or


[02/25/09 - 06:48 PM]
Development Update: Wednesday, February 25
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!


100 QUESTIONS FOR CHARLOTTE PAYNE (NBC)/AB FAB (FOX) - Sitcom veteran James Burrows ("Gary Unmarried") has signed on to helm both multi-camera comedy pilots. "Ab Fab," which has just completed casting, revolves around neurotic fashion publicist Eddie (Kathryn Hahn) and her best friend, Patsy (Kristen Johnson), an outrageous fashion editor. "Payne," which is still cast-contingent, then revolves around a young woman navigating life with friends in New York City. Christine Zander penned the Sony Pictures Television-based former and Chris Moynihan is behind the Universal Media Studios-based latter.


BROTHERS & DETECTIVES (ABC) - Nine-year-old newcomer Dakota Goyo and "October Road" alum Brad William Henke have both joined the cast of the drama pilot, about a low-level detective (Jimmy Wolk) whose genius 11-year-old brother helps him solve crimes. Goyo will play the latter role with Henke as the detective's partner and best friend. Daniel Cerone created the hour, which is based at ABC Studios.


HAPPY TOWN (ABC) - Amy Acker ("Alias") has joined the cast of the drama pilot, about a small town which had enjoyed a seven-year peace after a series of kidnappings until it is hit by another crime. She'll play the wife of Geoff Stults's character, the town's sheriff. Gary Fleder is helming the two-hour, ABC Studios-based project, which was written by co-creators Andre Nemec, Josh Applebaum and Scott Rosenberg.


I'M A CELEBRITY... GET ME OUT OF HERE! (NBC, New!) - The Peacock is reportedly looking to revive the short-lived ABC series, in which celebrities live in harsh tropical conditions and compete in challenges to earn rewards such as food and other basic comforts. At least a dozen episodes are expected to be ordered by the network to roll out this summer. While ABC's incarnation lasted just 15 episodes, the original U.K. series recently wrapped its eighth season (featuring such U.S. notables as Martina Navratilova and George Takei). Granada America is behind the project, which will likely run as a weekday strip.


MELROSE PLACE (The CW) - Michael Rady ("Swingtown") is the first to be cast on the netlet's revival, which Davis Guggenheim is directing from a script by Todd Slavkin and Darren Swimmer. Rady will play Jonah Miller, "a cute and quirky 25-year-old aspiring filmmaker who makes his living as a videographer of weddings and bar mitzvahs for the rich and famous after moving to Los Angeles with his fiancee a year ago," a role which is likened to Andrew Shue's Billy Campbell on the original series.


MERCY (NBC) - Taylor Schilling has booked one of the lead roles on the drama pilot, about three nurses bound together in friendship. She'll play Veronica Callahan, who works as nurse at Mercy Hospital after a tour in Iraq. Elizabeth Heldens penned the Universal Media Studios-based hour, which is being directed by Adam Bernstein.


THREESOME (ABC) - Eric Christian Olsen ("Brothers & Sisters") is the first to be cast on the comedy pilot, about a guy in his thirties who is caught between his girlfriend - a single mom - and his slacker best friend. He'll play Shawn, said guy, in the half-hour, which comes from creator Ricky Blitt and Warner Bros. Television.


THE WITCHES OF EASTWICK (ABC) - "Lipstick Jungle" co-star Lindsay Price has joined the cast of the drama pilot, about three young witches who come into their powers. She'll play one of the trio, Joanna, a hardworking, shy reporter for the local newspaper. Price's involvement is technically in second position to her duties on the technically still alive "Jungle." Pilot wunderkind David Nutter is directing the Warner Bros. Television-based hour from a script by Maggie Friedman.


Sources: Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Reuters





  [february 2009]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S


· 100 QUESTIONS (NBC)
· ABFAB (FOX)
· ALIAS (ABC)
· BROTHERS & SISTERS (ABC)
· DEVELOPMENT UPDATE (TFC)
· EASTWICK (ABC)
· GARY UNMARRIED (CBS)
· HAPPY TOWN (ABC)
· I'M A CELEBRITY, GET ME OUT OF HERE! (NBC)
· LIPSTICK JUNGLE (NBC)
· MELROSE PLACE (CW)
· MERCY (NBC)
· OCTOBER ROAD (ABC)
· ROMANTICALLY CHALLENGED (ABC)
· SOLVING CHARLIE (ABC)
· SWINGTOWN (CBS)





[10/23/25 - 02:33 PM]
Largest Audience for "NBA Tip-Off" Doubleheader Since 2010 as NBA Returned to NBC and Debuted on Peacock
Tuesday night's audience across NBC and Peacock peaked at 7.1 million viewers from 10:45-11 p.m. ET as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder to a one-point win over the Houston Rockets in double overtime.

