or


[03/29/06 - 12:00 AM]
Development Update: March 29
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!

52 FIGHTS (ABC) - Constance Zimmer (Brianna on "In Justice") has joined the cast of the Touchstone Television-based half-hour, about a couple's (Christine Taylor, Matt Letscher) transition from dating to marriage. She'll play best friend of Taylor's character, who is facing the demise of her own marriage. As expected, Zimmer's involvement is in second position to her duties on "Justice" should it return next season. Alex Taub is behind the project, which also stars Chris Diamantopoulos.

CABLE RATINGS ROUND-UP (Various) - HBO's "The Sopranos" once again topped all cable series for the week of March 20-26 with 8.9 million viewers tuning in. Lead-out "Big Love" also finished in the top 10 with an audience of 3.7 million (#8), up a tick from its sophomore outing (3.4 million). Also faring well: the season finale of FX's "The Shield" (3.2 million, #12), MTV's "The Gauntlet" (3.1 million, #14), USA's "WWE Raw" (5.1 million, #5) and a repeat of "Monk" (3.3 million, #10), the season premiere of Comedy Central's "South Park" (3.5 million, #9) and the special "Ron White: You Can't Fix Stupid" (4.5 million, #7). Outside of the top 15, Bravo offered up the premieres of "Blow Out 3" (521,000 viewers) and "The Real Housewives of Orange County" (430,000) last Tuesday. Both broadcasts fell short of "Top Chef" (720,000 viewers) that week.

EBAUM'S WORLD (USA) - Martin Sargent (G4's "Unscrewed With Martin Sargent") and former WWE star Chris Jericho have been tapped to host the pilot, which features a mix of humorous and shocking "viral videos" from the popular web site of the same name. Production is set to begin next month on the one-hour project, with Fox TV Studios and Simon Andreae's Incubator banner producing.

FLIRT (The CW) - Barry Wernick's comedy project, originally in the works at UPN, has been given a pilot order from the CW with former daytime talk show host Wayne Brady attached to star. The Touchstone Television-based half-hour revolves around the only man (Brady) working at a women's magazine. Barry Wernick penned the pilot script and will executive produce along with Kevin Kelly Brown, Lawrence Bender and Claudia Lonow. Gary Halvorson, who's already helming Jace Richdale's comedy pilot at NBC and "Play Nice" at CBS, is on board to direct.

MY EX-LIFE (CBS) - Kelsey Grammer, who directed the pilot to "Out of Practice" this past season, has signed on to helm the comedy pilot, about two divorced couples and the way they deal with their lives after divorce. He'll take over for Andy Cadiff on the 20th Century Fox Television-based half-hour, which comes from creator Richard Appel. Gillian Vigman and Thomas Cavanagh star.

SCRUBS (NBC) - Tad Quill, a recently named executive producer on the veteran comedy, has inked a two-year, seven-figure overall deal with Touchstone Television. The pact, which begins on July 1, will keep Quill on board the NBC half-hour should it return next season as well as call for him to develop original projects for the studio.

SHARK (CBS) - Danielle Panabaker (Phoebe North on "Yours, Mine and Ours") is set to play daughter to James Woods in the drama pilot, about a celebrity attorney (Woods) who becomes a prosecutor. She joins the previously cast Alexis Cruz, Jeri Ryan, Romy Rosemont, Sarah Carter and Sophina Brown in the 20th Century Fox Television-based hour, which comes from executive producers Brian Grazer, David Nevins and Ian Biederman. Spike Lee is directing from a script by Biederman.

Sources: Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Reuters





  [march 2006]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S
   


· 52 FIGHTS (ABC)
· BIG LOVE (HBO)
· BLOW OUT (BRAVO)
· CHALLENGE, THE (PARAMOUNT PLUS)
· EBAUM'S WORLD (USA)
· FLIRT (CW)
· IN JUSTICE (ABC)
· MONK (USA)
· MY EX-LIFE (CBS)
· OUT OF PRACTICE (CBS)
· PLAY NICE (CBS)
· REAL HOUSEWIVES OF ORANGE COUNTY, THE (BRAVO)
· SCRUBS (ABC)
· SHARK (CBS)
· SHIELD, THE (FX)
· SOPRANOS, THE (HBO)
· SOUTH PARK (COMEDY CENTRAL)
· TOP CHEF (BRAVO)
· UNTITLED JACE RICHDALE PROJECT (NBC)
· WWE RAW (NETFLIX)





[09/09/26 - 03:52 PM]
"College GameDay" Wins Week 1 With Top-Three Regular Season Show on Record
Coverage of Clemson/LSU was the top Saturday game of Week 1.

