or


[03/25/03 - 12:00 AM]
Telefilm Roundup: March 25
By The Futon Critic Staff (TFC)

CHICAGO (thefutoncritic.com) -- The latest telefilm news, culled from recent wire reports:

BIG BUCKS: THE PRESS YOUR LUCK SCANDAL (GSN) - The Game Show Network saw its highest numbers in its eight-year history for its March 16 broadcast of the film. 1.2 million viewers tuned in for the telefilm, about an unemployed ice cream truck driver who mastered the show's game board, more than three times its previous record of 400,000 for "The Best of Family Feud" in 2000.

CHILDREN OF DUNE (Sci Fi) - The mini-series became the third most watched program in the network's history as roughly 2.7 million viewers on average watched the three-part adaptation of Frank Herbert's novels. The first night earned a 2.9 rating, the second a 2.3 and the third a 2.1. Only the original "Dune" mini-series and the recent "Taken" maxi-series have performed better for the cable channel.

CODE 11-14 (CBS, New!) - David James Elliott ("J.A.G.") and Terry Farrell ("Becker") star in this thriller that follows an F.B.I. agent whose search for a serial killer intensifies when he finds himself and his family trapped on board an international flight with the murderer. The telefilm bows Sunday, April 13 at 9:00/8:00c.

EVIL NEVER DIES (TBS) - The cable channel will premiere its new take on the Frankenstein legend on Sunday, June 1 at 8:00/7:00c. Thomas Gibson ("Dharma and Greg") stars as a police officer who loses his wife at the hands of a brutal murderer. After being transferred to patrol duty at a prestigious college, he discovers that the now-executed murderer is part of a professor's strange experiment that results in his being brought back to life, his murderous drive still intact. Katherine Heigl ("Roswell") also stars. Visit the official web site by clicking here.

FRAMED (TNT) - The Turner owned network will premiere the telefilm on Sunday, April 13 at 8:00/7:00c. Golden Globe nominees Rob Lowe ("The West Wing") and Sam Neill ("Jurassic Park") star in the psychological drama about a disgraced cop (Lowe) who gets his last shot at redemption when he tracks down the key witness in a money-laundering case (Neill). Visit the official web site by clicking here.

THE GOODBYE GIRL (TNT) - Two-time Emmy winner Patricia Heaton ("Everybody Loves Raymond") is set to star in TNT's upcoming remake of Neil Simon's classic feature "The Goodbye Girl." Marsha Mason snagged an Oscar nomination for playing the part in the original 1977 film. Simon himself is writing and executive producing the new take on "Girl," with Ron Ziskin and Dave Collins ("Stealing Sinatra") on board as executive producers. The telefilm is a co-production between Warner Bros. TV and TNT. Shooting is expected to begin this summer for an early 2004 debut.

HOMELESS TO HARVARD: THE LIZ MURRAY STORY (Lifetime) - The cable channel will premiere its biopic of Liz Murray (portrayed by "American Beauty's" Thora Birch) on Monday, April 7 at 9:00/8:00c. Murray was raised in severe poverty by loving, yet drug-addicted parents. After her mother's AIDS-related death when she was 15, she turned her life around, eventually earning a New York Times scholarship for needy students, enabling her to attend Harvard University.

LUCY (CBS) - The celebrated, complex, passionate and tumultuous relationship between Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz is profiled in the Eye's original telefilm that also features a fascinating behind-the-scenes look at the creation "I Love Lucy." It premieres Sunday, May 4 at 9:00/8:00c.

OUT OF THE ASHES (Showtime, New!) - The pay channel will bow the original telefilm on Sunday, April 13 at 8:00/7:00c. Oscar, Golden Globe and Emmy Award-winning actress/director Christine Lahti stars as Dr. Gisella Perl, a Jewish doctor who survived the holocaust to set up a practice in the United States. The film, directed by Joseph Sargent, is based on Perl's book, "I Was A Doctor In Auschwitz."

RUDY: THE RUDY GIULIANI STORY (USA) - USA has announced it has cut a brief shot of a body falling from the north tower of the World Trade Center in its Giuliani biopic. Review copies of the telefilm (which airs March 30) included the shot. In a letter set to journalists, USA said "after much internal discussion, we have decided that the potential distress that could be caused by one particular shot -- a shot of a body falling from the north tower -- outweighs its place in the accounting of the life of Rudy Giuliani."

