or


[03/10/04 - 12:00 AM]
Development Update: March 10
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.

AVERAGE JOE/DOG EAT DOG (NBC) - GSN, the Game Show Network, has purchased the off-network rights to both series from NBC Enterprises. The deal includes all 26 produced episodes of "Dog," three of which (1005, 2007, 2013) never aired on the Peacock, and the first two installments of "Joe." GSN also has the option to buy "Adam Returns," the third season of "Joe." Coincidentally (or not), Melana Scantlin, of "Average Joe" fame, is the co-host of GSN's upcoming "The World Series of Blackjack From the Mohegan Sun," which debuts on Monday at 10:00/9:00c. Both "Dog" and "Joe" are set to unspool on the cable channel in late spring.

DEMARCO AFFAIRS (ABC) - Lindsay Sloane ("The Stones"), Sabrina Lloyd ("Sports Night"), Lara Cox ("Kangaroo Jack") and Chris Diamantopulos ("Third Watch") have all joined the cast of the David E. Kelley/Jason Katims drama pilot, which revolves around three sisters who inherit their family's full-service wedding-planning business. Sloane will play Sammy DeMarco, the youngest sibling while Lloyd is set as Jessica DeMarco, the eldest sister. The duo join the previously cast Selma Blair, who plays the middle sister. Cox and Diamantopulos' roles are that of European princess Erika Liechtenstein and DeMarco Palace resident chef Ernesto Boticelli. One should also note Sloane's involvement is secondary to her commitment to "The Stones," which bows next week on CBS.

THE DISTRICT (CBS) - The Eye has added a special all-new episode of the veteran drama to its schedule. The installment, "The Black Widow Maker," airs Friday, April 2 at 10:00/9:00c. Here's how CBS describes the episode, via press release: "Mannion gets involved in a local murder investigation when he travels to a small town to fight a warrant for his arrest for a traffic violation, on THE DISTRICT, on a special night, Friday, April 2 (10:00-11:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network. Series star Jonathan LaPaglia directed the episode from a script written by Tom Spezialy. "Coach" series stars Jerry Van Dyke and Bill Fagerbakke guest star in the episode. Van Dyle, who played assistant coach Luther Horatio Van Dam on "Coach," plays Judge Beers, and Fagerbakke, who played Michael "Dauber" Dybinski, plays Sheriff Boyle. When Mannion protests the warrant in Judge Beer�s court, he angers the judge and winds up in jail. Also behind bars is Joyce, a woman now accused of murder, with whom Brander has been having a long-distance relationship. Both Mannion and Brander decide to try to help Sheriff Boyle solve the crime when they are convinced that Joyce is innocent. Meanwhile, Temple and Debreno look into the disappearance of an armored truck owned by the company that Temple works for part time."

EMPIRE (ABC) - Vince Regan ("Black Knight") is set as Marc Antony in the upcoming limited series from Touchstone Television and Storyline Entertainment. Jonathan Cake and Santiago Cabrera star as Teranus and Gaius Octavius respectively in the project, about the power struggle in Rome following the murder of Julius Caesar in 44 B.C.

GRAMERCY PARK (ABC) - Megan Dodds ("MI-5") has been added to the ensemble cast of the drama pilot, about three nannies and the families they work for in a luxury high rise. Paul Blackthorne, Elizabeth Mitchell, Milo Ventimiglia, Travis Schuldt, Izabella Miko and Samaire Armstrong also star in the project, which is set up at Warner Bros. Television and the Tannenbaum Co.

JESUS (CBS) - In light of the massive popularity of the feature "The Passion of the Christ." CBS has scheduled an encore of its 2000 mini-series for Sunday, March 28 at 9:00/8:00c. In an interesting twist however, the Eye will only show the second half of the four-hour project, which focuses on Christ's adult life, including the days leading up to the crucifixion, all of which are the focus in the Mel Gibson-helmed film.

KEVIN HILL (UPN) - Christina Hendricks ("Tru Calling") has been cast as Nicolette in the drama pilot, about a 30-year-old single playboy lawyer in L.A. (Taye Diggs) who suddenly has to raise his brother's six month old baby girl. Jon Seda, Patrick Breen and Kate Levering also star in the project, which comes from Touchstone Television and Icon Productions.

