or


[01/29/04 - 12:00 AM]
Development Update: January 29
By The Futon Critic Staff (TFC)

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

ANONYMOUS REX (Sci Fi) - The long-in-the-works drama project is officially a go at the cable channel as Sci Fi has greenlighted production on a two-hour backdoor pilot as well as two additional scripts. "Rex" is based on a series of books by author Eric Garcia about a group of dinosaurs who have evolved to be six-feet tall and have integrated themselves into modern society by disguising themselves with human-looking latex costumes. Joe Menosky ("Star Trek: Voyager") will write the pilot script to the dramedy, which will use "Casual Rex," Garcia's prequel to "Anonymous Rex," as a template. The "Rex" series tells the story of Vincent Rubio, a high-tech private investigator who is also a Velociraptor. "Rex" has been in development for over three years at Sci Fi, as the project was originally announced in November of 2000. Production is set to begin in March with Julian Jarrold ("Great Expectations") directing.

THE COMPLETE ASSHOLE'S GUIDE TO LIFE (A.K.A. THE COMPLETE ASSHOLE'S GUIDE TO HANDLING CHICKS) (FOX) - The comedy has been retitled "The Complete Asshole's Guide to Life." Renegade 83, 20th Century Fox Television and Benderspink are all behind the project, which is being adapted from the book "The Complete Asshole's Guide to Handling Chicks" by Dan Indante & Karl Marks.

COVER GIRL (Lifetime, New!) - The cable channel has committed to a pilot script for a new drama series based on the true story of an affluent housewife who spent 20 years as an undercover P.I. without her family's knowledge. Renegade 83 ("Blind Date"), Lions Gate Television and Once Upon a Time Films are all behind the project, additional details of which are not available. Renegade's David Garfinkle and Jay Renfroe as well as the latter's wife, Maira Suro ("Platinum") who recently joined the company, are expected to executive produce.

DEADWOOD (HBO) - The pay channel's western has been scheduled to premiere on Sunday, March 21 at 10:00/9:00c following "The Sopranos." The series, which incorporates historical figures -- such as "Wild Bill" Hickok (Keith Carradine) and his sidekick Calamity Jane (Robin Weigert) -- with fictional characters, is set in the prospecting town of Deadwood and begins two weeks after the Battle of Little Bighorn.

EVERYDAY LIFE (A.K.A. UNTITLED ROB REINER PROJECT) (NBC) - Mary Gallagher ("Friends") and Josh Radnor ("The Court") have landed the lead roles in Rob Reiner's comedy pilot at the Peacock, which now features the title "Everday Life." The duo play a newlywed couple, both of whom are shrinks, who end up moving in with Radnor's character's family, comprised of more psychiatrists and other eclectic characters.

THE LARRY ELDER SHOW (A.K.A. UNTITLED LARRY ELDER PROJECT) (Syndication) - Warner Bros.-based Telepictures has confirmed the former "Moral Court" host's talk show is a firm go for fall 2004, announcing clearances on on Viacom-owned duopoly stations in Los Angeles, Philadelphia and San Francisco, among others. No specific clearance rate was given however.

LAW & ORDER (NBC) - Michael Chernuchin has left his post as showrunner and executive producer of the series. Executive producer Matthew Penn and co-executive producers Eric Overmyer and Roz Weinman are said to be filling in for Chernuchin, who exited due to a "falling out" with the creator Dick Wolf according to The Hollywood Reporter. Chernuchin is now focused on developing new projects through his overall deal with Universal Network Television.

LIVING IT UP WITH ALI & JACK (Syndication) - Maureen Fitzpatrick has been added as a new executive producer on the struggling series. While distributor King World has two-year contracts for the talk show in most markets, rumors persist the show will be replaced by either Larry Elder or Steve Harvey's talk show on Viacom-owned stations come the fall.

