or


[09/19/08 - 07:02 PM]
Development Update: Friday, September 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!


BOLDLY GOING NOWHERE (FOX) - Jonathan M. Goldstein ("The New Adventures of Old Christine") has been tapped as an executive producer on the pilot, a high-concept comedy set in the future and focused on the mundane world of a spaceship captain when he's not on a mission. RCG's Rob McElhenney, Glenn Howerton and Charlie Day ("It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia") are all behind the 20th Century Fox Television-based half-hour, which is set to film this fall. FOX has also commissioned five additional scripts for the project, which is based on an idea from "Sunny" writers' assistant Adam Stein. 3 Arts Entertainment's Michael Rotenberg and Nick Frenkel also serve as executive producers.


DR. OZ (Syndication) - Sony Pictures Television has cleared the "Oprah" spin-off on stations covering 40% of the country for a fall 2009 launch. Said clearances including 13 of the top 20 TV markets, such as the Fox owned-and-operated stations in New York (WNYW), Los Angeles (KTTV) and Chicago (WFLD). Other station groups on board include Gannett, Post-Newsweek, Belo, Scripps Howard, Fisher, McGraw Hill and Hearst-Argyle. Oprah Winfrey's Harpo Productions is producing the project, which is being targeted for late afternoons.


FLASH FORWARD (ABC, New!) - "Threshold's" David S. Goyer and Brannon Braga have booked a pilot at the Alphabet for a new drama which chronicles the chaos that ensues after everyone in the world blacks out for two minutes, 17 seconds and has a mysterious vision of the future that changes lives forever. The network has also given a series penalty to the project, which is based on Robert J. Sawyer's novel of the same name. Goyer and Braga penned the hour, which was originally developed by HBO (who retains a piece of the backend), on spec with Goyer attached to direct. Braga however won't be involved with the day-to-day operations of the series due to his commitment to the current season of FOX/20th Century Fox Television's "24." Jessika Borsiczky Goyer ("Revelations") will also executive produce alongside Vince Gerardis and Ralph M. Vicinanza ("Jumper"), who own the rights to the book. ABC Studios is in negotiations to produce.


GOSSIP GIRL (The CW) - Wade Allain Marcus ("American Mall") has scored a multi-episode arc on the much buzzed about soap. He'll play Max, an attractive (but manipulative) 19-year-old hipster photographer with ties to the New York fashion and art world. It's not clear when his first episode will air.


LETTERS TO SANTA: A MUPPETS CHRISTMAS (NBC) - Uma Thurman and Jesse L. Martin have both joined the cast of the holiday special, in which "Kermit, Fozzie, Gonzo and the rest of the gang mistakenly avert three letters from making their way to Santa Claus." Thurman will play Joy, a ticket clerk for the North Pole Airlines who also serves as Santa's flight attendant, with Martin as a singing and dancing postal worker. The pair join the previously cast Whoopi Goldberg, Tony Sirico, Steve Schirripa, Richard Griffiths and Madison Pettis. Muppets Productions is behind the hour (airing December 17), which will also feature songs by "The Muppet Movie" songwriter Paul Williams.


KATHY GRIFFIN: MY LIFE ON THE D-LIST (Bravo) - The cable channel has ordered a fifth season of the two-time Emmy winning reality series. The news comes despite rumblings Kathy Griffin would take the show elsewhere due to her at times tenuous relationship with the network. While no air date was specified for the new season, "D-List" historically has rolled out each summer since 2005.


SAVE US THEN THE WHALES (FOX, New!) - Asad Gardezi ("Mind of Mencia") has landed a cast-contingent pilot order from the network for a new comedy set at a politically incorrect nonprofit organization. 20th Century Fox Television and Peter Engel ("Last Comic Standing") are behind the half-hour, which centers on Herbie Grueber, a middle-aged wheeler-dealer who works for a nonprofit that's trying to stay current. Gardezi will pen the pilot and presumably executive produce alongside Engel.


Sources: Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Reuters





  [september 2008]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S
 


· 24 (FOX)
· AMERICAN MALL, THE (MTV)
· BOLDLY GOING NOWHERE (FOX)
· DEVELOPMENT UPDATE (TFC)
· DR. OZ (SYNDICATION)
· FLASH FORWARD (ABC)
· GOSSIP GIRL (CW)
· IT'S ALWAYS SUNNY IN PHILADELPHIA (FXX)
· KATHY GRIFFIN: MY LIFE ON THE D-LIST (BRAVO)
· MIND OF MENCIA (COMEDY CENTRAL)
· NEW ADVENTURES OF OLD CHRISTINE, THE (CBS)
· OPRAH WINFREY SHOW, THE (SYNDICATION)
· REVELATIONS (NBC)
· SAVE US THEN THE WHALES (FOX)





[08/09/25 - 07:01 PM]
"One Piece" - Netflix Announces Early Season 3 Renewal, Unveils First Look at Season 2
Out of today's annual One Piece Day celebration in Tokyo, Japan, Netflix shared a first look at the highly-anticipated season two of the epic pirate adventure series, returning in 2026.

