or


[03/30/09 - 06:08 PM]
Development Update: Monday, March 30
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!


ACE IN THE HOLE (CBS) - Newcomers Skylar Astin and Darien Provost have joined the cast of the Adam Carolla-led comedy pilot, which stars Carolla as a husband and father who works as a driving instructor. Provost will play his nine-year son while Astin is set as his teenage stepson. Carolla and Kevin Hench co-created the half-hour, which is set up at CBS Paramount Network Television.


DIAMONDS (ABC, New!) - The Alphabet has picked up the broadcast rights to a new four-hour mini-series from Alchemy Television. The ensemble drama, featuring Judy Davis, James Purefoy, Derek Jacobi, Louise Rose and Joanne Kelly, tells five storylines linked to the "personal and political effects of the blood diamond trade on a global scale." Sienna Films is behind the $15 million production, which was originally filmed in South Africa and Canada for the CBC and the U.K. It's understood it will turn up here in late May following the sweeps period. As for specifics, Davis stars as "a U.S. senator who travels to Africa to find out why her daughter was killed at a diamond mine in Sierra Leone." Andy Wilson helmed the project from a script by David Vainola wrote.


HAPPINESS ISN'T EVERYTHING (CBS) - Mary Steenburgen ("Joan of Arcadia") is returning to the small screen, this time on the comedy front. She's been cast as Audrey Veill, the mother of Jason Biggs's character in the comedy pilot, about adult siblings (Biggs, Ben Schwartz) and their parents (Dreyfuss, Steenburgen) who are overly involved in one another's lives. James Vallely and Mitch Hurwitz are behind the project, which comes from the Sony Pictures Television-based Tantamount banner.


THE SHARK TANK (ABC) - The network has ordered seven episodes of the series, in which aspiring entrepreneurs pitch their business ventures to five multimillionaire tycoons each week. Mark Burnett is behind the project, which is based on a Japanese format. BBC America currently airs its U.K. incarnation, "The Dragon's Den." Production was completed on a pilot last fall, which featured such beefed up elements as "a huge auditorium and placing the investors behind an intimidating desk." Burnett however admits said changes took away from "the interpersonal tension between ambitious entrepreneurs struggling to convince five strangers to part with their money" and will now be dialed down. On board as "the sharks" then are Robert Herjavec (focus: internet), Kevin Harrington (infomercials), Barbara Corcoran (real estate), Kevin O'Leary (venture capitalist) and Daymond John (clothing). No air date has been set.


STATE OF ROMANCE (NBC) - "Mad TV" alum Bobby Lee has joined the cast of the comedy pilot, which is described as a modern day "Pride and Prejudice" set in Chicago. He'll play Andrew, an unspecified character. Barbara Wallace and Tom Wolfe are behind the half-hour, which is based at Universal Media Studios.


UNTITLED JUSTIN ADLER PROJECT (NBC) - Leslie Bibb ("Kings") and John Michael Higgins ("Kath & Kim") have both joined the cast of the comedy pilot, about adult siblings and their controlling mother. Bibb is set as Vanessa, the eldest child, a perfect domestic goddess. Higgins, whose casting is in second position to "Kath & Kim," then will play Charles, her husband, a wealthy professional polo player. Justin Adler penned the half-hour, which comes from the Sony Pictures Television-based Tantamount.


UNTITLED ANITA RENFROE PROJECT (ABC) - "The Drew Carey Show" alum Ryan Stiles is set to star opposite Anita Renfroe in the comedy pilot, about a couple raising kids. He'll play her husband Paul, the pastor of their town. Amy Welsh and Rob Hanning are behind the project, which likewise comes from the Sony Pictures Television-based Tantamount.


WAITING TO DIE (CBS) - T.J. Miller ("Carpoolers") and comedian Nick Thune have been tapped for the lead roles on the comedy pilot, about two simple guys who are happy with their lives - no matter how bad things might look from the outside. They'll play Lonnie Ponce and Jeff Helmut, respectively. Will Sasso and Chad Kultgen co-created the half-hour, which again comes from the ever-busy Sony Pictures Television-based Tantamount.


