or


[01/22/09 - 06:55 PM]
Development Update: Thursday, January 22
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!


MERCY (NBC, New!) - Elizabeth Heldens ("Friday Night Lights") has received a pilot order for the Peacock for a new drama about three nurses bound together in friendship by the highs and lows of their personal and professional lives. The project is set up at Universal Media Studios with Heldens executive producing.


RHI ENTERTAINMENT PROJECTS (Various) - TV movie mogul Robert Halmi Sr., who's currently celebrating his 85th birthday and his 30th year in the television business, has lined up a slew of new projects at Sci Fi and ABC. The former has already commissioned three efforts: "The Phantom," based on Lee Falk's adventure comic strip about a costumed crimefighter operating from the African jungle, is slated to begin filming in Montreal in late winter/early spring (with Paolo Barzman directing); "Riverworld," a new take on Philip Jose Farmer's book in which the human race is resurrected as illness-free immortal beings on an Earthlike planet, will begin filming in Vancouver in March (with Stuart Gillard directing); and "Alice," a contemporary retelling of "Alice in Wonderland," is on track for a May start in Vancouver (with Nick Willing directing). Meanwhile at the Alphabet, Halmi is developing "Planet Earth Conspiracy," a thriller set against the backdrop of our planet in peril because of climate change, and "Grapes of Wrath," a long-in-the-works adaptation of John Steinbeck's infamous novel. And finally, Halmi is also eyeing a sequel (or even a weekly series) based on NBC's "The Last Templar," premiering this weekend, this time set in India. Halmi is executive producing all the aforementioned projects alongside his son Robert Halmi Jr.


THE WITCHES OF EASTWICK (ABC) - The Alphabet has ordered a pilot for its small screen take on the John Updike novel, best known as the 1987 feature that starred Cher, Susan Sarandon, Michelle Pfeifer and Jack Nicholson. Maggie Friedman ("Related") is behind the Warner Bros. Television-based hour, which will center on three women who discover they have supernatural powers after a mysterious man comes to their small town. Friedman penned the pilot and will executive produce.


Sources: Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Reuters





  [january 2009]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S
    


· ALICE (SYFY)
· DEVELOPMENT UPDATE (TFC)
· EASTWICK (ABC)
· FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS (DIRECTV)
· GRAPES OF WRATH (ABC)
· LAST TEMPLAR, THE (NBC)
· MERCY (NBC)
· PHANTOM, THE (SYFY)
· PLANET EARTH CONSPIRACY (ABC)
· RELATED (WB)
· RIVERWORLD (SCI FI)
· RIVERWORLD (SYFY)
· RIVERWORLD (SCI FI)





[08/19/26 - 01:01 PM]
FX's "Legends" Ordered to Series for FX and Hulu
When the cast of "Sons of Anarchy" reunites at a fan convention after more than a decade, the line between life and art blurs as the fractured brotherhood finds itself up against a real-world threat more dangerous than anything they ever faced in their show.

[08/19/26 - 12:01 PM]
Video: "Best Medicine" Season 2 Official Trailer - FOX TV
Relationships are tested, the cases are wilder than ever, and the whole town is wondering if Dr. Best is here to stay.

[08/19/26 - 12:01 PM]
Top 10 Most-Watched Prime Original Films & Series for the Week of August 10
"Reacher," "Sterling Point," "Off Campus," "The Traitors," and "Elle" led all original series worldwide.

[08/19/26 - 11:01 AM]
Video: "Dalliance" - Official Trailer - Paramount+
A longtime circle of friends in their sixties is forced to confront the messy realities of life as marriages implode, new relationships ignite and old wounds resurface.

[08/19/26 - 10:13 AM]
Date & Title Announcement: "Jamie Foxx: Take Care of Yourself"
The new special from Academy Award-winning acclaimed actor, comedian, singer, and producer Jamie Foxx premieres October 7.

[08/19/26 - 10:02 AM]
2026 Little League Baseball Region Tournaments Deliver Largest Audience Since 2009
The Metro Region Championship matchup between Darien, Conn., and Bayonne, N.J., on August 14 averaged 1.2 million viewers, making it the third most-watched Little League Baseball Region Tournament game ever.

[08/19/26 - 10:01 AM]
Video: Betty Reveals It All - The Trailer and Key Art for "Betty La Fea: Uglier Than Ever" Are Here
With Bogotá as the backdrop, a nod to the city where it all began, this new chapter confirms what fans have been sensing all along: this is a Betty like we've never seen before.

[08/19/26 - 09:31 AM]
For Third Week in a Row, "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire" Is the No. 1 Primetime Entertainment Program Among Total Viewers
Scoring a new season high among Total Viewers (4.41 million), the August 12 episode earned the show's best performance in over a year.

[08/19/26 - 09:04 AM]
Shudder's Biggest Programming Event of the Year Returns! "Season of Screams" Features a Monster Lineup of New Films, Series and Live Watch Parties from September 1 Through December 31
Highlights include "Joe Bob's Halloween House Party" on Friday, October 23; and the return of "The Boulet Brothers' Dragula" this fall.

[08/19/26 - 09:03 AM]
A&E Crime & Investigation Premieres Coming This Fall
New seasons of "Late Night Law," "After the First 48," and "Killer Investigations" will be joined by a bonus episode of "Scott Peterson: The New Evidence."

[08/19/26 - 08:31 AM]
Video: "Untold Mr. T: I Pity The Fool" - Official Trailer - Netflix
A retrospective feature documentary about Laurence Tureaud... better known as Mr. T.

[08/19/26 - 08:31 AM]
NBC Sports Names College Football Announce Teams as Season Kicks Off with No. 14 USC Trojans Hosting San Jose State Aug. 29 on NBC and Peacock
With the season beginning in 10 days, NBC Sports today named its college football announce roster.

[08/19/26 - 08:01 AM]
"Scary Movie" Launches Exclusively on Paramount+ Starting September 3
Arriving on Paramount+ over 13 years since "Scary Movie 5" and 26 years since the original film, "Scary Movie" brings beloved characters back to the franchise, including the hysterical Wayans Brothers, Marlon and Shawn as Shorty and Ray Wilkins, and the incomparable Anna Faris and Regina Hall as Cindy Campbell and Brenda Meeks.

[08/19/26 - 08:01 AM]
Video: "Earle Meets World" - Official Trailer - Netflix
Alix Earle, Gen Z's ultimate "It" girl, gets real in this unscripted, unfiltered series that goes behind the scenes of her life and family.

[08/19/26 - 08:01 AM]
Prime Video Announces Five New Cast for Season Two of Original Series "Bloodaxe"
Gard Løkke, Melina Åkerman, Kieran Bew, Sebastian Bull, and George Burgess join the cast for the second season of the historical drama.