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[12/26/08 - 06:43 PM]
Development Update: Week of December 22-26
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!
BITCHES (FOX, New!) - Feature writer Michael Dougherty ("Superman Returns") has scored a hefty script commitment from the network for a new drama about a quartet of female friends in New York who are werewolves. The project, which has a penalty attached should it not move forward to pilot, is set up at Warner Bros. Television. Writer/producers Gretchen Berg and Aaron Harberts ("Pushing Daisies") have been tapped to supervise Dougherty and executive produce. No other specifics were given.
GILMORE GIRLS (The CW) - One day after filing a lawsuit against CBS over "Two and a Half Men" (see below), Warner Bros. Television itself has been sued by producer Gavin Polone over "Gilmore Girls." The breach-of-contract lawsuit, filed Wednesday in Los Angeles Superior Court, claims the vertically integrated Time Warner companies Warner Bros. Television and The WB "have colluded to defraud the originator of hit 'Gilmore Girls' television series with a scheme that rivals the greed and bravado of any story line defendants could script." Hofflund/Polone, Polone's company with Judy Hofflund, alleges the "modified adjusted gross," the money the show earns after costs are deducted, for "Gilmore's" first six seasons was modified by the studio - through "collusion among defendants to set below-market license fees" and a series of improper charges - which cut into Hofflund/Polone's profits as a result. A third-party audit commissioned by Hofflund/Polone in October 2006 alleges that number was understated by $45.5 million and the company has asked for "tens of millions of dollars" in damages as a result. Warner Bros. has yet to comment on the suit.
LOST & FOUND (NBC) - Australian actor Damon Herriman ("All Saints") has joined the cast of the drama pilot, which centers on Tessa Cooper (Katee Sackhoff), an offbeat LAPD detective who, after butting heads with higher-ups, is sent as punishment to the basement to work on John and Jane Doe cases. He'll play Anthony Yeckel, an oddball civilian consultant to the police's lost-and-found department who has an obsessive love of old detective TV shows. Brian Cox and Josh Cooke also star in the Universal Media Studios/Wolf Films-based hour, which Michael Engler is directing from a script by creator Chris Levinson.
TWO AND A HALF MEN (CBS) - Warner Bros. Television filed a $49 million breach of contract lawsuit against CBS on Tuesday. Said suit, filed in Los Angeles Superior Court, claims the network owes Warner Bros. additional fees toward the production deficit carried by the studio. The "deficit recoupment" was understood to be tied to "Men" hitting certain ratings milestones as specified by the show's original four-year license agreement signed in 2003. The suit indicates the studio incurred a $61.1 million deficit over the course of the first four years of the show (for instance CBS paid $750,000 per episode during "Men's" first season while Warner Bros. actual cost to produce the show came in at $1.22 million), a cost which CBS would cover should "Men" finish as a top 10 show. Additionally, should "Men" finish in the top five in its fourth season, CBS would pay an additional $650,000 more per episode in the fifth and sixth seasons (with a downward scale from there). "CBS has reaped the benefits of the tremendous success of 'Two and a Half Men" but wants to deny Warner Bros. the right to its agreed-upon share," Warner Bros. said in a statement. CBS countered with simply, "Wow, I wonder what they got the other networks for Christmas."
UGLY BETTY (ABC) - "Dexter" co-star Lauren Velez has booked a multi-episode arc on the Thursday dramedy. She'll play Elena, a nurse that enters the lives of the Suarez family, whom reports speculate will be linked to a major plot development. It's not clear when her first episode will air.
UNTITLED MARIA BELLO PROJECT (HBO, New!) - Maria Bello ("The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor") is set to topline a potential new drama at the pay channel about a woman who's forced into a life of crime to support her three teenage sons after her husband is killed. Gary Lennon ("The Shield") is penning the hour, which sees the woman using her sons as henchmen, leading them all down a destructive road. Bello herself will executive produce alongside Lennon, Gavin Polone and John Carrabino.
Sources: Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Reuters
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[08/19/25 - 08:31 AM]
Cristela Alonzo Returns to Netflix with Even More Class in New Special, "Upper Classy"
In this newest special, Cristela is in the pursuit of happiness.