Sources: Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Reuters





  [march 2009]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S


· ACE IN THE HOLE (CBS)
· BLESS THIS MESS (ABC)
· CARPOOLERS (ABC)
· DEVELOPMENT UPDATE (TFC)
· DIAMONDS (ABC)
· DRAGONS' DEN (BBC AMERICA)
· DREW CAREY SHOW, THE (ABC)
· HAPPINESS ISN'T EVERYTHING (CBS)
· JOAN OF ARCADIA (CBS)
· KATH & KIM (NBC)
· KINGS (NBC)
· SHARK TANK (ABC)
· STATE OF ROMANCE (NBC)
· UNTITLED JUSTIN ADLER PROJECT (NBC)
· WAITING TO DIE (CBS)





[08/04/25 - 01:58 PM]
Video: "Shipwreck Hunters Australia" - Season 2 - Official Trailer - Streaming August 27 on Disney+
The team is diving into six epic new missions along Western Australia's ruggedly beautiful "Treasure Coast."

[08/04/25 - 12:52 PM]
"King & Conqueror" Commands Key Licensing Deals in Global Markets
The epic historical drama starring James Norton and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau has been licensed to Prime Video in the United States.

[08/04/25 - 11:35 AM]
FOX Nation Greenlights Two New Seasons of "God. Family. Football."
Season three will premiere on Thursday, August 7, with eight new episodes airing weekly and season four will follow come fall 2026.

[08/04/25 - 11:00 AM]
Video: Trailer Debut - Hulu's New Unscripted Series "Are You My First?"
All 10 episodes drop Monday, August 18 with the premiere also broadcast on ABC that night following an all-new episode of "Bachelor in Paradise."

[08/04/25 - 10:03 AM]
"TMZ Presents: The Real Hulk Hogan" Premieres Tuesday, August 12 at 8/7c on FOX
The special will highlight interviews from Sylvester Stallone, Vince McMahon, Mick Foley, Bill Goldberg, Jimmy Hart and Mark Henry with additional interviews from WWE Superstars including Alexa Bliss, Jacob Fatu and Charlotte Flair.

[08/04/25 - 10:00 AM]
Video: All-New Trailer and Poster for "Electric Bloom" Revealed Ahead of Disney+ Debut on Sept. 17
The first 13 episodes of the music-driven comedy series will stream September 17 on Disney+, with the remaining episodes hitting Disney+ on October 15.

[08/04/25 - 09:04 AM]
New Season of "Mountain Men" Premieres September 3 on History Marking Tom Oar's Farewell Season
With mounting challenges and high stakes, veterans and rookies alike must dig deep to protect their freedom and preserve the frontier way of life.

[08/04/25 - 09:02 AM]
Ice-T to Host A&E's New Special "Fame and Fentanyl" Providing an Unflinching Look at the National Epidemic
The two-hour special premieres Monday, August 25 at 9pm ET/PT on A&E.

[08/04/25 - 09:01 AM]
NBC Renews Hit Show "American Ninja Warrior" for Season 18
Season 17 has reached more than 23 million total viewers across NBC and Peacock so far this summer.

[08/04/25 - 08:06 AM]
Video: MGM+ Unveils "Let the Devil In" Official Trailer
The project is a haunting and mysterious four-episode documentary series about a decades-old tragedy that destroyed one family and ignited the darkest fears of a small New Jersey town.

[08/04/25 - 08:01 AM]
Sope Dirisu Will Star in "All the Sinners Bleed" - A New Series from Joe Robert Cole and Based on the Novel by S.A. Cosby.
Haunted by his mother's death, the first Black sheriff in a Bible Belt county hunts for a serial killer preying on the Black community in the name of God.

[08/04/25 - 08:01 AM]
Video: "Love Is Blind: UK" Season 2 - Official Trailer - Netflix
A new batch of singles in the UK search for love sight unseen. Who will make it from the pods, to living together, to all the way up the aisle?

[08/04/25 - 07:01 AM]
Video: "Highest 2 Lowest" - Official Trailer - Apple TV+
The fifth collaboration between Spike Lee and Denzel Washington, Highest 2 Lowest, is in theaters August 15 and streaming September 5 on Apple TV+.

[08/04/25 - 06:05 AM]
NBC Sports Announces Courtside Reporters and NBA Insider for Upcoming NBA Coverage
Jordan Cornette, Ashley ShahAhmadi, and Zora Stephenson are joining its NBA coverage as courtside reporters with Grant Liffmann as an NBA Insider focusing on front office news.

[08/04/25 - 06:01 AM]
Video: "Magic City: An American Fantasy" - Official Trailer - Starz
This star-studded documentary explores the rise of Atlanta's iconic strip club, Magic City, and its massive influence on hip-hop culture.