or


[02/08/05 - 12:00 AM]
Development Update: February 8
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 projects in development? Click here to visit our newly revamped "Series in Development" charts. Visitors can now filter our listings by network, genre and even development stage (ordered to pilot, cast-contingent, script, etc.). It's updated every day!

BOBBY CANNON (A.K.A. UNTITLED KEVIN SORBO PROJECT) (ABC) - The Kevin Sorbo-led, Barry Kemp-produced comedy pilot is officially a go, as the Alphabet has greenlit production. The project stars Sorbo as a pro football quarterback nearing retirement who has to mentor his replacement while figuring out what to do with the rest of his life. Kemp ("Coach") is writing and executive producing the project, which is set up at Touchstone Television where he has an overall deal, along with Eric Gold.

BOOK OF DANIEL (NBC) - The pilot's producers have clarified NBC's original description of the project, which reads "['Book of Daniel'] offers a provocative take on a family with a religious bent. An Episcopalian reverend and father [the recently cast Aidan Quinn] finds himself speaking routinely with a hip, modern Jesus, who appears as a vision and offers valuable guidance to help him navigate through family issues, church politics (especially as they involve a rehabilitation clinic run by the church) -- and his own personal issues." Quinn's character actually speaks with just "Jesus," not a "hip, modern Jesus" as NBC's press release indicates.

CRUMBS (ABC, New!) - Marco Pennette ("I'm With Her") has scored a comedy pilot order from the Alphabet for a new comedy about two estranged brothers, one gay and one straight, who wind up running the family business when their parents get divorced. The project is set up at Brian Robbins and Mike Tollin's Touchstone Television-based Tollin-Robbins banner.

IN THE GAME (ABC) - The Alphabet has pulled the plug on the Jennifer Love Hewitt/Ed O'Neill-led midseason comedy following the production of its second pilot episode. The project, about a father (O'Neill) and daughter (Hewitt) who work together at a fledgling sports channel, had previously been given a six-episode order by the network. The show's revamped pilot was shot last month with ABC deciding to shelve the project this week. Touchstone Television and Handprint Entertainment were behind "Game," which was executive produced by Gabe Sachs and Jeff Judah.

JOINT CUSTODY (ABC, New!) - Joel Stein, the former Time columnist behind last year's failed Colin Hanks-led comedy pilot at ABC, has set up a new project at the network. The new effort - a comedy about a recent college graduate who comes home and discovers that his parents have divorced and realizes that he must now take care of his eccentric family - also comes from writer/producer Regina Stewart ("Still Standing") and director Shawn Levy ("Cheaper by the Dozen"). It's not clear however if the project is set up at 20th Century Fox Television, where Levy has a development pact.

THE LIBERTY (FX, New!) - Actor William Baldwin, producer Robert Cooper ("Medical Investigation") and feature writer Eric Guggenheim ("Miracle") are set to team for a new original movie at the cable channel. Said project revolves around the true story of seven U.S. special forces veterans who escaped wrongful imprisonment in Brazil via the Amazon after being recruited by a former special forces commander to escort weapons bound for pro-U.S. rebels in Ghana. Cooper and Baldwin will executive produce the project, with Guggenheim writing the script and Baldwin attached to star. Integrated Films and Management's Steve Whitney & Andrew Trapani, Landscape Entertainment's Gregg Goldman and Dan Gagliasso are also attached as co-executive producers.

NEIGHBORS (ABC, New!) - Writers Matt Gross ("Joe Somebody") and Michael Caleo ("Rescue Me") have scored a pilot commitment from ABC for a new comedy about dueling neighbors forced to contend with one another when their wives and children become unlikely friends. The project, not to be confused with State Street/Sony Pictures Television's "Neighbors" (also for ABC), is set up at Touchstone Television.

POOL GUYS (FOX, New!) - Writer/producers Alexandra Rushfield and Jennifer Konner ("Undeclared") have booked a comedy pilot at the FOX, about two 21-year-old best friends who live in Tarzana, California, clean pools for a living and share the ultimate dream: to clean the pool at the Playboy Mansion. The project, which the pair will write and executive produce, is set up at Regency Television.

SALLY (A.K.A. UNTITLED SALLY FIELD PROJECT) (ABC) - Holly Hester's ("The Drew Carey Show") comedy pilot at the Alphabet has been given the green light to produce a pilot. The project, stars Sally Field as a middle-aged woman who gets a life makeover, and decides to get divorced and find a job. Field's involvement is understood to be the result of a talent deal she signed with Conan O'Brien's NBC Universal Television-based Conaco banner last year (read the story). Hester and O'Brien will executive produce the project alongside Conaco's A.J. Morewitz and Jeff Ross.

SOCCER MOMS (ABC) - Former "Sex and the City" star Kristin Davis has signed on to star in the drama pilot, about two suburban housewives who team up as private investigators. Davis's involvement - she'll play one of the two leads - lifts the cast-contingency on the pilot's production. In addition, Jeff Kline ("That Was Then") has come aboard as an executive producer on the project, which is set up at Touchstone Television. He'll join current executive producers Don Todd and Marla Ginsburg. As for Davis, the actress had previously signed a seven-figure development deal with HBO back in August (read the story). With Davis now attached to "Moms," it now appears the project that resulted from the pact (from writer Stacy Traub) - about a single woman who supports herself as a poker player in Las Vegas - won't go forward.

