or


[03/19/08 - 05:19 PM]
Development Update: Wednesday, March 19
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!


BIG IN JAPAN (ABC, New!) - Arthur Smith ("Hell's Kitchen") is developing a new reality competition series at the Alphabet in which Americans go to a foreign country to compete in local challenges while trying to adapt to their culture. ABC has given a series commitment to the project, which Smith will executive produce via his A. Smith & Co. banner. It's understood said title is tentative as producers are considering several different countries, including Japan. No other format specifics were released.


ENTOURAGE (HBO) - Rob Weiss, an executive producer on the series, has inked a two-year, seven-figure overall deal with the pay channel. The pact covers his duties on the upcoming fifth season of the comedy series, which resumes shooting at the end of April for a September premiere. In addition, Weiss, who's said to be one of the inspirations for the show's bombastic director Billy Walsh, will develop new projects for the network.


GOSSIP GIRL (The CW) - Michelle Trachtenberg ("Buffy the Vampire Slayer") has landed a multi-episode arc on the freshman drama. She'll play Georgina Sparks, a troubled friend of Blake Lively's character who rolls back into Manhattan from rehab and shakes up her world. No other details were given.


HOW TO TEACH FILTHY RICH GIRLS (The CW) - Marsha Mason is the first to be cast on the drama pilot, about a Yale-educated young woman hired to be the live-in tutor/life coach to two rich heiresses in Palm Beach. She'll play the grandmother of said heiresses who becomes their guardian. Rina Mimoun is behind the project, which is set up at Alloy Entertainment and Warner Bros. Television.


UNITED STATES OF TARA (Showtime) - John Corbett ("Sex and the City") is set to star opposite Toni Collette in the comedy pilot, about a woman with a multiple personality disorder. He'll play her husband, Max Gregor, a ruggedly handsome contractor who lives a life of stress and tries to read as much as he can about his wife's condition. Craig Gillespie is directing the half-hour from a script by Oscar-winning Diablo Cody. Production is set to begin next month.


UNTITLED KIRSTIE ALLEY PROJECT (Syndication, New!) - Kirstie Alley has inked a development deal with Oprah Winfrey's Harpo Productions. The pact includes the potential development of a daily talk show hosted by the actress, who made headlines after appearing in a bikini on Winfrey's show after a major weight loss achieved via Jenny Craig. Alley previously teamed with Buena Vista Productions and Fisher Entertainment to develop a talk show back in 2002 that never got off the ground.


Sources: Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Reuters





  [march 2008]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S
      


· BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER (UPN)
· DEVELOPMENT UPDATE (TFC)
· ENTOURAGE (HBO)
· GOSSIP GIRL (CW)
· HELL'S KITCHEN (FOX)
· I SURVIVED A JAPANESE GAME SHOW (ABC)
· PRIVILEGED (CW)
· SEX AND THE CITY (HBO)
· UNITED STATES OF TARA, THE (SHOWTIME)
· UNTITLED KIRSTIE ALLEY PROJECT (SYNDICATION)
· UNTITLED KIRSTIE ALLEY PROJECT (SYNDICATION)





[06/06/24 - 03:00 PM]
Apple Renews Hit, Star-Studded Comedy Sensation "Palm Royale" for Season Two
Set in high society Palm Beach in the powder keg year of 1969, "Palm Royale" is a true underdog story that follows Maxine Simmons (Kristen Wiig) as she endeavors to break into Palm Beach high society.

[06/06/24 - 02:00 PM]
"Next on Netflix: Animation" Previews New and Returning Preschool, Family, Adult, Anime Series and Films Coming Up in 2024 & Beyond
Today, Netflix got animated previewing an exciting lineup of animated films and series coming in the next year.

[06/06/24 - 01:59 PM]
Prime Video Announces New Stand-Up Comedy Special "Sam Morril: You've Changed"
Taped at the Historic Wilbur Theatre in Boston, MA which Morril sold out nine times last year, the one-hour special will premiere in more than 240 countries and territories worldwide on July 9 on Prime Video.

[06/06/24 - 01:36 PM]
Adult Swim Sets U.S. Premiere Date for Supernational Animated Comedy "Psi Cops"
The series follows Kydd (Chris Nielsen) and Felixx (Bart Batchelor) who join a rag-tag group of experts at the secret agency Psi Cops to investigate alleged sightings of aliens, ghosts, demons, and other hocus-pocus nonsense.

[06/06/24 - 01:15 PM]
Acorn TV and CJZ Commission Second Season of Hit Australian Drama "Darby and Joan"
The series stars Bryan Brown and Greta Scacchi as former cop Jack Darby and English nurse Joan Kirkhope, respectively, who collide in the Australian outback and become entangled in a string of intriguing mysteries.

[06/06/24 - 01:01 PM]
Thunderbird Entertainment's Great Pacific Media Announces New Projects, Slate of Renewals for 2024 and 2025
"Highway Thru Hell," "Timber Titans" and "Deadman's Curse" are among the company's returning series.

[06/06/24 - 12:23 PM]
"Impractical Jokers" Moves to New Home on TBS with Season 11 Premiere Thursday, July 11 at 10PM ET/PT
Starring comedy trio Brian "Q" Quinn, James "Murr"?Murray and Sal Vulcano, the hidden camera series reached 11.1M total viewers across truTV and TBS last season.

[06/06/24 - 12:03 PM]
Bravo Marks the 100th Season of Housewives When "The Real Housewives of Orange County" Returns for Season 18 on Thursday, July 11 at 9 P.M. ET/PT
Returning this season are Shannon Storms Beador, Heather Dubrow, Tamra Judge, Gina Kirschenheiter, Emily Simpson and Jennifer Pedranti.

[06/06/24 - 12:01 PM]
BET+ Renews Darkly Comedic Original Series "Average Joe" Starring Deon Cole for Second Season
The series, originally released on June 26, 2023, broke ground for BET+ quickly becoming the #1 scripted drama series on the platform in its debut week.

[06/06/24 - 11:31 AM]
The Countdown to Bowl Season Begins: ESPN's Postseason Presentation Kicks Off Saturday, Dec. 14
ESPN platforms are the home of Bowl Season, with 33 college football bowl games live on ABC, ESPN or ESPN2.

[06/06/24 - 10:00 AM]
HBO Original Documentary "Stevie Van Zandt: Disciple" Debuts June 22
The documentary will have its world premiere at the 2024 Tribeca Festival.

[06/06/24 - 09:14 AM]
Prime Video Orders "Countdown" Starring Jensen Ackles, from Derek Haas
The 13-episode series was developed for Jensen Ackles, who is also under a first-look television deal with Amazon MGM Studios.

[06/06/24 - 09:01 AM]
Peacock Announces Fourth Season of Kevin Hart's Talk Show, "Hart to Heart," with New Batch of Celebrity Guests
This season's guests include industry powerhouses Ben Affleck, George Lopez, Cynthia Erivo, Andy Samberg, Judd Apatow and Niecy Nash.

[06/06/24 - 09:01 AM]
AMC Networks Announces September 29 Premiere for "The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon - The Book of Carol" and Debuts New Photos from the Highly Anticipated Second Season
New images of the highly anticipated six-episode second season of the series, which stars fan-favorites Norman Reedus and Melissa McBride, were also released.

[06/06/24 - 09:00 AM]
Video: Trailer and Key Art Debut - Hulu Original "Perfect Wife: The Mysterious Disappearance of Sherri Papini"
Keith and Sherri Papini's seemingly idyllic family life is shattered when Sherri vanishes from their northern California neighborhood, triggering a frenzied search that becomes news around the world.