 |
 |
[09/05/08 - 06:33 PM]
Development Update: Friday, September 5
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!
24 (FOX) - Michael Rodrick ("Close to Home") has landed a multi-episode arc on the veteran drama. He'll play Stokes, a deadly military operative. Rodrick's casting comes as news broke this week that production on the series will be halted for 18 days after the completion of the show's 18th installment (September 15). The unscheduled break was designed by showrunner Howard Gordon to give the writers more time to work on upcoming scripts. "24" is no stranger to such hiatuses - both scheduled and unscheduled - most notably the WGA strike, which ultimately bumped its season opener from January 2008 to January 2009.
GLEE (FOX) - Matthew Morrison ("Music and Lyrics"), Jayma Mays ("Ugly Betty") and Lea Michele ("Holy Rollers") are the first to be cast on the drama pilot, about a thirtysomething Spanish teacher at an Ohio high school who has the daunting task of taking over the school's glee club, which has become a heaven for outcasts. Morrison will play the lead role of Will Schuester, who's detailed via the casting notice as follows: "30ish, attractive, appealing, upbeat and naturally optimistic. A dreamer who's managed to evade close contact with reality for much of his life, Will is married to Terri and trying hard to become a father. A Spanish teacher at Harrison High in Ohio, Will has fond memories of his participation in the school's 1993 Glee Club (they made it to the Nationals!), and when he spots a chance to become the Glee Club coach of 2008, he seizes it - even though it will cost him money, and the club consists of five geektards. Under pressure from his wife to earn hard money and support his family, Will prefers instead to dream the impossible dream - though he'll probably wind up bearing the unbearable sorrow."
Mays then is set as Emma Pillsbury - "30ish, attractive, both endearing and quirky in a loveable way. She is the guidance counselor at Harrison High. Emma "The Ingenue" is pretty, but doesn't think so. A woman with a really bad case of OCD, who needs to scrub the table before unpacking her PBJ sandwich wrapped in tinfoil, Emma is both endearing and a little nuts, and she suffers from a bad case of unrequited love for Will Schuester. Quick to rebuff Ken Tanaka's attempts to date her, Emma is aware that Will is happily married, and wallows (perhaps pleasurably) in the hopelessness of her doomed romance." - with Michele as Rachel Berry - "18+ or emancipated to play high school. Pretty, the "star female singer" of the Harrison High Glee Club, a teenaged girl whose makeup and manner is way too theatrical, Rachel is self-absorbed, self-obsessed, self-deluded -- and an excellent singer. Rachel has a burning need to be a star. A determined young woman with two gay male parents at home, Rachel sets her cap for new Glee Club member Finn Hudson, and steams in his direction making Merman-esque assertions of desire." Ryan Murphy is behind the 20th Century Fox Television-based hour, which he's also directing from a script he co-wrote with Brad Falchuk and Ian Brennan.
HARPER'S ISLAND (CBS) - Harry Hamlin ("Veronica Mars") has joined the cast of the midseason effort, a serialized drama revolving around a group of friends who are terrorized when they meet on an island off the Seattle coast for a destination wedding. He'll play Marty, the groom's (Christopher Gorham) uncle Marty, an outgoing, charming womanizer who attends the wedding. Hamlin replaces Bill Pullman, who played the role in the original presentation as a favor to executive producer/director Jon Turteltaub. Elaine Cassidy and Katie Cassidy also star in the hour, which comes from CBS Paramount Network Television and creator Ari Schlossberg.
IN THE MOTHERHOOD (ABC) - The Alphabet has issued a blind 13-episode order to the project, a half-hour comedy based on the online series about the perils of parenting. Leah Remini, Chelsea Handler and Jenny McCarthy toplined the web version however no deals are in place for the TV version. Mindshare, who was behind the online incarnation, is co-producing alongside ABC Studios with original marketing partners Sprint and Suave also set to return. "Help Me Help You" co-creators Jennifer Konner and Alexandra Rushfield have been tapped to showrun the series with Stu Bloomberg and Mindshare's David Lang and Peter Tortorici also serving as executive producers.
MAD MEN (AMC) - Matthew Weiner, the creator and executive producer of the Emmy-nominated series, is reportedly making the rounds in search of an overall deal. The writer/producer isn't contractually obligated to the series after its current sophomore run. And while Lionsgate Television and AMC are in discussions to renew the show for a third go around, the overall deal would have to give Weiner the option to continue as showrunner of the period drama. "Men" is up for 16 awards, the most for any drama this year.
THE RETURN (ABC, New!) - Rene Echevarria ("Medium") and drama guru Greg Berlanti have booked a new drama at the Alphabet about the impact on the world - including the White House - when aliens land. The project is set up at the latter's ABC Studios-based banner with both serving as executive producers. No other specifics however were released.
