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[12/26/08 - 06:43 PM]
Development Update: Week of December 22-26
By The Futon Critic Staff (TFC) |
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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!
BITCHES (FOX, New!) - Feature writer Michael Dougherty ("Superman Returns") has scored a hefty script commitment from the network for a new drama about a quartet of female friends in New York who are werewolves. The project, which has a penalty attached should it not move forward to pilot, is set up at Warner Bros. Television. Writer/producers Gretchen Berg and Aaron Harberts ("Pushing Daisies") have been tapped to supervise Dougherty and executive produce. No other specifics were given.
GILMORE GIRLS (The CW) - One day after filing a lawsuit against CBS over "Two and a Half Men" (see below), Warner Bros. Television itself has been sued by producer Gavin Polone over "Gilmore Girls." The breach-of-contract lawsuit, filed Wednesday in Los Angeles Superior Court, claims the vertically integrated Time Warner companies Warner Bros. Television and The WB "have colluded to defraud the originator of hit 'Gilmore Girls' television series with a scheme that rivals the greed and bravado of any story line defendants could script." Hofflund/Polone, Polone's company with Judy Hofflund, alleges the "modified adjusted gross," the money the show earns after costs are deducted, for "Gilmore's" first six seasons was modified by the studio - through "collusion among defendants to set below-market license fees" and a series of improper charges - which cut into Hofflund/Polone's profits as a result. A third-party audit commissioned by Hofflund/Polone in October 2006 alleges that number was understated by $45.5 million and the company has asked for "tens of millions of dollars" in damages as a result. Warner Bros. has yet to comment on the suit.
LOST & FOUND (NBC) - Australian actor Damon Herriman ("All Saints") has joined the cast of the drama pilot, which centers on Tessa Cooper (Katee Sackhoff), an offbeat LAPD detective who, after butting heads with higher-ups, is sent as punishment to the basement to work on John and Jane Doe cases. He'll play Anthony Yeckel, an oddball civilian consultant to the police's lost-and-found department who has an obsessive love of old detective TV shows. Brian Cox and Josh Cooke also star in the Universal Media Studios/Wolf Films-based hour, which Michael Engler is directing from a script by creator Chris Levinson.
TWO AND A HALF MEN (CBS) - Warner Bros. Television filed a $49 million breach of contract lawsuit against CBS on Tuesday. Said suit, filed in Los Angeles Superior Court, claims the network owes Warner Bros. additional fees toward the production deficit carried by the studio. The "deficit recoupment" was understood to be tied to "Men" hitting certain ratings milestones as specified by the show's original four-year license agreement signed in 2003. The suit indicates the studio incurred a $61.1 million deficit over the course of the first four years of the show (for instance CBS paid $750,000 per episode during "Men's" first season while Warner Bros. actual cost to produce the show came in at $1.22 million), a cost which CBS would cover should "Men" finish as a top 10 show. Additionally, should "Men" finish in the top five in its fourth season, CBS would pay an additional $650,000 more per episode in the fifth and sixth seasons (with a downward scale from there). "CBS has reaped the benefits of the tremendous success of 'Two and a Half Men" but wants to deny Warner Bros. the right to its agreed-upon share," Warner Bros. said in a statement. CBS countered with simply, "Wow, I wonder what they got the other networks for Christmas."
UGLY BETTY (ABC) - "Dexter" co-star Lauren Velez has booked a multi-episode arc on the Thursday dramedy. She'll play Elena, a nurse that enters the lives of the Suarez family, whom reports speculate will be linked to a major plot development. It's not clear when her first episode will air.
UNTITLED MARIA BELLO PROJECT (HBO, New!) - Maria Bello ("The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor") is set to topline a potential new drama at the pay channel about a woman who's forced into a life of crime to support her three teenage sons after her husband is killed. Gary Lennon ("The Shield") is penning the hour, which sees the woman using her sons as henchmen, leading them all down a destructive road. Bello herself will executive produce alongside Lennon, Gavin Polone and John Carrabino.
