or


[04/27/07 - 05:04 PM]
Development Update: Week of April 23-27
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!


ANDY BARKER, P.I. (NBC) - Jonathan Groff, the co-creator of the short-lived comedy, has inked a two-year overall deal with 20th Century Fox Television. The pact, which has an option for a third year, calls for the writer/producer to create new series projects for the studio.


BROTHERHOOD (Showtime) - Tony winner Brian F. O'Byrne ("Frozen") has joined the cast of the pay channel drama, which returns for its second season this fall. He'll play Colin Carr, a charming but ruthless cousin of Jason Isaacs and Jason Clarke's characters who comes from Ireland to Providence and gets involved in the former's criminal world.


FAMILY GUY (FOX) - Twentieth Television has upped the show's off-network clearance to local stations covering 90% of the country. KBCW/KPIX San Francisco-Oakland, WMOR Tampa-St. Petersburg, Florida, KSAZ/KUTP Phoenix, KMSP/WFTC Minneapolis-St. Paul, WUAB/WOIO Cleveland, WOFL/WFTC Orlando-Daytona Beach, WPGH/WCWB Pittsburgh and KMCI/KSHB Kansas City, Missouri were among the latest stations to sign on to carry the series, which begins its syndicated run this fall. In total, "Guy" was been cleared in 150 markets, including 24 of the top 25.


GREY'S ANATOMY/PRIVATE PRACTICE (ABC) - Krista Vernoff and Marti Noxon has been tapped as the day-to-day showrunners of "Grey's Anatomy" and "Private Practice" respectively next season. Said appointments come as creator Shonda Rhimes preps for the expected series order for the latter series, the backdoor pilot of which airs next week.


LAW & ORDER (NBC) - Chris Levinson, a co-executive producer on the flagship series, has inked a two-year overall deal with NBC Universal Television. The pact calls for the writer/producer to develop new series projects for the studio, regardless of "Law & Order's" fate.


LEVEL NINE (UPN) - Sci Fi's off-network run of the short-lived UPN drama is set to begin Friday, June 1 at 7:00/6:00c. The cable channel purchased the broadcast rights to the series last year (read the story) as part of its deal with CBS Paramount Domestic Television for "Star Trek: Enterprise."


LIFETIME ORIGINAL SERIES (Lifetime) - The cable channel has detailed its full 2007-08 season development slate (read the story), which includes a half-dozen scripted series as well as a handful of unscripted projects and original movies. The scripted efforts are: "Burnt Toast," an adaptation of Teri Hatcher's memoir of the same name from "Reba" creator Allison Gibson and the ABC Television Studio; "Chambermaid," about a law school grad who clerks for a power-hungry judge from Paula Weinstein ("Blood Diamond") and Jeffrey Levine ("Monster-in-Law"); "Bailey Weggins," a small screen take on the series of mystery novels about a recently divorced investigative reporter by Cosmo editor-in-chief Kate White from Lionsgate Television and executive producers Lawrence Bender, Kevin Brown and Rick Copp ("The Brady Bunch Movie"); "Lovely and Talented," about a woman who opens an adult-education class for women trying to attain stardom from executive producer Denise Di Novi and creator/co-executive producer Eileen Walls; and "Mile High," an adaptation of a British series about an airline crew of the same name from executive producer Jill Condon ("Friends") and original series creator Jane Hewland for the ABC Television Studio. The quintet joins the previously announced "The Madness of Jane" (previously "Ava"), starring Ever Carradine, the pilot of which is close to wrapping post-production.

On the unscripted front, pilot orders have been issued to "Judgment Day," a popularity contest from Fox Television Studios, and "America's Psychic Challenge," which pits psychics against each other, from Bunim-Murray Productions ("The Real World"). Also in the works are "Going for Broke," from Reveille ("The Biggest Loser") and Super Delicious ("MTV's '70s House"), a competition series where women in financial trouble battle to have their debt forgiven, as well as the previously announced "How to Look Good Naked," hosted by "Queer Eye" alum Carson Kressley from RDF Media. As for its signature - original movies - Lifetime is developing everything from "House of Hilton," a biopic of the Hilton family's rise from poverty to immense wealth; to "Victoria Woodhull," about the story of the woman who in 1872 ran for president even though women didn't have the right to vote; to "Custody of the Heart," a movie about a custody battle between the stepfather and birth father of a 13-year-old girl. Telefilm gurus Howard Braunstein and Michael Jaffe are behind both "Hilton" and "Heart," the former of which will use Jerry Oppenheimer's book as a basis. Barbara Lieberman ("Murder in the Hamptons") and Robert Greenwald ("Beach Girls") then are shepherding "Woodhull" alongside Agatha Dominik, John Crutchfield, Arlene and Irving Sorkin ("Something the Lord Made").


THE O.C. (FOX) - Writer/producer John Stephens has signed a six-figure, two-script deal with the show's producer Warner Bros. Television. The pact calls for Stephens to pen two original scripts for the studio.


OCTOBER ROAD (ABC) - Co-stars Lindy Booth and Rebecca Field are set to be upped to series regulars should "Road" return for a second season. It's understood said decision was made to keep the actors from testing for other pilots this season, a solid sign the show is on track to return in the fall.


