or


[11/11/11 - 10:51 PM]
Development Update: Friday, November 11
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!


HOT IN CLEVELAND (TV Land) - John Beasley, Wesley Jonathan, Jazz Raycole and Caleel Harris will round out the cast of the Cedric the Entertainer-led spin-off, which sees Cedric's character Reverend Boyce move to St. Louis where he has to balance his wild past with the expectations of his congregation and family. Beasley will play Boyce's father with Jonathan as his brother and Raycole and Harris as his kids. They join the previously cast Niecy Nash, who plays Cedric's wife. Suzanne Martin and Cedric co-wrote the pilot which is set to tape Saturday, December 3 at the CBS Studio Center in Studio City. (Deadline.com)


HOW TO CHEAT ON YOUR WIFE (AMC) - Todd Stashwick, Steve Little, David Furr and Seth Morris have snagged the principal roles on the comedy pilot, about four nice guys in flyover country dealing with middle age. No other details were given about their characters in the single-camera project, from creator Rob Roy Thomas. (Deadline.com)


LEGENDS (NBC, New!) - Jeffrey Nachmanoff ("Homeland") is set to write and direct a potential drama at the Peacock about "an undercover agent who takes on legendary identities -- while coming to face the possibility that his own identity is fictional as well." Howard Gordon is also on board to executive produce the hour, which is set up at 20th Century Fox Television. (Variety.com)


LEGIT (FX) - Gillian Vigman and Dan Bakkedahl have both scored roles on the Jim Jefferies-led comedy pilot, about Jim (Jefferies), a misanthrope trying to go legit. Bakkedahl will play "Jim's world-weary, floundering, divorced roommate" with Vigman as "a funny and smart Harvard-trained psychiatrist forced to diffuse Jim's endless advances." Jefferies and Peter O'Fallon co-wrote the half-hour, the latter of which is directing. (Deadline.com)


MASTERS OF SEX (Showtime) - Paul Bettany ("A Beautiful Mind") is in negotiations to star in the drama pilot, which "chronicles the lives, romance and pop culture trajectory of 1960s human sexuality pioneers William Masters (Bettany) and Virginia Johnson whose research touched off the sexual revolution." Michelle Ashford is behind the Sony Pictures Television-based hour, which John Madden ("Shakespeare in Love") is on board to direct. Sarah Timberman, Carl Beverly and Judith Verno then will executive produce alongside Ashford and Madden. Thomas Maier, whose book serves as the source material, and Bettany's manager Melanie Greene will receive producing credits. (Deadline.com)


OF TWO MINDS (Lifetime) - Joel Gretsch ("V") has joined the cast of the original movie, which "chronicles the relationship between a woman (Kristin Davis) and her younger sister (Tammy Blanchard), who has schizophrenia." He'll play the husband of Davis's character in the project, which Jim O'Hanlon is directing from a script by Richard Friedenber. (Deadline.com)


ORANGE IS THE NEW BLACK (Netflix, New!) - Lionsgate Television is reportedly on track to land a 13-episode commitment from the digital distributor for a new comedy based on Piper Kerman's memoir of the same name, subtitled "My Year In a Women's Prison." Jenji Kohan ("Weeds") and Liz Friedman ("House") are behind the project, which presumably like the book "chronicles nonprofit communications executive Kerman's year-long stint at the minimum security correctional facility in Danbury, Connecticut, stemming from a conviction for her part in a drug smuggling and money-laundering scheme she got tangled up in 10 years earlier as a fresh college graduate." No other details were given. (Deadline.com)


THUNDERSTRUCK (AMC, New!) - Paul Harris Boardman and Scott Derrickson ("The Exorcism of Emily Rose") have booked a potential sci-fi drama at the cable channel about the residents of Great Falls, Montana who must grapple with the dramatic effects and growing mystery of repeated visitations by powerful and enigmatic entities that begin appearing all over the world. David Eick is also on board to executive produce the hour alongside the duo with Derrickson also attached to direct. (Deadline.com)


AND IN OTHER NEWS... - Actor-turned-director/producer Fred Savage has inked a two-year overall deal with CBS Television Studios (Deadline.com); Sony Pictures Television has come aboard as a distribution partner on Netflix's upcoming original drama "House of Cards" (Deadline.com); Ben Stiller's Red Hour Films has set up shop at ABC Studios with Debbie Liebling now on board to run the company's TV division (Deadline.com); Wendi McLendon-Covey, Kurtwood Smith, Donald Faison, Ashley Williams and Molly Sims are among the first wave of guest stars on TBS's "The Wedding Band" (EW.com); Ashley Greene has booked a three-episode arc on "Pan Am" as "a debutante with a past connection to Ted (Michael Mosley)" (EW.com); plus Salli Richardson-Whitfield will guest on "The Finder" as the lawyer representing 50 Cent's previously announced music mogul character (EW.com).