Sources: Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Reuters





  [february 2005]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S
  


· BOBBY CANNON (ABC)
· BOOK OF DANIEL, THE (NBC)
· CRUMBS (ABC)
· DREW CAREY SHOW, THE (ABC)
· I'M WITH HER (ABC)
· IN THE GAME (2004 VERSION) (ABC)
· IN THE GAME (2005 VERSION) (ABC)
· JOINT CUSTODY (ABC)
· LIBERTY, THE (FX)
· MARSHA POTTER GETS A LIFE (ABC)
· MEDICAL INVESTIGATION (NBC)
· NEIGHBORS (ABC)
· NEIGHBORS (ABC)
· POOL GUYS (FOX)
· RESCUE ME (FX)
· SEX AND THE CITY (HBO)
· SOCCER MOMS (ABC)
· STILL STANDING (CBS)
· THAT WAS THEN (ABC)
· UNDECLARED (FOX)
· UNTITLED KRISTIN DAVIS PROJECT (HBO)





[08/05/26 - 12:00 PM]
Untitled "Gilmore Girls" Documentary in Production and Coming to HBO Max
The film marks the first-ever authorized documentary about the series, which celebrated the 25th anniversary of its debut in 2025.

[08/05/26 - 11:01 AM]
Peacock Renews "The Five Star Weekend" for a Second Season
According to preliminary Nielsen data, the series ranked among the Top 5 streaming original series during its first two weeks following its July 9 premiere.

[08/05/26 - 11:01 AM]
CBS Media Ventures Sets September Premieres for New and Returning Hit Series
New productions include "Adam's Law" and "American Mayhem."

[08/05/26 - 10:32 AM]
Video: TNT Reveals Trailer and First Look at Highly Anticipated Limited Series "High Value Target: The Hunt for Saddam" Starring Joel Kinnaman
The first two episodes will debut Sunday, September 13 at 9pm ET/PT, followed by episode three on Monday, September 14 at 9pm ET/PT on TNT.

[08/05/26 - 10:11 AM]
Disastrous Home Renovations Get a Second Chance in New HGTV Series "Botched Homes"
General contractor and master craftsman Charlie Kawas will rescue South Florida homeowners from some of the region's most disastrous renovation projects in the new series, premiering Wednesday, September 2.

[08/05/26 - 10:10 AM]
Cherry Jones, Corey Stoll, Rob Delaney, Abbey Lee Join Netflix Series Based on Dan Brown's "The Secret of Secrets"
They join the previously cast Morgan Spector as Robert Langdon and Rebecca Hall as Katherine Solomon.

[08/05/26 - 09:21 AM]
Grammy Award-Nominated Group Katseye Returns to "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon" For First-Ever Late-Night Performance on Wednesday, Aug. 12
Group members Sophia Laforteza, Lara Raj, Daniela Avanzini, Yoonchae Jeung and Megan Skiendiel will sit down with Fallon to chat about their new music and upcoming tour.

[08/05/26 - 09:01 AM]
Varnell Hill Is Back in the Spotlight: First Look at the Long-Awaited Comedy Series "The Varnell Hill Show," Premiering Globally September 1 on Paramount+
The eight-episode first season will make its global debut on Paramount+ with two episodes on Tuesday, September 1, followed by one new episode every Tuesday through October 13.

[08/05/26 - 09:01 AM]
Video: "Untold: The Testimony of Vince Young" - Official Trailer - Netflix
After delivering one of the greatest performances in Rose Bowl history, Texas Longhorns legend Vince Young was the NFL's next big thing, and for a while, he was.

[08/05/26 - 08:46 AM]
Paramount+ Announces New Scripted Drama "Trauma"
When terrorists seize a busy London Hospital and take the Prime Minister hostage during surgery, former Royal Marines medic turned ER doctor Jim Marchant (Richard Madden) must fight his way through the building to save everyone inside.

[08/05/26 - 08:41 AM]
Investigation Discovery Exposes the Story Behind One of Television's Most Controversial Reality TV Projects in "O.J. Unseen: Exploitation of Evil"
The four-part documentary event premieres on Monday, September 7 and Tuesday, September 8 at 9/8c on ID, with episodes available to stream on HBO Max.

[08/05/26 - 08:31 AM]
Video: "Love Is Blind: UK" Season 3 - Official Trailer - Netflix
A new group of UK singles enter the iconic dating pods in search of love - but who will make it out of the pods and down the aisle?

[08/05/26 - 08:05 AM]
Discovery Channel's "Expedition X" Returns for a Haunting New Season on Wed, August 19, Filled with Shocking Mysteries and Supernatural Encounters
Adventurer Josh Gates teams up with scientist Phil Torres and paranormal investigator Heather Amaro to investigate shocking stories where history, myth and the supernatural collide.

[08/05/26 - 08:01 AM]
HBO and BBC to Co-Produce New Drama Series "1536"
A darkly comic and terrifyingly relevant story about friendship, sisterhood, and a changing world, "1536" explores how the actions of a man in power changes the fate of working-class women on the edges of the country.

[08/05/26 - 07:03 AM]
Red Sox-Dodgers Averages 3.8 Million Viewers on NBC & Peacock, Marking First Time "Sunday Night Baseball" Has Topped 3 Million Viewers in Three Straight Games
Boston defeated Los Angeles, 8-4, this past Sunday night with a TAD of 3.8 million viewers on NBC and Peacock.