or


[12/28/04 - 12:00 AM]
Development Update: December 27-28
By The Futon Critic Staff (TFC)

LOS ANGELES (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 4,400 (USA) - The show's first season finished the year as the most-watched rookie series on cable among adults 18-49, averaging 2.9 million viewers in the key demographic per week. Also finishing in the top five in adults 18-49 for 2004 were TBS' "The Real Gilligan's Island" (1.973 million for six episodes), FX's "Rescue Me" (1.935 million for 13 hours), MTV's "'Til Death Do Us Part" (1.921 million for seven episodes) and MTV's "The Ashlee Simpson Show" (1.834 million for eight episodes).

THE ASSISTANTS (NBC, New!) - Offspring Entertainment has scored a script order for a new one-hour dramedy about a group of assistants who work in the same building in a number of different industries. The project, described as an "Upstairs, Downstairs" look at assistants and their bosses, is set up at 20th Century Fox Television. Bryan Fuller ("Wonderfalls") created the series and will executive produce alongside Offspring principals Adam Shankman ("Bringing Down the House") and Jennifer Gibgot.

THE CLOSER (TNT) - Robert Gossett ("Arlington Road") and G.W. Bailey ("Police Academy") are the latest additions to the Kyra Sedgwick-led drama pilot, about the female deputy chief (Sedgwick) heading up a special unit of the L.A.P.D. that handles sensitive, high-profile murder cases. Gossett will play Capt. Taylor, the head of the robbery/homicide division of the L.A.P.D. while Bailey is set as Detective Lt. Provenza, a hard-line politically incorrect cop.

THE INSIDE (FOX) - Adam Baldwin ("Firefly") has joined the cast of the midseason drama, about a young, ambitious F.B.I. agent (Rachel Nichols) who is assigned to the agency's Los Angeles Violent Crimes Division. Baldwin will play a tough, seasoned F.B.I. agent in the project, a man's man with 25 years on the job. Jay Harrington also stars as the partner of Nichols' character.

INTO THE WEST (TNT) - Sean Astin ("Jeremiah"), Beau Bridges ("10.5"), Gary Busey ("I'm With Busey"), Jessica Capshaw ("The Practice"), Tyler Christopher ("General Hospital"), Rachael Leigh Cook ("She's All That"), Balthazar Getty ("Traffic"), Daniel Gillies ("Spider-Man 2"), Lance Henriksen ("Millennium"), Emily Holmes ("Taken"), Christian Kane ("Angel"), Zahn McClarnon ("Momentum") and Will Patton ("The Agency") have been revealed as additional cast members on Steven Spielberg's epic 12-hour mini-series. The project, currently in production, is set to premiere during the summer of 2005.

NOBODY'S WATCHING (The WB) - Paul Campbell ("Battlestar Galactica") has been cast in one of the lead roles in the comedy pilot, about two Midwestern guys who win a reality show contest and get to create their own TV comedy series. The duo then live on a soundstage where their every move is filmed, unaware of the fact that they are actually the show. Bill Lawrence, Neil Goldman and Garrett Donovan are behind the project, which is set up at NBC Universal Television and Lawrence's Doozer banner.

PRISON BREAK (FOX) - Stacy Keach ("Titus") has joined the cast of FOX's ambitious drama pilot, about an engineer (Wentworth Miller) who inserts himself into a prison he designed to help his brother (Dominic Purcell), a death row inmate who insists he is innocent, escape. Keach plays a warden at the prison in the 20th Century Fox Television-based project, which is being directed by Brett Ratner from a script by Paul Scheuring. Sarah Wayne Callies, Peter Stormare, Amaury Nolasco, Marshall Allman, Robin Tunney and Jessalyn Gilsig also star.

THE SIMPSONS (FOX) - Ricky Gervais, the creator and star of the U.K. hit "The Office," is set to write an upcoming episode of the animated comedy. Said episode, details of which weren't available, will also feature Gervais in a voice cameo. It's not clear when the episode is planned to air.

