or


[04/16/04 - 12:00 AM]
Development Update: April 16
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.

Note: As we approach the end of pilot season, our "Development Updates" may not appear every day due to a lack of news.

30 DAYS UNTIL I'M FAMOUS (VH1) - The cable channel has scheduled the Madonna-produced telefilm for Friday, May 7 at 9:00/8:00c. Maggie Moreno ("The Help"), Sean Patrick Flanery ("The Dead Zone") and Mindy Sterlin ("Austin Powers in Goldmember") all star in the project, about a Latina messenger (Moreno) plucked from obscurity to become a pop star. Gabriela Tagliavini ("Ladies Night") directed the telefilm from a script by Laura Angelica Simon ("Chasing Papi"). Madonna's Maverick Films produced the project alongside Screenvest P4.

BALDERDASH (PAX, New!) - The fledgling network has given a 26-week commitment to a new game show based on the popular Mattel game. The half-hour project, along with fellow newcomer "On the Cover," will air as part of a five-night-a-week primetime game show block set to launch this summer. The TV "Balderdash" will feature three comedians giving two contestants bluff answers to a variety of questions. Man-in-the-street segments will also be worked into the show, additional details of which were not available. Margaret Loesch, Dan Angel ("Door to Door") and former Mattel COO Bruce Stein will executive produce the project via The Hatchery and Mattel Entertainment as part of PAX's program-consultancy deal with NBC Studios announced last month.

BEVERLY HILLS S.U.V. (NBC) - Comedian Aron Kader is the latest to join the cast of the pilot, a workplace ensemble comedy set at an upscale Beverly Hills car boutique. He'll play the inept but manipulative nephew of the boutique's globe-trotting Middle Eastern owner, left in charge of the place by his uncle. Jeffrey Nordling, Henry Winkler, Darryl M. Bell and Annie Parisse also star in the project, which is set up at NBC Studios.

EVEL KNIEVEL (TNT) - Jaime Pressly ("Happy Family") has joined the cast of the cable channel's upcoming telefilm about the life of the legendary daredevil. She'll play the wife to George Eads, who plays the title character.

FOSTER HALL (NBC) - Actor/producer Christopher Moynihan ("Coupling") has joined the cast of the comedy pilot, which he created. He'll replace Greg Germann as the husband of Busy Philipps' character in the NBC Studios/Conaco Productions project, which revolves around a brother (Macaulay Culkin) and sister (Phillips) who reunite after years of being bumped from foster home to foster home and the sister's brief stint in jail. No reason was given for Germann's exit. The news marks the sixth recasting on an NBC pilot season, the others being Michael Madsen for Michael Biehn on "Hawaii"; Beverly D'Angelo for Shelley Long on Marsh McCall's untitled project; Eric Christian Olsen for Michael Landes on "Americana" and Chester Gregory and JK Simmons for Khary Payton and Steve Hytner on "D.O.T.S."

KING OF THE HILL (FOX) - Annie Award winner Garland Testa has signed a two-year, seven-figure overall deal with the show's distributor, 20th Century Fox Television. The pact calls for her to continue in her role as co-executive producer of the animated comedy and eventually create, develop and produce new projects for the studio.

LIKE FAMILY (WB) - The Frog has announced the freshman comedy's season finale, "We're Gonna Need Some More...," is set to air Thursday, April 29 at 8:30/7:30c. Here's how the WB describes the episode in its press materials: "Tanya (Holly Robinson Peete) and Maddie (Diane Farr) have a huge blowout after Tanya catches Maddie and her ex-husband Roger (guest star David Lee Smith) in bed together. The two women soon reconcile, however, and Maddie confesses an unsettling secret to Tanya. Meanwhile, Keith (J Mack Slaughter) breaks up with Lauren (guest star Ashleigh Ann Wood) when he realizes that she and Danika (Megalyn Echikunwoke) will never get along. Kevin Michael Richardson, J. Anthony Brown and B.J. Mitchell also star. Barnet Kellman directed the episode written by Dan Fogelman (#177071)."