Sources: Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Reuters
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[05/23/24 - 01:50 PM]
"Survivor" Is #1 Entertainment Show in 2023/24 Season Among Adults 18-34, A18-49 and A25-54
This marks the first time it has won all three demos in a season since its second season in 2000-2001.
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[05/23/24 - 01:46 PM]
Production Begins on Season Two of Paramount+'s Original Series "Lioness"
Season one set a new record as the service's most-watched worldwide series premiere on launch day, at that time, with nearly six million total viewers in its first week across Paramount+ globally and a linear preview on the Paramount Network.
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[05/23/24 - 12:21 PM]
The CW to Pull "Lovers and Liars" from Thursday Lineup
Repeats of "Police 24/7" will fill the 9:00/8:00c hour beginning next Thursday, May 30.
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[05/23/24 - 12:05 PM]
"The Great Food Truck Race: Games on the Gulf" Premieres Sunday, June 30th at 8pm ET/PT on Food Network
Host Tyler Florence kicks off the season welcoming nine teams to NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston for the start of the race.
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[05/23/24 - 11:24 AM]
"American Idol" Wraps Season 22 Delivering Season Highs in Both Total Viewers and Adults 18-49
The season finale delivered season highs in Total Viewers (5.64 million) and Adults 18-49 (0.65 rating).
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[05/23/24 - 10:43 AM]
Discovery Channel June Programming Highlights
In "Six Schizophrenic Brothers," an all-American family is torn apart when six of 12 siblings develop schizophrenia.
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[05/23/24 - 10:31 AM]
What's New on Max This June
"House of the Dragon," "Fantasmas" "Hannah Einbinder: Everything Must Go," "Ren Faire," "Stevie Van Zandt: Disciple" and "Am I OK?" are among the featured titles.
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[05/23/24 - 10:17 AM]
Video: AMC Networks Releases Behind-the-Scenes Look at Season Two Production of "The Walking Dead: Dead City"
The hit series in the Walking Dead Universe stars Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Lauren Cohan as the fan-favorite characters Negan and Maggie.
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[05/23/24 - 10:11 AM]
New Season of "Hoffman Family Gold" Premieres on Discovery Channel on June 14
As three generations of Todd Hoffman's family arrive in Alaska to mine the most promising claim they've ever held, tensions rise when Todd's father, Jack, announces his final season.
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[05/23/24 - 10:03 AM]
Video: "Trixie Motel: Drag Me Home" - Official Trailer - Max
It's a homecoming, Queen! "Trixie Motel: Drag Me Home" premieres June 1 on Max.
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[05/23/24 - 10:01 AM]
Netflix: What We Watched the Second Half of 2023
Today the streamer published its second edition of "What We Watched: A Netflix Engagement Report," capturing Netflix viewership from July to December 2023.
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[05/23/24 - 10:00 AM]
Kevin Frazier & Nischelle Turner Return as Hosts for "The 51st Annual Daytime Emmy Awards," June 7 on CBS
In addition, NATAS has announced the 2024 Gold and Silver Circle Honorees, recognizing admired individuals who have made enduring contributions to daytime television.
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[05/23/24 - 09:47 AM]
OWN's New Series "Family Empire: Houston" Introduces the Bradens, A Multi-Generational Family with Tight-Knit Bonds and a Legacy in Question
Exploring complex themes of generational wealth and the building of a family legacy, the eight-episode unscripted series follows the Bradens across four generations of Black excellence.
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[05/23/24 - 09:04 AM]
Video: National Geographic and Hulu Debut Trailer and Announce Premiere Dates for "Cult Massacre: One Day in Jonestown"
The three-part series will premiere June 17 on Hulu and will air on National Geographic on August 14.
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[05/23/24 - 09:00 AM]
HBO Original Comedy Series "Fantasmas" Debuts June 7
Writer, director, and comedian Julio Torres spins a fantastical six-part tale of when he lost a gold oyster earring.
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