or


[03/16/06 - 12:00 AM]
Development Update: March 16
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!

THE 12TH MAN (FOX) - Barry Bostwick (Mayor Randall M. Winston, Jr. on "Spin City") has joined the cast of the comedy pilot, about a benchwarmer (Brian Thomas Smith) on an NBA team. Bostwick will play the team's general manager in the 20th Century Fox Television-based project, which also stars Andrew Katz, Julius Carry, Jodi Lyn O'Keefe and Natalie Garza. Dan Fogelman is behind the half-hour, which Chris Koch is directing. Tim Story also serves as an executive producer.

60 MINUTE MAN (ABC) - Newcomers Kenny Baumann and Candice Bailey have joined the cast of the drama pilot, about a suburban man (David James Elliott) who doesn't remember what he did for one hour each day, driving him to figure out whether he's part of a major national conspiracy. They'll play the children of Elliott's character in the Touchstone Television-based hour, which comes from executive producers Graham Yost, Bert Salke and Chris Brancato. Alex Fernandez, Colm Meaney, Erika Alexander, Gabriel Casseus, Orla Brady and Sarah Jones also star while Jon Avnet is directing.

GAME SHOW MARATHON (CBS) - Ricki Lake ("The Ricki Lake Show") and Stuart Krasnow ("The Weakest Link") have signed on as host and showrunner respectively of the upcoming game show, in which celebrities compete as contestants in recreations of classic formats of the past and present. The initial seven-episode run will be devoted to "The Price Is Right," "Let's Make a Deal," "Match Game" (featuring panelists Betty White and George Foreman), "Card Sharks," "Press Your Luck," "Beat the Clock" and "Family Feud" with Leslie Nielsen, Tim Meadows, Lance Bass, Kathy Najimy, Paige Davis and Adrienne Curry on board as participants. Additional guests are expected to be announced in the coming weeks. In addition, Lake has signed a development deal with "Marathon" producers FremantleMedia North America and Granada America to develop unscripted projects. Krasnow will also serve as an executive producer alongside Fremantle's Cecile Frot-Coutaz and Granada's Curt Northrup and Paul Jackson.

HELP ME HELP YOU (ABC) - Jere Burns (Brian Goodman on "All of Us") is the latest addition to the comedy pilot, about a disparate group of people connected through therapy. He'll play Michael, who's detailed in the casting notice as: "50s, Caucasian or African-American, An attorney. He's a commanding presence with a hair-trigger temper who can explode into rage in an instant. Michael is in Bill's group because the court ordered him into an anger-management program after he threw a phone at his assistant. He has no emotional connection to the group and doesn't want to be there-his snarky comments make this evident. The only upside to the group is the on-going secret affair he's having with fellow group member, Darlene." Charlie Finn, Darlene Hunt, Jim Rash, Lolita Davidovich, Suzy Nakamura and Ted Danson also star in the Regency Television-based half-hour, which comes from creators Alexandra Rushfield and Jennifer Konner. Brian Dannelly directs.

THE JEFF GARLIN PROGRAM (TBS) - Dan Castellaneta (Homer Simpson on "The Simpsons"), Bob Einstein (Larry on "Arrested Development"), Jackie Hoffman (Group Leader on "Starved") and Marla Garlin (Sharon on "The Comeback") have all joined the cast of the comedy pilot, about a fictional variety show hosted by Jeff Garlin and the events of the past week that inspired that particular installment. Castellaneta will play a snippy bank teller with Hoffman as an annoying neighbor and Einstein as the uncle of Garlin's wife (Marla Garlin, playing a version of herself). Garlin himself is behind the half-hour, which he co-wrote with Leo Benvenuti and Steve Rudnick. David Miner and Philip Rosenthal (who has a recurring role) also serve as executive producers.