[09/09/26 - 03:30 PM]
ESPN's US Open Coverage Is Most-Viewed Since 2022 Through Third Round
The full-tournament average so far is up 5% over 2025 and the most viewed since 2022, the year of Serena Williams' final match before her return this year.

[09/09/26 - 01:01 PM]
Star-Studded Lineup Set to Present at the 78th Emmy Awards, Sept. 14 on NBC and Peacock
They'll join host Emmy Award-winning actor, director, producer and television icon Mariska Hargitay.

[09/09/26 - 12:09 PM]
ESPN to Exclusively Televise MLB Doubleheader on September 23 Featuring Matchups with Postseason Implications
Look for Cleveland Guardians/Boston Red Sox and Houston Astros/Seattle Mariners on said date.

[09/09/26 - 12:01 PM]
Top 10 Most-Watched Prime Original Films & Series for the Week of August 31
"Reacher," "Sterling Point," "Off Campus," "The Grand Tour," and "The Traitors" led all original series worldwide.

[09/09/26 - 11:51 AM]
BYUtv's "Big Stories" Returns for Fourth Season Featuring NFL Legends and Untold Stories from Across the Big 12
Each 7-to 10-minute episode will be available to stream for free alongside each game on the BYUtv app and at BYUtv.org.

[09/09/26 - 10:52 AM]
Lifetime Announces New Original Documentary "Kimora Lee: On Her Own" Premiering September 20
Model, businesswoman and mother, Kimora Lee, tells her story through candid interviews with her children, family, friends and collaborators to chronicle her extraordinary journey from one of Karl Lagerfeld's youngest Chanel models to the visionary behind Baby Phat.

[09/09/26 - 10:15 AM]
Michael Kelly Joins Season Three of the Paramount+ Hit Series "Landman"
Kelly will star as William Crockett, the leader of the largest oil management firm in the world.

[09/09/26 - 10:01 AM]
Host Jane Krakowski and New Bandleader Robin Thicke Set the Stage for an All-New Season of "Celebrity Name That Tune"
Ice-T and Tony Hawk face off in the season premiere on Monday, September 21.

[09/09/26 - 10:00 AM]
"Saturday Night Live" to Premiere 52nd Season Sept. 26 on NBC and Peacock
Jalen Brunson, Dakota Johnson, Shane Gillis, and Inde Navarrette are the first wave of hosts.

[09/09/26 - 10:00 AM]
Prime Video Announces 2026 New York Comic Con Programming
"Blade Runner 2099," "Bloodaxe," and "Helluva Boss" are the featured projects.

[09/09/26 - 09:19 AM]
Johnny Knoxville and the Gang Make One Final Raucous Return for "Jackass: Best and Last," Streaming on Paramount+ September 24
Grab your buddies, raise your glasses and experience the cinematic event that promises to be the last time you'll ever laugh this hard.

[09/09/26 - 09:16 AM]
New Dating Series Will Discover If Singles Can Fall in "Love at First Sight"
Do you believe you could see someone and know instantly that they're the one?

[09/09/26 - 09:07 AM]
Nirvana to Receive Video Vanguard Award During "2026 MTV Video Music Awards" Airing Live Sept. 27 on CBS
On this date in 1992 (9/9/92), Nirvana took to the "VMAs" stage for the first time - shaping music, culture and MTV forever.

[09/09/26 - 09:05 AM]
"Ghost Adventures" Returns with Chilling All-New Season - Wednesday, September 30 on Discovery Channel
Navigating abandoned frontier towns, centuries-old landmarks and historic estates, investigators Zak Bagans, Aaron Goodwin, Jay Wasley and Billy Tolley delve into the shadows of America's turbulent past in pursuit of restless dark forces wreaking havoc on the living.