LOST (ABC) - Matthew Fox ("Party of Five"), Harold Perrineau ("Oz"), Malcolm David Kelley ("Antwone Fisher"), Naveen Andrews ("Rollerball") and Josh Holloway ("C.S.I.") are the latest to join the ensemble cast of the drama pilot, which also stars Dominic Monaghan, Ian Somerhalder, Jorge Garcia, Evangeline Lilly and Maggie Grace. Fox is set as Jack, Perrineau as Michael, Kelley as Walt, Andrews as Sayid and Holloway as Sawyer in the project, which comes from J.J. Abrams, Damon Lindelof and Touchstone Television.

MARTHA STEWART LIVING (Syndication) - Despite losing 31% of its coverage with the loss of the Viacom station group (read the story), the show's distributor, King World, issued a statement promising that it will continue to distribute "Martha Stewart Living" so long as stations "want to continue to broadcast the program." A Food Network representative also told Daily Variety it plans to keep airing "From Martha's Kitchen," which uses repurposed content from "Living," "as we continue to evaluate the ircumstances as we allow due process to run its course."

THE MEN'S ROOM (NBC) - Scott Cohen ("Street Time") and Eric Lively ("A Minute with Stan Hooper") have filled out the remaining lead roles in the comedy pilot, about the lives of men in their 20s, 30s and 40s. Cohen will play the fourtysomething, Lively the twentysomething and the previously cast John Cho as the thirtysomething. Danny Zuker ("Coupling," "Off Centre") is behind the project, which is set up at NBC Studios.

MONK (USA) - 5.51 million viewers watched the show's second season finale on Friday, where it helped USA earn the top spot in total viewers for the week of March 1-7 (2.47 million).

NUMBERS (CBS) - Gabriel Macht ("The Recruit") is set and Peter MacNichol ("Ally McBeal") is in final talks to join the cast of the drama pilot, about a mathematician at M.I.T. who's recruited by the F.B.I. to help solve crimes. Macht will play Don Epps in the Paramount Network Television project, an F.B.I. agent who calls upon his mathematical genius brother (David Krumholtz) to help solve crimes. MacNichol is up for the role of an M.I.T. professor, who apparently will mentor Krumholtz's character.

PENN & TELLER: BULLSHIT (Showtime) - The pay channel has scheduled the show's second season premiere for Thursday, April 1 at 10:00/9:00c. According to Showtime's press release, in the new season "the duo examines taboo topics and organizations including PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals), safety hysteria, the business of love, 12-stepping, death, the fountain of youth and more!" In addition, the network plans to split the show's 14-episode second season into two segments - the first beginning April 1 with eight new episodes and another in August with an additional six episodes.

THE QUINTS (FOX) - Rebecca Creskoff ("Greetings from Tucson") is set to star opposite Andy Richter in the Mark Reisman-produced comedy pilot, about a set of 15-year-old quintuplets who must forge their own identities and stay sane while living in a three-bedroom house in the suburbs. April Matson also stars in the project, which comes from 20th Century Fox Television and Imagine Television.

THE ROBINSON BROTHERS (CBS) - Jay Baruchel ("Undeclared," "The Stones") and David Annable ("Third Watch") have snagged roles in the comedy pilot, about a trio of adult brothers who hang out in a Los Angeles apartment building that feels like a college dorm. Baruchel, whose involvement is in second position to "The Stones," will play one of the aforementioned brothers while Annable's role wasn't specified. Mark O'Keefe ("The O'Keefes") is behind the project, which is set up at 20th Century Fox Television and Original Television.

THE SOPRANOS (HBO) - 12.14 million viewers tuned into the long awaited season premiere of "The Sopranos" on Sunday, off 10% from its record-setting fourth season opener in September 2002 (13.4 million) not to mention down 15% in adults 18-49 (6.2/15 vs. 7.3/17). Nevertheless, the premiere easily topped the February 22 series finale of "Sex and the City" (10.62 million, 5.8/13 in adults 18-49) and won its time period among all networks, broadcast and cable, in adults 18-49. Among the 27 million HBO homes, "The Sopranos" also averaged a series high 23.8 rating/32 share in households. HBO reps are quick to note any declines are likely attributed to Nielsen Media Research's refinement of how it tracks the pay channel's various networks. Previously, Nielsen's average included all HBO-branded channels in the show's Sunday, 9:00/8:00c time slot.