Sources: Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Reuters





  [april 2007]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S


· '70S HOUSE, THE (MTV)
· AMERICA'S PSYCHIC CHALLENGE (LIFETIME)
· ANDY BARKER, PI (NBC)
· BAILEY WEGGINS (LIFETIME)
· BEACH GIRLS (LIFETIME)
· BIGGEST LOSER, THE (USA)
· BROTHERHOOD (SHOWTIME)
· BURNT TOAST (LIFETIME)
· CHAMBERMAID (LIFETIME)
· CUSTODY OF THE HEART (LIFETIME)
· DEVELOPMENT UPDATE (TFC)
· FAMILY GUY (FOX)
· FRIENDS (NBC)
· GOING FOR BROKE (LIFETIME)
· GREY'S ANATOMY (ABC)
· HOUSE OF HILTON (LIFETIME)
· HOW TO LOOK GOOD NAKED (LIFETIME)
· JUDGMENT DAY (LIFETIME)
· LAW & ORDER (NBC)
· LEVEL NINE (UPN)
· LOVELY & TALENTED (LIFETIME)
· MADNESS OF JANE, THE (LIFETIME)
· MILE HIGH (LIFETIME)
· MILE HIGH (BBC AMERICA)
· MURDER IN THE HAMPTONS (LIFETIME)
· OC, THE (FOX)
· OCTOBER ROAD (ABC)
· PRIVATE PRACTICE (ABC)
· QUEER EYE (BRAVO)
· REAL WORLD, THE (FACEBOOK)
· REBA (CW)
· SOMETHING THE LORD MADE (HBO)
· STAR TREK: ENTERPRISE (UPN)
· VICTORIA WOODHILL (LIFETIME)
· WIFE SWAP (PARAMOUNT)





[06/24/25 - 01:31 PM]
CBS and MTV Announce Van Toffler's Return to the Video Music Awards (VMAs)
CBS will present the 2025 Video Music Awards for the first time, airing LIVE from UBS Arena, Sunday, September 7 (8:00-11:00 PM, ET/5:00-8:00 PM PT), and streaming on Paramount+.

[06/24/25 - 12:02 PM]
What's New on Max This July
Feature films making their streaming premieres include "Sinners," "On Becoming a Guinea Fowl," "Opus," "Death of a Unicorn," and "I Love You Forever."

[06/24/25 - 12:01 PM]
Netflix Top 10 Week of June 16: "Tyler Perry's Straw" Leads Top 10 for Third Week, "The Waterfront" Swims to No. 1
Plus: "Ginny & Georgia" Season 3 racked up another 8.1 million views and felt peachy keen at No. 2, while Season 2 landed at No. 8 and Season 1 at No. 10, with an additional 2.7 million views each.

[06/24/25 - 11:01 AM]
"Ransom Canyon" Renewed for Season 2 on Netflix
Season 1 spent four weeks in the Global Top 10 TV (English) list and reached Top 10 TV in 77 countries.

[06/24/25 - 11:01 AM]
"American Gangster: Trap Queens" Returns to BET+ for a Fourth Season on Thursday, July 10
Narrated by two-time Grammy-nominated rapper, actress, and radio personality Da Brat, each episode chronicles a Queen's journey as she builds a multi-million-dollar underworld empire, before her fall and ultimate redemption.

[06/24/25 - 10:36 AM]
Gugu Mbatha-Raw and Richard Madden Will Star in "Trinity" - A New High Stakes Drama Thriller Series from the Creator of "Bodyguard"
In the Netflix project, a heroic Naval Officer becomes involved with the charismatic Secretary of Defense, only to discover he may be at the heart of a dangerous conspiracy.

[06/24/25 - 09:54 AM]
The CW Network Brings Romance to Primetime with Six Original Movies Inspired by Harlequin Bestsellers
Presented by CW Originals, Centinel Media and Bell Media, developed in association with Fremantle and produced by Neshama Entertainment, these heartwarming romances feature fan-favorite stars from hit CW series.

[06/24/25 - 09:01 AM]
Wonder Project to Launch Subscription Offering in Fall 2025 Exclusively on Prime Video in the U.S.
Season Two of the biblical drama series "House of David" from Wonder Project and Amazon MGM Studios will exclusively be available with a Wonder Project subscription on Prime Video.

[06/24/25 - 09:01 AM]
Season Two of "Homicide Squad New Orleans" from Executive Producer Dick Wolf Delves Deeper Into the Fearless Team of New Orleans Homicide Detectives as They Safeguard Their City
Produced by Wolf Entertainment and 44 Blue Productions the new season premieres Thursday, July 17 at 9pm ET/PT on A&E.

[06/24/25 - 09:00 AM]
Video: Trailer and Key Art Debut - Hulu Original Series "Suspicious Minds"
The six-episode first season will premiere on Thursday, July 10 on Hulu in the U.S. and Disney+ internationally.

[06/24/25 - 09:00 AM]
HBO Original Two-Part Documentary "Billy Joel: And So It Goes" Debuts July 18
The project is an expansive portrait of Billy Joel, the six-time Grammy-winning, Rock & Roll Hall of Famer from Long Island, New York.

[06/24/25 - 09:00 AM]
Video: Official Trailer for Acorn TV's Alicia Silverstone-Led Crime Drama, "Irish Blood"
The series, starring and executive produced by Award-winning actress Alicia Silverstone, premieres on Monday, August 11, exclusively on Acorn TV in the U.S. and Canada, with new episodes releasing weekly on Mondays.

[06/24/25 - 08:42 AM]
Third Most-Watched WNBA Game Ever on ESPN: Indiana Fever vs Las Vegas Aces Averaged 1.7 Million Viewers, Up 52% from Last Year's ESPN Average
Said coverage peaked at 2.2 million viewers.

[06/24/25 - 08:25 AM]
Scott McGillivray and Bryan Baeumler Return in Season Two of HGTV's Competition Series 'Renovation Resort Showdown' Premiering Tuesday, July 22, at 9 p.m. ET/PT
Real estate expert and contractor Scott McGillivray and builder and home renovation expert Bryan Baeumler will oversee their next epic renovation competition in a new eight-episode season.

[06/24/25 - 08:01 AM]
First Look Debut - Netflix's "My Life with the Walter Boys" Season 2
The hit series returns to Netflix this summer.