or


[07/12/05 - 12:00 AM]
Development Update: July 11-12
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!

THE '70S HOUSE (MTV) - 2.8 million viewers tuned into the show's launch on July 5, including time period winning scores in persons 12-34, persons 12-24, persons 18-24 and teens 12-17 amongst all cable networks.

ALIEN EXPRESS (A.K.A. DEAD RAIL)/PTERODACTYL (Sci Fi) - The cable channel has provided details for two of its latest Saturday original movies. "Alien Express," which premieres August 13 at 9:00/8:00c, is described as: "Detective Vic Holden (Lou Diamond Phillips, Route 666, Supernova, Young Guns), on board a bullet train making its inaugural run to Las Vegas, must overcome his haunted past to save the train's passengers � including his estranged but still beloved wife � from a hostile alien threat that has begun a rampage in the locked, high-speed locomotive." Next up on August 27 at 9:00/8:00c is "Pterodactyl": "Inside a long-dormant volcano, a clutch of dinosaur eggs has weathered the eons. Now it has hatched, and a special ops combat unit on maneuvers in a South American jungle is about to face a foe unlike any they've ever seen before � one that will teach them a new meaning of the phrase "death from above". Cameron Daddo and Amy Sloan star."

BEING BOBBY BROWN (Bravo) - Just over 1 million viewers tuned into the second week of the cable channel's new reality series, on par with its debut week numbers (1.1 million on average). Among adults 18-49, "Brown" averaged a 2 share.

ENOUGH ABOUT ME (ABC) - Chris Kattan ("Saturday Night Live") has inked a new deal with 20th Century Fox Television to star and executive produce another project for the studio. Kattan was behind the failed ABC comedy pilot "Enough About Me," which was also produced by 20th. Michael Rotenberg of 3 Arts Entertainment will also serve as an executive producer if the project moves forward to pilot.

FRIENDS (NBC) - Nick at Nite has purchased the off-network rights to "Friends" from Warner Bros. Domestic Cable in a split-window deal with TBS. The six-year pact, which begins in the fall of 2011, is valued at $500,000 per episode and includes the post-6:00/5:00c rights to all 236 half-hours of the series. In addition, Warner Bros. will reportedly hold onto several 30-second spots for national ad sales. As for the TBS window (which also runs from 2011-2017), the cable channel will pay about $275,000 per episode for the less desirable pre-6:00/5:00c rights to the series. Unlike its current pact with TBS however, Warner Bros. will not hold back any 30-second spots for national ad sales. The news marks the latest milestone for one of the most successful comedy series of all time. To date, "Friends" has netted Warner Bros. $944 million in off-network sales alone.

KILLER INSTINCT (FOX) - Kristin Lehman ("Tilt") has been tapped to replace Marguerite Moreau as the female lead in the oft-renamed fall drama, previously known as both "Deviant Behavior" and "The Gate." She'll play Marcy Hess, a new character on the series, while Moreau's character, Ava Lyford, will be written out after the pilot episode. 20th Century Fox Television and Regency Television are behind the series, which premieres Friday, September 23 at 9:00/8:00c.

OUT OF PRACTICE (CBS) - Emmy-winning writer/producer Tucker Cawley ("Everybody Loves Raymond") has inked a two-year, mid-seven-figure overall deal with Paramount Network Television. The pact calls for Cawley to develop original projects for the studio as well as serve as a consulting producer on the fall CBS/Paramount comedy "Out of Practice."

PASADENA (FOX) - SoapNet has purchased the off-network rights to the short-lived 2001 FOX drama from Sony Pictures Television. The series starred Alison Lohman and Dana Delany as members of a publishing family with criminal ties. SoapNet will pay a modest $11,500 per episode for all 13 episodes, nine of which never aired on FOX. The cable channel plans to air the series as part of its Saturday "Dysfunctional Family" block starting this fall. The news marks the second purchase of a short-lived FOX series by SoapNet, the first being 2003's "Skin" which completed its run earlier this year on the network. That deal with Warner Bros. Domestic Cable Distribution was valued at $37,500 for each of the eight produced episodes (five of which never aired on FOX).

VON ZERNECK/SERTNER FILMS - Frank von Zerneck and Robert M. Sertner's von Zerneck/Sertner Films has inked a two-year overall deal with Sony Pictures Television. The pact, the pair's first at a studio since forming in 1987, calls for the telefilm veterans to develop and produce original movies and mini-series for Sony's TV arm. The company already has two projects set up at Sony (and CBS): "BTK Murders," based on the recent capture of Wichita, Kansas' notorious serial killer, and "Vampire Bats," a thriller about a college professor looking into the death of a student. In total the duo has helped produce over 125 TV projects over the years.