SURGEONS (ABC) - Patrick Dempsey ("Iron Jawed Angels") has been cast as Derek, a surgeon and attending physician who supervises the show's interns, in the Shonda Rhimes medical drama pilot at Touchstone Television. T.R. Knight, Ellen Pompeo, Paul Adelstein and Chandra Wilson also star in the project, about the professional and personal lives of female doctors in surgical training at a San Francisco hospital.

THAT'S MY RODNEY (ABC) - Nick Searcy ("Runaway Jury") and Amy Peitz ("Caroline in the City") are the latest to sign on to the Rodney Carrington-led comedy pilot. Searcy will play Barry in the project while Peitz's role wasn't specified. Jennifer Aspen, Matthew Josten and Oliver Davis also star in the project, which comes from Touchstone Television.

UNTITLED DEANN HELINE/EILEEN HEISLER PROJECT (NBC) - Jennifer Finnigan ("The Bold and the Beautiful") is set to star opposite Josh Cooke in the NBC Studios comedy pilot, from writer/producers Deann Heline and Eileen Heisler ("Three Sisters"). The duo play a couple whose biggest obstacle is themselves.

UNTITLED JESSICA SIMPSON PROJECT (ABC) - Brad Rowe ("The '70s") is set as Mike the camera guy in the network's Jessica Simpson project. The untitled comedy, from Touchstone Television and Ted Harbert Productions, centers on a hard-working female producer of a primetime newsmagazine show whose world turns upside down when a pop culture icon (Simpson) signs on to do part-time work as an on-air reporter. Aimee Garcia and Ali Hillis also star.

UNTITLED JOEL STEIN/MARSH MCCALL PROJECT (ABC) - Sheryl Lee Ralph ("Moesha") will play Cicely in the comedy pilot, which is based on Joel Stein's experience as a Time magazine columnist. Colin Hanks stars in the Warner Bros. Television/Acme Productions project.

Sources: Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Reuters





  [march 2004]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S
 


· 70S, THE (NBC)
· ALLY MCBEAL (FOX)
· AVERAGE JOE (NBC)
· COMMITTED (NBC)
· COUPLING (NBC)
· CSI: CRIME SCENE INVESTIGATION (CBS)
· DEMARCO AFFAIRS (ABC)
· DISTRICT, THE (CBS)
· DOG EAT DOG (NBC)
· EMPIRE (ABC)
· GRAMERCY PARK (2003 VERSION) (ABC)
· GRAMERCY PARK (2004 VERSION) (ABC)
· GREETINGS FROM TUCSON (WB)
· GREY'S ANATOMY (ABC)
· IRON JAWED ANGELS (HBO)
· JESSICA (ABC)
· JESUS (CBS)
· KEVIN HILL (UPN)
· LOST (ABC)
· MARTHA STEWART LIVING (SYNDICATION)
· MEN'S ROOM, THE (NBC)
· MI-5 (BBC AMERICA)
· MINUTE WITH STAN HOOPER, A (FOX)
· MOESHA (UPN)
· MONK (USA)
· NEWS TO ME (ABC)
· NUMB3RS (CBS)
· OFF CENTRE (WB)
· O'KEEFES, THE (WB)
· OZ (HBO)
· PARTY OF FIVE (FOX)
· PENN & TELLER: BULLSHIT (SHOWTIME)
· QUINTUPLETS (FOX)
· ROBINSON BROTHERS, THE (FOX)
· RODNEY (ABC)
· SEX AND THE CITY (HBO)
· SOPRANOS, THE (HBO)
· SPORTS NIGHT (ABC)
· STONES, THE (CBS)
· STREET TIME (SHOWTIME)
· THIRD WATCH (NBC)
· THREE SISTERS (NBC)
· TRU CALLING (FOX)
· UNDECLARED (FOX)





[07/03/25 - 02:33 PM]
ABC News Same-Day Primetime Special "Verdict: The Diddy Trial" Is No. 1 in Adults 18-49 and Adults 25-54
Versus the competition in the time period, "Verdict: The Diddy Trial" outperformed NBC by +40% in Adults 18-49 (212,000 vs. 151,000) and +22% in Adults 25-54.

