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[02/15/08 - 05:25 PM]
Development Update: Week of February 11-15
By The Futon Critic Staff (TFC) |
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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!
24 (FOX) - Co-creator/executive producer Joel Surnow is departing the series after seven and a half seasons. "I did some soul-searching," Surnow told the trade publications. "I took it as an opportunity to write on my own and do other things." The news comes on the eve of his overall deal with 20th Century Fox Television expiring. Surnow's exit nevertheless won't derail the show's production as fellow executive producer Howard Gordon has served as the day-to-day showrunner in recent years alongside co-creator Robert Cochran.
CW NOW (The CW) - In a follow up to our February 8 report (read the story), The Hollywood Reporter has subsequently confirmed the series has indeed been canceled. "While you always wish the ratings were higher, we are proud of 'CW Now' and how it improved every week from a creative standpoint," CW COO John Maatta said in a statement. "The program was a highly collaborative endeavor, and you can't put a price tag on what we learned from this project." The show's final broadcast is set for February 24.
HOLE IN THE WALL (FOX, New!) - FremantleMedia North America is looking to import the Japanese game show in which contestants, dressed in spandex and hard hats, play a game of human Tetris versus a shape-changing moving barrier in order to avoid being knocked into a pool of water. YouTube.com and "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" have popularized the format domestically. Fuji Television originated the family-friendly show in July of 2006. As for specifics, teams gain or lose points depending on whether they manage to stay dry through each round. Stuart Krasnow is on board to executive produce the U.S. version alongside FremantleMedia chief Cecile Frot-Coutaz.
IFL BATTLEGROUND (MyNetworkTV) - The fledgling netlet has opted out of a second season of its formerly top-rated series. The show was widely reported as being part of the network's 2007-08 season plans over the summer. Its March 12 launch scored a then record 0.8 household rating but ultimately sagged by its final first-run airing on September 24. Repeats were featured briefly on Saturday nights during October and November. IFL coverage nevertheless will continue on previous partner Fox Sports Net as well as the newly added HDNet.
POSSIBLE SIDE EFFECTS/THE UNITED STATES OF TARA (Showtime) - The pay channel has confirmed both pilots are still a go following the strike's resolution. In addition, Craig Gillespie ("Lars and the Real Girl") has signed on to direct the latter project, about a woman (Toni Collette) with multiple-personality disorder. "Juno" screenwriter Diablo Cody penned the half-hour, which comes from DreamWorks Television. Tim Robbins then is behind "Effects," a drama about a family that runs a pharmaceutical company and the political, scientific and bureaucratic machinery that makes up the pharmaceutical industry. Elaine Goldsmith-Thomas and Daniel Thomas also serve as executive producers.
THE RICHES (FX) - The cable channel has slated the show's second season to launch on Tuesday, March 18 at 10:00/9:00c. Like fellow sophomore entry "Dirt," only seven of the 13 episodes ordered were shot prior to the strike. The network has opted to bring back both series with truncated runs rather than wait until their original 13-episode order was completed. Izzard, Minnie Driver, Shannon Woodward, Noel Fisher, Aidan Mitchell, Margo Martindale, Gregg Henry, Todd Stashwick and Jared Harris all star. FX Productions and Fox Television Studios are co-producing.
UGLY BETTY (ABC) - Executive producers Marco Pennette and James Hayman have been let go from the series, the same week it was renewed for a third season. The news marks its latest behind-the-scenes shuffle, coming on the heels of letting five writers go after its freshman run. Silvio Horta, Salma Hayek and Jose Tamez will continue on as the remaining active executive producers.
UNTITLED DENISE RICHARDS PROJECT (E!, New!) - Denise Richards's long-rumored reality series has been officially announced by the cable channel. E! staple Ryan Seacrest ("Keeping Up With the Kardashians") is executive producing the project, which will focus on Richards's life as a single mom following her high-profile divorce from Charlie Sheen. The proposed series made headlines earlier this year after Sheen went to court over Richards's decision to allow their children in front of the cameras. Ryan Seacrest Productions's Eliot Goldberg will serve as a co-executive producer. No launch date was specified.
UNTITLED JUSTIN HARTLEY PROJECT (The CW) - Justin Hartley ("Smallville") has inked a talent holding deal with the network. The actor toplined two recent pilots for the network - "Aquaman" and "Spellbound" - and was brought in to replace Johnny Lewis on the midseason entry "Eight Days a Week." That project has been in limbo since the WGA strike as only the original pilot has been completed thus far. Said deal then calls for the CW to find a new project for the actor.
UNTITLED DAVID KOHAN/MAX MUTCHNICK PROJECT (ABC, New!) - "Will & Grace" creators David Kohan and Max Mutchnick have landed the first major TV sale since the end of the WGA strike, pacting with ABC for a new multi-camera comedy at the network. The semi-autobiographical project, which was written on spec prior to the strike, revolves around two men - one straight, one gay - who are lifelong best friends/business partners that find their relationship threatened after each begin serious romantic relationships. Said half-hour, which is based at Warner Bros. Television and has a pilot commitment, is not to be confused with their CBS effort from last season, about a gay writer and a straight writer who are best friends and their hot young assistants.
