or


[03/01/04 - 12:00 AM]
Development Update: March 1
By The Futon Critic Staff (TFC)

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

Looking to keep track of all the various pilots and other projects in development? Be sure to check out our detailed production chart listings by clicking here.

CENTER OF THE UNIVERSE (CBS) - Melinda McGraw ("Living in Captivity") is the latest actor to join the cast of the comedy pilot, which centers on a family man (John Goodman) who tries to keep the peace with his extended Chicago family. McGraw joins the previously cast Goodman, Jean Smart and Diedrich Bader in the project, where she'll play the sister of Goodman's character.

CITY OF DREAMS (NBC) - The Peacock has pushed the Jimmy Smits-led drama pilot to midseason 2005 consideration as the network reportedly wants to give writer/producer David Mills ("Kingpin") more time to develop the project. "Dreams," which comes from Jerry Bruckheimer Television ("C.S.I.," "Without a Trace") and Warner Bros. Television, features Smits as a Los Angeles private investigator who fixes problems for the rich and famous.

COUNTDOWN (ABC) - Chi McBride isn't waiting for the axe to fall on "Boston Public" as the actor has joined the cast of the drama pilot, which chronicles the final 43 minutes of a crisis through the eyes of a S.W.A.T. team. McBride will play Capt. John Richardson in the Touchstone Television./FremantleMedia project, the commander of the aforementioned S.W.A.T. team. He joins the previously cast Jason O'Mara, Louis Mandylor, Salli Richardson and Adam Beach in the pilot, which comes from "Boomtown" creator Graham Yost.

THE DANA & JULIA SHOW (A.K.A. UNTITLED GOODMAN & WOLVO PROJECT) (WB) - The Frog's "Laverne & Shirley"-esque comedy pilot is scheduled to tape Friday, March 19 at 6:30 P.S.T. at Sony Pictures Studios.

DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES (ABC) - Marcia Cross ("Everwood") is set as the fourth "housewife" in the drama pilot, a darkly humorous look at the secretive lives of four women living in an Anytown, U.S.A., cul-de-sac. She joins the previously set leads Eva Longoria, Teri Hatcher and Felicity Huffman in the Touchstone Television project, where she'll play Bree, a Martha Stewart-esque housewife.

EVERYDAY LIFE (NBC) - Rob Reiner has opted to move in front of the camera for his comedy pilot at the Peacock, as the actor/director, along with Mercedes Ruehl, have joined the cast of the project. They'll play the parents of Josh Radnor's character, a psychiatrist who along with his fellow shrink wife end up moving back in with his parents, who are also psychiatrists. Reiner signed on to appear in the Universal Network Television pilot after Alan Alda, originally approached for the role, ultimately passed. "Life" is scheduled to tape at Universal Studios on Tuesday, March 23.

FOSTER HALL (NBC) - Busy Phillips ("Freaks & Geeks," "Dawson's Creek") and Greg Germann ("Ally McBeal") have joined the cast of the comedy pilot, which comes from NBC Studios and Conan O'Brien's production company, Conaco Productions. Phillips will play the sister of Macaulay Culkin's character, Clark Hall, while Germann will play her husband. "Hall" centers on siblings (Culkin, Phillips) who reunite after years of being bumped from foster home to foster home.

THE FRIENDLYS (NBC) - Ana Gasteyer ("Saturday Night Live") has joined the cast of the comedy pilot, an offbeat comedy that revolves around a family's fight over a dead candy mogul's business. She'll play Bebe, the boozy widow of said candy mogul in the NBC Studios project, which also stars Dave Foley and Billy Gardell.

LUCKY US (FOX) - Jill Ritchie ("The Pool at Maddy Breaker's") is the latest to join the cast of the comedy pilot, which centers on a couple (Chyler Leigh, T.B.D.) who go out on a blind date and wind up with a kid. Ritchie will play the best friend of Leigh's character in the project, which comes from 20th Century Fox Television and Original Television. The pilot is currently scheduled to tape on Tuesday, March 23 at Fox Studios.

