or


[03/23/04 - 12:00 AM]
Development Update: March 23
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.

THE APPRENTICE (NBC) - The Peacock has scheduled several "Apprentice"-themed specials leading into and out of the two-hour Thursday, April 15 season finale of the series. "Behind 'The Apprentice,'" a special episode of "Dateline NBC," is set to air Wednesday, April 14 at 9:00/8:00c following the encore of the show's penultimate episode. Then on Friday, April 16 at 8:00/7:00c, viewers can look for a two-hour "Dateline" profile on Donald Trump entitled "'The Apprentice' Story." And finally, look for the show's two-hour finale to rebroadcast on Saturday, April 17 along with the "Behind 'The Apprentice'" special.

COOKING LESSONS (CBS) - Gil Bellows ("Ally McBeal," "The Agency") is the latest to join the cast of the drama pilot, about a food columnist (Lisa Lackey) and her friends. He'll play Professor Mocha in the Warner Bros. Television/Tannenbaum Co. project, which also stars Lindy Booth, Paula Marshall and Constance Zimmer. Ivan Reitman is directing the pilot from a script by Emily Fox.

DR. VEGAS (CBS) - Sarah Lancaster ("Everwood") has joined the cast of the Eye's Rob Lowe-led drama pilot, about a Las Vegas casino in-house doctor. Joe Pantoliano and Amy Adams also star in the project, which comes from Warner Bros. Television, CBS Productions and Bender-Brown Productions.

FATHER OF THE PRIDE (NBC) - Eddie Murphy will reprise his role of Donkey from the "Shrek" films in an episode of the upcoming CGI-animated series from DreamWorks Television. In addition, Lisa Kudrow, Danny DeVito, Matt Lauer, Andy Richter and Christina Applegate have all agreed to lend their voices in guest roles on the comedy, about a family of white lions who work as performers in the Las Vegas act of illusionists Siegfried & Roy. John Goodman, Cheryl Hines, Carl Reiner and Orlando Jones topline the voice cast of the project, which comes executive producers Jeffrey Katzenberg, Jonathan Groff, Jon Pollack and Peter Mehlman. The producers plan to subtly acknowledge Horn's accident in the series however it's not clear exactly how they plan to do so. The Peacock will reportedly offer viewers their first glimpse of the project during the two-hour "Friends" finale on May 9.

FRANKENSTEIN (USA) - Parker Posey ("A Mighty Wind") is set as the female lead in the network's two-hour update of the Mary Shelley classic. She'll play a female cop who unravels the myth of Frankenstein, alongside her partner, through a seemingly standard homicide investigation. Production is scheduled to begin in Toronto in May on the project with Marcus Nispel ("Texas Chainsaw Massacre") directing from a script by author Dean Koontz. Koontz, Martin Scorsese and Tony Krantz are the executive producers of the project, which is set up at the latter's Flame Television and Lions Gate Television. USA has committed to four additional scripts of the drama, which is targeting a fall premiere date, in addition to its two-hour pilot.

LIFE WITH BONNIE (ABC) - The Alphabet has scheduled the show's second season finale for Friday, April 9 at 9:30/8:30c. Here's how ABC describes the episode, "Father and Son: A Table for Two," in their press materials: When Tony slips on a banana in the craft service area, Bonnie and the "Morning Chicago" gang accompany him to the hospital (in an ambulance driven by two "familiar", bickering paramedics). Mark treats him for a concussion and, while out cold in his hospital bed, Tony flashes back to his childhood days at his family's storefront trattoria. After recounting his dream, Bonnie and the gang pitch in to give him a touching surprise, on the season finale of "Life with Bonnie," FRIDAY, APRIL 9 (9:30-10:00 p.m., ET), on the ABC Television Network."

THE MOUNTAIN (WB) - A half-dozen new cast members have been announced for the project, about a 25-year-old (Oliver Hudson) who inherits his family's mountain resort when his grandfather dies: Mitch Pileggi ("The X-Files," "Tarzan") as Colin Dowling, Chad Everett ("Mulholland Drive") as David McBride, Elizabeth Bogush ("Titans") as Maxine Dowling, Tommy Dewey ("What I Like About You") as Stephen Dowling, Alana De La Garza ("Las Vegas") as Maria and Penn Badgley ("Do Over") as Sam. The group joins the previously cast Hudson, Barbara Hershey and Anson Mount in the Warner Bros. Television/Wonderland Sound & Vision project, which is executive produced by McG, Shaun Cassidy, Stephanie Savage, David Barrett, Gina Matthews and Grant Scharbo.

