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)





[05/04/26 - 12:39 PM]
Video: "Busted on Bodycam" - Official Trailer - Tubi Original
Armon Wiggins hosts a loud, viral ride through jaw-dropping bodycam footage, unpacking chaos, drama, and the wildest real-life moments caught on tape.

[05/04/26 - 09:31 AM]
Video: National Geographic Documentary Films Debuts Trailer for Sundance Standout "Time and Water," From the Academy Award Nominated Director of "Fire of Love," Sara Dosa
The documentary opens in theaters globally starting May 29 and later this year on National Geographic and Disney+.

[05/04/26 - 09:01 AM]
One Final Call: "The Night Agent" Starts Production on Fourth and Final Season
"Ever since the initial success of 'The Night Agent,' I've been obsessed with eventually delivering a proper and thrilling conclusion to the show and to Peter Sutherland's journey," said Shawn Ryan.

[05/04/26 - 08:06 AM]
"Son of a Critch" Gets Ready to Graduate as Cameras Roll on the Final Season of the Coming-of-Age Comedy
In its final season, "Son of a Critch" finds Mark in his last year of high school just as Newfoundland's cod moratorium crisis turns his world upside down.

[05/04/26 - 08:01 AM]
Video: "The Four Seasons" - Season 2 Official Trailer - Netflix
The friends reunite for four new seasonal get-togethers, as they process a personal loss and embrace the regrets and reinventions of middle age.

[05/04/26 - 07:01 AM]
Video: "Wanda Sykes: Legacy" - Official Trailer - Netflix
In her next stand-up comedy special, Wanda Sykes returns to her alma mater with a fearless funny takedown of everything from the state of the world to the cultural clash over washcloths.

[05/04/26 - 07:01 AM]
Maverick Entertainment Announces Peacock Premiere Date for "Another Man's Wife" Starring Sydney Mitchell, Moritz J. Williams, and Taye Diggs
The film will premiere exclusively on Peacock on May 8, 2026.

[05/04/26 - 06:31 AM]
Lifetime Announces New Faith Based Movie "Thou Shall Not Commit Adultery" Starring Erica Campbell, CJ Williams, Trai Byers and Jasmine Guy
In the film, a renowned Christian feminist icon and bestselling author, finds her world turned upside down when she becomes the target of a blackmail scheme.

[05/04/26 - 06:03 AM]
Video: "The Golden Life" First Teaser Brings Drama, Chaos & Clashes to Florida - E! News
See Sonja Morgan, Luann de Lesseps, Dorinda Medley, Ramona Singer and Kelly Bensimon let loose (and make it nice) in the first sneak peek at E!'s upcoming series.

[05/04/26 - 06:01 AM]
Filming Begins on the Third and Final Season of "Breathless"
In this third season, the arrival of podcast host Judit Casat (Belén Cuesta) as the hospital's new manager will put all the medical staff under pressure, and especially board president Patricia Segura (Najwa Nimri).

[05/03/26 - 02:40 PM]
NBC Sports Delivers the Most-Watched Kentucky Derby on Record, Averaging 19.6 Million Viewers on NBC & Peacock in Historic "Run for the Roses"
Viewership peaked at 24.4 million viewers from 7-7:15 p.m. ET, as jockey Jose Ortiz guided Golden Tempo around the final turn to win by a neck over Renegade, and made Cherie DeVaux the first woman to train a Kentucky Derby winner.

[05/02/26 - 07:01 AM]
Video: "My 2 Cents" - Official Trailer - Netflix
Zero and Wild Boar run a small bar, but financial troubles and misunderstandings put them both under pressure - just as a figure from the past returns.

[05/01/26 - 11:32 PM]
Development Update: Week of April 27-May 1
Updates include: NBC cancels "Brilliant Minds," "Stumble"; ABC passes on comedy pilot "Do You Want Kids?"; and CBS locks in episode orders for nine series next season.

[05/01/26 - 02:01 PM]
Video: "Impuros" - Official Trailer - Hulu
Step into '90s Rio, where a criminal mastermind builds an empire.

[05/01/26 - 01:33 PM]
"Live with Kelly and Mark" Jumps Back from Spring Break with Fifth Straight Week of Growth Among Both Total Viewers and Households
Dominating the New York market, "Live with Kelly and Mark" towers over its closest competition this season by double and triple digits in Total Viewers, Adults 25-54 and Women 25-54.