MAD MAD HOUSE (Sci Fi) - The cable channel will wrap the show's first season with a two-hour finale on Thursday, April 29 at 9:00/8:00c. Casting has already begun on a potential second season of the project (read the story), which debuts this Thursday at 9:00/8:00c.

ROBBING THE CRADLE (WB) - Ben Feldman ("Kissing Jessica Stein") has snagged the lead role in the Jamie Kennedy-produced comedy pilot, which revolves around a 24-year-old (Feldman) who moves back home with his mom and her 24-year-old boyfriend. Regency Television and Kennedy's Wannabe Producers are behind the project.

SUPER MILLIONAIRE (ABC) - ABC has picked up its "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire" revival for a second cycle, set to unspool during May sweeps. According to ABC's press release about the news: "'Super Millionaire's' return to ABC's primetime schedule on Sunday, February 22, drew an average audience of 17.5 million viewers to rank as the most-watched television program that night. Also on its return, the show delivered the largest audience and highest young adult ratings for the 'Millionaire' franchise since May 2001. On each of its four telecasts so far, 'Super Millionaire' has been ABC's No. 1 show of the night among viewers and young adults. Versus ABC's delivery this season with entertainment programming in the time periods, 'Super Millionaire' is up by 5.2 million Total Viewers (14.3 million vs. 9.1 million), by 34% among Adults 18-49 (4.7/11 vs. 3.5/9) and by 54% among Adults 18-34 (4.0/11 vs. 2.6/7). On average, "Super Millionaire" builds on its lead-in by over 4 million viewers and gains audience during the course of its telecast."

UNTITLED ISAAC MIZRAHI PROJECT (Syndication, New!) - NBC's syndication arm, NBC Enterprises, has signed designer Isaac Mizrahi to an overall development deal. The pact calls for the company to develop a project to be hosted by Mizrahi, who recently appeared on the Peacock's "The Apprentice." Mizrahi is no stranger to hosting as the prolific designer headlined Oxygen's "The Isaac Mizrahi Show" for three years.

WANTED (CBS) - Yancey Arias ("Kingpin") is set to star alongside Scott Glenn in the drama pilot, which revolves around the fugitive-apprehension team of the L.A.P.D. He'll play a member of the team, a zealous cop, in the CBS Productions/Warner Bros. Television/25C Productions project.

Sources: Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Reuters





  [march 2004]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S
 


· ALLY MCBEAL (FOX)
· APPRENTICE, THE (NBC)
· BOOMTOWN (NBC)
· BOSTON PUBLIC (FOX)
· CENTER OF THE UNIVERSE (CBS)
· CITY OF DREAMS (NBC)
· COUNTDOWN (ABC)
· CSI: CRIME SCENE INVESTIGATION (CBS)
· DANA & JULIA SHOW, THE (WB)
· DAWSON'S CREEK (WB)
· DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES (ABC)
· EVERWOOD (WB)
· EVERYDAY LIFE (NBC)
· FOSTER HALL (NBC)
· FREAKS & GEEKS (NBC)
· FRIENDLYS, THE (NBC)
· KINGPIN (NBC)
· LIVING WITH FRAN (WB)
· LUCKY US (FOX)
· MAD MAD HOUSE (SCI FI)
· POOL AT MADDY BREAKER'S, THE (FOX)
· UNTITLED ISAAC MIZRAHI PROJECT (SYNDICATION)
· WANTED (CBS)
· WHO WANTS TO BE A MILLIONAIRE (ABC)
· WITHOUT A TRACE (CBS)





[12/20/24 - 11:33 AM]
Season Finale of NBC Drama "Brilliant Minds" Will Now Air as a Special Event with Back-to-Back Episodes on Monday, Jan. 6
The original season finale date was a week later on January 13.

[12/20/24 - 11:04 AM]
ID's New Series "The Curious Case Of..." to Premiere with Explosive, Expanded Episode Focused on Former "Jackass" Star Bam Margera's Controversial Legal Guardianship
Featuring "The Curious Case of Natalia Grace" legal analyst Beth Karas, the series will dive into some of the most shocking true crime cases and unbelievable scandals.

