or


[01/19/07 - 12:37 AM]
Development Update: Friday, January 19
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 signature "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!


BUSINESS CLASS (NBC) - Bill Oakley and Josh Weinstein's single-camera comedy has been given a cast-contingent pilot order. The NBC Universal Television-based half-hour revolves around the absurd adventures of two traveling soda salesmen. The pair wrote the script and will executive produce alongside Dutch Oven's Doug Liman and David Bartis.

Commitment: Cast-contingent (previously script)
Cast: TBA
Writers: Bill Oakley, Josh Weinstein
Director: TBA
Executive Producers: Bill Oakley, Dave Bartis (Dutch Oven Productions), Doug Liman (Dutch Oven Productions), Josh Weinstein
Studio: NBC Universal Television Studio


THE CAPTAIN (CBS, New!) - "Meet the Parents" screenwriter John Hamburg has booked a pilot order from the Eye for a new single-camera comedy about a young writer whose life changes when he moves into a legendary old Hollywood apartment building. He wrote the pilot script and will direct and executive produce the half-hour, which is based at CBS Paramount Network Television.

Commitment: Ordered to pilot
Cast: TBA
Writer: John Hamburg
Director: John Hamburg
Executive Producers: John Hamburg
Studio: CBS Paramount Network Television


FAST FORWARD (FOX, New!) - Marla Ginsburg ("Highlander") and screenwriter Neena Beber ("How to Deal") are developing a new drama at the network about a young female attorney in New York City. Beber will pen the pilot script and executive produce alongside Ginsburg and Bob Cooper's Fox Television Studios-based Landscape Entertainment.

Commitment: Script
Cast: TBA
Writer: Neena Beber
Director: TBA
Executive Producers: Bob Cooper (Landscape Entertainment), Marla Ginsburg, Neena Beber
Studio: Fox Television Studios


THE MARTINI KID (FOX, New!) - Don Woodard and Tom Maxwell ("Just Shoot Me") are set to team with Bob Cooper's Landscape Entertainment for a potential new comedy at the network. The Fox Television Studios-based half-hour is a single-camera comedy about a socially inept lawyer. Woodard and Maxwell will pen the pilot script and executive produce alongside Cooper.

Commitment: Script
Cast: TBA
Writers: Don Woodard, Tom Maxwell
Director: TBA
Executive Producers: Bob Cooper (Landscape Entertainment), Don Woodard, Tom Maxwell
Studio: Fox Television Studios


PROTECT & SERVE (CBS) - The Gary Scott Thompson-produced hour, about cops living in the Los Angeles suburbs who deal with the stress of police life on and off the job, has been ordered to pilot. Mark Gibson and Phillip Halprin penned the pilot script and will apparently executive produce alongside the NBC Universal Television-based Thompson.

Commitment: Ordered to pilot (previously script)
Cast: TBA
Writers: Mark Gibson, Philip Halprin
Director: TBA
Executive Producers: Gary Scott Thompson, Mark Gibson, Philip Halprin
Studio: NBC Universal Television Studio


THEM (FOX) - FOX has ordered to pilot its small screen take on Michael Oeming and Daniel Berman's graphic novel "Six," about an alien agent who must locate a rogue operative on Earth and finds himself tempted by the planet's offerings. David Eick and John McNamara penned the pilot script to the CBS Paramount Network Television-based hour which Jonathan Mostow will direct. The trio will also executive produce with Circle of Confusion's David Alpert, David Engel and Lawrence Mattis serving as co-executive producers.

Commitment: Ordered to pilot (previously script with penalty)
Cast: TBA
Writers: David Eick, John McNamara
Director: Jonathan Mostow
Executive Producers: David Eick, John McNamara, Jonathan Mostow
Co-Executive Producers: David Alpert (Circle of Confusion), David Engel (Circle of Confusion), Lawrence Mattis (Circle of Confusion)
Studio:


UNTITLED ALEC SOKOLOW/JOEL COHEN PROJECT (NBC, New!) - Alec Sokolow and Joel Cohen ("Garfield: A Tail of Two Kitties") are developing a new single-camera half-hour at the Peacock. The romantic comedy, full details of which weren't specified, will be written and executive produced by the duo and Bob Cooper's Fox Television Studios-based Landscape Entertainment.

Commitment: Script
Cast: TBA
Writers: Alec Sokolow, Joel Cohen
Director: TBA
Executive Producers: Bob Cooper (Landscape Entertainment), Alec Sokolow, Joel Cohen
Studio: Fox Television Studios


UNTITLED DAVID ISRAEL/JIM O'DOHERTY PROJECT (NBC, New!) - David Israel and Jim O'Doherty ("The Tracy Morgan Show") have landed a cast-contingent pilot order for a new workplace comedy about the eccentric staff at a popular wildlife park. The pair wrote the pilot script and will executive produce for NBC Universal Television alongside Conaco Productions' Conan O'Brien, Jeff Ross and David Kissinger.

Commitment: Cast-contingent
Cast: TBA
Writers: David Israel, Jim O'Doherty
Director: TBA
Executive Producers: Conan O'Brien (Conaco Productions), David Israel, David Kissinger (Conaco Productions), Jeff Ross (Conaco Productions), Jim O'Doherty
Studio: NBC Universal Television Studio


THE WORLD ACCORDING TO BARNES (A.K.A. UNTITLED TOM WHEELER PROJECT) (The CW) - Tom Wheeler's dramedy for the netlet has both a title and a pilot presentation order. The Warner Bros. Television-based hour revolves around two cheeky Princeton students who use their skills to help solve crimes. Andrew Plotkin and Steve Pearlman of Class IV Productions are executive producing the project alongside Wheeler.

