or


[03/29/05 - 12:00 AM]
Development Update: March 29
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!

CBS REALITY PROJECTS (CBS, New!) - The Eye has put into development three new reality concepts which hope to take advantage of the popularity of such softer, noncompetitive reality series as "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" and "Wife Swap." "Reunion," hosted by Melissa Gilbert, chronicles the journeys of people trying to track down family members with whom they have lost contact. Another, "Crossroads," involves placing participants in a lifestyle that would have resulted should a different choice had been made by them or for them earlier in their lives. The last, "Shenanigans," chronicles the daily goings-on of the employees (some of which are improv actors) at a restaurant of the Midwest-based Shenanigans chain. No other details were given about the projects.

EARLY BIRD (NBC) - Luis Avalos ("Jack & Bobby") is the latest addition to the comedy pilot, about a twentysomething (Timm Sharp) who opts to live in a retirement community. Avalos will play a cheerful and religiously devout member of the community in the NBC Universal Television/3 Arts Entertainment-based project, which also stars Bill Macy and Larry Hankin. In addition, Jonathan Groff ("Father of the Pride") has been added as an executive producer, where he'll serve alongside creator Rodney Rothman and 3 Arts' David Miner and Howard Klein.

EUREKA (Sci Fi) - Colin Ferguson ("Coupling") has booked the male lead in the two-hour drama pilot, about a newly hired sheriff who discovers that the world's geniuses have been secretly relocated to a small town. He'll play Jack Carter in the project, which is described in the network's press materials as follows: "A newly hired sheriff reports for duty in the small, bucolic Pacific North-west town of Eureka and soon discovers that things are not what they seem. For years, the government has been relocating the world's geniuses (and their families) to Eureka, creating the ultimate think tank community. At times strange, amazing, and bizarre, the community's quirky inhabitants unleash scientific and technological creations still unknown by the outside world." Peter O'Fallon ("Wonderfalls") is directing the pilot from a script by creators Andrew Cosby ("Haunted") and Jaime Paglia. Cosby then will serve as the executive producer with Paglia producing alongside Angela Mancuso.

FAITH OF MY FATHERS (A&E) - The cable channel's John McCain biopic has been slated to premiere on Monday, May 30 at 8:00/7:00c. Shawn Hatosy ("The Winning Season") stars as the young McCain in the project, which tracks his Naval career including his five years of captivity as a prisoner of war in North Vietnam. Scott Glenn ("Backdraft"), Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa ("Hawaii"), Erin Cottrell ("Little House on the Prairie") and Justin Groetsch ("Odd Girl Out") also star in the telefilm, which is directed by Peter Markle ("Jack & Bobby") from his own script.

INVASION (ABC) - Lisa Sheridan ("FreakyLinks") has joined the cast of the drama pilot, about the strange goings-on in a small Florida town after a hurricane. She'll play Larkin Groves in the Warner Bros. Television-based project, who's described in the casting notice as: "32. Beautiful, bright, and personable, Larkin is Russell's [Eddie Cibrian] wife and an investigative journalist for the local ABC affiliate in Miami. When we meet her, she is clearly a woman in transition: Adjusting to marriage and step-motherhood, and an expectant mother herself in the early stages of pregnancy. Before she met her husband, work always came first. Now, there are so many other things to consider, and so many uncertainties ahead." Shaun Cassidy is behind the pilot, which also stars Alexis Dziena, Aisha Hinds, Tyler Labine and William Fichtner.

LIFE & STYLE/PAT CROCE: MOVING IN (Syndication) - Both of Sony Pictures Television's freshman entries - "Life & Style" and "Pat Croce: Moving In" - are reportedly not returning for second seasons. Production had already been completed on each show's inaugural run as repeats and the remaining first-run installments will air through September. With "Style" averaging a 0.5 household rating and "Croce" at 0.7 household rating to date this season, their respective demises come as little surprise.

OLD CHRISTINE (CBS) - Emily Rutherfurd ("Married to the Kellys") is set to play the "new" Christine in the comedy pilot, about a divorced mom named Christine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) who tries to keep pace with everyone around her. Rutherfurd will play the new girlfriend of Christine's ex-husband (Clark Gregg), who also happens to be named Christine. She joins the previously cast Hamish Linklater and Trevor Gagnon, who play the brother and son respectively of Louis-Dreyfus's character. Warner Bros. Television is behind the project, which comes from creator/executive producer Kari Lizer.