[12/20/24 - 10:32 AM]
FOX Sports Films, SMAC Entertainment, BZ Entertainment and NFL Films Announce "The Madden Cruiser: A Bayou Adventure with Bill Belichick" Airing Super Bowl Sunday on FOX
The one-hour special features eight-time Super Bowl champion Bill Belichick as he travels in the iconic "Madden Cruiser" bus of Hall of Fame legend John Madden on an unforgettable road trip through Louisiana's football country with a host of special guests.

[12/20/24 - 10:02 AM]
Onyx Collective Presents Winter Premiere Dates and First Looks for Documentary Film "SLY LIVES! (aka The Burden of Black Genius)" and New Comedy Series "Deli Boys"
The former premieres Thursday, February 13 while the latter launches on Thursday, March 6.

[12/20/24 - 09:27 AM]
MTV's "Teen Mom" Celebrates Its Sweet 16 with a New Season of "Teen Mom: The Next Chapter" on Thursday, January 30th at 8PM ET/PT
The groundbreaking docu-series that has never shied away from authentic, unfiltered narratives will return for its milestone 16-year anniversary with Amber Portwood, Ashley Jones, Briana DeJesus, Catelynn Baltierra, Cheyenne Davis, Jade Cline, Leah Messer, Maci McKinney and Mackenzie McKee.

[12/20/24 - 09:01 AM]
Video: "Bandidos" Season 2 - Official Trailer - Netflix
Lilí and Miguel's peaceful escape is shattered when she's forced into a risky quest for the Tear of Fire diamond, risking everything to save her friends.

[12/20/24 - 08:31 AM]
Video: New Netflix Sports Promo Highlights Upcoming Sports Programming
Netflix continues to expand its sports slate, offering members a wide variety of sports programming across series, films and live events, including the recent record-breaking Mike Tyson vs Jake Paul fight and the upcoming NFL Games on Christmas Day and the debut of "WWE Raw" on Netflix next year.

[12/20/24 - 07:31 AM]
"Stranger Things 5" - That's a Wrap!
Production on the fifth and final season has officially wrapped, set to premiere in 2025.

[12/20/24 - 06:01 AM]
Netflix Secures U.S. Rights to the FIFA Women's World Cup 2027 and 2031
The agreement covers all languages, with studio shows and top-tier talent planned with a dual telecast for both English and Spanish language broadcasts in the U.S.

[12/20/24 - 02:01 AM]
Video: "Lisabi: A Legend Is Born" - Official Trailer - Netflix
The epic tale of the birth and rise of legendary folk hero Lísàbí Agbongbo-Akala, destined to save the Egba people in the face of a treacherous leader.

[12/20/24 - 01:01 AM]
Video: "Love Is Blind: Germany" - Official Trailer - Netflix
The experiment comes to Germany as local singles seek true love and a commitment that lasts a lifetime, all before meeting each other face-to-face.

[12/19/24 - 08:01 PM]
Video: "Incognito" - Official Trailer - Netflix
The mission? Lock target and finish the job.

[12/19/24 - 01:33 PM]
HBO Original Film "For Love or Country: The Arturo Sandoval Story" to Debut on Max Friday, December 20
In celebration of the Kennedy Center honoring Arturo Sandoval and prior to this Sunday's airing of the ceremony, Max will be bringing the 2000 multiple Emmy-nominated HBO original film to Max for the first time.

[12/19/24 - 01:01 PM]
The Holiday Cheer Will Be in Houston as Pentatonix Performs the National Anthem During NFL Christmas Gameday on Netflix
Plus: The Steelers will honor the U.S. armed forces with a special National Anthem performance by Voices of Service.

[12/19/24 - 12:59 PM]
HBO Renews "Dune: Prophecy" for a Second Season
Across Max territories, the first episode has amassed approximately 15 million viewers.