[07/03/25 - 10:00 AM]
Video: "In the Lost Lands" - Official Trailer - Hulu
In the ghostly wilderness of the Lost Lands, a sorceress (Milla Jovovich) and mysterious drifter (Dave Bautista) must join together in order to survive against the supernatural forces which threaten their world.

[07/03/25 - 09:01 AM]
"Digman!" Season Two to Premiere Immediately After "South Park" Wednesday, July 23rd at 10:30PM ET/PT on Comedy Central
Season two will feature guest voice appearances from a wide array of fan-favorite talent.

[07/03/25 - 08:01 AM]
Nat Geo's Nine-Time Emmy Award-Winning Series "Trafficked with Mariana van Zeller" Returns with Powerful New Season Exploring the World's Deadliest Underground Markets
The new season kicks off with a groundbreaking look into the operations of Mexican cartels inside the United States.

[07/03/25 - 06:12 AM]
Video: "The Idaho Student Murders" - Official Trailer - Peacock Original
A feature documentary focuses its lens on the pre-trial case against Bryan Kohberger, a young criminology student accused of brutally stabbing to death four University of Idaho coeds.

[07/03/25 - 02:01 AM]
Video: "The Assassin" Sets Premiere Date in the UK and Ireland with Explosive New Trailer
Retired assassin Julie (Keeley Hawes) is reunited with her estranged son, Edward (Freddie Highmore), but her dangerous past begins to catch up with them.

[07/03/25 - 01:01 AM]
Video: "Catalog" - Official Trailer - Netflix
A recently widowed workaholic clumsily navigates life with his kids, guided by his late wife's online tips. Can he ace this crash course in parenthood?

[07/03/25 - 12:01 AM]
Video: "Diary of a Ditched Girl" - Meet the Cast - Netflix
Here they are: the boys of Malmö. Watch "Diary of a Ditched Girl" September 11 to see if she manages to get a second date with one of them.

[07/02/25 - 07:01 PM]
Video: "The Nice Guy" - Teaser Trailer - Disney+
Lee Dongwook is back and this time, it's romantic.

[07/02/25 - 06:44 PM]
Tyler Perry's "Divorced Sistas" Quickly Rises to Become BET+'s Most Watched Original Series in Platform History
Just halfway through the eight-episode season, existing subscribers and new fans of the show have boosted the drama series to the most-watched series premiere on BET+ in just three weeks.

[07/02/25 - 05:01 PM]
Video: "Wall to Wall" - Official Trailer - Netflix
A man who poured his life savings into a new apartment discovers its walls are full of disturbing noises, hostile neighbors and unsettling secrets.

[07/02/25 - 03:04 PM]
ABC News Announces "Verdict: The Diddy Trial," Airing Wednesday, July 2, at 10 P.M. on ABC, Streaming Next Day on Hulu
A verdict has been reached in the trial of Sean "Diddy" Combs, who has been found guilty on two of five counts.

[07/02/25 - 02:38 PM]
Hallmark Channel Earns #1 Most-Watched Network on Weekends Throughout June with "Passport to Love" Programming Event
"Passport to Love" helped elevate Hallmark Channel to be the #1 most-watched network on weekends throughout the month of June.

[07/02/25 - 01:30 PM]
"New Amsterdam" Creator David Schulner Joins Creative Team of New FOX Drama Series "Memory of a Killer" as an Executive Producer and Co-Showrunner
Schulner will be an executive producer of the series alongside Ed Whitmore, Tracey Malone, and Cathy Schulman.

[07/02/25 - 11:52 AM]
ESPN "Sunday Night Baseball Presented by Capital One" Schedule Update: American League Leading Detroit Tigers to Visit Texas Rangers on July 20
Through 14 games, "Sunday Night Baseball" is averaging 1,750,000 million viewers, up 11 percent from last year.