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[08/19/25 - 08:30 AM]
The American Music Awards Returns to CBS and Paramount+ in 2026 with a New 5-Year Partnership
Following this year's top-rated broadcast, the 52nd American Music Awards will return with a must-see live show Memorial Day weekend, May 2026 from Las Vegas.
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[08/19/25 - 08:01 AM]
Video: National Geographic Unveils Jet-Fueled Trailer for New Docuseries "Top Guns: The Next Generation," Taking Viewers Inside the U.S. Navy's Elite Aviation Program
The six-part series premieres September 16 at 9:00/8:00c on National Geographic and streams the next day on Disney+ and Hulu.
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[08/19/25 - 08:01 AM]
Video: "Wolf King" - Season 2 Trailer - Netflix
As he fights for his throne and faces enemies from all sides, Drew learns the heavy burden of being king - and the daunting task of choosing a queen.
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[08/19/25 - 08:01 AM]
Apple's Emmy-Nominated Comedy "Palm Royale" Returns for Season Two on November 12
Season one of "Palm Royale" was led by a renowned ensemble cast including Allison Janney, Ricky Martin, Carol Burnett, Josh Lucas, Leslie Bibb, Amber Chardae Robinson, Mindy Cohn, Julia Duffy and Kaia Gerber.
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[08/19/25 - 07:32 AM]
Phil Simms Returns to NBC Sports to Call Big Ten Football Games Live on Peacock This Fall
Simms will be on the call for NBC Sports' college football season-opener on Friday, August 29, as the Illinois Fighting Illini host the Western Illinois Leathernecks at 7:30 p.m. ET exclusively on Peacock.
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[08/19/25 - 07:31 AM]
Video: "Maledictions" - Official Trailer - Netflix
The daughter of a rising political star is taken by the very man he trusted most.
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[08/19/25 - 07:14 AM]
From Inmate to Insider, Oxygen's "Death Row Confidential: Secrets of a Serial Killer" Premieres Saturday, September 13 at 9:00 P.M. ET/PT
Oxygen examines the gripping story of convicted killer Joseph Naso, and how a fellow inmate came to connect him to many additional cold cases, with the help of Investigator Ken Mains.
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[08/19/25 - 07:01 AM]
Video: "Ballad of a Small Player" - Official Teaser - Netflix
Lord Doyle (Colin Farrell) is laying low in Macau - spending his days and nights on the casino floors, drinking heavily and gambling what little money he has left.
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[08/19/25 - 07:01 AM]
Video: BritBox Releases Trailer for New Sally Wainwright Drama "Riot Women" and Announces October 22nd Premiere
A teacher, a police officer, a pub landlady, a midwife, and a shoplifting freeloader: five menopausal women form a punk rock band to take part in a local talent contest, and suddenly find they have a lot more to shout about than they ever imagined.
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[08/19/25 - 07:00 AM]
Video: Watch the Captivating Official Trailer for Acorn TV's "Murder Before Evensong," Premiering on Monday, September 29
Starring Matthew Lewis, the riveting series will premiere on Monday, September 29 exclusively on Acorn TV in the US and Canada.
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[08/19/25 - 06:01 AM]
Video: Apple TV+ Unveils Trailer for Season Two of the Stop-Motion Series "Shape Island"
The new season is set to premiere with all eight episodes on Friday, August 29.
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[08/19/25 - 02:31 AM]
Video: "Matchroom: The Greatest Showmen" - Official Trailer - Netflix
Follow father-son duo Barry and Eddie Hearn in their bid to take their heavyweight sports promotion company to the next level in this documentary series.
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[08/18/25 - 06:19 PM]
Video: Preview - Fall Into Love - Coming This Fall
Get ready for a fall filled with all-new romantic movies on Hallmark Channel!
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[08/18/25 - 04:57 PM]
Candace Cameron Bure Stars in Second Installment of "The Ainsley McGregor Mysteries," A Case for the Yarn Maker Great American Family Original Movie Premiere, October 4
The film is adapted from bestselling novelist Candace Havens' novel.
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