or


[08/26/05 - 12:00 AM]
Development Update: August 25-26
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!

AMBUSH MAKEOVER (Syndication) - E! Entertainment's Style Network has purchased the rights to all 180 half-hour episodes of the short-lived Banyan Productions syndicated series, which Twentieth Television canceled earlier this year. Episodes will run weekdays at 6:00/5:00c beginning Monday, September 12 on the cable channel. No financial details were given about the pact, which is nonexclusive.

BLACKBEARD (Hallmark, New!) - Angus Macfadyen ("Miracles"), Stacy Keach ("Prison Break") and "The Thorn Birds" co-stars Richard Chamberlain and Rachel Ward are set to star in a new four-hour mini-series for the cable channel, a slightly fictionalized take on the tales of the pirate Blackbeard. Hallmark Entertainment and Larry Levinson Productions are behind the project, which Kevin Connor ("Frankenstein") will direct from a script by Bryce Zabel (NBC's upcoming "The Poseidon Adventure"). Production is currently underway on the Caribbean-set story for a June 2006 airdate.

PAGING DR. FREED (FOX, New!) - Michael Feldman ("That's So Raven") has scored a put pilot order from FOX for a new comedy about two gynecologist brothers who can't seem to sever the umbilical cord with their own mother. The project, which Feldman wrote on spec, is set up at Brad Johnson's 20th Century Fox Television-based Watson Pond Productions. It's understood FOX is fast-tracking "Freed" for possible midseason consideration following a bidding war with NBC. Casting is set to begin shortly.

SCI FI CHANNEL ORIGINAL MOVIES (Sci Fi) - The cable channel has confirmed its two October originals will be "Dungeons & Dragons II: Wrath of the Dragon God" and "Cerberus." The former, which premieres Saturday, October 8 at 9:00/8:00c is described as follows: "Five heroes undertake a quest to prevent the rise of a dragon god and an evil sorcerer � who intend to subjugate the world under their reign of fire and shadow. Mark Dymond (the James Bond film Die Another Day), Bruce Payne (reprising his role as Damodar from the original Dungeons & Dragons) and Clemency Burton-Hill (the upcoming miniseries Supernova) star in this fantasy epic based on the popular role-playing game."

And on Saturday, October 29 at 9:00/8:00c look for "Cerberus": "Art historian Samantha Gaines (Emmanuelle Vaugier, Mindstorm, Wishmaster 3: Beyond the Gates of Hell) is shanghaied into the search for the fabled Sword of Mars, a weapon of such infernal might that its possessor is said to be invincible. But even for those who know how to find the hidden blade, it isn't free for the taking: It's guarded by the Cerberus, a three-headed hellhound. And the Cerberus doesn't defend only the sword � it also stands sentry before a portal to Hell itself. Sebastian Spence (star of the SCI FI original series First Wave), Greg Evigan (TV's TekWar) and Garret Sato (The Shadow, The Mask, Pearl Harbor) also star."

THAT GUY (FOX, New!) - Josh Lobis ("The Tracy Morgan Show") and Darin Moiselle ("Special Unit 2") have snagged a script order from FOX for a new comedy about a 35-year-old man who decides to embrace a "second puberty" and start living his life like a 21-year-old. Feature director Ivan Reitman ("Evolution") is on board to executive produce the project through his Montecito Picture Co. along with his producing partner Jackie Marcus. No studio is currently attached to the project, which also includes a cash penalty should it not go forward to pilot.

VANISHED (FOX, New!) - FOX has given a hefty six-figure put pilot commitment to a new serialized drama from writer/producer Josh Berman ("Killer Instinct"). The project, Berman's first out of his new four-year overall deal with 20th Century Fox Television, will track the search for Sarah Collins, a senator's wife who goes missing as part of a larger conspiracy, through the eyes of law enforcement, family members and the media. No other details were given.

WEEKENDS AT THE D.L. (Comedy Central) - The cable channel has quietly shaved off the Sunday installment of the previously thrice-a-week talk show, which will now run only on Fridays and Saturdays at 11:00/10:00c. The news comes after two weeks of pre-emptions (for the Pamela Anderson roast on August 14 and a "South Park" marathon on August 21). To date "Weekends" has been averaging 626,000 viewers with the Sunday editions being the least watched at 427,000 on average. In addition, several writers have been axed (Robert Morton however will remain the showrunner) as the show adjusts to a slightly different format. Comedy Central executive VP of programming and development Lauren Corrao told Daily Variety: "In the first couple of weeks, the problem was that the format felt too much like what Letterman and Leno do, for example opening with a monologue. Essentially, the show didn't feel like it belonged on Comedy Central. We made some changes that give the show a lighter tone and more energy so it has the Comedy Central attitude." The changes appear to be working as 727,000 viewers tuned into the most-recent (August 20) installment. Overall, "Weekends" is performing on par with fellow late-night newcomer "Too Late With Adam Carolla" (628,000 viewers on average) despite not having "The Daily Show With Jon Stewart" as a lead-in.

UNTITLED LORENE SCAFARIA PROJECT (ABC, New!) - Feature writer Lorene Scafaria (the upcoming "Nick and Nora's Infinite Playlist") has pacted with the film's producers Chris and Paul Weitz to develop a new half-hour comedy for the Alphabet and Touchstone Television. The single-camera project, which was set up prior to the Weitzs' recently signed two-year overall deal with NBC Universal Television, is described as a "Scrubs"-esque comedy set in the faculty room of a New Jersey public high school. While it will be ensemble piece, one of the central characters is understood to be a young English teacher who's returning to the school from which she graduated eight years earlier. Scafaria will write the pilot script and serve as a co-executive producer with the Weitzs executive producing.

