 |
 |
[05/05/08 - 05:38 PM]
Development Update: Monday, May 5
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!
AMERICAN DAD/CLEVELAND/FAMILY GUY (FOX) - Franchise mastermind Seth MacFarlane has finally inked a new overall deal with producer 20th Century Fox Television. The massive five-year pact - which is valued in the nine-figure range - will keep the prolific writer/producer/voice talent at the studio through 2012. As for specifics, said deal will cover his duties on mainstays "Family Guy" and "American Dad" as well as the upcoming "Cleveland" spin-off and other future development from his Fuzzy Door banner, including an untitled multi-camera comedy with "Family Guy" consulting producer Gary Janetti. It will also keep "Guy" on the air through 2012 as well as give MacFarlane a larger piece of the show's syndication and DVD sales. MacFarlane and 20th had been in talks for nearly two and a half years, a stalemate which delayed the start of production on "Guy's" sixth season.
COURTROOM K (FOX) - Megan Dodds ("Not Going Out") has been tapped as the female lead on the drama pilot, about the antics of a Milwaukee Superior Court. She'll play a big-hearted public defender in the project, which also stars Jonathan Sadowski. Paul Attanasio is behind the 20th Century Fox Television-based hour, which is being directed by Anthony Russo and Joe Russo.
GHOST WHISPERER (CBS) - The show's off-network run - to be split between Sci Fi, ION and WE: Women's Entertainment - is said to be valued in the $650,000-$700,000 per episode range for CBS Television Distribution. All three parties will carry repeats of the series starting in the fall of 2009 however exact rollout plans are still to be determined.
HEROES (NBC) - Brea Grant ("Friday Night Lights") has joined the cast of the show's third season, due this fall. She'll play Joy, a new hero with speed-based powers. No other details about her character were given. Production on the new season began last week.
LA STRINGERS (TruTV, New!) - truTV has ordered six half-hour episodes of a new reality series which aims to tell the behind-the-scenes stories behind various 10-second clips that air during local and national newscasts. 44 Blue Productions ("Lock Up") and Buena Vista Productions are behind the project, which will likely roll out in September, with 44 Blue's Rasha Drachkovitch executive producing alongside truTV's Lori Siegel. Marc Karzen is the producer.
MY OWN WORST ENEMY (NBC) - Mike O'Malley ("My Name Is Earl") is set to star opposite Christian Slater on the upcoming drama, about a middle-class suburban dad whose alter ego is a super spy. He'll play Tom Grady (a.k.a. "Raymond") in the Universal Media Studios-based hour, who's detailed in the casting notice as follows: "Mid-Late 30s. Henry's amiable friend and co-worker at AJ Sun Consulting. He's a married man and all-around good guy who teases Henry about his lack of toughness and admits he thinks Henry's wife is hot. Tom's alter ego is Raymond, a tough as hell, brusque and violent secret agent (just like Edward) with a devilish sense of humor who works for Janus. Raymond has to extract the hapless Henry from a brutal Russian interrogation and return him to safety. As Tom, he has no idea that Raymond exists, but Raymond knows about Tom and his family." David Semel is directing the show's pilot from a script by creator Jason Smilovic.
UNTITLED VICTOR FRESCO PROJECT (ABC) - Andrea Anders ("The Class") is the first to be cast in the pilot, a single-camera comedy about a man whose morals are tested working for a large, faceless mega-corporation. Victor Fresco is behind the half-hour, which is based at 20th Century Fox Television.
Sources: Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Reuters
|
|
|
 [june 2026]  |
S |
M |
T |
W |
T |
F |
S |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
 |
|
[06/08/26 - 10:55 AM]
Production Begins on Season Two of CBS' "Marshals" - The #1 New Broadcast Series
Produced by Paramount Television Studios and 101 Studios, the series averaged 20.4 million multiplatform viewers for the first eight episodes.
|
[06/08/26 - 10:01 AM]
Video: "The Bear" - Season 5 Official Trailer - Jeremy Allen White, Ayo Edebiri, Ebon Moss-Bachrach - FX
The final season premieres June 25.
|
[06/08/26 - 10:00 AM]
Rocket, Groot, Mr. Fantastic and Silk Join "Marvel's Spidey and His Amazing Friends" Season 5, Premiering July 13
This season will introduce a new "Rescue-Webs" story arc in which Team Spidey is able to tackle even more daring rescues with their new Spidey-themed firetruck and rescue gear.
