or


[06/13/03 - 12:00 AM]
Development Update: June 13
By The Futon Critic Staff (TFC)

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

THE JANE PAULEY SHOW (Syndication, New!) - Former "Dateline NBC" anchor Jane Pauley will be the centerpiece to a new syndicated daytime talk show, set to launch in 2004. NBC Enterprises is behind the project, which will originate from NBC's headquarters in New York's Rockefeller Center. In a statement to the press, Pauley said, "While a daytime talk show is a dramatic departure for me, I'm thrilled that the second phase of my career begins at NBC, where the first one left off." She added, "I look forward to a long-running conversation with other women who share many of the same issues and have lots of ideas, too."

L.A. DRAGNET (ABC) - Josh and Jonas Pate ("Good vs. Evil") have signed on as head writers and co-executive producers of the Dick Wolf-produced drama next season. Their hiring is part of a major revamp for the series which will air Saturdays at 10:00/9:00c this fall. Veteran TV director Jeffrey Reiner has also come on board as a co-executive producer where he will handle the daily physical production of the series. The new producers join current executive producers Walon Green, Peter Jankowski and of course, Wolf himself. In addition, several new cast members are expected to be announced in the coming weeks as the series' scope will expand beyond the robbery homicide division.

LAW & ORDER (NBC) - Emmy-award winning TV director Matthew Penn has inked a two-year deal to serve as an executive producer next season on the original "Law & Order" series. As part of the pact, Penn will continue to direct episodes of the series as well as oversee its production in New York City. Current New York showrunner Jeffrey Hayes will continue as an executive producer of the drama, which starts its 14th season this fall, alongside creator Dick Wolf, Michael S. Chernuchin, Peter Jankowski and Penn.

A MATTER OF FAMILY (CBS, New!) - Kirstie Alley (recently of the Eye mini-series "Salem Witch Trials") has signed on to star in the telefilm from Sony Pictures TV. The project, based on a true story, centers on a typical churchgoing suburban family of a couple and their foster children whose picture-perfect facade is shattered when a newsman, aided by one of the children, reveals that all of the kids are secretly used for slave labor. Graeme Clifford ("Profoundly Normal") is set to direct the drama from a script by Donald Martin ("Never Too Late"). Ricka Fisher, Bettina Viviano and Susan Levitan will serve as executive producers on the project, which is scheduled to begin production in Calgary early next month.

THE OPPOSITE SEX (UPN) - Jason George ("Platinum," "Off Centre") is in final talks to join the cast of Eve-led comedy from Warner Bros. TV and the Greenblatt Janollari Studio. George recently teamed with the actress in the feature "Barbershop" last year. He's set to replace Bumper Robinson on the sitcom, who has been released for undisclosed reasons.

S.F.C. (Showtime) - Kathy Baker ("Picket Fences") and John Savage ("Dark Angel") are talks to star in the pay channel's two-hour movie/backdoor pilot directed and executive produced by Spike Lee. The drama, which stands for Sucker-Free City, revolves around the conflicts among white, black, Latino and Asian gangs in San Francisco. Baker and Savage would play the parents of a white gang member in the project, which is written and executive produced by Alex Tse. Sam Kitt is also executive producing.

Sources: Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Reuters





  [june 2003]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S


· DARK ANGEL (FOX)
· DATELINE NBC (NBC)
· EVE (UPN)
· FAMILY SINS (CBS)
· GOOD VS. EVIL (SCI FI)
· JANE PAULEY SHOW, THE (SYNDICATION)
· LA DRAGNET (ABC)
· LAW & ORDER (NBC)
· OFF CENTRE (WB)
· PLATINUM (UPN)
· PROFOUNDLY NORMAL (CBS)
· SALEM WITCH TRIALS (CBS)
· SUCKER FREE CITY (SHOWTIME)





[06/03/25 - 03:04 PM]
ABC News' "Nightline" Ranks No. 1 in Total Viewers, Adults 25-54 and Adults 18-49 vs. CBS' "After Midnight" and NBC's "Late Night with Seth Meyers"
For the 2nd week in a row, "Nightline" posted increases in Total Viewers, Adults 25-54 and Adults 18-49, turning in its strongest numbers across the board in more than 4 months.