Sources: Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Reuters





  [august 2005]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S
 


· AMBUSH MAKEOVER (SYNDICATION)
· BLACKBEARD (HALLMARK)
· CERBERUS (SCI FI)
· DUNGEONS & DRAGONS 2: WRATH OF THE DRAGON GOD (SCI FI)
· FIRST WAVE (SCI FI)
· FRANKENSTEIN (HALLMARK)
· KILLER INSTINCT (FOX)
· MINDSTORM (SCI FI)
· MIRACLES (ABC)
· PAGING DR. FREED (USA)
· POSEIDON ADVENTURE, THE (NBC)
· PRISON BREAK (FOX)
· SCRUBS (ABC)
· SOUTH PARK (COMEDY CENTRAL)
· SPECIAL UNIT 2 (UPN)
· THAT GUY (FOX)
· THOSE WHO CAN'T (ABC)
· TOO LATE WITH ADAM CAROLLA (COMEDY CENTRAL)
· TRACY MORGAN SHOW, THE (NBC)
· VANISHED (FOX)
· WEEKENDS AT THE DL (COMEDY CENTRAL)





[10/03/25 - 02:17 PM]
ESPN's Record-Setting '25 MLB Wild Card Series
Across eight games, the MLB Wild Card Series is averaging 4.4 million viewers, up 65% from last year.

[10/03/25 - 12:37 PM]
BET+ Sets October 23 Premiere for "Carl Weber's The Family Business" Season 6
The 10-episode season will premiere with two episodes, followed by one episode weekly, with the finale on Thursday, December 18.

[10/03/25 - 12:07 PM]
"Dancing with the Stars" Continues to Shatter Records - Growing Two Weeks in a Row Since Season Premiere for First Time Since 2005
Plus: "High Potential" hit a season high in Total Viewers (4.24 million), growing by double digits over the show's comparable third episode from last fall.

[10/03/25 - 10:57 AM]
Legends, Champions and Icons of October Highlight FOX Sports' Postseason Broadcaster Lineup
FOX Sports begins its Postseason coverage Saturday, October 4 at 4:00 PM ET on FOX, FOX Deportes, the FOX Sports App and FOX One as the New York Yankees face the Toronto Blue Jays.

[10/03/25 - 10:05 AM]
All-New Season of "Gold Rush" Returns with High-Stake Risks and Land Fury on Friday, November 7 at 8PM ET/PT on Discovery
With only a few short months to mine, top bosses and rising underdogs collide in a race to claim new ground, move more dirt, and strike it rich.

[10/03/25 - 09:12 AM]
FOX Nation Secures Exclusive U.S. Rights to Docuseries "Elizabeth Taylor: Rebel Superstar"
The acclaimed series will make its anticipated U.S. debut on FOX Nation on Monday, October 6.

[10/03/25 - 08:02 AM]
TNT Sports to Be Exclusive Home of 2025 NLDS & NLCS
Both best-of-five NLDS series begin Saturday, October 4.

[10/03/25 - 08:01 AM]
TNT Sports Sets BIG EAST Men's College Basketball Schedule for Inaugural 2025-26 Season
TNT Sports' regular season BIG EAST men's basketball schedule will feature 40 appearances by St. John's, UConn, Creighton, Xavier, and Marquette, programs that each clinched berths in last season's NCAA Men's Tournament.

[10/03/25 - 07:01 AM]
Video: "27 Nights" - Official Trailer - Netflix
When a woman is admitted by her daughters to a psychiatric clinic for her carefree ways, an expert must judge if she is ill or simply wants to enjoy life.

[10/03/25 - 04:01 AM]
Video: "Steve" - Official Trailer #2 - Netflix
Over one intense day, the devoted head teacher of a last-chance reform school strives to keep his students in line while facing pressures of his own.

[10/03/25 - 03:02 AM]
Miguel Herran Will Play Poli Diaz in "El Porto the Vallecas," the New Film by Daniel Calparsoro for Netflix
Inspired by true events, the film follows the life of Policarpo "Poli" Díaz (Miguel Herrán), a young man from Vallecas who, despite a childhood marked by poverty and family violence, became a boxing legend in 1980s Spain, even fighting for the world lightweight title.

[10/03/25 - 03:01 AM]
Netflix Honors Jane Goodall with Posthumous Release of "Famous Last Words" Docuseries Following Her Passing
The series showcases reflective interviews with some of the world's most influential cultural figures, who agreed to sit down and discuss their legacy, and give their final words, with the understanding that it would only be shared with the world after they passed.

[10/02/25 - 04:09 PM]
ESPN Delivers the Most-Watched WNBA Semifinals Ever
Game 5 between the Indiana Fever and the Las Vegas Aces averaged 1.8 million viewers, peaking at 2.1 million.

[10/02/25 - 03:01 PM]
Video: "Twisted Wonderland" - Trailer - Disney+
Your favorite villains reimagined in ways you've never dared to dream.

[10/02/25 - 02:51 PM]
ESPN's Record-Setting Day One of MLB Wild Card Series
Coverage of Red Sox versus Yankees averaged 6.5 million viewers, peaking at 9.9 million.