or


[01/10/05 - 12:00 AM]
Development Update: January 10
By The Futon Critic Staff (TFC)

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

DA VINCI'S INQUEST (CBC) - Thunderbird Films and Program Partners are looking to import repeats of the Canadian crime drama, currently airing its seventh season, to U.S. audiences. The pair will showcase "Inquest," which stars Nicholas Campbell as a coroner who works with homicide detectives, forensic investigators and pathologists to bring murderers to justice, at the annual NATPE convention in Las Vegas later this month. Program Partners' Ritch Colbert told Daily Variety: "There's a huge appetite by cable networks in the States like Spike, USA, A&E and TNT for these kinds of series." 87 episodes have aired to date on CBC.

GAYS ON STRIKE (A&E, New!) - Stephen Mazur ("Liar Liar") is set to write a new original movie for the cable channel. The project, which is being likened in tone to the feature film "In & Out," centers on a young gay couple who inadvertently spark a strike by every gay person in America to protest for their right to get married. No other details were given about "Strike," which is set up at Storyline Entertainment ("Chicago," "The Reagans").

IN THE GAME (ABC) - Christine Baranski ("Happy Family") is the latest addition to the cast of the midseason comedy, which also stars Jennifer Love Hewitt, Alyson Hannigan and Ed O'Neill. Baranski will play the senior reporter on the fictional sports show that's the focus of the series. Baranski had been attached to the FOX midseason comedy pilot "Spellbound" which apparently will not go forward to series. Touchstone Television and Handprint Entertainment are behind "Game," which is executive produced by Jeff Judah and Gabe Sachs.

THE LANCE KRALL SHOW (Spike TV, New!) - The cable channel has committed to eight episodes of a new improv series featuring "The Joe Schmo Show" alum Lance Krall and his comedy troupe, the Whole World Theater. Krall played "Kip, the Gay Guy" on "Schmo's" first season. Production has been completed on all eight half-hours of the series, which features everything from man-on-the-street segments to crank calls, with Krall himself writing and directing each installment. Sarah Baker, Phil Cater, Annie Humphrey, Rob Poynter, Michael Sweeney, Loren Tarquinio and Anna Vocino also star in the project, which was executive produced by Krall and his manager Rory Rosegarten. "Krall" reportedly will be paired with Spike's signature Thursday series "MXC" beginning in the spring however no firm dates have been set.

LIVE WITH REGIS & KELLY/WHO WANTS TO BE A MILLIONAIRE (Syndication) - Buena Vista Television has confirmed both syndicated series have been cleared in at least 60% of the country through the 2007-08 season. The news means each project is a go for three additional seasons.

THE MOUNTAIN (The WB) - As expected, the Frog confirmed over the weekend the freshman drama has been officially canceled. "The Mountain" averaged a paltry 1.92 million viewers over the course of its 13-episode run with only the reality entry "Big Man on Campus" (1.86 million on average) faring worse overall this season for the network.

THE SOPRANOS (HBO) - Taking a cue from its successful sale of "Sex and the City" to TBS and local stations across the country, HBO has begun talks to sell repeats of the show's six season run to basic cable networks starting in the fall of 2006. It's understood TNT, A&E, Spike TV, USA, FX and Lifetime are among the networks the pay channel is targeting. While TBS paid a relatively modest $450,000 per episode for "Sex," HBO hopes to sell "The Sopranos" for as much as $1.8 million per episode. The pay channel however had similar hopes for "Sex," but had to settle for the six-figure license fee once all was said and done. Like "Sex," HBO already has edited versions of the series in the can but it's likely even more cuts will be done to avoid FCC scrutiny. Industry insiders however say the show's serialized nature means a hefty seven-figure per episode fee is extremely unlikely. Twentieth Television recently sold FOX's serialized drama "24" for a modest $250,000 per episode to A&E while stand-alone fare such as "Law & Order: Criminal Intent" earned a blockbuster $1.92 million between USA and Bravo.

THE TONY DANZA SHOW (Syndication) - Buena Vista Television reportedly is close to ordering a second season of the freshman syndie talk show. So far stations in 90 markets have agreed to carry the series through the 2005-06 season, good enough for a 60% clearance rate. Buena Vista nevertheless hasn't given the firm go ahead. Among the stations reupping were WABC New York, WPVI Philadelphia and KGO San Francisco, three of ABC's largest affiliates.

UNTITLED BARRY LEVINSON/TOM FONTANA PROJECT (The WB, New!) - Longtime collaborators Tom Fontana and Barry Levinson ("Oz," "Homicide: Life on the Street") have booked themselves a new drama pilot, this time at the Frog. The project, which focuses on the lives of New York City college students enrolled in a course about human sexuality and behavior, is set up at HBO Independent Productions and will shoot in New York City. "Homicide" scribe Julie Martin co-created the series with Fontana and will co-write the pilot script. Fontana, Martin, Levinson and Jim Finnerty will then serve as executive producers of the project.