NASCAR: DRIVERS UNSCRIPTED (FX) - Commericals for the upcoming reality project indicate the series will debut Friday, May 14.

THE NORTH SHORE (FOX) - Brooke Burns ("Dog Eat Dog") has joined the cast of the upcoming drama series, described as an "Upstairs, Downstairs" look at the guests and staffers at a luxury Hawaiian hotel. She'll play the manager of said hotel in the 20th Century Fox Television project. It's believed she's taking over for Rachel Shelley, who played the role in the original pilot. Rounding out the ensemble cast are Kristoffer Polaha, Nikki Deloach, Navi Rawat, Corey Sevier, Jason Momoa and Michael Ontkean.

ON THE COVER (PAX) - The network has confirmed it has given a 26-week commitment to the series, which was first announced back in February (read the story). Lisa Jones Johnson, Jonathan Barry and Rick Leed of Western International Syndication are behind the project, which like "Balderdash" will launch this summer as part of a five-night-a-week primetime game show block. "Cover" pits three contestants against one another in a trivia contest based on images from the covers of popular magazines, CDs and DVDs.

THE SIMPLE LIFE (FOX) - Various sources have indicated at least 10 episodes have been completed of the show's upcoming second season, which is now set to launch in mid-June.

SORRY CHARLIE (A.K.A. UNTITLED MICHAEL JACOBS PROJECT) (FOX) - Valerie Bertinelli ("Touched by an Angel") has joined the cast of Michael Jacobs' comedy pilot at FOX, which now features the title "Sorry Charlie." She'll play wife to Stephen Root in the Sony Pictures Television/Jersey Television project, which centers on parents who struggle with the fact that their kids are growing up. Taylor Handley and Michelle Alexis also star.

UNTITLED KURT COBAIN PROJECT (WB, New!) - The Frog is developing an original telefilm about the life of late Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain. Charles Cross' 2001 book "Heavier Than Heaven: A Biography of Kurt Cobain" is set to be the basis of the project with Robert Munic ("They Call Me Sir") adapting the script. No casting or director is attached to the telefilm, which could be ready in time for next season. The WB's senior VP of original movies Tana Nugent Jamieson insists the project won't be your traditional biopic as she told Daily Variety "the storytelling will have a nonlinear style, flashing to different parts of his life out of chronological order."

Sources: Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Reuters





  [april 2004]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S
    


· 30 DAYS UNTIL I'M FAMOUS (VH1)
· AMERICANA (NBC)
· BALDERDASH (PAX)
· BEVERLY HILLS SUV (NBC)
· COUPLING (NBC)
· DEAD ZONE, THE (USA)
· DOG EAT DOG (NBC)
· DOOR TO DOOR (TNT)
· DOTS (NBC)
· EVEL KNIEVEL (TNT)
· FOSTER HALL (NBC)
· HAPPY FAMILY (NBC)
· HAWAII (NBC)
· HELP, THE (WB)
· KING OF THE HILL (HULU)
· LIKE FAMILY (WB)
· MACGREGORS, THE (NBC)
· NASCAR DRIVERS: 360 (FX)
· NORTH SHORE (FOX)
· ON THE COVER (PAX)
· SIMPLE LIFE, THE (E)
· SORRY CHARLIE (FOX)
· TOUCHED BY AN ANGEL (CBS)
· UNTITLED KURT COBAIN PROJECT (WB)





[05/21/26 - 12:00 PM]
What's New on HBO Max This June
Highlights include the return of "House of the Dragon" and the debut of "Life, Larry and the Pursuit of Unhappiness."

[05/21/26 - 11:00 AM]
A24's "How to Make a Killing" Begins Streaming Exclusively on HBO Max June 19
Disowned at birth by his obscenely wealthy family, blue-collar Becket Redfellow (Glen Powell) will stop at nothing to reclaim his inheritance, no matter how many relatives stand in his way.