SIX FEET UNDER (HBO) - Jenna Fischer ("The Office: An American Workplace") is set to appear on the show's upcoming fifth and final season in a guest-starring role. She'll play a dental hygienist who dates Freddy Rodriguez's character.

UNTITLED CHERI OTERI/J.J. ABRAMS PROJECT (ABC) - The Cheri Oteri-led/J.J. Abrams-produced comedy, the premise of which has yet to be revealed, is understood to revolve around a woman who works at a children's TV show. ABC has made a script commitment to the project, which is set up at Abrams' Touchstone Television-based Bad Robot banner.

UNTITLED DEBI GUTIERREZ PROJECT (Lifetime, New!) - Comedian Debi Gutierrez is set to topline a new comedy pilot at the cable channel, which revolves around Gutierrez's real-life experiences as a mother who raises her three kids with the help of her husband and ex-husband. Sally Lapiduss ("The Nanny") is writing the script to the project, which reportedly has been given the green light to produce a pilot. It's understood Lifetime plans to shoot at least four to six pilots as part of its 2005-06 development slate.

UNTITLED SCOTT BAIO PROJECT (NBC, New!) - Scott Baio is looking to return to the small screen as the actor is set to topline a new comedy pilot at the Peacock about a fortysomething man (Baio) who moves in with a guy in his 20s, turning his life upside down. The project, which has a script commitment from the network, is set up at HBO Independent Productions and Tagline Productions. Blake McCormack is on board to write the pilot script with Jace Richdale ("Oliver Beene") executive producing.

WILDFIRE (ABC Family) - Micah Alberti ("All My Children"), Greg Serano ("Kingpin"), Nicole Tubiola ("Undressed") and Nana Visitor ("Star Trek: Deep Space Nine") have been named the principal cast members of the two-hour backdoor pilot telefilm, about a girl in her late teens who ends up working with a racehorse. Michael Piller ("The Dead Zone") is behind the project, additional details of which were not available.

Sources: Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Reuters





  [december 2004]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S
   


· 10.5 (NBC)
· 4400, THE (USA)
· AGENCY, THE (CBS)
· ANGEL (WB)
· ASHLEE SIMPSON SHOW, THE (MTV)
· ASSISTANTS, THE (NBC)
· BATTLESTAR GALACTICA (SCI FI)
· CLOSER, THE (TNT)
· DEAD ZONE, THE (USA)
· FIREFLY (FOX)
· I'M WITH BUSEY (COMEDY CENTRAL)
· INSIDE, THE (FOX)
· INTO THE WEST (TNT)
· JEREMIAH (SHOWTIME)
· KINGPIN (NBC)
· MOMENTUM (SCI FI)
· NOBODY'S WATCHING (NBC)
· OFFICE, THE (NBC)
· OLIVER BEENE (FOX)
· PRACTICE, THE (ABC)
· PRISON BREAK (FOX)
· REAL GILLIGAN'S ISLAND, THE (TBS)
· RESCUE ME (FX)
· SIMPSONS, THE (FOX)
· SIX FEET UNDER (HBO)
· STEVEN SPIELBERG PRESENTS: TAKEN (SCI FI)
· 'TIL DEATH DO US PART: CARMEN & DAVE (MTV)
· TITUS (FOX)
· TRAFFIC (USA)
· UNTITLED ABRAMS & OTERI PROJECT (ABC)
· UNTITLED DEBI GUTIERREZ PROJECT (LIFETIME)
· UNTITLED SCOTT BAIO PROJECT (NBC)
· WILDFIRE (ABC FAMILY)
· WONDERFALLS (FOX)





[08/19/25 - 12:02 PM]
"Finding Your Roots with Henry Louis Gates, Jr." Announces Star-Studded Season 12 Line-Up Following the Second Consecutive Emmy Award Nomination for the Beloved Series
The show's upcoming season premieres January 6 on PBS.

[08/19/25 - 12:01 PM]
Netflix Top 10 Week of August 11: "Wednesday" Charms at No. 1 For Another Top 10 Week
"Fit for TV: The Reality of the Biggest Loser," a three-part documentary exploring the reality show's biggest scandals, debuted at No. 2 in English TV with 7.5 million views.