MR. NICE GUY (ABC) - Diedrich Bader (Tommy Barnett on "Center of the Universe") has joined the cast of the comedy pilot, about a hapless fellow who always ends up looking bad while trying to do the right thing. He'll play Guy, the lead role in the project, who's described in the casting notice as: "Early-mid 30's. The people who know Guy well love him: he's smart, he's funny, and deep down he's really nice. Unfortunately, he is predisposed to say and do inappropriate things that invariably make him look like an ass. In fact, the harder he tries, the more he winds up sticking his foot in his mouth. Despite this, Guy is determined to get through a single day without saying or doing something that pisses someone off. Having to cope with his new out-of-his-league wife, his needy best friend and his crazy sister make this almost impossible." Kevin Weisman and Cara DeLizia also star in the Touchstone Television-based half-hour, which comes from creator Jeff Astrof, director Andy Cadiff and executive producer Peter Traugott. (Note: The original report incorrectly identified Weisman's character as Guy, the title role.)

PRODIGY/BULLY (NBC) - Josh Flitter ("Big Mamma's House 2") is the first to be cast in the comedy pilot, about a family whose genius son uses his smarts to get what he wants. He'll play Henry Tammer in the project, which comes from creators Hank Perlman and Steve Elliott. John Wells, Jon Harmon Feldman and Paris Barclay also serve as executive producers on the half-hour, which is based at Warner Bros. Television.

RUNAWAY (The CW) - Leslie Hope (Melanie Blackston on "Commander in Chief") is the first to sign onto the drama pilot, about a family that, after the husband/father's murder conviction, decide to become fugitives in the hopes that they can buy him enough time to prove his innocence. Hope will play the mother of said family in the Sony Picutres Television-based project, which comes from executive producers Chad Hodge, Darren Star and Ed Zuckerman.

SPLIT DECISION (The CW) - Jessy Schram (Hannah on "Veronica Mars") and Vanessa Lengies (Roxanne Bojarski on "American Dreams") have both joined the cast of the drama pilot, a coming-of-age story about a teenage girl navigating the high school social scene with a "Sliding Doors" twist. Schram will play the lead role in the Spelling Television-based project, with Lengies as an unspecified character. Liz Tigelaar is behind the hour, which also comes from executive producers Aaron Spelling, E. Duke Vincent and Todd Garner. Simon West is expected to direct.

THE UNSUCCESSFUL THUG (HBO) - Mike Epps's ("The Honeymooners") comedy project for the pay channel has been given a green light to produce a pilot. The project centers on the actor/comedian's early days as a small-time criminal with Brad Kaaya, Russell Simmons and Stan Lathan serving as executive producers. Kaaya penned the pilot script, additional details of which weren't released.

UNTITLED CHRIS SHERIDAN PROJECT (NBC) - Jana Marie Hupp (Nancy Burton on "Ed") and Virginia Williams (Claudia on "How I Met Your Mother") have both joined the cast of the comedy pilot, about two brothers (Eddie McClintock, Bruno Campos) on opposite sides of the law who live next door to each other. They'll play the wives of said brothers in the 20th Century Fox Television-based half-hour, which comes from creator Chris Sheridan.

Sources: Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Reuters





  [march 2006]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S
   


· 12TH MAN, THE (FOX)
· 60 MINUTE MAN (ABC)
· ALL OF US (CW)
· AMERICAN DREAMS (NBC)
· ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT (NETFLIX)
· CENTER OF THE UNIVERSE (CBS)
· COMEBACK, THE (HBO)
· COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF (ABC)
· ED (NBC)
· FAMILY FEUD (SYNDICATION)
· GAMESHOW MARATHON (CBS)
· GREAT MALONES, THE (NBC)
· HELP ME HELP YOU (ABC)
· HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER (CBS)
· JEFF GARLIN PROGRAM, THE (TBS)
· LET'S MAKE A DEAL (NBC)
· MR. NICE GUY (ABC)
· PRODIGY/BULLY (NBC)
· RICKI LAKE (SYNDICATION)
· RUNAWAY (CW)
· SIMPSONS, THE (FOX)
· SPIN CITY (ABC)
· SPLIT DECISION (CW)
· STARVED (FX)
· UNSUCCESSFUL THUG, THE (HBO)
· VERONICA MARS (HULU)
· WEAKEST LINK, THE (NBC)





[10/03/26 - 09:31 AM]
Video: Prime Video Debuts Teaser Trailer of "Barbershop"
The comedy series inspired by the beloved film franchise will premiere all eight episodes on February 10, 2027, exclusively on Prime Video in more than 240 countries and territories worldwide.

