or


[06/17/05 - 12:00 AM]
Development Update: June 15-17
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!

30 DAYS (FX) - 1.7 million viewers on average tuned into the launch of Morgan Spurlock's documentary series on Wednesday, nearly three-quarters of which were among the adults 18-49 demographic. Said viewership marked significant gains from the numbers for FX's last major unscripted efforts: "Todd TV," which opened to 803,000 viewers in January of last year, and the two-hour "Friday Night Fix" block, which saw just 404,000 viewers tune in back in the summer of 2003.

DA VINCI'S INQUEST (Syndication) - Program Partners has upped the Canadian drama's U.S. clearance to more the 90% of the country. WGN Chicago, KXAS Dallas-Ft. Worth, WJLA Washington, KHOU Houston, KMOV St. Louis, WPXI Pittsburgh, WBAL Baltimore, KSWB San Diego, WFSB Hartford, WMC Memphis, KSL Salt Lake City and KOTV Tulsa are among the stations recently signing on the carry the series. "Inquest," which is produced by Haddock Entertainment and Barna-Alper Productions, is currently in its seventh season in Canada.

ENTERTAINMENT TONIGHT (Syndication) - Ryan Devlin ("Grounded for Life") has been tapped to host "ET on MTV" and "ET on VH1," the MTV and VH1 versions of Paramount Domestic Television's syndicated newsmagazine "Entertainment Tonight." He'll take over for Maria Menounos, who previously hosted both series.

FIREFLY (FOX) - Sci Fi Channel's off-network acquisition of the series, which was first reported back in May (read the story), reportedly is valued at $450,000 per episode. The news means that Sci Fi will pay about $6.75 million for the 15 produced hours of the series, three of which never aired on FOX. "Firefly's" run begins on the network on Friday, July 22 at 7:00/6:00c.

KILL REALITY/THE GIRLS NEXT DOOR (E!) - The cable channel has confirmed launch dates for two of its latest unscripted entries. "Kill Reality" will bow on Monday, July 25 at 10:00/9:00c while "The Girl Next Door" is set to launch on Sunday, August 7 at 10:00/9:00c. "Reality" tracks the production of the E! original horror movie "The Scorned," the cast of which includes several former reality TV stars: Ethan Zohn, Jenna Lewis, Jon Dalton and Jenna Morasca from "Survivor," Trishelle Cannatella, Tonya Cooley and Steven Hill from "The Real World," Bob Guiney and Trish Schneider from "The Bachelor," Reichen Lehmkuhl from "The Amazing Race" and Stacie J. Upchurch from "The Apprentice." "Survivor" alumnus Rob Cesternino also penned the script to the project (along with screenwriters Scott Zakarin and Eric Mittleman) which will debut on the network in September with a more explicit DVD release due the following month. Meanwhile, "Girls" is an eight-part series about the lives of three of Hugh Hefner's girlfriends, all of whom live at the Playboy Mansion.

MARTHA (Syndication) - Los Angeles NBC affiliate KNBC-TV has announced the upcoming Martha Stewart series will be broadcast weekdays at 3:00 p.m. beginning Monday, September 12, where it will face off against rival KABC-TV's "The Oprah Winfrey Show" in the market. To make room for the series, current occupant "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" will move to 4:00 p.m. starting September 5 as a lead-in to KNBC's local 5:00 p.m. newscast.

PSYCHE (USA, New!) - Feature writer Steve Franks ("Big Daddy") has scored a cast-contingent pilot order from the cable channel for a new dramedy about a psychic detective who's only pretending to be psychic. Tagline Pictures is behind the project, which will be executive produced by the company's Kelly Kulchak, Chris Henze, J.B. Roberts and Ron West. "Psyche" tracks a slacker with a penchant for sleuthing who opts to claim he's psychic after one of his tips to local police (via the nightly news) gets him in trouble after proving to be a little too accurate. The man, who comes from a family of cops (but lost out on a chance to be one after a felony charge as a teen), eventually is recruited as the police department's resident psychic, helping out on cases the cops think they can't solve through ordinary means.

THE SHIELD (FX) - The cable drama wrapped its fourth season to the tune of 3.2 million viewers, 2.0 million of which fell into the key adults 18-49 demographic. Both scores helped "The Shield" finish as the top draw among men 18-49 (1.2 million on average) amongst all cable series this year to date. Overall, "The Shield" finished its season up 26% in total viewers and 16% in adults 18-49 from last season, not to mention just 100,000 viewers shy of its most-watched season (its second).

STRONG MEDICINE (Lifetime) - The sixth season premiere of "Strong Medicine," in which Rick Schroder joined the cast, was seen by 2.9 million viewers. Said numbers marked a 20.69% increase from its opener last season (2.3 million on 6/13/04). Ratings for lead-out "MISSING" however were not specified.

THE TRIANGLE (Sci Fi) - Lou Diamond Phillips, who guest starred on episodes of the WB's "Jack & Bobby" and CBS's "Numb3rs" this past season, has joined the ensemble cast of the six-hour mini-series, about a disparate group of professionals who are brought together to investigate the dangerous truths behind the Bermuda Triangle. He'll join the previously cast Eric Stoltz, Catherine Bell, Michael Rodgers, Bruce Davison and Sam Neill in the project, which is currently in production in Cape Town, South Africa for a December premiere.

