or


[01/21/05 - 12:00 AM]
Development Update: January 21
By The Futon Critic Staff (TFC)

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

THE GIRL IN THE CAFE (HBO, New!) - Bill Nighy, Kelly Macdonald, Ken Scott, Anton Lesser and Corin Redgrave are set to star in a new HBO original movie about a hard-working but timid civil servant (Nighy) and his life-changing relationship with a mysterious girl (Macdonald) he meets in a caf�. David Yates ("Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix") is set to direct the project, which is expected to bow this summer on the cable channel, from a script by Richard Curtis ("Love Actually") with Curtis, Paul Abbott ("State of Play") and BBC's Julie Gardner executive producing. Production began this week in London on "Girl" with Tightrope Pictures producing in assocation with HBO Films and BBC1.

HOUSE (FOX) - Chi McBride ("Boston Public") is set to appear in five upcoming episodes of the freshman drama, where he'll play Edward Vogler, a wealthy businessman who donates $100 million to the hospital where Dr. House (Hugh Laurie) works. Said event leads him to be named chairman of the board, where he decides that House and his entire team are a waste of the hospital's time and resources. It's not clear when McBride's first episode will air.

JUDGE ALEX (Syndication) - Twentieth Television has cleared the upcoming court series on stations covering 50% of the country. Among those signing on (in addition to the FOX owned-and-operated stations) are Cox Television's KTVU/San Francisco, Viacom Television Stations' WFOR/Miami and WNDY/Indianapolis, Block Communications' WDRB/Louisville, Raycom Media's WXIX/Cincinnati, Media General Broadcast Group's WSPA/Greenville-Spartanburg and Sinclair Broadcast's WZTV/Nashville. The project stars Judge Alex E. Ferrer, who was elected to the criminal and family divisions of Florida's Miami-Dade County judicial circuit back in 1995.

MY SUPER SWEET 16 (MTV) - A whopping 5.9 million viewers tuned into the show's debut on Tuesday where it set a new record for the network among viewers 12-34. Not surprisingly, said numbers lead all basic cable networks in the 10:30/9:30c slot.

OVER THERE (FX) - Jimmy "Jax" Pinchak ("Family Affair") has joined the cast of the drama pilot, about a group of soldiers stationed in Iraq and the families they left behind. No details on Pinchak's role were given.

QUEER EYE FOR THE STRAIGHT GIRL (Bravo) - Week two of the "Queer Eye" spin-off fell to 497,000 viewers, off a surprising 48% from its debut last week (957,000 on 1/12/05).

THE TRIANGLE (Sci Fi) - The cable channel has greenlighted production on the three-part, six-hour mini-series for a December 2005 premiere date. The project, which comes from executive producers Dean Devlin, Bryan Singer and Rockne O'Bannon, revolves around scientists and investigators from different fields who come together to figure out the truth behind the Bermuda Triangle. No director or cast has been named however for the mini-series, which is set up at Devlin's Electric Entertainment.

THE ULTIMATE FIGHTER (Spike TV) - 1.7 million viewers (1.4 household rating) tuned into the show's debut on Monday, including 768,000 men 18-49 (1.5 rating) and 385,000 men 18-35 (1.5 rating). Both numbers were up 36% and 12% respectively from the Monday, 11:00/10:00c time period average from 2004.

UNTITLED DARREN STAR/DANA KLEIN PROJECT (CBS, New!) - "Sex and the City" creator Darren Star reportedly is close to signing a three-year production deal with Sony Pictures Television to set up his self-titled production house at the studio. The pact would likely call for Star to develop and executive produce comedy and drama projects for Sony. No financial details were available although it's understood it could be the studio's largest in over three years. As for specific projects, an untitled drama with Dana Klein for CBS is said to be already in the works.

UNTITLED JEFFREY LIEBER PROJECT (FOX, New!) - "Lost" co-creator Jeffrey Lieber has booked a new drama pilot at Spelling Television for FOX. The project, which has been given the go-ahead to begin production, revolves around a brother and sister who manage a Las Vegas wedding emporium and tracks their different approaches to their professional and personal lives, as well as the unusual stories of their clients and employees. Lieber will write the pilot script and executive produce alongside Aaron Spelling and E. Duke Vincent.

UNTITLED PAIGE DAVIS/NATE BERKUS PROJECT (Syndication, New!) - "Trading Spaces" host Paige Davis and interior designer Nate Berkus reportedly will be the focus of the latest "Oprah Winfrey Show" spin-off (a la "Dr. Phil"). The project, which is being targeted for a fall 2006 premiere, would feature the pair - who are frequent guests on "Oprah" - in an unspecified format. King World/Paramount Domestic Television's Terry Wood is understood to be spearheading the project, full details of which are still in the early stages of development.

WHO'S YOUR DADDY? (FOX) - As expected, the network confirmed this week it plans to shelve the five other completed installments (not seven as previously indicated) of the much-ballyhooed reality series, in which an adopted child is given $100,000 if he/she selects his/her birth father out of a group of eight strangers. A disappointing 6.3 million viewers tuned into the 90-minute preview earlier this month.

Sources: Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Reuters





  [january 2005]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S
      


· BOSTON PUBLIC (FOX)
· DR. PHIL (SYNDICATION)
· ETHICIST, THE (CBS)
· FAMILY AFFAIR (WB)
· GIRL IN THE CAFE, THE (HBO)
· HITCHED (FOX)
· HOUSE (FOX)
· JUDGE ALEX (SYNDICATION)
· LOST (ABC)
· MY SUPER SWEET 16 (MTV)
· OPRAH WINFREY SHOW, THE (SYNDICATION)
· OVER THERE (FX)
· QUEER EYE (BRAVO)
· QUEER EYE FOR THE STRAIGHT GIRL (BRAVO)
· SEX AND THE CITY (HBO)
· TRIANGLE, THE (SCI FI)
· ULTIMATE FIGHTER, THE (ESPN)
· UNTITLED DAVIS & BERKUS PROJECT (SYNDICATION)
· WHO'S YOUR DADDY? (FOX)





[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.