Commitment: Ordered to pilot (previously script)
Cast: TBA
Writer: Tom Wheeler
Director: TBA
Executive Producers: Andrew Plotkin (Class IV Productions), Steve Pearlman (Class IV Productions), Tom Wheeler
Studio: Warner Bros. Television


Sources: Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Reuters





  [january 2007]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S
 


· BUSINESS CLASS (NBC)
· DEVELOPMENT UPDATE (TFC)
· FAST FORWARD (FOX)
· JUST SHOOT ME (NBC)
· MARTINI KID, THE (FOX)
· PROTECT & SERVE (CBS)
· THEM (FOX)
· TRACY MORGAN SHOW, THE (NBC)
· UNTITLED SOKOLOW & COHEN PROJECT (NBC)
· WELCOME TO THE CAPTAIN (CBS)
· WILDLIFE (NBC)
· WORLD ACCORDING TO BARNES, THE (CW)





[08/21/26 - 10:46 AM]
HBO Max Orders New Comedy Series "The People v. Gorilla Grodd"
The series stars Skyler Gisondo as Jimmy Olsen, Jimmy Tatro as Gorilla Grodd, and "Superman" actors Beck Bennett as Steve Lombard, Mikaela Hoover as Cat Grant, and Wendell Pierce as Perry White.

[08/21/26 - 08:01 AM]
Video: HBO Max Releases Official Season 3 Teaser and First Look Images for the Max Original Drama Series "The Pitt"
The critically acclaimed series, which earned 26 Emmy Award nominations for season 2, will return for its third season in January 2027.

[08/21/26 - 08:01 AM]
BritBox Reveals First Look of Edward Bluemel as Hercule Poirot in "Hercule," Now in Production
The series, which has commenced filming in Liverpool, is an intimate study of Hercule Poirot, the man and an epic portrait of Britain between the wars.

[08/21/26 - 06:33 AM]
Video: "Masterpiece" Fall 2026 Preview
New seasons of "The Marlow Murder Club," "Maigret," and "The Gold," plus the premiere of "Marble Hall Murders" are all coming this fall.

[08/20/26 - 10:31 PM]
A Mother's Fight Against All Odds: Netflix's Gripping Thriller "Gandhari" Premieres September 3, 2026
The emotionally charged action-thriller led by Taapsee Pannu explores the extraordinary lengths one woman will go to when everything she loves is at stake.

[08/20/26 - 07:15 PM]
ESPN Schedule Update: Little League Baseball World Series Coverage Revised for Friday, Aug. 21
The changes are a result of weather-related postponements.

[08/20/26 - 05:01 PM]
Netflix Levels Up Anime-Inspired Slate
"Bass X Machina," "Blue Eye Samurai," "Cyberpunk: Edgerunners," "Fool Night," "Lego One Piece," "Sakamoto Days," and "The One Piece" are among the featured titles.

[08/20/26 - 02:11 PM]
"Lanterns" Debuts Among HBO Max's Biggest Series Premieres with 9.3M Global Viewers
The light shines bright.

[08/20/26 - 02:01 PM]
Prime Video to Exclusively Stream Live-Action Drama Adaptation of "Please Save My Earth" in Autumn 2027
The series is a live-action adaptation of Saki Hiwatari's acclaimed reincarnation-themed sci-fi romance manga, which has sold over 16 million copies since its 1986 debut.

[08/20/26 - 12:31 PM]
Netflix and AMC Global Media Announce New Gritty Drama Series, "Bannerman"
The series will premiere on AMC in the US and Canada and will also be available on Netflix in the US and Canada 90 days after the premiere of the season finale on AMC.

[08/20/26 - 11:24 AM]
"Agatha Christie's Tommy & Tuppence": Modernized Crime-Solving Duo Leads BritBox's Fall 2026 Slate
BritBox heads into fall with the highly anticipated return of some of its most acclaimed crime and mystery favorites.

[08/20/26 - 11:00 AM]
CBS to Mark 25 Years Since the 9/11 Terrorist Attacks with Extensive Live Coverage and Two Primetime Specials
At 8:00 PM, Tony Dokoupil will anchor a CBS News special from Ground Zero, "9/11: We Remember," featuring three stories of survival, loss and hope.

[08/20/26 - 10:01 AM]
Headed Back to Muskoka: Prime Video Renews "Sterling Point" for a Second Season
The eight-episode series debuted on August 5 and quickly became a top series on Prime Video.

[08/20/26 - 09:45 AM]
Academy Award Nominee and Emmy Winner Steven Yeun to Lead Netflix Series "Pagans"
Yeun will play Gus: A single father struggling to raise two kids alone following his wife's death.

[08/20/26 - 09:37 AM]
AMC Global Media's September Highlights Include "The Walking Dead: Dead City," "Blue Murder Motel," "Age Inappropriate," "Hell Mode," the Return of "Season of Screams" and More!
Other offerings include Sundance Now's "Murderer Behind the Mask"; Acorn TV's "The Sommerdahl Murders"; and We TV's "Love After Lockup: The Road to Rehab."