[06/03/25 - 01:07 PM]
Tubi Acquires Destry Allyn Spielberg's Feature Directorial Debut Horror Thriller "Please Don't Feed the Children"
The horror thriller will premiere exclusively on the service Friday, June 27.

[06/03/25 - 12:01 PM]
Netflix Top 10 Week of May 26: "Sirens" Enchants Top 10 Again, "Adolescence" Jumps to No. 2 on Most Popular
Also in English TV, "Cold Case: The Tylenol Murders" debuted at No. 2, as the three-part documentary series reexamined a string of unsolved murders tied to the over-the-counter painkiller that triggered a national panic in the '80s (11.9 million views).

[06/03/25 - 12:00 PM]
"Love Island" Season 12 (UK) Date Announcement, Key Art & Cast Reveal
The season premieres in the U.S. on Thursday, June 12, with new episodes dropping daily, only on Hulu.

[06/03/25 - 11:30 AM]
Lifetime Expands "Terry McMillan Presents" Banner with "His, Hers & Ours" Starring and Executive Produced by Taye Diggs and Lesley-Ann Brandt
Aimee Garcia also stars in the film, which is set to debut later this year.

[06/03/25 - 11:01 AM]
Video: "Trainwreck: Poop Cruise" - Official Trailer - Netflix
An engine fire leaves 4,000 passengers stranded at sea without power and plumbing in this wild documentary about the infamous "poop cruise" of 2013.

[06/03/25 - 10:36 AM]
Video: Trailer & Key Art Debut: "Call Her Alex"
Hulu has debuted the official trailer and key art for the two-part docuseries, premiering all at once on June 10.

[06/03/25 - 10:05 AM]
FOX MLB Scores 2.2 Million Viewers for 18-2 Yankees-Dodgers Blowout
The network's "Baseball Night in America" coverage was up 16% versus last year's FOX MLB regular-season average, despite heavy competition.

[06/03/25 - 09:40 AM]
ESPN Delivers Two of the Three Most-Watched Women's College World Series Non-Finals Games on Record
UCLA versus Tennessee delivered the largest softball audience in a decade.

[06/03/25 - 09:28 AM]
ESPN's Most-Watched Season of "Sunday Night Baseball" in Eight Years
The June 1 edition was the most-watched in seven years, since August 2018.

[06/03/25 - 09:01 AM]
Video: "7 Bears" New Series Trailer - Netflix Jr
Seeking to be heroes, a clumsy troupe of bear siblings decide to help fairytale characters in need - but their good deeds often turn into disasters.

[06/03/25 - 09:00 AM]
Banana Ball Heads to The CW Network with the Broadcast Television Debut of the Savannah Bananas on Sunday, July 27
"The Savannah Bananas have taken the sports world by storm through their high-energy blend of baseball and entertainment that connects with viewers of all ages," said Mike Perman, Senior Vice President, CW Sports.

[06/03/25 - 09:00 AM]
Legendary Lineup of Stars Set to Present at "The 78th Annual Tony Awards," Airing Live Sunday, June 8, on CBS and Paramount+
Also, Tony Award winner Brian Stokes Mitchell will be the show announcer.

[06/03/25 - 08:31 AM]
Will Forte, Eliza Coupe, Skyler Gisondo, Natalie Palamides and Jimmi Simpson Lend Their Voices to "Haunted Hotel" Coming to Netflix September 19
A single mother of two struggles to run a haunted hotel with the help of her estranged brother, who is now one of the ghosts haunting the hotel and thinks the other ghosts have some pretty good ideas.

[06/03/25 - 07:32 AM]
Mega-Hit "Rock the Block" Delivers Another Standout Season for HGTV
The seven-episode run averaged a .66 live plus three-day rating among Adults 25-54 and a .84 live plus three-day rating among Women 25-54.