[10/23/25 - 02:28 PM]
The 305 Just Got Hotter: "Love & Hip Hop: Miami" Moves to BET Season 7 Premieres Tuesday, November 4 at 8 PM ET/PT
The upcoming seventh season dives deeper than ever into Miami's thriving entertainment scene, following a cast of stars who are rebuilding, rebranding, and redefining success in real time.

[10/23/25 - 01:30 PM]
Critically Acclaimed Noir Thriller, "Dark Winds," to Return to AMC and AMC+ Sunday, February 15
The series' gripping fourth season focuses on the search for a missing Navajo girl, which takes Leaphorn, Chee and Manuelito from the safety of Navajo Nation to the gritty terrain of 1970s Los Angeles in a race against the clock to save her from an obsessive killer with ties to organized crime.

[10/23/25 - 12:01 PM]
Video: BET+ Releases Trailer for Horror Film "A Demon's Revenge"
In the film, following the bloodshed in Belize, Peaches, played by Jhoné Lucas, delves deeper into Caribbean folklore and the terrifying truth that lurks beneath.

[10/23/25 - 12:00 PM]
FOX Entertainment Acquires Equity Stake in Chain, Forging Strategic Partnership with Experiential Food Phenomenon Co-Founded by B.J. Novak
Included in the investment is a first look development deal through Chain Media.

[10/23/25 - 11:28 AM]
"High Potential" Rises to Season High as Show Nears Fall Finale
ABC's popular drama rose to a multiplatform season high in Total Viewers (12.50 million) and Adults 18-49 (2.31 rating) after seven days of viewing on ABC, Hulu, Hulu on Disney+ and digital platforms.

[10/23/25 - 11:13 AM]
USA Network Renews "The Rainmaker" for Second Season
Across the first nine premiere episodes of the season, "The Rainmaker" has averaged 1.3 million total viewers.

[10/23/25 - 11:06 AM]
Global Box Office Sensation "Wicked" Arrives Nov. 19 on NBC
The NBC telecast of "Wicked" leads up to the November 21 premiere of "Wicked: For Good," the epic finale to the global cultural phenomenon.

[10/23/25 - 11:01 AM]
Video: Paramount+ Releases Official Trailer for New Documentary "My Nightmare Stalker: The Eva LaRue Story"
The powerful two-part documentary premieres Thursday, November 13, exclusively on Paramount+.

[10/23/25 - 11:00 AM]
What's New on HBO Max This November
New original series include "I Love LA" and "The Seduction"; as well as documentaries "Alex vs ARod," "One to One: John & Yoko," and "Thoughts & Prayers."

[10/23/25 - 10:31 AM]
Definitive Kevin Durant Doc Series Underway for Netflix from OBB Pictures and Boardroom
Production will continue shooting into the current season and for years beyond as he approaches the final chapters of his career.

[10/23/25 - 10:04 AM]
"Merry Little Mystery" - Starring Jordin Sparks & Keon Alexander Streaming on The Roku Channel November 19th
Natasha Maxwell spends the holidays at her grandparent's house in the tiny town of Roundtop, where she grew up.

[10/23/25 - 10:00 AM]
HBO Original Documentary "One to One: John & Yoko" Debuts November 14
A rare and revelatory inside look at John Lennon and Yoko Ono's first year in New York City in the early 1970s, the film delivers an immersive, cinematic experience that brings to life a chapter of explosive creativity and political activism in their lives.

[10/23/25 - 09:01 AM]
Video: "The Great American Baking Show: Celebrity Holiday" (2025) Official Trailer - The Roku Channel
Celebrity bakers Baron Davis, Cheri Oteri, Oliver Hudson, and Janelle James swap the spotlight for spatulas, as they take on three holiday-themed challenges and vie for the coveted Star Baker crown.

[10/23/25 - 09:01 AM]
Country Music Icon Reba McEntire Set to Take the Stage as Host of "Christmas in Rockefeller Center" Special
The annual two-hour telecast will air live Wednesday, December 3 at 8 p.m. ET on NBC and simulcast on Peacock.