or


[02/17/11 - 10:41 PM]
Development Update: Thursday, February 17
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!


ARE YOU THERE VODKA? IT'S ME CHELSEA (NBC) - Angel Laketa Moore ("ER") has joined the cast of the comedy pilot, about Chelsea Hanson (Laura Prepon), "a fresh-faced single cocktail waitress highly opinionated and open about her love to drink and have sex." She's on board as Shoniqua, the "smart, curvy and unapologetic" assistant manager at the sports bar where Chelsea works. Gail Mancuso is directing from a script by Dottie Zicklin and Julie Ann Larson for Warner Bros. Television. Said half-hour is based on Chelsea Handler's memoir of the same name.


EXIT STRATEGY (FOX) - Megan Dodds ("Detroit 1-8-7") is the latest addition to the Ethan Hawke-led drama pilot, about a team of CIA agents who are sent in to fix operations gone bad. She'll play Hannah Burke, a doctor with a prodigy-level IQ who trusts no one. Antoine Fuqua is helming the 20th Century Fox Television-based hour off a script by David Guggenheim.


GRACE (ABC) - Eric Roberts ("Heroes") has snagged the lead role on the drama pilot, about Michael Grace (Roberts), a famous choreographer whose womanizing ways have produced three daughters - Sarah, a lawyer; Shay, a photographer; Eden, a teenager - all with different mothers. In addition, Flody Suarez has been tapped as an executive producer. Lesli Linka Glatter is directing from a script by Krista Vernoff for ABC Studios.


GRIMM (NBC) - David Giuntoli ("Privileged") has booked the lead role on the drama pilot, about a police detective who discovers fairy tale creatures live among us. He'll play the aforementioned man, Nick Burckhardt, who is tasked with defending humans from these mythical beasts. David Greenwalt and Jim Kouf are behind the Universal Media Studios-based hour, to be directed by Marc Buckland.


HART OF DIXIE (The CW) - Wilson Bethel ("Generation Kill") has scored a role on the Rachel Bilson-led drama pilot, about "a young New York City doctor who inherits a medical practice in a small Southern town inhabited by an eclectic and eccentric group of characters." He'll play Wade Kinsella, her "gorgeous bad-boy fisherman" neighbor in the Warner Bros. Television-based project, which Jason Ensler is directing from a script by Leila Gerstein.


PAN AM (ABC) - Michael Mosley ("Scrubs") has joined the cast of the drama pilot, about the pilots and flight attendants working at the iconic Pan Am airline in the 1960s. He'll play Ted, a pilot who's always sporting a buzz cut and an infectious smile. Margot Robbie also stars in the hour, which comes from Sony Pictures Television, director Thomas Schlamme and creator Jack Orman.


SECRET CIRCLE (The CW) - Britt Robertson ("Life Unexpected") has booked the lead role on the drama pilot, about a California teen who moves to her mom's hometown of New Salem, Maine and discovers that she comes from a family of witches. She'll play the young woman in question, Cassie Blake, who is "the key that will unlock a centuries-old battle of good versus evil." Liz Friedlander is helming the hour from a script by Andrew Miller. CBS Television Studios and Warner Bros. Television are co-producing.


SPARTACUS: BLOOD & SAND (Starz) - Lesley-Ann Brandt is reportedly departing the series to pursue broadcast pilots, which are currently casting. It's understood her role of Naevia, slave to Lucretia (Lucy Lawless) and lover of Crixus (Manu Bennett), will be recast. Last month, Liam McIntyre was tapped to replace Andy Whitfield, who was forced to leave the show in order to deal with health issues.


TOUCH (FOX) - Kiefer Sutherland ("24") is reportedly mulling a role on the drama pilot, from "Heroes" creator Tim Kring. He'd star as Martin Bohm, an unassuming baggage handler at JFK who discovers that his autistic, mute son can predict events before they happen. The actor however is currently committed to Jason Miller's revival of "That Championship Season" on Broadway, which opened last week - meaning production would have to be pushed. Separately, Charles McDougall ("The Chicago Code") is in talks to direct. 20th Century Fox Television is producing.


UNTITLED JOE PORT/JOE WISEMAN PROJECT (FOX) - Rachael Harris ("Notes From the Underbelly") has been tapped as the female lead on the comedy pilot, about a headstrong patriarch (Mike O'Malley) who, determined to get some quality family time, embarks on a vacation with his extended family. She'll play his wife Marni, a stay at home mom with a bit of a wild side. Rob Huebel also stars in the 20th Century Fox Television-based project, to be helmed by Shawn Levy.






  [february 2001]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S
    


· 24 (FOX)
· ARE YOU THERE, CHELSEA? (NBC)
· CHICAGO CODE, THE (FOX)
· DETROIT 187 (ABC)
· DEVELOPMENT UPDATE (TFC)
· ER (NBC)
· EXIT STRATEGY (FOX)
· FAMILY ALBUM (FOX)
· GENERATION KILL (HBO)
· GRACE (ABC)
· GRIMM (NBC)
· HART OF DIXIE (CW)
· HEROES (NBC)
· LIFE UNEXPECTED (CW)
· NOTES FROM THE UNDERBELLY (ABC)
· PAN AM (ABC)
· PRIVILEGED (CW)
· SCRUBS (ABC)
· SECRET CIRCLE, THE (CW)
· SPARTACUS (STARZ)
· TOUCH (FOX)





[01/30/25 - 01:14 PM]
Max Original Reality Series "Paul American" Debuts March 27
With more than 150 million followers and multiple successful business ventures, Jake and Logan Paul will step into a new arena with the original reality series.