[08/19/25 - 11:54 AM]
Video: "Fallout" Heads to New Vegas with Season Two Teaser-Trailer Debut
The highly anticipated new season will premiere on December 17 with the eight-episode season rolling out with one new episode weekly until the season finale on February 4.

[08/19/25 - 11:05 AM]
Paramount+ Announces Two New Docuseries: "Don't Date Brandon" and "Thirst Trap: The Fame. The Fantasy. The Fallout."
Both projects explore the dark undercurrents of digital connection, obsession and betrayal, and will stream exclusively on Paramount+ this fall.

[08/19/25 - 11:00 AM]
AMC Networks' September Highlights Include "The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon," "Murder Before Evensong," "Guts & Glory" and More
New additions include the new AMC+ exclusive series "The Red King," premiering Thursday, September 25.

[08/19/25 - 10:13 AM]
NBC Sports Delivers Most-Watched Premier League Opening Weekend in U.S., Headlined by Record-Setting Manchester United-Arsenal Match on NBC & Peacock
The Manchester United-Arsenal match on NBC, Peacock, and NBC Sports Digital platforms on Sunday, featuring 2024-25 PL runner-up Arsenal earning a 1-0 victory, averaged 2.0 million viewers.

[08/19/25 - 10:01 AM]
Netflix's "The Vince Staples Show" Season 2 Date Announcement & First Look
In the wake of a tragic death, Vince embarks on a wild journey in search of inner peace. However, his path is littered with reminders of his haunted past.

[08/19/25 - 10:00 AM]
Video: First-Look Trailer of "Celebrity Weakest Link" Premiering Monday, Sept. 15 at 9/8c on FOX and Next Day on Hulu
The premiere season showcases celebrities competing in themed-episodes including a "Glee" Homecoming, TV Moms, Ex-Wives Club, 8 Degrees of Jane, Roasters, Reality Couples, High School Reunion, TV Doctors, Holiday Night, Football Legends and more!

[08/19/25 - 09:03 AM]
FOX Sports Delivers Network's Most-Watched NFL Preseason Game Since 2021
This past Sunday, 5.1 million viewers tuned in to FOX's preseason coverage of the Chicago Bears 38-0 victory over the Buffalo Bills.

[08/19/25 - 08:31 AM]
Cristela Alonzo Returns to Netflix with Even More Class in New Special, "Upper Classy"
In this newest special, Cristela is in the pursuit of happiness.

[08/19/25 - 08:30 AM]
The American Music Awards Returns to CBS and Paramount+ in 2026 with a New 5-Year Partnership
Following this year's top-rated broadcast, the 52nd American Music Awards will return with a must-see live show Memorial Day weekend, May 2026 from Las Vegas.

[08/19/25 - 08:19 AM]
"Big Cats 24/7" Season 2 Premieres September 10, 2025 on PBS
Over six new episodes, an elite team of wildlife filmmakers returns to Botswana's breathtaking Okavango Delta to follow the dramatic lives of its lions, leopards and cheetahs, day and night, in one of Africa's last wildernesses.

[08/19/25 - 08:01 AM]
Video: National Geographic Unveils Jet-Fueled Trailer for New Docuseries "Top Guns: The Next Generation," Taking Viewers Inside the U.S. Navy's Elite Aviation Program
The six-part series premieres September 16 at 9:00/8:00c on National Geographic and streams the next day on Disney+ and Hulu.

[08/19/25 - 08:01 AM]
Video: "Wolf King" - Season 2 Trailer - Netflix
As he fights for his throne and faces enemies from all sides, Drew learns the heavy burden of being king - and the daunting task of choosing a queen.

[08/19/25 - 08:01 AM]
Apple's Emmy-Nominated Comedy "Palm Royale" Returns for Season Two on November 12
Season one of "Palm Royale" was led by a renowned ensemble cast including Allison Janney, Ricky Martin, Carol Burnett, Josh Lucas, Leslie Bibb, Amber Chardae Robinson, Mindy Cohn, Julia Duffy and Kaia Gerber.