or


[03/06/14 - 11:48 PM]
Development Update: Thursday, March 6
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!


ELLEN MORE OR LESS (NBC/Universal; W: J.J. Philbin; D: Peyton Reed) - Chris Diamantopoulos ("Episodes") is the latest to be cast in the comedy pilot, about Ellen (Stacey McGunnigle), an average-size woman who, after losing 100 pounds, begins reinventing herself in life and love. He's set as Jerry, her impossibly handsome and charming co-worker. (Deadline.com)


EMPIRE (FOX/20th; W: Danny Strong & Lee Daniels; D: Lee Daniels) - Rapper Bryshere Y. Gray has been cast in the pilot, a unique family drama set in the world of a hip-hop empire. He'll play Hakeem Lyon, the bad boy son of music superstar Lucious Lyon (Terrence Howard), who "might be the front-runner to head Empire Entertainment." Jussie Smollett and Taraji P. Henson also star. (Deadline.com)


EXPOSED (ABC/Universal; W: Charles Randolph; D: TBA) - Fran Kranz ("Dollhouse") has scored a role on the drama pilot, about Anna Loach (yet to be cast), an investigative journalist who will stop at nothing to uncover the truth including making questionable alliances. He's on board as her hipster brother Jeremy, "a tech genius who runs a corporation and has top-secret security clearance." Brian F. O'Byrne, Sandrine Holt, Pedro Pascal and Peter De Jersey also star. (Deadline.com)


MADAM SECRETARY (CBS/CTS; W: Barbara Hall; D: David Semel) - Bebe Neuwirth, Erich Bergen and Evan Roe have all snagged roles on the drama pilot, about the personal and professional life of maverick Secretary of State Elizabeth Faulkner McGill (Tea Leoni) as she drives international diplomacy, wrangles office politics and balances a complex family life. Neuwirth will play Nadine Tolliver, her Chief of Staff; with Bergen as Blake Calibrese, Elizabeth's young, Kennedy handsome assistant; and Roe as Adam, Elizabeth's 13-year-old son, a budding anarchist. Geoffrey Arend, Patina Miller and Tim Daly also star. (Deadline.com)


OUTLAW PROPHET (Lifetime, New!) - Tony Goldwyn ("Scandal") is set to star as Warren Jeffs in an original movie about "the leader of a Fundamentalist Mormon polygamist sect who spent more than a year on the FBI's 10 Most Wanted List." Said effort is based on Stephen Singular's New York Times best-selling book "When Men Become Gods" with Gabriel Range directing from a script by Art Monterastelli, Steve Kornacki and Bryce Kass. Sony Pictures Television is behind the hour with Judith Verno, Craig Zadan and Neil Meron executive producing. (THR.com)


SAINT FRANCIS (ABC/ABC Studios; W: Christopher Moynihan; D: TBA) - Spencer Grammer ("Ironside") has booked the female lead on the comedy pilot, about Francis Quinlan (Michael Imperioli), a blue-collar, no-nonsense Long Island cop and family man who butts heads with the modern, liberal world when his 29-year-old sister gets pregnant out of wedlock. She's set as said sister, Heather, in the project, which also stars Henry Simmons and Paget Brewster. (Deadline.com)


SALVATION (NBC/Universal; W: Liz Heldens; D: Jeffrey Reiner) - Ryan McPartlin ("Chuck") is the latest addition to the drama pilot, a family saga set against the backdrop of a Texas mega church where faith, family and corruption are explored in equal measure. He'll play Todd Bishop, Lilly's (Meg Steedle) Congressman husband, "an ambitious man whose political life keeps him from home, making him a bit of an absent husband and father." Ashley Judd, Emma Dumont, Jake Picking, Meg Steedle, Rob Brown, Stark Sands and Warren Kole also star. (Deadline.com)


SELFIE (ABC/Warner Bros.; W: Emily Kapnek; D: Julie Anne Robinson) - David Harewood ("Homeland") is the latest to be cast in the comedy pilot, about Eliza Dooley (Karen Gillan), a self-obsessed 20-something woman who enlists the help of Henry Higenbottam (yet to be cast), a marketing expert at her company to help repair her tarnished image after she becomes the subject of a viral video. He'll play Sam Saperstein, the off/crazy president of their company, Kinderlabs Pharmaceuticals. Allyn Rachel, Da'Vine Joy Randolph, Karen Gillan and Tim Peper also star. (Deadline.com)


UNTITLED KEVIN WILLIAMSON PROJECT (CBS/Warner Bros.; W: Kevin Williamson; D: Liz Friedlander) - Mariana Klaveno ("Devious Maids") has boarded the drama pilot, a psychological thriller centering around a pair of detectives who handle stalking incidents for the Threat Management Unit of the LAPD. She's set as Janice Lawrence, a flashy detective who can be underestimated, which is a mistake because she's usually the smartest person in the room. Dylan McDermott also stars. (Deadline.com)


AND IN OTHER NEWS... - Isaiah Washington will return to "Grey's Anatomy" for a May episode that will mark the departure of fellow original co-star Sandra Oh (Deadline.com); Paul Reiser is set to recur on FX's new comedy "Married" as "the older love interest of co-star Jenny Slate's character" (Deadline.com); Michael Cerveris has been cast as "the charming and well-liked Cook County state's attorney" on "The Good Wife" (Deadline.com); "Hawaii Five-0" showrunner Peter M. Lenkov has inked a two-year overall deal with producer CBS Television Studios (Deadline.com); Steve Carell's Carousel Television and Jessica Biel's Iron Ocean Productions have both signed development deals with Universal Cable Productions (Deadline.com); and Entertainment One Television and Gary Oldman and Douglas Urbanski's Flying Studio are developing "The Diabolic," a serialized horror drama series (Deadline.com).