PRODIGY (WB) - Phillip Rhys ("Nip/Tuck") will play Brett and Rudolf Martin ("C.S.I.") has scored the role of Lucien Durand in the drama pilot, about a teenage girl (Kate Mara) who hides her music talents from her family, which is busy focusing their attention on her younger brother (Cody Arens), a well-known prodigy. Stacy Edwards, David Newsome and Justin Chatwin also star in the project, which comes from Warner Bros. Television and Silver Pictures.

STARGATE SG-1 (Sci Fi) - Friday's seventh-season finale of the series drew a 2.56 million viewers (2.1 household rating), making it the second most-watched episode of the series to date. Only the show's January 9 broadcast posted better numbers: 2.7 million viewers (2.2 household rating). Viewers can look for the show's eighth-season premiere on Friday, July 9 at 9:00/8:00c, one week prior to the launch of spin-off "Stargate Atlantis" on July 16.

SUDBURY (CBS) - Esai Morales ("N.Y.P.D. Blue") will move from the world of cops to the world of witches as the actor has joined the cast of the Warner Bros. Television/Fortis Films drama pilot, which comes from Becky Hartman-Edwards, Denise DiNovi and Sandra Bullock. He'll play Gary in the project, about sisters (Kim Delaney, Jeri Ryan) with magical powers. Kat Dennings also stars.

UNTITLED MARSH MCCALL PROJECT (NBC) - Teri Polo ("I'm With Her") will appear in a guest role on the comedy pilot, about the relationship between a newly divorced father (Tom Conti), a professor at stanford, and his son (Mitch Rouse). Greg Pitts also stars in the project, which is set up at Warner Bros. Television.

UNTITLED PRACTICE PROJECT (ABC) - James Spader confirmed to the Philadelphia Inquirer he's officially on board the show's proposed spin-off. The actor also revealed current "The Practice" guest star William Shatner has an option in his contract for creator/executive producer David E. Kelley to make him a regular on the new series, which will focus on Alan Shore (Spader) as he makes the transition to Crane, Poole & Schmidt, the firm where Shatner's character is a partner. Click here to read the original report.

Sources: Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Reuters





  [march 2004]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S
 


· AGENCY, THE (CBS)
· ALLY MCBEAL (FOX)
· APPRENTICE, THE (NBC)
· BOSTON LEGAL (ABC)
· COOKING LESSONS (CBS)
· CSI: CRIME SCENE INVESTIGATION (CBS)
· DATELINE NBC (NBC)
· DO OVER (WB)
· DR. VEGAS (CBS)
· EVERWOOD (WB)
· FATHER OF THE PRIDE (NBC)
· FRANKENSTEIN (USA)
· FRIENDS (NBC)
· I'M WITH HER (ABC)
· LAS VEGAS (NBC)
· LIFE WITH BONNIE (ABC)
· MACGREGORS, THE (NBC)
· MOUNTAIN, THE (WB)
· NIP/TUCK (FX)
· NYPD BLUE (ABC)
· PRACTICAL MAGIC (CBS)
· PRACTICE, THE (ABC)
· PRODIGY (WB)
· STARGATE ATLANTIS (SCI FI)
· STARGATE: SG-1 (SCI FI)
· TARZAN (WB)
· TITANS (NBC)
· WHAT I LIKE ABOUT YOU (WB)
· X-FILES, THE (FOX)





[10/31/24 - 02:31 PM]
NBC Will Groove Into the Holiday Season with "A Motown Christmas" Special Hosted by Smokey Robinson and Halle Bailey
The special will include performances featuring more than 25 Motown hits, performed by Smokey Robinson, Gladys Knight, Martha Reeves and the Vandellas, and the Temptations.

[10/31/24 - 02:15 PM]
ABC News Announces 72+ Hours of Coverage and Analysis of the 2024 Election with Special Programming on ABC, ABC News Live and ABC News Digital Platforms, Including the ABC News App, Hulu and Disney+
"World News Tonight" anchor and managing editor David Muir will lead the network's coverage.

[10/31/24 - 01:16 PM]
BET+ Renews Emmy-Nominated "The Ms. Pat Show" for a Fifth Season
Additionally, BET Media Group also extended its overall deal with star Patricia "Ms. Pat" Williams.