[08/08/25 - 09:10 AM]
"Live with Kelly and Mark" Notches Summertime Win with Best Total Viewer Audience in Over Three Months
In addition, the show earned its best rating among Households in nine weeks and its best numbers among both Women 18-49 and Women 25-54 in five weeks.

[08/08/25 - 08:37 AM]
Disney Jr. Unveils New Slate at "Disney Jr. Let's Play!" Event
Highlights included new series "Cars: Lightning Racers," inspired by Disney and Pixar's Academy Award-winning "Cars" films, with Owen Wilson and Larry the Cable Guy reprising their iconic roles.

[08/08/25 - 08:01 AM]
Video: "Love Con Revenge" - Official Trailer - Netflix
Cecilie Fjellhøy - from "The Tinder Swindler" - partners with a female private investigator to help other victims of romance fraud get genuine payback.

[08/08/25 - 06:06 AM]
FOX Sports Embarks on the 2025 NFL Season With the Most-Decorated Voices in Football
Following their celebrated call of Super Bowl LIX, which set an all-time viewership record, FOX NFL's lead announce team of critically acclaimed and award-winning play-by-play announcer Kevin Burkhardt and seven-time Super Bowl champion and analyst Tom Brady return for their second season together.

[08/08/25 - 12:01 AM]
Video: "Abandoned Man" - Official Trailer - Netflix
After serving time in prison for his brother's crime, a man warily reunites with family, finding hope and healing in a life-changing bond with his niece.

[08/07/25 - 05:01 PM]
Video: "Aema" - Official Trailer - Netflix
In 1980s Korea, a movie star and a starlet defy male-dominated industry rules and backstage corruption while filming the provocative "Madame Aema."

[08/07/25 - 04:01 PM]
Video: "Kiss or Die" - Official Trailer - Netflix
In a death kiss game unlike anything ever seen before, comedians' desires and improvisation spark non-stop laughs! Who will give the best kiss and become the protagonist?

[08/07/25 - 10:03 AM]
"Not So Fast, My Friend: A Lee Corso Special" to Debut August 22 on ESPN in Advance of the Legendary Analyst's Final "College GameDay" Show
The primetime special will highlight Corso's extraordinary life, his larger-than-life personality and the immeasurable impact he has had on college football as a player, coach and broadcaster.

[08/07/25 - 09:35 AM]
ESPN "Sunday Night Baseball Presented by Capital One" Schedule Update: Boston Red Sox Visit New York Yankees on August 24
With both teams in the MLB Postseason hunt, the matchup adds another chapter to baseball's most storied rivalry.

[08/07/25 - 09:06 AM]
VH1's "Nick Cannon Presents: Wild 'N Out" Celebrates 20th Anniversary with 20 New Episodes Starting September 1 at 9 PM ET/PT
Taped in front of a live audience in Atlanta, this upcoming slate reignites the high-energy, old-school vs. new-school competition, blending comedic legends and rising stars in a celebration of wild, unfiltered fun.

[08/07/25 - 09:00 AM]
Roku Originals Books a Return Trip with Second Season Renewal of "Solo Traveling with Tracee Ellis Ross"
With record-breaking viewership, the series has become the most-watched unscripted Roku Original within the first two weeks of launch in terms of unique viewers.

[08/07/25 - 09:00 AM]
"Wizards Beyond Waverly Place" Season 2 Premieres Sept. 12 on Disney Channel and Oct. 8 on Disney+
Joining Selena Gomez ("Alex Russo") in guest roles for the second season include Freya Skye (Piper), Harvey Guillén (Gossip Stone), Kirsten Vangsness (Bigelow McFigglehorn), Recker Eans (Quentin), Tobias Jelinek (Lord Morsus), Patrick Bristow (Wiz M.D.) and Eleanor Sweeney (Bella Bianchi).

[08/07/25 - 09:00 AM]
Video: We TV and ALLBLK Release First Look at the Hit Music Competition Series "Deb's House"
The new season premieres Friday, August 22 at 9:30 PM ET/PT exclusively on We TV and streaming on ALLBLK and AMC+.

[08/07/25 - 08:07 AM]
Video: Peacock Releases Official Trailer, Key Art, and New Images for "The Paper"
The series premieres on Peacock with four episodes on September 4, followed by two new episodes every Thursday through September 25.