[01/30/25 - 01:01 PM]
"Saturday Night Live" Announces "SNL50: The Homecoming Concert," Streaming Live on Peacock from Radio City Music Hall on Feb. 14
Streaming live on Peacock from Radio City Music Hall, the "SNL" homecoming celebration will bring together legendary "Saturday Night Live" hall-of-famers and surprise special guests.

[01/30/25 - 11:33 AM]
Lifetime Sets Weekend Premiere Dates with Star-Studded Talent Including Tori Spelling, Monique Coleman, Melyssa Ford and Others
"Trapped in the Spotlight," due February 15, follows two R&B singers kidnapped and held hostage to finish their incomplete album.

[01/30/25 - 11:03 AM]
Extreme Decluttering Expert Matt Paxton Turns Hoards of Trash to Treasure in "Filthy Fortunes" Premiering Sunday, March 9 at 10PM ET/PT on Discovery Channel
In the new Discovery Channel series, modern day treasure hunter and the "King of Hoards," Matt Paxton, travels around the country in search of rare, big-ticket items hidden in some of the most cluttered, filthy homes imaginable.

[01/30/25 - 11:00 AM]
Acorn TV Releases All-New Assets for "Best Interests," Starring Sharon Horgan and Michael Sheen
Starring Sharon Horgan and Michael Sheen, the US and Canada premiere of the four-episode limited series debuts as a full season binge on Monday, February 17 on Acorn TV.

[01/30/25 - 10:40 AM]
The ATL Serves Up Big Peach Energy as Bravo's "The Real Housewives of Atlanta" Returns Sunday, Mar. 9 at 8 P.M. ET/PT
As previously announced Porsha Williams makes her spectacular return alongside Drew Sidora and new housewives Shamea Morton Mwangi, Brit Eady, Kelli Ferrell and Angela Oakley.

[01/30/25 - 10:01 AM]
"The Lion King at the Hollywood Bowl" Concert Special Debuts February 7, 2025 on Disney Plus
This live-to-film concert experience includes epic performances with a 70-person orchestra, a troupe of skillful dancers, state-of-the-art projection mapping images, and the Broadway show's award-winning costumes and puppetry giving viewers across the globe a front row seat to the unprecedented musical extravaganza celebrating the world of "The Lion King."

[01/30/25 - 10:00 AM]
Season Four of the HBO Original Series "The Righteous Gemstones" Debuts March 9
The series tells the story of a world-famous televangelist family with a long tradition of deviance, greed, and charitable work.

[01/30/25 - 09:30 AM]
Video: AMC/AMC+ Debut the Pulse-Pounding Official Trailer for Returning Hit Noir Thriller, "Dark Winds," Starring Zahn McClarnon
"Dark Winds" returns with all-new episodes exclusively on AMC and AMC+ on Sunday, March 9 at 9pm ET/PT, with new episodes airing weekly on Sundays.

[01/30/25 - 09:06 AM]
FOX Sports Presents the 149th Annual Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show Presented by Purina Pro Plan February 8, 10 & 11
The iconic event will be showcased across FOX Sports' family of networks, digital platforms, and WestminsterKennelClub.org.

[01/30/25 - 09:01 AM]
TNT Sports & Max to Launch Exclusive NASCAR Driver Cam & Audio Experience Starting Sunday, Feb. 2
Launching with the Cook Out Clash at Bowman Gray this Sunday, NASCAR Driver Cam on Max will offer users the most comprehensive access inside each driver's car including a layered audio mix of scanner team radios and ambient car noise, all synced up with a 1080p Driver Cam feed on supported devices.

[01/30/25 - 08:38 AM]
Peacock Announces Series Pickup of Crime Drama "Superfakes"
The crime drama series follows a small-time Chinatown luxury counterfeit dealer who enters a dangerous black market underworld in order to fund a life of suburban respectability for her family.

[01/30/25 - 08:07 AM]
TLC to Premiere 1-Hour Special "Big Family, Big City" on Tuesday, February 25 at 10/9c
Get ready for an unforgettable ride with the de la Mottes, a conservative family of 13 who are about to experience the ultimate culture shock!

[01/30/25 - 08:00 AM]
HGTV Stars Ben and Erin Napier Renovate the Whole Town of Sebring, Florida, in a New Season of Hit Series "Home Town Takeover" Premiering Sunday, March 9, at 8 PM ET/PT
The pair - who attracted more than 14 million viewers to the series' last season - will now take on over a dozen renovation projects across homes, local businesses and public spaces, bolstered by 13 all-star HGTV and Food Network talent, to reinvigorate the struggling lakeside community.

[01/30/25 - 06:07 AM]
The First Season of "The Eternaut" Will Release Globally on Netflix on April 30th
One summer's night in Buenos Aires, a mysterious deadly snowfall wipes out most of the population and leaves thousands stranded.