[10/31/24 - 01:00 PM]
It's Holiday Time at The CW! Celebrate the Season with Festive Programming
Highlights include the series finale of "Superman & Lois" (December 2); the return of "Children Ruin Everything" (November 29); and "Christmas with The Chosen: Holy Night" (December 15).

[10/31/24 - 12:01 PM]
Video: "Squid Game" Season 2 - Official Teaser - Netflix
Heralding the return of the worldwide hit, a new chapter unfolds as Gi-hun comes back with an agenda, having given up on leaving for the US.

[10/31/24 - 11:04 AM]
Bravo's "The Real Housewives of Orange County" Three-Part Reunion Begins Thursday, Nov. 7 at 9 P.M. ET/PT
Host Andy Cohen sits down with housewives Shannon Storms Beador, Heather Dubrow, Tamra Judge, Gina Kirschenheiter, Emily Simpson, Jennifer Pedranti and new housewife Katie Ginella to revisit the epic season that saw dramatic highs and staggering lows.

[10/31/24 - 10:01 AM]
TNT Sports' "The Match: Superstars" Special Two-Night Primetime Event to Showcase Some of Biggest Names in Sports and Entertainment - Thursday, Nov. 21 and Friday, Nov. 22, on TNT & Max
"The Match: Superstars" will be headlined by iconic celebrities across sports and entertainment, including Bill Murray, Mark Wahlberg, Charles Barkley, Wayne Gretzky, Michael Phelps, Nate Bargatze, Ken Griffey, Jr., and Blake Griffin, competing from Breakers West Country Club in West Palm Beach, FL.

[10/31/24 - 09:01 AM]
Video: Peacock Debuts Trailer for New Original Series "Eat Slay Love"
The series brings together Grammy-nominated singer Nivea and her girl gang - Eva Marcille, Tammy Rivera and London Hughes - as they journey through Vietnam to celebrate Nivea's 41st birthday and embark on new adventures.

[10/31/24 - 09:01 AM]
HBO Releases First Look Images from the New Original Drama Series "It: Welcome to Derry"
The series will debut in 2025 on HBO and will be available to stream on Max.

[10/31/24 - 09:01 AM]
Video: AMC Networks Releases Bewitching New Trailer for Season Two of "Anne Rice's Mayfair Witches" Premiering January 5 on AMC and AMC+
Starring Alexandra Daddario, Jack Huston, Harry Hamlin, Tongayi Chirisa and Alyssa Jirrels, the new season will debut Sunday, January 5 on AMC+ and AMC.

[10/31/24 - 08:02 AM]
"Saturday Night Live's" 50th Season Continues with Back-to-Back Shows This November
Bill Burr (November 9) and Charli xcx (November 16) are on tap to host in the coming weeks.

[10/31/24 - 08:00 AM]
CBS Presents "The Making of Gladiator II," A Primetime Special Featuring an Exclusive Behind-the-Scenes Look at the Paramount Pictures Film, Monday, Nov. 18 on CBS
This inside look offers unprecedented access encompassing all aspects of production, from the grand scope of the set - including reconstructing Ancient Rome - to characters, combat training, costumes, historical accuracy, scoring and more.

[10/31/24 - 07:55 AM]
Multimillion Selling Pop Band Ace of Base Reveal Their Full Story to the Present in Documentary Series "Ace of Base: All That She Wants" Premiering in US Thursday, December 5 Only on Viaplay
This uncensored documentary captures Ace of Base's fascinating story - where grandiose pop dreams, charts and money collide with relentless adversity, performance anxiety and shattered friendships.

[10/31/24 - 07:47 AM]
Peacock Announces January 9 Premiere Date for the Third Season of Emmy Award Winning Reality Competition Series "The Traitors"
The Emmy Award-winning competition-reality series returns for a third season with an all-new lineup of familiar faces, hosted again by the impossibly stylish and devastatingly witty Alan Cumming.

[10/31/24 - 07:22 AM]
The CW Network Brings Shoppable TV to ACC Football in Innovative Partnership with Shopsense AI
Beginning November 2 with the Virginia Tech at Syracuse game, viewers will be able to shop game-day essentials and team merchandise directly from their mobile devices with technology powered by Shopsense's latest enterprise Commerce Operating System (Commerce OS).