultra-competitive surgeon whose life is changed forever when his ex-wife, Anna Lindberg (Jennifer Ehle), dies and begins teaching him what life is all about from the hereafter. She'll play Autumn, a "tough as jerky" social worker who works at Anna's family clinic. Jonathan Demme is helming the project, from CBS Television Studios and creator Susannah Grant.
WORK IT (ABC) - Ben Koldyke and Kirstin Eggers have scored roles on the comedy pilot, about two out-of-work car salesmen who dress as women by day to get jobs working as pharmaceutical reps. He'll play one of them, Lee Standish, a "working class, guy's guy"; with Eggers as one of Lee's new co-workers, Kristin ("quirky, vulnerable"). Amaury Nolasco, John Carapulo and Rebecca Mader also star in the half-hour, from Warner Bros. Television. Beth McCathy-Miller is directing from a script by Andrew Reich and Ted Cohen.
|
|
|
 [march 2011]  |
S |
M |
T |
W |
T |
F |
S |
| | |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
 |
|
[01/28/25 - 12:30 PM]
ESPN Celebrates Black History Always on February 5 with Inaugural All-Black Staffed NBA Broadcast
In total, more than 40 Black employees will contribute to ESPN's NBA coverage across game and studio platforms throughout the day, the majority of whom contribute to its basketball coverage year-round.
|
[01/28/25 - 12:17 PM]
ABC News Studios Announces Two Gripping New True Crime Docuseries to Premiere in February, Streaming Exclusively on Hulu
Look for "Wicked Game: The Devil in the Desert" on February 4, followed by "The Fox Hollow Murders: Playground of a Serial Killer" on February 18.
|
[01/28/25 - 12:00 PM]
Netflix Top 10 Week of Jan. 20: "Back in Action" and "The Night Agent" Lead an Action-Packed Top 10
"XO, Kitty" Season 2 snapped up No. 2 on the English TV list with 9.2 million views - while Season 1 is also feeling the love at No. 5 with 3.8 million views.
|
[01/28/25 - 10:54 AM]
CBS Originals Return with Most-Watched Monday of The Season, Up +18% from Its Season Average
"NCIS" had its most watched episode of the season with an average audience of 7.31 million Live+SD viewers.
|
[01/28/25 - 10:01 AM]
Peacock Releases Premiere Date, Key Art and First Look Images for New Limited Drama Series "Long Bright River"
"Long Bright River" is a suspense thriller series that tells the story of Mickey (Amanda Seyfried), a police officer who patrols a Philadelphia neighborhood hard-hit by the opioid crisis.
|
[01/28/25 - 09:10 AM]
MGM+ Orders Comedy Series "American Classic" Starring Oscar Winner Kevin Kline
"American Classic" centers on Broadway star and notorious narcissist Richard Bean, played by Kline, who suffers a spectacular public meltdown and returns to his hometown and the family-run theater where he first became aware of his own brilliance.
|
[01/28/25 - 09:09 AM]
Bravo's "Top Chef" Heads North for Season 22 - Destination Canada
The series premieres Thursday, March 13 on Bravo with an entire season of supersized episodes airing every Thursday night from 9 - 10:15 p.m.
|
[01/28/25 - 09:01 AM]
History's "The Food That Built America" Returns with a Delicious New Season on February 23 at 9/8c
From unlocking original ideas to elevating old favorites, this season unveils the inspiration and innovation behind the products that became household names.
|
[01/28/25 - 08:47 AM]
Ending 2024 as #1 Cable Entertainment Network on Friday & Saturday Nights, Reelz Orders 90 New Episodes of Hit Documentary Series "On Patrol: Live"
Hosted by Dan Abrams, "On Patrol: Live" follows live news-gathering protocols as 50+ cameras in regions across the country document for viewers in real time the nightly work of law enforcement officers on patrol.
|
[01/28/25 - 08:20 AM]
FOX Sports and FOX Deportes "Geaux" Marching Into Super Bowl LIX with 67 Hours of Gameday and Super Bowl Week Programming
On Super Bowl Sunday, FOX broadcasts five-and-a-half hours of pregame coverage beginning at 1:00 PM ET with FOX Super Bowl LIX Pregame live from three separate locations, including the FOX Sports set on New Orleans' iconic Bourbon Street.
|
[01/28/25 - 08:00 AM]
Video: Prime Video Releases Trailer and Key Art for Upcoming Biblical Drama Series "House of David"
The series will premiere on February 27 on Prime Video with three episodes and one episode weekly thereafter in more than 240 countries and territories worldwide.
|
[01/28/25 - 07:01 AM]
Video: "Love Is Blind" Season 8 - Official Trailer - Netflix
A new group of singles face the ultimate dating experiment. Will they find their soulmates and get married, or will looks get in the way of love?
|
[01/28/25 - 07:00 AM]
Video: Prime Video Sets March 27 Premiere Date for the Highly Anticipated Third and Final Season of "Bosch: Legacy" with a "Bosch" Franchise Look-Back Teaser
Season three of "Bosch: Legacy" is based on Michael Connelly's best-selling novels Desert Star (2022) and The Black Ice (1993).
|
[01/28/25 - 06:47 AM]
FireAid Benefit Concert: How to Watch and Listen Live on Thursday, January 30
Featuring a lineup of iconic performers and the support of 25 broadcast partners, FireAid aims to raise funds for critical wildfire recovery and prevention efforts.
|
[01/28/25 - 05:26 AM]
The Jonas Brothers Are Coming Home for the Holidays with a "Jonas Brothers Christmas Movie" (wt) Set for 2025 on Disney+
In the movie, Kevin Jonas, Joe Jonas and Nick Jonas face a series of escalating obstacles as they struggle to make it from London to New York in time to spend Christmas with their families.
|
|
|
|
