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[07/16/08 - 08:05 PM]
Development Update: Wednesday, July 16
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!
CSI: CRIME SCENE INVESTIGATION (CBS) - Executive producers Carol Mendelsohn and Naren Shankar have confirmed William Petersen is departing the series as a full-time cast member. Petersen, who already was set for a reduced role on the show's upcoming ninth season (read the story), will exit in episode 10. Nevertheless, he'll continue as an executive producer on the series alongside his producing partner Cynthia Chvatal and make occasional guest appearances. As part of the build up to Petersen's exit, Sara Sidle (Jorja Fox), Lady Heather (Melinda Clarke) and "The Miniature Killer" are all expected to make return appearances. Entertainment Weekly further reports that to help fill Petersen's (as well as Gary Dourdan's - who was killed off in the season finale) void, Liz Vassey and David Berman have been upped to regulars while casting has begun for a new regular ("a male professor with a genetic quirk") in addition to the previously announced Lauren Lee Smith. Lastly, feature director William Friedkin ("To Live and Die in L.A.") has been recruited to helm the show's upcoming 200th episode following last year's duties on the episode "Cockroaches."
DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES (ABC) - Newcomers Joshua Moore, Kendall Applegate and twins Charles and Max Carver are all set to join the cast of the show's upcoming fifth season. They'll play Parker, Penny, Porter and Preston, respectively, the children of Tom and Lynette Scavo (Doug Savant and Felicity Huffman) who, due to the show's "flash forward," are now five years older. Zane Huett, Kerstin Pinkerton, Brent Kinsman and Shane Kinsman all originated said roles.
IRREPARABLE HARM (HBO, New!) - Writer Jesse Wigutow ("Eragon") and director Eugene Jarecki ("Why We Fight") are developing a new telefilm at the pay channel about the true story of Frank Snepp, the head of the CIA's strategic analysis in Saigon during the Vietnam War. The project, which Jarecki is also executive producing, will track Snepp as he returns to the U.S. after the fall of Saigon and, after being conflicted over what had just happened, decides to reveal the true story of the U.S. withdrawal from Vietnam. Said account, detailed in his book "Decent Interval: An Insider's Account of Saigon's Indecent End, Told by the CIA's Chief Strategy Analyst in Vietnam," ultimately led to a court battle with the CIA. Wigutow's script then will be based on Snepp's second book, "Irreparable Harm: A Firsthand Account of How One Agent Took on the Agency in an Epic Battle Over Free Speech." Paula Weinstein and Spring Creek's Palak Patel are also executive producing.
LIFE ON MARS (ABC) - "October Road" alum Jonathan Murphy has joined the cast of the newcomer, about a modern-day police detective (Jason O'Mara), who, after a car crash, finds himself mysteriously transported back to 1973 and still working as a detective. Murphy will play Chris Skelton, a jittery young detective who is new to the department. His casting is part of a post-pilot revamp of the series by incoming executive producers Josh Appelbaum, Andre Nemec and Scott Rosenberg. Michael Imperioli also stars.
SCRUBS (ABC) - Bill Lawrence and Zach Braff confirmed during the show's panel at the TCA the latter will likely depart the series after its upcoming eighth season. Like William Petersen (see above) however, Braff says he's open to returning as a guest star and/or director. "My sense is this is my last year," Braff told reporters. "If the show does continue like he's saying, like an 'ER' kind of thing, I would love to come back and visit and definitely direct some - and do craft service if they need some help." In any case, production on the show's 18-episode order will be completed next month. Also confirmed at the panel: the series will finally switch to HD for its eighth season; six two- to four-minute webisodes are being shot to help promote the show's move to ABC; and upcoming guest stars include Courteney Cox, Lee Thompson Young, Aziz Ansari, Betsy Beutler and Eliza Coupe.
SINCERELY, TED L. NANCY (FOX, New!) - Ted L. Nancy's book "Letters From a Nut" is once again being targeted for the small screen, this time by FOX. The network has given a cast-contingent presentation order to the project, which centers on a regular guy who, after suffering through too many faulty products and customer service mishaps, decides to take on the corporations by writing letters that "seek to avenge the consumer frustrations of people everywhere." Barry Marder, Chuck Martin, Gary Auerbach and Rob Lee are all behind the Lionsgate-based half-hour, which is being likened to a "Borat"-like mockumentary style, featuring him doing outrageous stunts involving regular people. ABC previously took at stab at bringing the book to the small screen back in 2002. Lionsgate, Auerbach's Go Go Luckey Productions and Lee's Bayonne Entertainment subsequently picked up the rights last year (read the story).
SIT DOWN, SHUT UP (FOX) - Sony Pictures Television and most of the show's writing staff have settled their dispute over the animated comedy's status as part of the IATSE's Animation Guild. "This contract is a compromise -- an improvement over the standard TAG terms we were initially offered but not full WGA coverage," said writers Mitch Hurwitz, Josh Weinstein, Rich Rinaldi, Aisha Muharrar, Alex Herschlag, Laura Gutin, Dan Fybel, Aaron Ehasz, Michael Colton and John Aboud in a joint statement. "Compromises are never easy nor satisfying, always less comforting than a clear victory. We know that this is part of an ongoing struggle." Not agreeing to terms however were Bill Oakley, Weinstein's longtime writing partner, and Ken Keeler. A statement from the WGA, where the writers were trying to move the show to, noted that "when Sony offered to pay 'WGA equivalent residuals' and to give each writer up to $200,000 in additional compensation through a blind script deal, most of the writers decided to accept. We understand why they did so but wish they hadn't. Had they stuck together we believe that they would have won WGA coverage for 'Sit Down, Shut Up!'"
