or


[02/13/09 - 08:10 PM]
Development Update: Friday, February 13
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!


FUNNY IN FARSI (ABC, New!) - Firoozeh Dumas's book, subtitled "A Memoir of Growing Up Iranian in America," is set to be the focus of a potential new comedy at the Alphabet. The network has commissioned a director-contingent pilot for the project, which chronicles her upbringing as an Iranian immigrant in 1970s Newport Beach. Nastaran Dibai and Jeffrey Hodes ("Rita Rocks") penned the pilot and are executive producing for ABC Studios.


GOOD GIRLS (CBS, New!) - Sherry Bilsing-Graham and Ellen Kreamer ("The New Adventures of Old Christine") are the latest to land a pilot commitment from the Eye, this time about two women/childhood friends who are trying to reinvent themselves after making some youthful mistakes. The pair wrote the CBS Paramount Network Television-based pilot and are executive producing alongside Katalyst Films's Ashton Kutcher, Jason Goldberg and Karey Burke.


THE GOOD WIFE (CBS) - Charles McDougall ("The Tudors") has scored helming duties on the drama pilot, about a politician's wife, who takes a legal job after her husband is disgraced. Robert and Michelle King are behind the hour, which comes from CBS Paramount Network Television and Scott Free Productions. Production nevertheless is contingent on casting the lead role.


HAPPY TOWN (ABC) - Lauren German ("Hostel: Part II") is the first to be cast on the drama pilot. She'll play a newcomer to the town, which had enjoyed a seven-year peace after a series of kidnappings until it is hit by another crime. Josh Appelbaum, Andre Nemec and Scott Rosenberg are behind the ABC Studios-based project, which Gary Fleder is directing.


HOT GIRLS IN SCARY PLACES (E!, New!) - The cable channel has commissioned a pilot for a potential new reality series in which, you guessed it, hot girls are challenged to spend the night in a scary place for a $10,000 cash prize. For the inaugural installment, set to air as a special on Friday, March 13, three University of Southern California cheer squad friends will be tasked with an overnight trip to a supposedly haunted abandoned hospital. Go Go Luckey Productions ("Paranormal State") is behind the project, which is being executive produced by the company's Gary Auerbach.


NCIS (CBS) - Louise Lombard ("CSI: Crime Scene Investigation"), Peter Cambor ("Notes From the Underbelly") and Daniela Ruah have all joined the cast of the show's proposed spin-off. Lombard will play Clara, "a former major in the military police... an intelligent, sharp investigator who can look after herself"; while Cambor is set as Nate, "the team's conscience and beating heart... an operational psychologist and a walking encyclopedia of American culture"; with Ruah as Kensi, "a super bright young investigator who studied forensics and criminology in college." The trio will potentially join Chris O'Donnell and LL Cool J, who are still in negotiations with producer CBS Paramount Network Television.


UNTITLED FRANK MILITARY PROJECT (CBS) - "Jericho" alum Lennie James is the first to be cast in the drama pilot, about prosecutors in the U.S. Attorney's office in Manhattan. He'll play a former assistant DA who works as a paralegal after getting disbarred. Frank Military is behind the hour, which is set up at CBS Paramount Network Television.


UNTITLED JEFF STRAUSS PROJECT (ABC, New!) - Jeff Strauss ("All of Us") has booked a pilot order from the Alphabet for a new multi-camera comedy which examines marriage and parenthood as seen through the eyes of three couples. The untitled half-hour is set up at ABC Studios with Acme Productions's Michael Hanel and Mindy Schultheis ("Surviving Suburbia") also serving as executive producers alongside Strauss.


UNTITLED JUSTIN ADLER PROJECT (NBC, New!) - Sony Pictures Television-based Tantamount has locked in yet another pilot, this time at NBC. Justin Adler is behind the half-hour, a multi-camera family comedy featuring adult siblings. He penned the pilot and is executive producing with the Tantamount team of Mitch Hurwitz, Eric Tannenbaum and Kim Tannenbaum.


UNTITLED NEW YORK CITY PRIVATE SCHOOLS PROJECT (Bravo, New!) - Broadcasting & Cable is reporting the cable channel has begun production on a new reality series referred to as a "real life" version of "Gossip Girl." Stone & Company Entertainment is behind the project, which will track the lives of New York City private-school kids, although it won't feature Manhattan's exclusive schools specifically.