Sources: Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Reuters





  [january 2005]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S
      


· 24 (FOX)
· BEDFORD DIARIES, THE (WB)
· BIG MAN ON CAMPUS (WB)
· GAYS ON STRIKE (A AND E)
· HAPPY FAMILY (NBC)
· IN THE GAME (2004 VERSION) (ABC)
· IN THE GAME (2005 VERSION) (ABC)
· JOE SCHMO SHOW, THE (SPIKE TV)
· LANCE KRALL SHOW, THE (SPIKE TV)
· LAW & ORDER: CRIMINAL INTENT (USA)
· LIVE WITH KELLY AND MARK (SYNDICATION)
· MOUNTAIN, THE (WB)
· MXC (SPIKE TV)
· OZ (HBO)
· REAGANS, THE (SHOWTIME)
· SEX AND THE CITY (HBO)
· SOPRANOS, THE (HBO)
· SPELLBOUND (FOX)
· TONY DANZA SHOW, THE (SYNDICATION)
· WHO WANTS TO BE A MILLIONAIRE (SYNDICATION)





[04/04/25 - 10:48 AM]
Video: Watch A First Look - ID's "All Access PD: Grand Rapids" Premieres Tuesday, April 8 at 10/9c on ID
The new series offers unprecedented access to the inner workings of the Grand Rapids Police Department.

[04/04/25 - 10:32 AM]
New Season of "Gold Rush: White Water" Premieres Friday, April 25 at 8PM ET/PT on Discovery Channel
Last year, Dustin Hurt's crew struck a 6-ounce, $70K nugget - the biggest in Gold Rush history. This season, he's risking everything for more.

[04/04/25 - 09:01 AM]
Hit the Gas! Prime Video Releases Premiere Date and First-Look Images for Electrifying New YA Drama "Motorheads"
All 10 episodes will debut exclusively on Prime Video on Tuesday, May 20 in more than 240 countries and territories worldwide.

[04/04/25 - 08:31 AM]
Peacock Exclusively Streams Blumhouse's "Wolf Man" Beginning April 18
Directed by acclaimed horror filmmaker Leigh Whannell, the film stars Christopher Abbott, Julia Garner, Sam Jaeger, Matilda Firth, Benedict Hardie and more.

[04/04/25 - 08:01 AM]
HBO Original Film "Mountainhead," Written and Directed by Jesse Armstrong, Debuts May 31
The film finishes production this week in Park City, Utah and marks Armstrong's feature directorial debut.

[04/04/25 - 07:45 AM]
Prime Video Greenlights "Taurasi"
The three-part docuseries chronicles the extraordinary story of basketball legend Diana Taurasi, whose relentless pursuit of greatness has transcended the boundaries of sport.

[04/04/25 - 07:02 AM]
Video: "Earnhardt" - Larger Than Life Teaser - Prime Video
The new original series is coming to Prime Video on Memorial Day Weekend.

[04/04/25 - 07:01 AM]
Paramount+'s New Series "MobLand" Breaks Record as Biggest Global Series Premiere Ever with 2.2 Million Global Viewers on Premiere Day
"'MobLand' is a runaway success thanks to the visionary work of Guy, Jez, Ronan and David Glasser and brought to life by the exceptional Tom Hardy, Pierce Brosnan and Helen Mirren who transport us into a world audiences clearly cannot get enough of," said Chris McCarthy.

[04/04/25 - 02:26 AM]
"Rotten Legacy", Starring Jose Coronado, Premieres on Netflix May 16
In "Rotten Legacy," Federico (Jose Coronado) is forced to step away from his communication companies to recover from an illness that kept him sidelined for two years.

[04/03/25 - 02:00 PM]
Video: Trailer and Key Art for "Not Just A Goof" Available Now
Just in time for the 30th anniversary of "A Goofy Movie," this documentary follows a young creative team tackling their first Disney feature, facing disappointment upon release, only for the film to gain a passionate following decades later.

[04/03/25 - 12:06 PM]
Twelve Rebellious Chefs Are Set for Battle on NBC's Bold New Cooking Competition Series "Yes, Chef!" Hosted by Emmy-Award Winning Chefs Jose Andres and Martha Stewart
The series will premiere on Monday, April 28 at 10 p.m. ET/PT on NBC following "The Voice."

[04/03/25 - 12:01 PM]
ABC Renews "9-1-1," "Grey's Anatomy," "The Rookie," "Shifting Gears" and "Will Trent" for 2025-26 Season
The network confirmed the pickups on social media this afternoon.

[04/03/25 - 12:00 PM]
CBS to Present MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs) for the First Time, Airing Live Sunday, Sept. 7 from UBS Arena, and Streaming on Paramount+
The 2024 VMAs delivered its biggest multi-network audience in four years and ranked as the most social VMAs in show history, with 66.7 million social interactions.

[04/03/25 - 11:53 AM]
Awesomeness Aquires the Rights to "Racing Hearts," Highly Anticipated Debut Novel from Ann Adams
Set in the cinematic world of competitive rowing, "Racing Hearts" is a coming-of-age romance that follows Olympic hopeful Katherine Parker, who is sent home to Berkeley after another failed race to work with a new coach, Adrian.

[04/03/25 - 11:00 AM]
CBS Gives First Look at "The Equalizer" Spin-Off Featuring Titus Welliver and Juani Feliz
In the episode, airing April 20, McCall is contacted by Samantha Reed, whose father, ex-CIA agent Elijah Reed, is missing.