or


[01/26/06 - 12:00 AM]
Development Update: January 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 branded "Devwatch" section. There visitors can view our listings by network, genre, studio and even development stage (ordered to pilot, cast-contingent, script, etc.). It's updated every day!

20 QUESTIONS (ABC) - Thomas Hines's drama pilot, about an idealistic young State Department employee who inadvertently stumbles onto a deadline conspiracy to undermine the United States, has been give the go-ahead to produce a pilot. Michael Engler ("Sex and the City") will direct the Touchstone Television-based project from a script by Hines with the duo executive producing along with Matt Gross and John Wirth.

THE BOOK OF DANIEL (NBC) - The show's official web site indicates one of "Daniel's" four unaired installments will be webcast this Friday beginning at 8:00 p.m. eastern time. No other specifics were given.

HIM & US (ABC) - Recent "How I Met Your Mother" guest star Ashley Williams has joined the cast of the Elton John-produced single-camera comedy pilot, about the life of an over-the-hill rock star, his road manager and the rest of his colorful entourage. She'll play the manager's assistant in the project, which comes from Touchstone Television, the Edelstein Co. and fellow executive producers Cindy Chupack, Michael Edelstein, Bob Halley and Bruce Roberts.

A HOUSE DIVIDED (ABC, New!) - An escalating conflict between a Midwest farming community and the U.S. government that sows the seeds of what will be the next civil war in present-day America is set to be the focus of a potential new drama at the Alphabet. Writer Andrew David Chapman and "Grey's Anatomy" executive producer Mark Gordon are behind the hour, which has a pilot order from the network and Touchstone Television. Chapman penned the pilot script and will co-executive produce while Gordon will executive produce through his Mark Gordon Co. banner.

JAKE IN PROGRESS (ABC) - Jane Espenson, a co-executive producer on the series, has clarified her previous blog post about "Jake's" fate: "A previous post of mine has been interpreted to mean that Jake was cancelled. IT WAS NOT. In fact, I was very careful not to use that word. ABC has been nothing but extremely clear that this season's episodes will air as soon as they have found the right positioning for them, and that the show could well continue beyond this season. I never said "cancelled," but I admit that I was overdramatic with my language - inexcusably so � as I tried to find a humorous/metaphoric take on the reduction of the order. I love my Jake co-workers, and when I wrote the original post, I was very sad that I would not be seeing them on a daily basis for a while. This mood leaked into the post in an inappropriate way -- But then, I'm very new to blogging (count it in days)."

THE JEFF GARLIN PROGRAM (TBS, New!) - "Curb Your Enthusiasm" co-star Jeff Garlin and "Everybody Loves Raymond" co-creator/executive producer Phil Rosenthal have booked a pilot order at the cable channel for what's being described as a throwback to the Jack Benny-style variety hours in which the hosts play themselves. Garlin and Rosenthal will both star as slightly skewed versions of themselves in the project, which begins with a show-within-a-show hosted by Garlin and flashes back to the week prior and the incidents that inspired that variety show episode. Rosenthal will play Garlin's neighbor with various celebrities appearing each week. Garlin wrote the half-hour along with feature writers Steve Rudnick and Leo Benvenuti ("Kicking & Screaming"). Production is set to begin in March with Garlin, Rosenthal and David Miner of 3 Arts Entertainment serving as executive producers.

LOW LIFE (FX) - Minnie Driver ("Will & Grace") has signed on to co-star in the Eddie Izzard-led drama pilot, about a husband-and-wife duo of traveling con artists who, along with their three kids, wander the country in a group of Irish Travelers who live off the grid. She'll play Dahlia, the wife of Izzard's character Wayne. Said project opens with Dahlia's release from prison, where she battled her drug addiction, and the family's subsequent decision to rejoin society and settle down in a suburban community in Baton Rouge, Louisana. Carl Franklin ("Out of Time") is on board to direct the pilot from a script by playwright Dmitry Lipkin, as is Fox TV Studios, who will co-produce with FX and Maverick Television. Izzard, Lipkin and Maverick's Guy Oseary, Michael Rosenberg and Mark Morgan are the executive producers. Production is set to begin in early March in New Orleans.

ULTRA (CBS, New!) - "Joan of Arcadia" creator Barbara Hall has scored a pilot order for a new drama based on the Image Comics property of the same name, about Pearl Penalosa, a single city-girl superhero balancing the demands of greatness with her love life and social calendar. CBS Paramount Network Television is behind the project, which Hall will write and executive produce with David Engel and David Alpert serving as co-executive producers.

THE WAY (CBS, New!) - Writer Adam Kulakow ("Escape to Witch Mountain") and feature producer Michael De Luca are set to team for a new drama at the Eye and Sony Pictures Television about a New England family that copes with the death of the powerful clan's matriarch by using witchcraft to hurt their rivals and build a successful business empire. Kulakow wrote the pilot script to the project, which has been given the green light to produce a pilot, and will serve as a co-executive producer.