Sources: Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Reuters





  [march 2003]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S
      


· BECKER (CBS)
· CODE 11-14 (CBS)
· DHARMA & GREG (ABC)
· EVERYBODY LOVES RAYMOND (CBS)
· EVIL NEVER DIES (TBS)
· FRAMED (TNT)
· FRANK HERBERT'S CHILDREN OF DUNE (SCI FI)
· FRANK HERBERT'S DUNE (SCI FI)
· GOODBYE GIRL, THE (TNT)
· HOMELESS TO HARVARD: THE LIZ MURRAY STORY (LIFETIME)
· JAG (CBS)
· LUCY (CBS)
· OUT OF THE ASHES (SHOWTIME)
· ROSWELL (UPN)
· RUDY! (USA)
· STEVEN SPIELBERG PRESENTS: TAKEN (SCI FI)
· WEST WING, THE (NBC)





[09/08/26 - 05:06 PM]
Netflix Announces New Drama Series "Lonesome Dove"
The new Larry McMurtry adaptation will reunite Zoe Kazan and Jeb Stuart, who will co-showrun the new series after also serving as co-showrunners for Netflix's highly anticipated limited series, "East of Eden."

[09/08/26 - 04:01 PM]
Video: "Love Village" Season 3 - Official Trailer - Netflix
This romantic reality series sees men and women aged 35 to 60 move in together into a vintage house in Love Village in search of one last shot at love.

[09/08/26 - 02:59 PM]
Video: "NCIS: Origins" Season 3 Official Trailer - CBS
Mark Harmon returns for Season 3, premiering Tuesday, October 6.

[09/08/26 - 12:34 PM]
ESPN and Apple Music Collaborate on "Monday Night Football" Music Curation for the 2026-27 Season, Leading Up to ESPN's First-Ever Super Bowl and the Apple Music Super Bowl Halftime Show
The first song and artist Apple Music has selected is the recently-released single, "Dead Fresh" by Lil Baby, which will run in ESPN's Week 1 promotional efforts.

[09/08/26 - 12:01 PM]
Netflix Top 10: Week of August 31 - "The Whisper Man" Tracks Down No. 1 in This Week's Top 10
"Death of the Pastor's Wife" held the top spot of the English TV list with 13.9 million views.

[09/08/26 - 12:01 PM]
Drama and Rumors Bloom as "The Real Housewives of Potomac" Season 11 Launches on Sunday, Oct 11. at 8 P.M. ET/PT
Returning "housewives" include Karen Huger, Gizelle Bryant, Ashley Darby, Dr. Wendy Osefo, Stacey Rusch and Tia Glover.

[09/08/26 - 11:13 AM]
Jamie Demetriou and Amelia Dimoldenberg to Host Next Two Episodes of "Saturday Night Live UK," with Musical Guests Royal Blood and Rachel Chinouriri
They'll join the previously announced Jeff Goldblum and CMAT.

[09/08/26 - 10:30 AM]
Prime Video Announces September 24 Premiere Date for "Go Deep: The DeSean Jackson Story"
The groundbreaking documentary traces the story of a father, his two sons, and their family's pursuit of the American Dream through football excellence.

[09/08/26 - 10:09 AM]
FOX MLB Posts Best Regular Season Thursday Night Baseball Telecast Since 2022
2,668,000 viewers tuned-in to FOX Thursday for a two-game slate highlighted by the Cubs' 2-1 win over the Brewers in most of the country.

[09/08/26 - 10:03 AM]
"Moonshiners" Celebrates 250 Years of American Rebellion, Risk and Reward in All-New Season Premiering Tuesday, September 29 at 8PM ET/PT on Discovery Channel
It's a 250-year celebration of life, liberty and the pursuit of tax-free liquor when America's favorite Appalachian distillers return in an all-new season.

[09/08/26 - 10:02 AM]
ESPN Studio Lineup Continues 2026 Momentum with Record August Audiences
As a year-long pattern of strong viewership continued, multiple programs delivered their best August viewership on record, while overall studio show audiences increased 13% year over year.

[09/08/26 - 10:01 AM]
"The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon" Scores Four Special Episodes Post-"Sunday Night Football" This Fall on NBC
The first Sunday night show is set for September 27 when Fallon will welcome an all-star lineup of guests, including Sylvester Stallone and Luke Bryan.

[09/08/26 - 10:01 AM]
HBO Original Documentary "Siren: The Voices of Shelley" Beattie Debuts September 22
While searching the internet one day, Hollywood veteran Marlee Matlin came upon the story of athlete Shelley Beattie - a fellow Deaf woman whose life felt eerily like her own.

[09/08/26 - 09:40 AM]
Following Their Emmy Win for Outstanding Animated Program, "South Park" Is Making a Big Change
Creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone announced: "Inspired by the bravery and patriotism of Apple and Google, we are changing the name of South Park to SOUTH AMERICA. We especially want to thank our parent company Paramount -- a Skydance Capitulation."

[09/08/26 - 09:29 AM]
Paramount+ and T-Mobile Arena Launch Paramount+ Plaza in New Multi-Year Partnership
The agreement establishes a prominent new platform for the streaming service to connect its expansive portfolio of original series, films, live sports and iconic franchises with millions of fans visiting Las Vegas.