WOMEN'S MURDER CLUB (ABC) - R. Scott Gemmill, Elizabeth Craft and Sarah Fain have all been let go from the freshman drama. Said development comes as the Alphabet mulls the fate of the 20th Century Fox Television-based hour, which will ultimately hinge on finding a replacement. Craft and Fain, who created the series, will remain under their overall deals with 20th, as will Gemmill.
Sources: Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Reuters
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[04/11/25 - 02:36 PM]
ESPN's First Round Masters Tournament Coverage Averages 2.3 Million Viewers
The coverage aired from 3-7:23 p.m. ET and was the most-viewed sports program for the day across all broadcast and cable networks.
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[04/11/25 - 01:06 PM]
Max Original "The Pitt" Concludes Its Freshman Season Averaging Over 10 Million Global Viewers Per Episode
The first episode has tallied 16.2 million global viewers thus far.
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[04/11/25 - 09:00 AM]
"Companion" Begins Streaming Exclusively on Max April 18
Written and directed by Drew Hancock, the film stars Sophie Thatcher, Jack Quaid, Lukas Gage, Megan Suri, Harvey Guillén, and Rupert Friend.
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[04/11/25 - 08:00 AM]
Epic Adventure Drama, "Nautilus," Set to Premiere with Two Episodes on Sunday, June 29 on AMC and AMC+
The captivating series stars Shazad Latif as the iconic Captain Nemo: an Indian Prince robbed of his birthright and family, a prisoner of the East India Mercantile Company and a man bent on revenge against the forces that have taken everything from him.
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[04/11/25 - 01:46 AM]
"Flintoff" Documentary Film to Premiere April 25 Exclusively on Disney+
The documentary film features exclusive access to former international cricketer and broadcast presenter Andrew "Freddie" Flintoff.
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[04/10/25 - 05:01 PM]
Video: "Weak Hero Class 2" - Official Trailer - Netflix
New school, new friends. Haunted by his past, Si-eun faces harsher brutality but stands by his friends - growing stronger as he finds himself.
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[04/10/25 - 02:00 PM]
Culinary Titan Gordon Ramsay Goes Undercover to Rescue America's Filthiest Restaurants in FOX's All-New Unscripted Series "Gordon Ramsay's Secret Service"
In a Gordon Ramsay series first, Chef Ramsay will venture into struggling restaurants under the cover of night.
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[04/10/25 - 01:30 PM]
"When Hope Calls" Season 2, Sequel to TV's #1 Hit Series, Is a Smashing Success for Great American Media
Episode 2, "So Long, Not Goodbye", drops onto Pure Flix today and premieres on Great American Family, Sunday, April 13 at 8 p.m. ET.
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[04/10/25 - 12:28 PM]
Video: Lifetime Releases Trailer for Highly Anticipated Documentary Event "The Judd Family: Truth Be Told"
Profiling one of the greatest country music families of our time, the doc examines Naomi Judd's complicated bond with her daughters, Wynonna and Ashley, that both tied them together and drove them apart.
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[04/10/25 - 12:05 PM]
Lifetime Greenlights New "Ripped from the Headlines" Movie "Kidnapped by a Killer: The Heather Robinson Story" Starring Steve Guttenberg, Jana Kramer and Rachel Stubington Premiering June 7
The film is based on the true story of Heather Robinson who was abducted as a baby and raised by the family of a serial killer who was convicted of murdering her mother.
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[04/10/25 - 12:00 PM]
Video: "Jessica Kirson: I'm the Man" - Official Trailer - Hulu
Take it like a man and brace yourself an hour of raw and revealing comedy in Jessica Kirson's new stand-up special that goes all. the. way.
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[04/10/25 - 11:16 AM]
Official Date Announcement: Meet the Players of "Summer of 69"
Directed by Jillian Bell, the film - debuting May 9 on Hulu - features an ensemble cast including Chloe Fineman, Sam Morelos, Charlie Day, Paula Pell, Liza Koshy, Nicole Byer and more.
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[04/10/25 - 10:12 AM]
A Whirlwind Romance, Suspicious Deaths, A Questionable Will and Outright Fraud Lead to a Mighty Reckoning in Oxygen True Crime's "Southern Fried Lies"
The two-hour special "Southern Fried Lies" premieres Sunday, April 27 at 6 p.m. ET/PT on Oxygen and will be available to stream on Peacock on April 29.
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[04/10/25 - 10:00 AM]
Video: Paramount+ Releases Official Trailer and Premiere Date for "SkyMed" Season Three
All nine episodes will be available for binge viewing on streaming and on demand on Thursday, May 15, exclusively on Paramount+ in the U.S., Latin America and Brazil.
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[04/10/25 - 09:45 AM]
Paramount+'s New Hit "MobLand" Surges with 8.8 Million Global Viewers; Biggest Series Launch Ever on the Service Up +298% from Premiere Day
The new global crime series premiered Sunday, March 30, exclusively on Paramount+ in the U.S., Canada, the U.K. and Australia and will be coming to other P+ international markets soon.
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