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[07/22/05 - 12:00 AM]
Development Update: July 21-22
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!

ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT (FOX) - As a unique promotional strategy to help drum up publicity for the show's upcoming third season debut on September 19, FOX plans to run repeats of 10 episodes from the show's first season on all 35 of the network's owned-and-operated stations. The installments will run for 10 consecutive weekdays beginning August 15. While air times will vary across the country, most stations are expected to broadcast them in the late-night hours. The participating stations will keep all ad revenue from the broadcasts save for one 30-second spot each day that FOX will use to promote the new season. FOX itself on a national level also plans to air four back-to-back episodes of the series on Friday nights for four weeks beginning July 29.

COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF (ABC) - Natasha Henstridge ("She Spies") has scored a recurring role on the upcoming drama series, about the nation's first female president (Geena Davis). She'll play the assistant to Nathan Templeton (Donald Sutherland), the Speaker of the House on the series. Henstridge spent the past development season as the female lead on the failed ABC drama pilot "Pros & Cons."

CRISS ANGEL: MINDFREAK/INKED (A&E) - Wednesday newcomer "Inked" opened to a paltry 890,000 viewers on July 20 with a 0.4 rating/1 share in the key adults 18-49 demographic. Lead-out "Criss Angel: Mindfreak" however fared better at 10:00/9:00c with 1.69 million viewers on average tuning in. Among adults 18-49, "Mindfreak" pulled a 0.8 rating/2 share.

THE SHIELD (FX) - Manager/producer Larry Shuman has inked a first-look deal with Fox TV Studios. The pact calls for Shuman, who helped package the Shawn Ryan-created "The Shield" with the studio and FX, to develop new projects for Fox TV Studios under his Sherman Co. banner. Shuman manages several well-regarded writer/producers, including Ryan, David Shore ("House") and Tim Minear ("The Inside").

THRESHOLD (CBS) - Writer/producer Anne McGrail ("C.S.I.: Miami," "Boomtown") has inked a two-year, seven-figure overall deal with Paramount Network Television. The pact calls for McGrail to come aboard the CBS/Paramount fall drama "Threshold" as a co-executive producer as well as develop new projects for the studio.

VENUS & SERENA: FOR REAL (ABC Family) - 1.50 million viewers tuned into "Venus and Serena: For Real's" launch last Wednesday including a 0.6 rating/2 share among adults 18-49. Said numbers were good enough to beat the season finale of "30 Days" on FX (1.46 million viewers) but fell short of the debut of "Criss Angel: Mindfreak" on A&E (1.69 million). Among female teens, "For Real" averaged a solid 1.2 rating/4 share.

Sources: Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Reuters




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· 30 DAYS (FX)
· ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT (NETFLIX)
· BOOMTOWN (NBC)
· COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF (ABC)
· CRISS ANGEL: MINDFREAK (A AND E)
· CSI: MIAMI (CBS)
· HOUSE (FOX)
· INKED (A AND E)
· INSIDE, THE (FOX)
· PROS & CONS (ABC)
· SHE SPIES (SYNDICATION)
· SHIELD, THE (FX)
· THRESHOLD (CBS)
· VENUS & SERENA: FOR REAL (ABC FAMILY)




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