THE UNLIMITED (ABC, New!) - Sean Bailey ("Project Greenlight") has booked a $500,000 put pilot commitment from the Alphabet for a new drama about a Texas basketball coach who discovers that his recently deceased father was actually one of the world's most brilliant minds and that he's inherited his genius. Bailey, who penned the pilot on spec, will executive produce via his Idealogy banner. Said company was formed last year after Live Planet, his partnership with Ben Affleck, Matt Damon and Chris Moore, got out of the TV and film business to focus on new media.
UNTITLED GREG DANIELS/MICHAEL SCHUR PROJECT (A.K.A. UNTITLED OFFICE SPIN-OFF PROJECT) (NBC) - "Saturday Night Live's" Amy Poehler is in final negotiations to join the cast of the Greg Daniels/Michael Schur project, which is no longer being billed as a spin-off of "The Office." Poehler would join the previously cast Aziz Ansari on the project, which will air after "The Office" on Thursday nights next year. Full details about the show obviously still remain under wraps. Poehler presumably will exit "SNL" or take on a reduced role.
Sources: Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Reuters
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[02/07/25 - 01:13 PM]
ABC Claims Top 5 Shows Among Adults 18-49 in Cross-Platform Broadcast Series Rankings
Driven by stellar streaming viewership on Hulu and Disney+, three ABC titles more than triple their seven-day linear averages, including "High Potential" (+297%), "Abbott Elementary" (+270%) and "Shifting Gears" (+242%).
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[02/07/25 - 01:01 PM]
NBC Celebrates the Legacy of "Saturday Night Live" on Feb. 15 with the First-Ever "SNL" Telecast Airing at 11:30 p.m. ET/PT
Plus: an encore of the critically acclaimed documentary "Ladies & Gentlemen... 50 Years of SNL Music" will start the night at 8 p.m. ET/PT.
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[02/07/25 - 01:00 PM]
Video: "Between Walls" - Official Trailer - Hulu
Marga (Aislinn Derbez) and MartÃn (Christian Vazquez) happen to meet on a dating app, unaware they are neighbors.
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[02/07/25 - 12:01 PM]
NFL Slimetime Presents Nickelodeon's Game Changers: Brand-New Special for Kids & Families Debuts Wednesday, Feb. 26, at 8:00 P.M. (ET/PT) in Honor of Black History Month
Leading into the special, Nickelodeon will premiere a brand-new episode of Tyler Perry's Young Dylan titled "Red Tails," at 7:30 p.m. (ET/PT).
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[02/07/25 - 10:08 AM]
CBS Wins Thursday Night with Top 4 Programs of the Night, Up from Its Thursday Season Average
"Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage" (8:00-8:30 PM) was the #1 program of the night delivering 6.54 million viewers.
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[02/07/25 - 10:04 AM]
All-New Season of "Naked and Afraid" Premieres on Sunday, March 9 at 8PM ET/PT on Discovery Channel
From the sweltering jungles in the Philippines to the rugged bluffs of the American Midwest, each episode of the new season presents unique environments, unprecedented obstacles and history-making duos as they are brought together with no water, no food and no clothes.
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[02/07/25 - 10:02 AM]
FX's "English Teacher" Renewed for Season Two
The show's first season has received three Critics Choice Awards nominations, including Best Comedy Series, and four nominations for the Film Independent Spirit Awards, including Best New Scripted Series.
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[02/07/25 - 09:32 AM]
Starz Partners with Verizon to Include 1 Year Subscription for Eligible Customers in New Home Internet Offer
This offer is for new customers in Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washington, DC markets who order Fios 1 Gig or 2 Gig Home Internet or for customers in the Atlanta market who order 5G Home Plus.
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[02/07/25 - 09:10 AM]
CBS "Hollywood Squares" Is the Season's #1 New Unscripted Series Reaching Nearly 24 Million Unique Viewers
The show is televisions #1 new unscripted series this season averaging 5.40 million viewers in primetime alone.
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[02/07/25 - 09:01 AM]
Video: Trailer & Key Art Debut - "Chris Distefano: It's Just Unfortunate"
Chris Distefano is trying to be the best father he can be but nowadays, words speak louder than actions - so Chris is acting with the right intentions, but not always the right moves.
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[02/07/25 - 09:00 AM]
Animated Academy Award Nominee "Flow" Begins Streaming Exclusively on Max February 14
A wondrous journey, through realms natural and mystical, "Flow" follows a courageous cat after his home is devastated by a great flood.
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[02/07/25 - 09:00 AM]
Video: "Winner" - Official Trailer - Hulu
Based on the true story, the ambitious but eccentric Reality Winner (Emilia Jones) finds herself in the middle of a political scandal when she becomes a surprising NSA whistleblower.
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[02/07/25 - 09:00 AM]
Video: Prime Video Orders New Unscripted High School Series "Sweethearts" and Releases Trailer
"Sweethearts" follows the lives of six teenage couples in Charleston, South Carolina, as they navigate the end of high school and their final summer together as a couple, before heading off to college.
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[02/07/25 - 08:02 AM]
Lucy Lawless Returns for an All-New Season of Acorn TV's "My Life Is Murder"
Starring Lucy Lawless as the fearless and unapologetic investigator Alexa Crowe, each season sees her solving puzzling cases in Auckland, New Zealand with a little help from her witty friends.
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[02/07/25 - 08:01 AM]
New Season, Fresh Rivalries - "Formula 1: Drive to Survive" Returns March 7
Drivers, managers and team owners live life in the fast lane - both on and off the track - during each cutthroat season of Formula 1 racing.
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