PROJECT GREENLIGHT (Bravo) - Following its special airing tonight at 8:00/7:00c, Bravo has quietly confirmed the series will move to Thursdays at 10:00/9:00c beginning April 7.

SITUATION: COMEDY (Bravo) - According to press materials recently released by the cable channel, the sitcom search will finally debut in late July. An exact day and time has yet to be announced however.

SOUTH BEACH (UPN) - Marcus Coloma ("Point Pleasant") is the first to be cast in the drama pilot, about two Brooklynites who move to Miami's South Beach and get caught up in a sexy and dangerous world. He'll play Matt Evans in the project, which is set up at Paramount Network Television, Tony Krantz's Flame Television and Jennifer Lopez & Simon Fields's Nuyorican banner. Philip Levens serves as an executive producer alongside Krantz, Lopez and Fields.

STACKED (FOX) - Elon Gold ("In-Laws") is set to replace Tom Everett Scott as the male lead in the Pamela Anderson-led comedy series, which premieres on Wednesday, April 13 at 8:30/7:30c. He'll take over as Gavin DeWitt, the owner of the small family-run bookstore where Anderson's character works. The producers reportedly felt Scott, who is already in talks to sign on to another pilot, didn't feel right for the role after its first taping last week. As for Gold, he'll step into the role at tonight's taping of the show's second episode with reshoots of the pilot expected to be completed shortly thereafter. The actor is understood to have previously been attached to the NBC comedy pilot "Loved Ones (and Other People We Hate)" however that pilot has been scrapped by the network. Brian Scolaro, Christopher Lloyd and Jaret Winokur also star in the 20th Century Fox Television-based "Stacked," which comes from executive producers Steven Levitan and Jeffrey Richman with Heide Perlman and Stephen Lloyd as co-executive producers.

THRESHOLD (CBS) - William Mapother ("Lost") has joined the cast of the drama pilot in a recurring role. He'll play Gunneson in the Paramount Network Television/Heyday Films-based project, which tracks a team investigating a potentially hostile alien spaceship. Carla Gugino, Charles S. Dutton, Brent Spiner and Robert Patrick Benedict also star in the pilot, which comes from creator Bragi Schut and fellow executive producers David Heyman, Mark Rosen, Brannon Braga and David Goyer.

UNTITLED CAMRYN MANHEIM PROJECT (The WB) - Heather Paige Kent ("That's Life") has joined the cast of the comedy pilot, about an eccentric hippie-type single mother (Camryn Manheim) with three kids who moves into a new neighborhood filled with trendy soccer moms. No details were given about Kent's character in the project, which comes from Warner Bros. Television and the Tannenbaum Co. Anne Flett Giordano and Chuck Ranberg created the series and will executive produce along with Eric & Kim Tannenbaum.

UNTITLED DAVID DIAMOND/DAVID WEISSMAN PROJECT (CBS) - Claire Forlani ("Meet Joe Black"), Michael Pena ("The Shield"), Sam Lerner ("Envy") and Craig Bierko ("The Court") have all joined the cast of the drama pilot, about working parents - a sports agent dad (John Leguizamo) and a magazine editor mom (Forlani) - who juggle domestic responsibilities. Forlani will play Allison, said female lead while Pena, Lerner and Bierko will play Scott, Jackson and Dylan respectively. 20th Century Fox Television, Paramount Network Television and Rat Entertainment are behind the pilot, which Brett Ratner is directing from a script by fellow executive producers David Diamond and David Weissman.

UNTITLED FRED GOSS/NICK HOLLY PROJECT (ABC) - Desmond Harrington ("L.A. Dragnet"), Jerry Lambert ("Less Than Perfect") and newcomer Allison Quinn have all been cast in the pilot presentation, a partially improvised comedy about one big extended family in an average middle-American town. No details were given about their respective characters in the project, which comes from NBC Universal Television, Lorne Michaels & JoAnne Alfano's Broadway Video and creators/executive producers Fred Goss and Nick Holly.