Sources: Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Reuters





  [february 2009]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S


· ALL OF US (CW)
· CSI: CRIME SCENE INVESTIGATION (CBS)
· DEVELOPMENT UPDATE (TFC)
· FUNNY IN FARSI (ABC)
· GOOD GIRLS (CBS)
· GOOD WIFE, THE (CBS)
· GOSSIP GIRL (CW)
· HAPPY TOWN (ABC)
· HOT GIRLS IN SCARY PLACES (E)
· JERICHO (CBS)
· MARRIED NOT DEAD (ABC)
· NCIS (CBS)
· NCIS: LOS ANGELES (CBS)
· NEW ADVENTURES OF OLD CHRISTINE, THE (CBS)
· NOTES FROM THE UNDERBELLY (ABC)
· NYC PREP (BRAVO)
· PARANORMAL STATE (A AND E)
· RITA ROCKS (LIFETIME)
· SURVIVING SUBURBIA (ABC)
· TUDORS, THE (SHOWTIME)
· UNTITLED JUSTIN ADLER PROJECT (NBC)
· US ATTORNEY (CBS)





[07/30/26 - 03:37 PM]
HBO Orders New Limited Series "The Trial of Louise Woodward"
Based on a true story, the five-episode limited series stars two-time Emmy nominee Meghann Fahy.

[07/30/26 - 11:11 AM]
Video: We TV and All Reality Share Sneak Peek at New Original Unscripted Series "Love After Lockup: Relationship Rehab" Premiering This October
Five fan-favorite couples from the hit "Love After Lockup" franchise will join psychiatrist and nationally recognized relationship expert, Dr. Ish Major, to repair their broken bonds.

[07/30/26 - 10:37 AM]
NFL Network Added to the ESPN App, Further Expanding Year-Round NFL Coverage for Fans, All in One Place
The addition brings one of football's most established dedicated destinations for live games, replays of unforgettable matchups, studio programming and original content directly into the ESPN App.

[07/30/26 - 09:49 AM]
"American Experience" Announces New Slate of Limited-Series Documentaries for PBS and a Surge in Digital Growth
The new broadcast and digital lineup kicks off with "Lindbergh," a highly anticipated three-part documentary series premiering in May 2027.

[07/30/26 - 09:17 AM]
Paramount+ Greenlights "Clueless" Event Series Starring Alicia Silverstone
Picking up 30 years after the original film, beloved Beverly Hills icon Cher Horowitz has figured out a lot: She's successful in business and has mastered motherhood - that is, until her daughter's high school years, and Cher finds that parenting a teenager makes her feel "clueless" all over again.

[07/30/26 - 09:03 AM]
Video: "A Beautiful Obsession" - Official Trailer - Prime Video
Coming soon - an unflinching four-part docuseries capturing the final chapters of Pep Guardiola's dramatic decade at Man City.

[07/30/26 - 09:01 AM]
Video: "Earle Meets World" - Official Teaser - Netflix
Gen-Z's ultimate It Girl, Alix Earle, is making the next big jump in her career.

[07/30/26 - 08:31 AM]
Video: "Conversations with a Killer: The Charles Manson Tapes" - Official Trailer - Netflix
Tracing Charles Manson's rise as a cult leader, the 1969 murders, and his trial, using unreleased prison recordings, interviews, and archival footage.

[07/30/26 - 08:01 AM]
Video: "Leanne" - Season 2 Official Trailer - Netflix
With their parents testing their patience, Leanne and Carol dish up sass and surprises as they face old habits, new challenges and changing family roles.

[07/30/26 - 07:01 AM]
Sesame Workshop Launches New Initiative to Help Children and Families Prepare for and Recover from Extreme Weather, Beginning with Storm on "Sesame Street" Special
With funding from long-time partner PSEG Foundation, the initiative debuts with a new storm-themed "Sesame Street" special premiering on Netflix and PBS Kids on Monday, August 3, and on YouTube in September.

[07/30/26 - 07:01 AM]
"Billie Eilish - Hit Me Hard and Soft: The Tour (Live)" Takes The Streaming Stage Exclusively on Paramount+ August 6
Captured during her sold-out world tour, the film brings an innovative new concert experience to the big screen from one of the most celebrated, decorated and successful artists of her generation.

[07/30/26 - 07:00 AM]
Law&Crime Brings Its Hit YouTube Series to Reelz
Beginning Monday, August 17, 2026 the Reelz Monday primetime lineup will feature three one-hour Law&Crime shows back to back starting at 9pm ET / 6pm PT followed by encore presentations later in the evening.

[07/30/26 - 05:01 AM]
Video: "The Ribbon Hero" - Final Trailer - Netflix
When the monstrous Nergal devastates her kingdom, Princess Sapphire reawakens as the Ribbon Hero and fights to save her new home from the same dark fate.

[07/30/26 - 05:00 AM]
Starz Greenlights Drama Series Adapted from David Nicholls' Best-Selling Novel "You Are Here," with Claire Foy and Matthew Macfadyen in Lead Roles
"You Are Here" is about finding a connection when you least expect it and overcoming the obstacles of midlife.

[07/30/26 - 04:00 AM]
Netflix and AMC Global Media Announce Global Streaming Licensing Agreement for All Series in AMC's "The Walking Dead" Universe
In all, the agreement includes 371 episodes across all seasons and series.