or


[03/17/09 - 06:27 PM]
Development Update: Tuesday, March 17
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!


HAPPY TOWN (ABC) - Sam Neill ("Crusoe") has joined the cast of the two-hour 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. He'll play the owner of a movie-paraphernalia shop in the ABC Studios-based project, which Gary Fleder is directing from a script by co-creators Andre Nemec, Josh Applebaum and Scott Rosenberg.


HAVE I GOT NEWS FOR YOU (NBC, New!) - The Peacock is reportedly in talks with Hat Trick Productions to import the long-running U.K. panel show to the U.S. The series "features two teams of celebrities and newsmakers humorously trying to answer questions about current events and politics." Hat Trick's Jimmy Mulville is executive producing the project, which is said to be nearing a pilot commitment.


LIMELIGHT (ABC) - Noah Gray-Cabey ("Heroes"), Oded Fehr ("Sleeper Cell"), Jessy Schram ("Life") and singer Kyle Riabko have all joined the cast of the drama pilot, about the students and faculty at a performing arts school in New York. Gray-Cabey will play the school's music prodigy with Fehr as its larger-than-life and overbearing artistic director. Riabko and Schram then are set as aspiring young actors auditioning for the academy. David Semel is helming the Warner Bros. Television-based hour from a script by K.J. Steinberg.


MELROSE PLACE (The CW) - Jessica Lucas ("90210") is switching zip codes as the actress has joined the cast of The CW's "Melrose" revival. She'll play Riley Richmond, a wealthy and beautiful 24-year-old who works as an inner-city elementary school teacher. Her character is understood to be engaged to Jonah (Michael Rady) but has second thoughts about marrying him. Ashlee Simpson-Wentz and Katie Cassidy also star in the CBS Paramount Network Television-based hour, which Davis Guggenheim is helming off a script from co-creators Darren Swimmer and Todd Slavkin.


THE NAUGHTY KITCHEN (Oxygen) - The cable channel is reportedly close to ordering the Blythe Beck-led project to series. Code Entertainment and Authentic Pictures are behind the half-hour pilot, which follows the "brassy, ambitious five-star chef Beck and the colorful cast of characters at her upscale Dallas restaurant." Code's Larry Kennar and Rick Berg; Authentic's Lauren Lexton and Tom Rogan; and showrunners Brandy Menefree and Brad Hall are the executive producers.


THREE RIVERS (CBS) - "Moonlight" alum Alex O'Loughlin is in talks to join the cast of the drama pilot, which follows organ transplants as seen through the eyes of the doctors, the donors and the recipients involved. He's on track to play Dr. Andy Yablonski, "the workaholic head of the team of organ donor transplants who is separated from his wife and lives in a motel near the hospital." Carol Barbee is behind the project, which is set up at CBS Paramount Network Television.


UNTITLED JUSTIN ADLER PROJECT (NBC) - Nick D'Agosto ("Heroes") and Michael Rosenbaum ("Smallville") have both joined the cast of the comedy pilot, which revolves around a grown-up family. D'Agosto will play the youngest sibling, who brings his girlfriend to meet the family, while Rosenbaum is set as "the married middle sibling freaked out over his recently adopted baby." Justin Adler is behind the half-hour, which comes from the Sony Pictures Television-based Tantamount.


Sources: Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Reuters





  [march 2009]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S


· 90210 (CW)
· CRUSOE (NBC)
· DEVELOPMENT UPDATE (TFC)
· HAPPY TOWN (ABC)
· HAVE I GOT NEWS FOR YOU (TBS)
· HEROES (NBC)
· LIFE (NBC)
· LIMELIGHT (ABC)
· MELROSE PLACE (CW)
· MOONLIGHT (CBS)
· NAUGHTY KITCHEN WITH CHEF BLYTHE BECK, THE (OXYGEN)
· SLEEPER CELL (SHOWTIME)
· SMALLVILLE (CW)
· THREE RIVERS (CBS)
· UNTITLED JUSTIN ADLER PROJECT (NBC)





[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.