UNTITLED JERRY BRUCKHEIMER/MARSH MCCALL PROJECT (CBS) - Reid Scott ("It's All Relative") has joined the cast of the comedy pilot, about three adult siblings - two brothers (Scott, Jonathan Silverman), one sister - doing their best to deal with their eccentric, professor father when their mother leaves him. Marsh McCall is behind the project, which is set up at Warner Bros. Television and Jerry Bruckheimer & Jonathan Littman's Bruckheimer Television.

UNTITLED SUSIE ESSMAN PROJECT (CBS) - John Michael Higgins ("Ally McBeal") has joined the cast of the comedy pilot, about an urbanite (Susie Essman) who becomes a newlywed and stepmom in suburbia. No details were available about his character in the 20th Century Fox Television/Paramount Network Television project, which also stars Stacy Keach. Essman and Tom Leopold are writing the pilot script and executive producing along with Brad Johnson (through his Watson Pond banner) and Brillstein-Grey Management's Lee Kernis.

WILDLIFE (UPN) - Lucas Bryant ("Queer as Folk") has joined the cast of the Denise Richards-led drama pilot, about a group of twentysomethings living in the hip Hollywood community of Silver Lake. Lauren German and Eric Balfour also star in the Paramount Network Television/Axelrod-Edwards Co.-based project, which comes from executive producers Michael Gans, Richard Register, Daniel Cerone, Jonathan Axelrod and Kelly Edwards.

Sources: Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Reuters





  [march 2005]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S
  


· ALLY MCBEAL (FOX)
· COUPLING (NBC)
· COURT, THE (ABC)
· CROSSROADS (CBS)
· EARLY BIRD (NBC)
· EUREKA (SYFY)
· EXTREME MAKEOVER: HOME EDITION (HGTV)
· FAITH OF MY FATHERS (A AND E)
· FATHER OF THE PRIDE (NBC)
· FREAKYLINKS (FOX)
· HAUNTED (UPN)
· HAWAII (NBC)
· IN-LAWS (NBC)
· INVASION (ABC)
· IT'S ALL RELATIVE (ABC)
· JACK & BOBBY (WB)
· LA DRAGNET (ABC)
· LESS THAN PERFECT (ABC)
· LIFE & STYLE (SYNDICATION)
· LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE (ABC)
· LOST (ABC)
· LOVED ONES (AND OTHER PEOPLE WE HATE) (NBC)
· MARRIED TO THE KELLYS (ABC)
· NEW ADVENTURES OF OLD CHRISTINE, THE (CBS)
· ODD GIRL OUT (LIFETIME)
· PAT CROCE: MOVING IN (SYNDICATION)
· POINT PLEASANT (FOX)
· PROJECT GREENLIGHT (HBO)
· QUEER AS FOLK (SHOWTIME)
· REUNION (CBS)
· SEX, LOVE AND SECRETS (UPN)
· SHENANIGANS (CBS)
· SHIELD, THE (FX)
· SITUATION: COMEDY (BRAVO)
· SONS & DAUGHTERS (ABC)
· SOUTH BEACH (UPN)
· STACKED (FOX)
· THAT'S LIFE (CBS)
· THRESHOLD (CBS)
· UNTITLED BRUCKHEIMER & MCCALL PROJECT (CBS)
· UNTITLED CAMRYN MANHEIM PROJECT (WB)
· UNTITLED DIAMOND & WEISSMAN PROJECT (CBS)
· UNTITLED SUSIE ESSMAN PROJECT (CBS)
· WIFE SWAP (PARAMOUNT)
· WINNING SEASON, THE (TNT)
· WONDERFALLS (FOX)





[08/06/26 - 02:00 PM]
Starz Announces Initial Casting for New Untitled Black Rodeo Drama
DeWanda Wise, Tian Richards, and Marcus Mitchell are the first to board the family drama set inside the thriving world of Black rodeo in Texas.

[08/06/26 - 12:00 PM]
"Celebrity Crime Scene: Princess Diana" Premieres Thursday, August 20 at 8/7c on FOX
The special dives into the theories that have fueled decades of speculation, examining mysterious vehicles in the tunnel, claims of powerful forces in the monarchy determined to silence Diana, and allegations international arms dealers viewed Diana as a dangerous threat that needed to be eliminated.