THE OFFICE (NBC) - Steve Carrell ("The Daily Show," "Watching Ellie") is in talks to star in the U.S. version of the recent Golden Globe winning BBC comedy series. Carrell would play Michael Scott, the office's insufferable boss, a character based loosely on Ricky Gervais' David Brent in the U.K. version. (Gervais also took home a Golden Globe for best actor at the awards show last week.) While the network and the producers are reportedly eager to cast Carrell, he's currently attached to the Peacock's midseason comedy "Come to Papa." NBC executives are said to be looking into resolving the conflict. Meanwhile, Rainn Wilson ("Six Feet Under"), Jenna Fischer ("Undeclared") and John Kasinski have all signed onto the cast. Wilson will play an oddball named Dwight, Fischer a put-upon assistant named Pam and Kasinski a likeable character named Jim. Greg Daniels ("King of the Hill") is writing and executive producing the U.S. version, which unlike fellow import "Coupling" is not a script-by-script or character-by-character copy. Ben Silverman and Howard Klein are also executive producing the pilot, which comes from the former's Universal Network Television-based Silverman's Reveille.

PORNOCOPIA (Spike TV, New!) - Renegade 83 ("The Surreal Life") is developing a new weekly half-hour series at the cable channel which takes adult films and edits out the explicit stuff, leaving behind six-minute vignettes. No other details were available.

SCAMMERS (MTV, New!) - The cable channel is developing a new game show which follows contestants as they choose one of two "professionals" (one's a scammer and one's legit) to make their fantasies come true. Renegade 83 is producing the project, additional details of which were not given.

UNTITLED BLUE COLLAR COMEDY TOUR PROJECT (WB, New!) - The Frog has committed to six half-hour episodes of a new sketch comedy series featuring three comedians from the successful "Blue Collar Comedy Tour": Jeff Foxworthy, Bill Engvall and Larry the Cable Guy. Fax Bahr and Adam Small ("Mad TV," "The Jamie Kennedy Experiment") are set to executive produce the project, which will be shot in Atlanta, along with Foxworthy and "Blue Collar Tour" producer J.P. Williams. "What Keenan (Ivory Wayans) did for the urban set, we want Jeff, Bill and Larry to do for their enormous, loyal audience," Bahr and Small, who worked on Wayans' "In Living Color," told Daily Variety. No production schedule or target air date was given.

UNTITLED METHOD MAN/RED MAN PROJECT (FOX) - Beth Littleford ("The Daily Show"), Peter Jacobson ("A.U.S.A."), David Henry and Lahmard Tate ("Moesha") have all sign on to the comedy pilot featuring the rap duo. Regency Television is behind the project, which has Method Man and Red Man playing successful rap stars who move into a big house in a predominantly white New Jersey suburb and befriend a neighboring boy (played by Henry). Character details for Littleford, Tate and Jacobson were not given.

Sources: Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Reuters





  [january 2004]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S
    


· ANONYMOUS REX (SCI FI)
· AUSA (NBC)
· BLIND DATE (SYNDICATION)
· BLUE COLLAR TV (WB)
· COME TO PAPA (NBC)
· COMPLETE ASSHOLE'S GUIDE TO LIFE, THE (FOX)
· COUPLING (NBC)
· COURT, THE (ABC)
· COVER GIRL (LIFETIME)
· DEADWOOD (HBO)
· EVERYDAY LIFE (NBC)
· FRIENDS (NBC)
· JAMIE KENNEDY EXPERIMENT, THE (WB)
· KING OF THE HILL (HULU)
· LARRY ELDER SHOW, THE (SYNDICATION)
· LAW & ORDER (NBC)
· LIVING IT UP! WITH ALI & JACK (SYNDICATION)
· METHOD & RED (FOX)
· MOESHA (UPN)
· MORAL COURT (SYNDICATION)
· OFFICE, THE (NBC)
· PLATINUM (UPN)
· PORNOCOPIA (SPIKE TV)
· SCAMMERS (MTV)
· SIX FEET UNDER (HBO)
· SOPRANOS, THE (HBO)
· STAR TREK: VOYAGER (UPN)
· SURREAL LIFE, THE (VH1)
· UNDECLARED (FOX)
· WATCHING ELLIE (NBC)





[08/08/25 - 09:10 AM]
"Live with Kelly and Mark" Notches Summertime Win with Best Total Viewer Audience in Over Three Months
In addition, the show earned its best rating among Households in nine weeks and its best numbers among both Women 18-49 and Women 25-54 in five weeks.

