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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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[03/10/14 - 03:26 PM]
Adult Swim Greenlights "Black Jesus" - New Live-Action Series from Aaron McGruder to Premiere this Year
The series stars newcomer Gerald "Slink" Johnson as Black Jesus with Charlie Murphy, Corey Holcomb and John Witherspoon also in roles.
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[03/10/14 - 03:01 PM]
VH1's "Black Ink Crew" Heads Back to the Shop for a Touch Up
The series returns with the first of five new episodes on Monday, March 31 at 9:30/8:30c.
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[03/10/14 - 02:43 PM]
Friday's Cable Ratings & Broadcast Finals: "Shark Tank" Continues Its Demo Reign
Plus: numbers for Syfy's "Helix," TNT's "Cold Justice" and A&E's "Beyond Scared Straight."
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[03/10/14 - 01:30 PM]
ABC Family Sets Summer 2014 Schedule, Including Premiere Dates for New Original Series "Chasing Life," "Young & Hungry" and "Mystery Girls"
Plus: "Pretty Little Liars," "Switched at Birth" and "Switched at Birth" are all due back.
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[03/10/14 - 01:08 PM]
Video: BBC America Releases First Trailer for Season Two of "Orphan Black"
The show's second season premieres Saturday, April 19 at 9:00/8:00c.
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[03/10/14 - 12:46 PM]
"Lindsay" Premieres with Over 693,000 Viewers on OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network
OWN spins the numbers for Sunday, March 9.
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[03/10/14 - 12:31 PM]
Too Much Stand-Up for One Month! 2014 Stand-Up Month on Comedy Central(R) Is Six Weeks of Laughs
Highlights include the new weekly series "Comedy Underground with Dave Attell" premiering Saturday, April 12 at 1:00 a.m.
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[03/10/14 - 12:06 PM]
"Maron" Season Two Premieres May 8 on IFC With Guest Stars Johnny Knoxville, Ray Romano and More
In this new season things appear to be looking up for Marc, yet he continues to sabotage his professional, romantic and personal relationships.
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[03/10/14 - 12:01 PM]
The Chances Have an Unforgettable Backyard Send-Off in a One-Hour Series Finale of "Raising Hope" Friday, April 4
"How I Met Your Mullet" and "The Father Daughter Dance" will mark the end of the road for its four-season run.
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[03/10/14 - 11:39 AM]
Matt Vasgersian & John Smoltz Added to MLB on FOX Starting Rotation
Smoltz and Vasgersian join the game roster that already includes Joe Buck, Harold Reynolds and Tom Verducci.
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[03/10/14 - 11:18 AM]
TNT Announces Airdates and Unveils Trailers for "Falling Skies" Season 4 and New Series "The Last Ship" and "Legends"
Look for "The Last Ship" and "Falling Skies" back-to-back on Sunday nights beginning June 22.
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[03/10/14 - 10:31 AM]
WE tv's "Joan & Melissa: Joan Knows Best" Premieres Saturday, March 29th at 10PM ET/PT
Joan is having a "senior life crisis" according to her daughter, Melissa, and that means trying everything and stopping at nothing.
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[03/10/14 - 10:22 AM]
"Criminal Minds" Overtakes "American Idol" in Common Hour Among Adults 18-49 and Adults 25-54 in Live Plus 3-Day Viewing
CBS further spins the numbers for Wednesday, March 5.
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[03/10/14 - 09:26 AM]
America's Most Iconic and Nostalgic Snack Foods Take Center Stage in New Culinary Competition "Rewrapped"
Hosted by Joey Fatone, the series premieres Monday, April 21 at 8:00/7:00c with back-to-back episodes on Food Network.
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[03/10/14 - 08:47 AM]
Sunday's Broadcast Ratings: "Resurrection" Premiere Puts ABC on Top in Demos
Said bow lifts "Revenge" and "Once Upon a Time" by double-digits from their previous originals.
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