  [march 2014]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S
      


· CHUCK (NBC)
· DEVELOPMENT UPDATE (TFC)
· DEVIOUS MAIDS (LIFETIME)
· DOLLHOUSE (FOX)
· ELLEN MORE OR LESS (NBC)
· EMPIRE (FOX)
· EPISODES (SHOWTIME)
· EXPOSED (ABC)
· GOOD WIFE, THE (CBS)
· GREY'S ANATOMY (ABC)
· HAWAII FIVE-0 (CBS)
· HOMELAND (SHOWTIME)
· IRONSIDE (NBC)
· MADAM SECRETARY (CBS)
· MARRIED (FX)
· OUTLAW PROPHET: WARREN JEFFS (LIFETIME)
· SAINT FRANCIS (ABC)
· SALVATION (NBC)
· SCANDAL (ABC)
· SELFIE (ABC)
· STALKER (CBS)





[04/18/24 - 05:01 PM]
Video: First Look at Season 2 of "Gordon Ramsay's Food Stars" Premiering Wednesday, May 22, on FOX
Gordon Ramsay and Lisa Vanderpump each bring their expert knowledge and unique leadership styles to the second season of the competition series.

[04/18/24 - 04:09 PM]
"Fallout" Has a Blast of a Debut: Amazon MGM Studios and Kilter Films' Hit Series to Return for Season Two
In its first four days, the high-octane fueled series has become a hit with its global audience, ranking among the service's top three most-watched titles ever and the most-watched season globally since "Rings of Power."

[04/18/24 - 04:01 PM]
Netflix Announces Production of "Last Samurai Standing": An Epic Battle Royale for Survival in Historic Japan
Based on the novel "Ikusagami" by Shogo Imamura, winner of the 166th Naoki Prize in 2021, the series features the multi-talented Junichi Okada in the lead role.

[04/18/24 - 01:31 PM]
"Call Me Country: Beyonce & Nashville's Renaissance" from CNN FlashDocs Comes to Max April 26
As Beyoncé recently became the first Black woman to ever top Billboard's Hot Country Songs chart, a larger conversation about what defines country music has exploded into the zeitgeist.

[04/18/24 - 11:59 AM]
Starz Releases First-Look Photos for the Highly Anticipated Fourth and Final Season of "Power Book II: Ghost"
Additionally, Golden Brooks will join the upcoming season in a recurring role as Janet Stewart, Monet Tejada's cousin.

[04/18/24 - 11:33 AM]
New TLC Medical Series "Botched Bariatrics" Premiering on Wednesday, May 15th
The new medical transformation series features patients whose lives have been turned upside down after suffering complications from their bariatric surgery.

[04/18/24 - 11:09 AM]
Lifetime Extends Relationship with Garcelle Beauvais
Following the critically acclaimed "Black Girl Missing" movie in which Beauvais starred in and executive produced in 2023, Lifetime extends the franchise with two new movies with Beauvais set to executive produce.

[04/18/24 - 11:00 AM]
CBS Renews Critically Acclaimed Hit "Elsbeth" for Second Season
"'Elsbeth' has charmed audiences with its singular blend of delightful humor, distinctive 'how-done-it' storytelling, and the inventive, brilliant quirkiness of Elsbeth Tascioni," said Amy Reisenbach, president of CBS Entertainment.

[04/18/24 - 10:11 AM]
ABC's "9-1-1" 100th Episode Propels Series to No. 1 Drama in Primetime in Adults 18-49
The milestone 100th episode was the top program of the night, scoring a season-high on linear after 7 days of viewing in Adults 18-49 (0.91 rating), marking the show's best L7 rating since its season finale last year.

[04/18/24 - 10:00 AM]
HBO Original Comedy Special "Nikki Glaser: Someday You'll Die" Debuts May 11
"I'm so grateful that once again, HBO has put their trust in me to say what I feel into a microphone while wearing a tiny dress," Glaser said. "Someday I'll die, and when I do, I hope I'm remembered for this performance (and this dress)."

[04/18/24 - 09:31 AM]
Video: Paramount+ with Showtime Releases the Official Trailer and Key Art for "The Chi"
The series recently wrapped production in Chicago on the remaining eight episodes of the supersized 16-episode season.

[04/18/24 - 09:07 AM]
TNT Sports Announces Commentators for 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs Presented by GEICO First Round Games on Saturday, April 20
TNT Sports will drop the puck on its coverage of the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs with up to 28 First Round games, starting Saturday, April 20 with Game 1 of New York Islanders vs. Carolina Hurricanes on TBS, truTV and Max's B/R Sports Add-On.

[04/18/24 - 09:01 AM]
Video: "Pretty Little Liars: Summer School" Season 2 - Official Trailer - Max
Season two of the original series premieres May 9 on Max.

[04/18/24 - 09:00 AM]
Stephen Colbert Is Taking His Show on the Road!
Announced during last night's episode of "The Late Show," Colbert revealed the show would broadcast from Chicago's storied Auditorium Theater during the week of this year's Democratic National Convention.

[04/18/24 - 08:41 AM]
NBA TV's 2024 NBA Playoffs Coverage to Tip Off with Orlando Magic Visiting Cleveland Cavaliers, First Round Game 2, on Monday, April 22, at 7 p.m. ET
The network's back-to-back nights of coverage will continue Tuesday, April 23, with the Milwaukee Bucks and Damian Lillard hosting the Indiana Pacers and Tyrese Haliburton, Game 2, at 8:30 p.m.