[08/08/25 - 08:37 AM]
Disney Jr. Unveils New Slate at "Disney Jr. Let's Play!" Event
Highlights included new series "Cars: Lightning Racers," inspired by Disney and Pixar's Academy Award-winning "Cars" films, with Owen Wilson and Larry the Cable Guy reprising their iconic roles.

[08/08/25 - 08:01 AM]
Video: "Love Con Revenge" - Official Trailer - Netflix
Cecilie Fjellhøy - from "The Tinder Swindler" - partners with a female private investigator to help other victims of romance fraud get genuine payback.

[08/08/25 - 06:06 AM]
FOX Sports Embarks on the 2025 NFL Season With the Most-Decorated Voices in Football
Following their celebrated call of Super Bowl LIX, which set an all-time viewership record, FOX NFL's lead announce team of critically acclaimed and award-winning play-by-play announcer Kevin Burkhardt and seven-time Super Bowl champion and analyst Tom Brady return for their second season together.

[08/08/25 - 12:01 AM]
Video: "Abandoned Man" - Official Trailer - Netflix
After serving time in prison for his brother's crime, a man warily reunites with family, finding hope and healing in a life-changing bond with his niece.

[08/07/25 - 05:01 PM]
Video: "Aema" - Official Trailer - Netflix
In 1980s Korea, a movie star and a starlet defy male-dominated industry rules and backstage corruption while filming the provocative "Madame Aema."

[08/07/25 - 04:01 PM]
Video: "Kiss or Die" - Official Trailer - Netflix
In a death kiss game unlike anything ever seen before, comedians' desires and improvisation spark non-stop laughs! Who will give the best kiss and become the protagonist?

[08/07/25 - 10:03 AM]
"Not So Fast, My Friend: A Lee Corso Special" to Debut August 22 on ESPN in Advance of the Legendary Analyst's Final "College GameDay" Show
The primetime special will highlight Corso's extraordinary life, his larger-than-life personality and the immeasurable impact he has had on college football as a player, coach and broadcaster.

[08/07/25 - 09:35 AM]
ESPN "Sunday Night Baseball Presented by Capital One" Schedule Update: Boston Red Sox Visit New York Yankees on August 24
With both teams in the MLB Postseason hunt, the matchup adds another chapter to baseball's most storied rivalry.

[08/07/25 - 09:06 AM]
VH1's "Nick Cannon Presents: Wild 'N Out" Celebrates 20th Anniversary with 20 New Episodes Starting September 1 at 9 PM ET/PT
Taped in front of a live audience in Atlanta, this upcoming slate reignites the high-energy, old-school vs. new-school competition, blending comedic legends and rising stars in a celebration of wild, unfiltered fun.

[08/07/25 - 09:00 AM]
Roku Originals Books a Return Trip with Second Season Renewal of "Solo Traveling with Tracee Ellis Ross"
With record-breaking viewership, the series has become the most-watched unscripted Roku Original within the first two weeks of launch in terms of unique viewers.

[08/07/25 - 09:00 AM]
"Wizards Beyond Waverly Place" Season 2 Premieres Sept. 12 on Disney Channel and Oct. 8 on Disney+
Joining Selena Gomez ("Alex Russo") in guest roles for the second season include Freya Skye (Piper), Harvey Guillén (Gossip Stone), Kirsten Vangsness (Bigelow McFigglehorn), Recker Eans (Quentin), Tobias Jelinek (Lord Morsus), Patrick Bristow (Wiz M.D.) and Eleanor Sweeney (Bella Bianchi).

[08/07/25 - 09:00 AM]
Video: We TV and ALLBLK Release First Look at the Hit Music Competition Series "Deb's House"
The new season premieres Friday, August 22 at 9:30 PM ET/PT exclusively on We TV and streaming on ALLBLK and AMC+.

[08/07/25 - 08:07 AM]
Video: Peacock Releases Official Trailer, Key Art, and New Images for "The Paper"
The series premieres on Peacock with four episodes on September 4, followed by two new episodes every Thursday through September 25.

[08/07/25 - 08:02 AM]
Southland Conference and ESPN Announce Extension to Media Rights Deal Through 2031
The new six-year agreement delivers unprecedented visibility for Southland student-athletes, coaches, and programs - anchored by a robust slate of nationally televised games and hundreds of Southland digital events annually across ESPN platforms.