Sources: Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Reuters





  [january 2006]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S


· 20 QUESTIONS (ABC)
· BOOK OF DANIEL, THE (NBC)
· CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM (HBO)
· EVERYBODY LOVES RAYMOND (CBS)
· GREY'S ANATOMY (ABC)
· HIM & US (ABC)
· HOUSE DIVIDED, A (ABC)
· HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER (CBS)
· JAKE IN PROGRESS (ABC)
· JEFF GARLIN PROGRAM, THE (TBS)
· JOAN OF ARCADIA (CBS)
· RICHES, THE (FX)
· SEX AND THE CITY (HBO)
· ULTRA (CBS)
· WAY, THE (CBS)
· WILL & GRACE (NBC)





[01/20/25 - 02:01 AM]
Video: "Six Nations: Full Contact" Season 2 - First Look - Netflix
New coaches and fresh players have shaken up European rugby. As the whistle blows for the 2024 Guinness Six Nations Championship, it's anyone's to win.

[01/19/25 - 09:31 PM]
Take a Wild Ride from the Mandap Into Total Madness: "Dhoom Dhaam" Launches on Netflix on February 14
On the night of their wedding, mild-mannered Veer and spunky Koyal are unexpectedly pulled into a frenzied search for the mysterious "Charlie."

[01/19/25 - 03:17 PM]
Video: Paramount+ Debuts Official Trailer for Highly Anticipated Second Season of "1923" Premiering Sunday, February 23
In addition to Harrison Ford and Helen Mirren, "1923" stars Brandon Sklenar, Julia Schlaepfer, Jerome Flynn, Darren Mann, Brian Geraghty, Aminah Nieves, Michelle Randolph, Sebastian Roché, Timothy Dalton and Jennifer Carpenter.

[01/19/25 - 01:31 PM]
FOX Sports Delivers 33.6 Million Viewers for Commanders-Lions NFC Divisional Game
Saturday's NFC Divisional showdown is projected to peak at 35.7 million viewers from 9:30-9:45 PM ET.

[01/17/25 - 07:01 PM]
Prime Video to Premiere Japanese Original Film, "Broken Rage," Directed, Written by, and Starring Takeshi Kitano, Exclusively on Prime Video on February 13
Directed, written by, and starring the legendary filmmaker Takeshi Kitano, who continues to receive worldwide acclaim, "Broken Rage" is based on his concept of exploring "comedy within a violent film."

[01/17/25 - 05:33 PM]
Video: New Trailer - "The Kardashians" Season Six
The season premieres February 6 with new episodes on Thursdays.

[01/17/25 - 05:31 PM]
Lunar New Year Must-Watch: Period Rom-Com Drama Series "Perfect Match" Premieres January 25
The series follows Madam Li (Ni Hong-jie) who moves her five beautiful daughters to the prosperous city of Bianjing to start a teahouse business.

[01/17/25 - 03:39 PM]
"Shifting Gears" Brings Tim Allen Back to ABC and Hulu in Style with 17 Million Total Audience to Date
"Shifting Gears" stood as ABC's strongest series debut in over six years - since 10/16/18 with "The Conners," and marks the most-watched ABC series premiere on streaming to date, based on views in its first seven days on Hulu and Hulu on Disney+.

[01/17/25 - 12:15 PM]
CBS News Will Deliver Special Multiplatform Coverage of the Inauguration of Donald Trump on Jan. 20, 2025
John Dickerson, Maurice DuBois and Margaret Brennan will anchor "Inauguration Day in America - A CBS News Primetime Report," at 10:00/9:00c.

[01/17/25 - 10:34 AM]
Vice TV Schedules "Pitino: Red Storm Rising" Premiere
The six-part docuseries following Rick Pitino in his second season as head coach of the St. John's University men's basketball team, will premiere on Tuesday, February 11 (10:00-11:00 PM ET), with new episodes weekly.

[01/17/25 - 09:30 AM]
Video: We TV Releases Trailer and Key Art for "Love After Lockup: Crime Story"
In this new series, "Love After Lockup" cast favorites from the past and present reveal what led them to a life of crime and landed them behind bars.

[01/17/25 - 09:09 AM]
"Yellowstone" Official Podcast to Premiere on January 23
The weekly podcast, which launches on Thursday, January 23, will feature iHeartMedia's nationally-syndicated top on-air personality Bobby Bones as he dives into all things "Yellowstone," the smash-hit series.

[01/17/25 - 09:04 AM]
Oprah Winfrey to Introduce OWN's Premiere of NAACP Image Award-Nominated "Luther: Never Too Much" During OWN: Spotlight Presentation
The critically acclaimed film celebrates the vocal virtuoso and chronicles the obstacles and triumphs he had along the way to become one of the most decorated and influential artists of all time.

[01/17/25 - 09:01 AM]
Video: "American Manhunt: O.J. Simpson" - Official Trailer - Netflix
The white Bronco. The gloves. The trial of the century. This documentary series investigates the shocking murder case that became a cultural phenomenon.

[01/17/25 - 09:00 AM]
Glory Returns to Rome on January 21 When "Gladiator II" Streams on Paramount+
Over the course of the 28 days following the sequel's release, the original film saw a massive 96% lift in viewership.