[05/21/26 - 10:00 AM]
Video: Trailer & Key Art Debut - Hulu Original "Hannah Berner: None of My Business"
Hannah Berner delivers her most vulnerable material yet - questioning her future, exposing her unorthodox career path, dishing dating secrets and admitting she's "part-time hot" in this sensational sophomore special.

[05/21/26 - 10:00 AM]
HBO Original Documentary "Earth, Wind & Fire (To Be Celestial vs. That's the Weight of the World)" Debuts June 7
Acclaimed producer, director, and musician Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson tells the story of the legendary nine-time Grammy Award-winning band.

[05/21/26 - 10:00 AM]
The Tony Awards to Feature Showstopping Performances by All of the Best Musical and Best Revival of a Musical Nominees
Additional performances will be announced in the coming weeks.

[05/21/26 - 09:02 AM]
HBO Max Announces the Debut of HBO Original "House of the Dragon" with American Sign Language (ASL) to Mark Global Accessibility Awareness Day
Season one with ASL will debut on May 29, followed by season two on June 15.

[05/21/26 - 09:00 AM]
Video: Acorn TV Releases Trailer and Key Art for All-New Season of Fan-Favorite Mystery Thriller "Harry Wild" Premiering Monday, June 22 on Acorn TV
Season five marks a highly anticipated on-screen reunion between Jane Seymour, who stars and executive produces, and Joe Lando, her longtime co-star from the beloved Emmy and Golden Globe Award-winning series "Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman."

[05/21/26 - 08:16 AM]
"Emily in Paris" Begins Production in Greece for the 6th and Final Season
Since its debut in 2020, Seasons 1-5 have spent 32 weeks on the Netflix Global Top 10 list, reached #1 in 90 countries, and accumulated over 250 million views.

[05/21/26 - 08:02 AM]
ID Explores the Dark Reality Behind Viral "Pearadise" Community in New Docuseries - "Big Girls Wanted: Escaping Pearadise" Premieres Wednesday, June 10 from 8-11PM ET/PT
In 2020, a social media-driven community known as "Pearadise" began gaining attention online, positioning itself as a space dedicated to sisterhood and body positivity for plus-size women.

[05/21/26 - 08:01 AM]
Video: "Untold UK: Vinnie Jones" - Official Trailer - Netflix
This is the story of Vinnie Jones' rise, fall and comeback against odds - and red cards - from one of football's most notorious hard men to FA cup winner.

[05/21/26 - 07:30 AM]
"Jackass" Returns to Paramount+
Seasons 1-3 return to Paramount+ today in restored original versions - bringing fans closer than ever to the episodes as they first aired, or were originally intended to air, by Johnny Knoxville and the original creative team.

[05/21/26 - 07:01 AM]
NBC Sports' 2026 SuperMotocross Coverage Delivers Viewership Gains and Milestones
The seven races featured on NBC and Peacock averaged a Total Audience Delivery (TAD) of 468,000 viewers on NBC and Peacock, up 8% vs. 2025.

[05/21/26 - 07:00 AM]
Presenters Announced for "The 52nd American Music Awards," Monday, May 25 on CBS
Alysa Liu, Anthony Ramos, EJAE, Gabriel "Fluffy" Iglesias, Hannah Berner, Hilary Duff, Jason Derulo, John Legend, Lisa Rinna, Ludacris, Mariah the Scientist, Matt Rife, Megan Stalter and Paul W. Downs, Melanie Martinez, Nikki Glaser, Paula Abdul, REI AMI, Russell Dickerson and more will present.

[05/21/26 - 06:30 AM]
Don't Answer the Phone. "Scream 7" Slashes Its Way to Paramount+ on May 28
When a new Ghostface killer emerges in the quiet town where Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell) has built a new life, her darkest fears are realized as her daughter (Isabel May) becomes the next target.

[05/21/26 - 06:01 AM]
Video: "Avatar: The Last Airbender" Season 2 - Official Trailer - Netflix
To end the war, Aang must master earthbending - but in the Earth Kingdom, politics, secrets and hidden alliances are a battlefield of their own.