UNTITLED JASON BIGGS/MITCH HURWITZ PROJECT (CBS, New!) - "American Pie" star Jason Biggs and "Arrested Development" creator Mitch Hurwitz are on track to team for a new hybrid single/multi-camera comedy at the Eye about adult siblings and their parents who are over-involved in one another's lives. The network has given a put pilot commitment to the project with an order for six additional scripts. Sony Pictures Television, where Hurwitz's overall deal is based, and CBS Paramount Network Television, which has a deal with Biggs, are co-producing. Hurwitz is co-writing the half-hour alongside fellow "Arrested" alum James Vallely with the pair and Biggs executive producing alongside Tantamount's Eric and Kim Tannenbaum.
Sources: Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Reuters
|
|
|
 [september 2008]  |
S |
M |
T |
W |
T |
F |
S |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
 |
|
[03/04/26 - 10:01 AM]
Netflix's "Untamed" Season 2 Production Kicks Off in Hawaii
The series will film on location on O'ahu and the island of Hawaii.
|
[03/04/26 - 10:01 AM]
MTV Announces the Final 18 Episodes of "Jersey Shore Family Vacation," One of TV's Most Influential Reality Franchises, Premiering on Thursday, May 7 at 8PM ET/PT
This farewell season marks the culmination of a franchise that entertained millions with major life milestones, laugh-out-loud chaos, and the unfiltered chemistry that defined an era of reality television.
|
[03/04/26 - 09:35 AM]
A+E Global Media Expands Home.Made.Nation Lifestyle Programming Block with More Than 150 New Hours of Original Content to Premiere on A&E and FYI Starting This Spring
FYI is whipping up new episodes with culinary icons for new seasons of "Rachael Ray's Meals in Minutes" in collaboration with chef, author and philanthropist Rachael Ray, "Instant Italian" with chef Anna Gass and "The Chef's Garden" led by Farmer Lee Jones.
|
[03/04/26 - 09:34 AM]
A&E and WWE Announce New Seasons of Competitive Series "WWE LFG," "Biography: WWE Legends" and "WWE's Greatest Moments" Kicking Off Sunday, April 26 Starting at 8PM ET/PT
A new season of "WWE LFG" debuts with an all-new format, spotlighting rising talent as they compete for the chance to become the next WWE Superstar.
|
[03/04/26 - 09:33 AM]
A&E Announces New Non-Fiction Series "K9 PD with by Jim Belushi" Showcasing the High Stakes Actions of Elite Police Dogs and Their Handlers Caught on Tape
The new series will premiere on Wednesday, March 25 at 9pm ET/PT with back-to-back episodes airing weekly.
|
[03/04/26 - 09:32 AM]
A&E Announces Three New High Profile Documentary Projects Featuring Exclusive Interviews and Never-Before-Seen Footage Coming in 2026 and 2027
"Scott Peterson: The New Evidence," "The Gotti Files," and "Johnny Cash: The Man Comes Around" are all on tap.
|
[03/04/26 - 09:31 AM]
A+E Global Media Unveils 2026-27 Upfront Programming Slate Anchored by New Partnerships with A-List Hollywood Talent
Presented by Paul Buccieri, President & Chairman, A+E Global Media, the 2026-27 Upfront slate reflects the company's people-first approach to storytelling and its ongoing commitment to creative partnership across an expansive, multiplatform universe.
|
[03/04/26 - 09:29 AM]
ABC Continues Multiplatform Success With Midseason Lineup
Season to date, ABC continues to dominate the competitive cross-platform landscape among broadcast series based in viewing over seven days on ABC, Hulu, Disney+ and digital platforms.
|
[03/04/26 - 09:16 AM]
Where Champions Are Crowned: ESPN Networks Deliver Comprehensive 2025-26 NCAA Winter Championships Coverage in March and April
ESPN networks will commence the championship season with multiple NCAA selection specials, providing fans with their first look at the tournament fields.
|
[03/04/26 - 09:01 AM]
Netflix Announces Premiere Date for "The Four Seasons" Season 2
The new season - due on Thursday, May 28, 2026 - will feature the return of Tina Fey, Will Forte, Kerri Kenney-Silver, Marco Calvani, Erika Henningsen, and Colman Domingo.
|
[03/04/26 - 09:01 AM]
First Look & Date Announcement: Hulu's "Pizza Movie"
"Pizza Movie" premieres April 3, 2026, on Hulu and Hulu on Disney+ for bundle subscribers in the US, and on Disney+ internationally.
|
[03/04/26 - 09:01 AM]
Video: "Hate the Player: The Ben Johnson Story" - Official Trailer - Paramount+
The Man. The Myth. The Scape G.O.A.T.
|
[03/04/26 - 09:01 AM]
ABC Renews "Abbott Elementary" for Sixth Season
The network confirmed the news on social media this morning.
|
[03/04/26 - 09:00 AM]
The CW Network to Broadcast Six Banana Ball Games During the 2026 Season
The first game between the Savannah Bananas and the Party Animals will air live on Sunday, May 10 (2:30-5:00 pm ET) from Truist Park in Atlanta, Georgia.
|
[03/04/26 - 08:01 AM]
Lucy Boynton, Babou Ceesay, and Peter Mullan Join "A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms" for Season 2
Every journey needs new companions.
|
|
|
|