[08/06/26 - 11:00 AM]
USA Sports Announces Game & Studio Commentators for Inaugural Season of Pac-12 Football Coverage on USA Network
The game commentary teams on USA Network will feature play-by-play voice Nate Gatter alongside Ryan Leaf, who was previously announced as USA Sports' lead Pac-12 analyst in June, and sideline reporter Lauren Green.

[08/06/26 - 10:01 AM]
Season Three of the HBO Original Series "Conan O'Brien Must Go" Debuts August 21
New episodes of the four-episode season will debut weekly on Fridays at the same time, concluding with the season finale on Friday, September 11.

[08/06/26 - 10:01 AM]
"Big City Greens" Season 5 Welcomes Star-Studded Guest Cast Stephen King, Luke Combs, Dylan Sprouse, Megan Stalter, Chad Michael Murray, Kevin Smith and Jason Mewes
The new season kicks off with the first five episodes premiering August 21 on Disney Channel (8:00 p.m. EDT/PDT) and next day on Disney+.

[08/06/26 - 10:00 AM]
The Sisters of Salt Are Back! Bravo's "The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City" Returns for Season Seven on Wednesday, Sept. 16 at 8 P.M. ET/PT
Returning this season are housewives Lisa Barlow, Mary Cosby, Heather Gay, Angie Katsanevas, Meredith Marks, Bronwyn Newport, Whitney Rose and friend Britani Bateman.

[08/06/26 - 09:01 AM]
Video: Paramount+ Debuts Trailer for the Explosive and Witty Second Season of "Average Joe," Premiering Globally August 19
After the explosive events of season one, Joe Washington is trying to move forward when a mysterious threat targeting his family sends him and the gang to Cape Town, South Africa.

[08/06/26 - 09:01 AM]
Video: "Lovesick" - Official Trailer - Netflix
During the Mexican Revolution, Emilia Sauri pursues her dream of becoming a doctor, defying convention in search of love, purpose and independence.

[08/06/26 - 09:01 AM]
Video: Trailer & Key Art - Hulu's "Travis Barker: Louder Than Fear" Documentary
The documentary film premieres August 13 on Hulu and Hulu on Disney+ in the U.S. and Disney+ internationally.

[08/06/26 - 08:01 AM]
Video: Alert! Paramount+ Reveals "Clash of the Thundermans" Trailer and First-Look Images, Premiering Thursday, September 3 on Paramount+ and Nickelodeon
Based on the hit Nickelodeon live-action superhero comedy series, "Clash of the Thundermans" follows youngest sibling Chloe as she develops a new and unpredictable superpower, causing the Hero League to demand they send her away to a superhero boarding school to learn to control it.

[08/06/26 - 08:01 AM]
HBO and Sky Original Drama Series "War" Debuts October 1
Created by George Kay, and starring Dominic West and Sienna Miller, the series is co-produced by New Pictures and Observatory Pictures with new episodes of the eight-episode season debuting weekly on Thursdays.

[08/06/26 - 08:01 AM]
Uncover Another Clue: Stephen Merchant Joins "Ludwig" Season Two as Guest Star, BritBox Reveals First Look
Merchant plays Danny Sloane, a cocky snooker champion who is at odds with John in the season's fourth episode.

[08/06/26 - 08:01 AM]
Video: "Madden" - Date Announce - Prime Video
Coach. Broadcaster. Innovator. Legend. Nicolas Cage is John Madden. Watch "Madden" on November 18.

[08/06/26 - 08:00 AM]
"Tip Toe," Starring Alan Cumming and David Morrissey to Premiere Friday, October 2 on Starz
Leo (Alan Cumming) and Clive (David Morrissey) are neighbors in Manchester. But when Leo gives Clive his spare key, an ordinary suburban world becomes a minefield of lies and violence, with terrifying results.

[08/06/26 - 07:38 AM]
TNT Sports to Present Exclusive Wall-to-Wall Coverage of FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup 2026, September 4-13 from Berlin
The tournament headlines TNT Sports' multiyear agreement with FIBA for exclusive U.S. English-language broadcast rights to its marquee men's and women's tentpole events, a slate that also includes the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2027 and FIBA EuroBasket 2029.