Sources: Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Reuters





  [june 2005]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S
   


· 30 DAYS (FX)
· AMAZING RACE, THE (CBS)
· APPRENTICE, THE (NBC)
· BACHELOR, THE (ABC)
· ELLEN DEGENERES SHOW, THE (SYNDICATION)
· ENTERTAINMENT TONIGHT (SYNDICATION)
· FIREFLY (FOX)
· GIRLS NEXT DOOR, THE (E)
· GROUNDED FOR LIFE (WB)
· JACK & BOBBY (WB)
· KILL REALITY (E)
· MARTHA (HALLMARK)
· MISSING (LIFETIME)
· NUMB3RS (CBS)
· OPRAH WINFREY SHOW, THE (SYNDICATION)
· PSYCH (USA)
· REAL WORLD, THE (FACEBOOK)
· SHIELD, THE (FX)
· STRONG MEDICINE (LIFETIME)
· SURVIVOR (CBS)
· TODD TV (FX)
· TRIANGLE, THE (SCI FI)





[07/31/26 - 08:01 AM]
Rebecca Hall to Join Netflix Series Based on Dan Brown's "The Secret of Secrets"
She'll play Katherine Solomon for the upcoming series adaptation of the mystery thriller novel by Dan Brown, the sixth installment in his "Robert Langdon" series.

[07/31/26 - 08:00 AM]
ESPN to Carry More Than 445 MLB Games Across Its Platforms in August
The month-long schedule includes seven newly selected exclusive matchups on ESPN and ABC, ESPN Unlimited MLB Games of the Day and more than 400 out-of-market MLB.TV games available through the ESPN App.

[07/31/26 - 07:01 AM]
Video: "Moria" - Official Trailer - Netflix
In this highly stylized fictionalization, Moria Casán transforms her life story into a symbolic spectacle of fame, controversy and ceaseless reinvention.

[07/31/26 - 07:01 AM]
Video: "The Shards" - Official Trailer 3 - FX
Real friends stab you in the front.

[07/31/26 - 06:04 AM]
"ESPN Jeopardy!" Is Now Streaming on Disney+, Hulu and the ESPN App
The series features ESPN commentators and celebrity sports fans competing on the iconic Alex Trebek Stage.

[07/31/26 - 05:23 AM]
ESPN Announces New Shaboozey Track "High Noon" Featuring Gunna as 2026-27 College Football Season Anthem
ESPN has collaborated with musical artists for the past 13 years to create an anthem that drives excitement and awareness around ESPN's comprehensive college football coverage.

[07/31/26 - 04:56 AM]
Netflix Introduces the "Chumbak" Family, Moving Into Every Home on August 28
"Chumbak" is a feel-good multi-generational comedy set in a contemporary urban Indian neighbourhood where no celebration is too small, no crisis ever stays private and everyday comes with a healthy dose of hungaamaa.

[07/30/26 - 11:33 PM]
Video: "Vadhandhi" Season 2 - Official Trailer - Prime Video
When skeletal remains are unexpectedly discovered at a highway site, SI Moosa Raaza races against time to unveil the truth.

[07/30/26 - 05:01 PM]
Video: "Mousetrap" - Official Teaser - Netflix
A reclusive writer wakes to find his identity stolen - and must ally with a ruthless loan shark to reclaim his life from a man known as "The Rat."

[07/30/26 - 03:37 PM]
HBO Orders New Limited Series "The Trial of Louise Woodward"
Based on a true story, the five-episode limited series stars two-time Emmy nominee Meghann Fahy.

[07/30/26 - 11:11 AM]
Video: We TV and All Reality Share Sneak Peek at New Original Unscripted Series "Love After Lockup: Relationship Rehab" Premiering This October
Five fan-favorite couples from the hit "Love After Lockup" franchise will join psychiatrist and nationally recognized relationship expert, Dr. Ish Major, to repair their broken bonds.

[07/30/26 - 10:37 AM]
NFL Network Added to the ESPN App, Further Expanding Year-Round NFL Coverage for Fans, All in One Place
The addition brings one of football's most established dedicated destinations for live games, replays of unforgettable matchups, studio programming and original content directly into the ESPN App.

[07/30/26 - 09:49 AM]
"American Experience" Announces New Slate of Limited-Series Documentaries for PBS and a Surge in Digital Growth
The new broadcast and digital lineup kicks off with "Lindbergh," a highly anticipated three-part documentary series premiering in May 2027.

[07/30/26 - 09:17 AM]
Paramount+ Greenlights "Clueless" Event Series Starring Alicia Silverstone
Picking up 30 years after the original film, beloved Beverly Hills icon Cher Horowitz has figured out a lot: She's successful in business and has mastered motherhood - that is, until her daughter's high school years, and Cher finds that parenting a teenager makes her feel "clueless" all over again.

[07/30/26 - 09:03 AM]
Video: "A Beautiful Obsession" - Official Trailer - Prime Video
Coming soon - an unflinching four-part docuseries capturing the final chapters of Pep Guardiola's dramatic decade at Man City.