  [may 2013]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S
   


· DEVELOPMENT UPDATE (TFC)
· FINDER, THE (FOX)
· HOMELAND (SHOWTIME)
· HOT IN CLEVELAND (TV LAND)
· HOUSE (FOX)
· HOUSE OF CARDS (NETFLIX)
· HOW TO CHEAT ON YOUR WIFE (AMC)
· LEGENDS (TNT)
· LEGIT (FX)
· MASTERS OF SEX (SHOWTIME)
· OF TWO MINDS (LIFETIME)
· ORANGE IS THE NEW BLACK (NETFLIX)
· PAN AM (ABC)
· SOUL MAN, THE (TV LAND)
· THUNDERSTRUCK (AMC)
· V (ABC)
· WEDDING BAND, THE (TBS)
· WEEDS (SHOWTIME)





[05/18/13 - 09:03 AM]
Friday's Broadcast Ratings: ABC Tops Viewers, Demos with "Shark Tank"
The show's two-hour season finale powers the Alphabet to victory.

[05/18/13 - 08:59 AM]
"Rock Center with Brian Williams" Scores Its Second-Highest Adult 18-49 and Total-Viewer Results in Three Months
NBC spins the numbers for Friday, May 17.

[05/18/13 - 08:51 AM]
ABC Wins Friday as "Shark Tank" Closes Out with its Best-Ever Finale and Strongest Season Ever
ABC spins the numbers for Friday, May 17.

[05/17/13 - 03:51 PM]
Thursday's Cable Ratings: TNT, ESPN Top Charts with NBA Playoffs
Plus: numbers for AMC's "Small Town Security," MTV's "Zach Stone Is Gonna Be Famous" and FX's "Anger Management."

[05/17/13 - 01:47 PM]
Christina Aguilera, CeeLo Green, Adam Levine and Blake Shelton Set to Return to "The Voice" in Fall
Plus: Shakira and Usher will pair with Levine and Shelton for the sixth cycle in midseason.

[05/17/13 - 12:16 PM]
Video: Showtime(R) Releases Official Trailer for Eighth and Final Season of "Dexter(R)"
The show's swan song begins Sunday, June 30 at 9:00/8:00c on the pay channel.

[05/17/13 - 09:48 AM]
ABC, ESPN Combine to Exclusively Televise 2013 NBA Western Conference Finals
The San Antonio Spurs/Memphis Grizzlies series opens this Sunday, May 19 on ABC.

[05/17/13 - 09:01 AM]
Unaired Episodes of "Don't Trust the B---- In Apartment 23" Now Online and Select Mobile Devices
The eight episodes will be live through June 2.

[05/17/13 - 09:00 AM]
"Phineas and Ferb's" Breakout Internet Star Dr. Doofenshmirtz Is Back for a Special "Shark Tank" Installment of "Doof's Daily Dirt"
Plus: DisneyChannel.com extends "Doof's Daily Dirt" web series for another 26 episodes beginning this summer.

[05/17/13 - 08:46 AM]
"The Office" Finale Out-Rates Every Telecast of the Show for the Past 16 Months
NBC spins the numbers for Thursday, May 16.

[05/17/13 - 08:33 AM]
ABC's "Scandal" Marks Most-Watched Telecast Ever and Spikes Over Last Season's Finale
ABC spins the numbers for Thursday, May 16.

[05/17/13 - 08:23 AM]
Thursday's Broadcast Ratings: FOX, "American Idol" Top Night of Finales
Plus: NBC remains stuck in fourth place despite its swan song for "The Office."

[05/17/13 - 07:27 AM]
Syfy Announces Fifth and Final Season of Original Series "Warehouse 13"
Said Mark Stern: "'Warehouse 13' has been an incredible signature series for us."

[05/17/13 - 07:27 AM]
HGTV and DIY Network Announce New Programming Roles for Steven Lerner and Freddy James
Lerner has been elevated to senior vice president of programming and production and James was named senior vice president, strategic development and program integration.

[05/16/13 - 11:09 PM]
Development Update: Thursday, May 16
Updates include: "Silicon Valley" latest to series at HBO; USA "unlikely" to pick up ABC's "Happy Endings"; and The CW is casting for its Samantha Jones on "The Carrie Diaries."