[10/03/26 - 06:53 AM]
WNBA Playoffs Return to NBC Sports for First Time Since 2002! Postseason Coverage Begins Tomorrow, Oct. 4, at 4 P.M. ET on NBC and Peacock
NBC Sports will present up to seven games of live coverage throughout the Semifinals and WNBA Finals.

[10/03/26 - 06:01 AM]
Video: "Devils' Crest" - Official Trailer - Prime Video
It's all fun and AR games until your real life is in danger.

[10/02/26 - 04:16 PM]
USA Sports' Fever-Aces Game 3 Coverage on USA Network and CNBC Averages 2.25 Million Viewers; Second-Best First Round Game on Record
Viewership of Fever-Aces on USA Network and CNBC peaked at 2.7 million viewers in the 11:15 p.m. ET quarter hour.

[10/02/26 - 02:49 PM]
Yankees Sweep of Red Sox on NBC & Peacock Is Most-Watched First Two Games of MLB Wild Card or Division Series Since 2004
The audience for Wednesday's night's Game 2 peaked at 9.2 million viewers on NBC and Peacock from 9:30-9:45 p.m. ET.

[10/02/26 - 11:08 AM]
Video: "Thou Shalt Not Steal" - Official Trailer - A Network Exclusive
Robyn (Sherry-Lee Watson) breaks out of juvenile detention and starts an odyssey across the harsh Australian outback to a reunion with her estranged father.

[10/02/26 - 11:01 AM]
Natalia Dyer, Jack Reynor and John Magaro Join the Cast of "The Trial of Louise Woodward"
Making their case.

[10/02/26 - 11:00 AM]
Video: Summer May Be Over, But the Beach Is Just Heating Up - Watch the All-New "Baywatch" Teaser Promos
"Baywatch" premieres this January on FOX and next day Hulu.

[10/02/26 - 10:24 AM]
Video: "Wingman" - Official Trailer - ALLBLK
Sophie and Tyler spend their lives making sure everyone else around them finds love. Little did they know that finding love for each other was going to be harder than they thought.

[10/02/26 - 10:00 AM]
TNT Sports to Be Exclusive Home of 2026 American League Division Series & American League Championship Series
This Saturday, October 3, seven-time All-Star José Ramírez and Steven Kwan will lead the Cleveland Guardians against Colson Montgomery, Miguel Vargas and the Chicago White Sox in a division rival showdown.

[10/02/26 - 09:15 AM]
"Fast and Furious" TV Series Greenlit at Peacock
Mike Daniels and Wolfe Coleman are behind the project, with Vin Diesel also among the executive producers.

[10/02/26 - 09:03 AM]
A Night of Mystery! New Series "History's Mystery Files" & A New Season of "The Curse of Oak Island" Premieres Nov. 10
Hosted by actor and comedian Jorge Garcia, each episode of "History's Mystery Files" follows the clues, the evidence, and the questions that refuse to go away.

[10/02/26 - 09:01 AM]
"The Watcher" Season Two to Begin Production, with Naomi Watts & Bobby Cannavale Returning
Margo Martindale and Isabel Gravitt will also reprise their roles in the hit Netflix series from Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan.

[10/02/26 - 08:01 AM]
Video: "The Forsytes" Season 2 Preview
Secrets, ambition, and forbidden passions collide as "The Forsytes" returns for an explosive Season 2, only on "Masterpiece" on PBS in 2027.

[10/02/26 - 07:31 AM]
Netflix Has Officially Renewed "A Different World" for Its Sophomore Season
"A Different World" debuted at #4 in the Global Top 10 English TV list, earning 4.2 million views and hit the Top 10 in 15 countries.