Sources: Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Reuters





  [july 2005]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S
     


· '70S HOUSE, THE (MTV)
· ALIEN EXPRESS (SCI FI)
· BEING BOBBY BROWN (BRAVO)
· ENOUGH ABOUT ME (ABC)
· EVERYBODY LOVES RAYMOND (CBS)
· FRIENDS (NBC)
· HUNT FOR THE BTK KILLER, THE (CBS)
· KILLER INSTINCT (FOX)
· OUT OF PRACTICE (CBS)
· PASADENA (FOX)
· PTERODACTYL (SCI FI)
· SKIN (FOX)
· TILT (ESPN)
· VAMPIRE BATS (CBS)





[01/13/26 - 03:05 PM]
NBC Issues Drama Pilot Order for "Protection"
When a U.S. Marshal falls in the line of duty, a seemingly cut-and-dry case turns into a deadly conspiracy as a family of law enforcement agents become the target of a mysterious assassin.

[01/13/26 - 03:02 PM]
2025-26 College Football Playoff Semifinals Averaging 14.9 Million Viewers, On Par with 2024-25 Season
The Peach Bowl (Oregon vs. Indiana) drew 18 million viewers on average, while the Fiesta Bowl (Miami vs. Ole Miss) scored 15.8 million viewers.

[01/13/26 - 02:30 PM]
FOX Sports Holds Winning Hand Leading All Networks in Viewership on Wild Card Weekend
41 million viewers watched FOX Sports' presentation of Sunday's NFC Wild Card Round showdown featuring the San Francisco 49ers' win over the Philadelphia Eagles.

[01/13/26 - 02:26 PM]
31.61 Million Viewers for Packers-Bears Playoff on Prime Video Shatters NFL Streaming Record
According to Amazon first-party viewership data, Packers-Bears attracted the most concurrent viewers and highest single-day global viewership in the history of Prime Video.

[01/13/26 - 01:33 PM]
NBC Gives Pilot Order to "The Rockford Files"
From Mike Daniels comes a contemporary update on the classic series of the same name.

[01/13/26 - 12:01 PM]
Netflix Top 10: Week of January 5 - "People We Meet on Vacation" Takes a Trip to No. 1 in This Week's Top 10
In addition to a will they, won't they romance, viewers were sucked into the he said, she said intrigue of "His & Hers," putting the thriller series at No. 1 on the English TV list with 19.9 million views.

[01/13/26 - 12:01 PM]
Video: "Portobello" - Official Trailer - HBO
A man on trial. A nation watching.

[01/13/26 - 10:40 AM]
New Episodes of TLC's "Unexpected" Premiere Monday, February 16 at 9PM ET/PT
The new season follows eight teens who are navigating pregnancy, parenthood, and the realities that come far sooner than expected.

[01/13/26 - 10:00 AM]
HBO Original Documentary "33 Photos from the Ghetto" Debuts January 27
The film tells the story of the only known photographs from inside the Warsaw Ghetto during the April 1943 uprising and its brutal repression that were not taken by German forces.

[01/13/26 - 09:03 AM]
Video: MGM+ Unveils Official Trailer for New Mystery Thriller Series "Vanished"
When a couple's trip to Paris takes a dark turn with the sudden disappearance of her boyfriend Tom (Sam Claflin) aboard a train to the south of France, Alice (Kaley Cuoco) is plunged into a web of intrigue and danger, uncovering shocking secrets about the man she thought she knew.

[01/13/26 - 09:00 AM]
"The Great American Road Rally: Celebrity Edition" to Debut on The CW Network
The series is hosted by Ian Ziering, whose four-decade television career, cultural resonance, and deep connection to automotive culture make him a natural guide for this journey.

[01/13/26 - 08:21 AM]
Video: "The Great American Baking Show: Big Game" (Season 2) - Official Trailer - The Roku Channel
In this Big Game special, sports analyst Mina Kimes and NFL legends Antonio Gates, Von Miller, and Julian Edelman take on three gridiron-themed challenges as they vie for the coveted Star Baker crown.

[01/13/26 - 08:01 AM]
Video: "Queer Eye" Season 10 - Official Trailer - Netflix
In this final season, the Fab Five help Washington, D.C. heroes live their fullest lives through stunning makeovers and emotional transformations.

[01/13/26 - 08:00 AM]
Trevor Noah Returns to Host "The 68th Annual Grammy Awards," Sunday, Feb. 1
This will be Noah's sixth time as host of the Grammy Awards and he will also serve as an executive producer.

[01/13/26 - 07:05 AM]
Apple TV Announces Upcoming Docuseries Featuring Tennis Icon Andre Agassi
The series, which will tell the thrilling, complex and inspiring story of an American legend, will be directed by Emmy Award-winning filmmaker Chris Smith, produced by Smith's Library Films, and executive produced by Stacy Smith and Justin Gimelstob.