|
[06/08/26 - 09:16 AM]
"Lupin" Part 4 Will Premiere on October 23rd on Netflix
Omar Sy reprises his iconic role as Assane Diop, the gentleman thief, in these new eight episodes alongside Ludivine Sagnier, Antoine Gouy, Soufiane Guerrab, Shirine Boutella, Théo Christine and Laïka Blanc-Francard.
|
[06/08/26 - 09:04 AM]
Chef Anna Gass Returns for Season 2 of "Instant Italian" Premiering Monday, June 29 on FYI Network
Season 2 of "Instant Italian" joins chef, cookbook author, recipe developer, and culinary influencer Anna Francese Gass back in the kitchen as she shares fresh takes on beloved Italian dishes.
|
[06/08/26 - 09:03 AM]
ESPN Scores Second Most-Watched WCWS Finals on Record; Game 2 Delivers Most-Watched College Softball Game Ever
Game 2 averaged 2.5 million viewers across ESPN/ESPNU, delivering the most-watched college softball game on record.
|
[06/08/26 - 08:31 AM]
Video: "The American Experiment" - Official Trailer - Netflix
As the United States approaches its 250th anniversary, the new five-part documentary series The American Experiment reexamines the improbable achievement that was the nation's founding, and the radical question at the center of the revolution: Can a people govern themselves?
|
[06/08/26 - 08:01 AM]
Roku Originals Celebrates the Greatest Women in Sports with "Gamechangers: America's Top 25 Female Athletes," Executive Produced by Sue Bird, Alex Morgan, and Peyton Manning
This hour-long special, which is the second iteration of Roku's "Gamechangers" anthology series, will feature interviews with star athletes, sports media voices, and celebrities, celebrating the legacy and impact of 25 of the greatest female athletes in American sports history.
|
[06/08/26 - 08:01 AM]
BritBox Announces "Hercule," Starring Edward Bluemel as Agatha Christie's Legendary Detective Hercule Poirot
The series takes a magnifying glass to three of Christie's most celebrated stories, while also charting Hercule's burgeoning friendship with Captain Arthur Hastings, his early encounters with Scotland Yard's James Japp, and introducing him to one particular nemesis...
|
[06/08/26 - 08:01 AM]
Video: Prime Video Drops Official Trailer for High-Octane Series "Ride or Die" Starring Octavia Spencer and Hannah Waddingham
A Paramount Television Studios and Amazon MGM Studios production, the fast-paced series will debut all eight episodes on Wednesday, July 15, exclusively on Prime Video in more than 240 countries and territories around the world.
|
[06/08/26 - 08:00 AM]
Video: New Teaser for "Descendants: Wicked Wonderland" Drops Down the Rabbit Hole, Debuting July 16 on Disney Channel and Next Day on Disney+
A new teaser was revealed today, along with the premiere date, poster art and casting news confirming that critically acclaimed actress and comedian Awkwafina will step into the twisted world of Wonderland as Chessy the Cat.
|
[06/08/26 - 07:01 AM]
Meet Scooby-Doo! Netflix Reveals Live-Action Take on the Iconic Canine
This marks the first time in the Scooby-Doo franchise that the character of Scooby-Doo will be portrayed by a real dog.
|
[06/08/26 - 07:01 AM]
Video: Disney's Andscape Debuts Trailer for "They Fight," Starring Andre Holland, Wendell Pierce, and Samira Wiley Ahead of the Film's World Premiere at Tribeca
The film follows a reformed ex-con who finds purpose mentoring young boxers at a Washington, D.C. youth gym as they pursue their dreams in and out of the ring.
|
[06/08/26 - 07:00 AM]
National Geographic's Fin-Favorite Summer Event Returns with Even More Shark-Filled Fun, Kicking Off with Marquee Special "Hammerhead Sharks Up Close with Bertie Gregory
Additional fin-tastic programming will roll out throughout the month across Nat Geo WILD, Nat Geo Mundo, Disney Channel and Disney XD, with select titles also streaming on Disney+ and Hulu.
|
[06/06/26 - 12:01 AM]
Video: New Teaser - Hulu Original Series "Rivals" Season 2 Return
The UK original returns this November on Hulu, and Hulu on Disney+ for bundle subscribers, in the US and Disney+ internationally.
|
|
|
|
