 |
 |
[08/19/09 - 06:41 PM]
Development Update: Wednesday, August 19
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!
CLIVE BARKER'S HOTEL (ABC, New!) - Screenwriters Marcus Dunstan and Patrick Melton ("Saw IV" and "Saw V") are set to team with horror guru Clive Barker for a new drama at the Alphabet about "a series of ghoulish incidents at a haunted hotel." Dunstan and Melton will pen the Warner Bros. Television-based hour and executive produce alongside Barker with McG's Wonderland Sound and Vision also potentially attached. No other details were given.
EMPIRE STATE (ABC)/HOUSE RULES (CBS) - Michael Seitzman, who penned both of the aforementioned pilots this past development season, has inked a two-script deal with ABC Studios. The pact calls for the prolific writer/producer to pen two new efforts for the studio, which he'll develop under his Michael Seitzman's Pictures banner.
FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS (NBC) - Jurnee Smollett ("The Great Debaters") is the latest addition to the show's upcoming fourth season. She'll play Jess, "the daughter of a onetime NFL hopeful who knows the game and helps raise her siblings with the help of her father." It's not clear when her arc will begin.
FULL COLOR FOOTBALL: THE HISTORY OF THE AMERICAN FOOTBALL LEAGUE (Showtime, New!) - The pay channel is set to air a new five-part documentary about "the birth of the only league to successfully rival the NFL from its wild beginnings to the most stunning upset in pro football history and the eventual powerhouse merger." The NFL Films-produced project will air Wednesdays at 8:00/7:00c starting September 16 leading into "Inside the NFL" at 9:00/8:00c. The network itself details the premiere installment as follows: "In episode 101, the series premiere, AFL founder Lamar Hunt hatches the idea for a rival football league after the NFL rebuffs his efforts to purchase an expansion franchise, and teams such as the L.A. Chargers are born from humble beginnings."
LOST (ABC) - John Hawkes ("Deadwood") has landed a recurring role on the show's final season. He'll play Lennon, "the scruffy, edgy and charismatic spokesperson and translator for the president of a foreign corporation who is far more powerful than it seems from his position." Not surprisingly, full details about the character are being kept under wraps.
MELROSE PLACE (The CW) - Jenna Dewan ("Step Up") is set for a multi-episode arc on the netlet's "Melrose" revival. According to Entertainment Weekly, she'll play "a young movie studio exec who takes a liking to wannabe Tarantino, Jonah (Michael Rady), in at least two episodes." It's not clear when her first episode will air.
PARENTHOOD (NBC) - Joy Bryant ("Virtuality") has been upped to recurring on the freshman drama, due at midseason on the Peacock. She'll continue on as Jasmine - "a sexy single mom who moves back to the Bay Area to give her professional dance career a second try and to introduce her 5-year-old son, the product of a fling, to his father" - after guest starring in the pilot. No other specifics were released.
SOUTHLAND (NBC) - "Prison Break" alum Amaury Nolasco has joined the cast of the sophomore drama. He'll play "the aggressive new partner of Det. Lydia Adams (Regina King) who drives her crazy." The show's freshman run wrapped with Lydia's current partner (Tom Everett Scott) in critical danger.
Sources: Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Reuters
|
|
|
 [august 2009]  |
S |
M |
T |
W |
T |
F |
S |
| | | | | | |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
 |
|
[04/22/26 - 05:30 PM]
Hulu's Second-Annual Get Real House Event Brings Together the Biggest Names in Reality TV and Delivers Major Announcements
The ultimate crossover event gathered over 150 unscripted TV icons and creatives, including Khloé Kardashian, Travis Barker, Lisa Vanderpump, Heidi Klum, Maura Higgins and more.
|
[04/22/26 - 05:01 PM]
Video: "The WONDERfools" - Official Teaser - Netflix
A goofy group of townies stumbles into superpowers and fights rising evil as doomsday panic grows in this wild, turn-of-the-century action comedy.
|
[04/22/26 - 04:46 PM]
"Dancing with the Stars" Expands Hit Franchise with a New Competition Series, "Dancing with the Stars: The Next Pro," Coming to ABC and Hulu
The series will premiere July 13, 2026, at 8 p.m. ET/PT on ABC, with episodes available the next day on Hulu.
|
[04/22/26 - 01:00 PM]
ESPN Opens NBA Playoffs with Most-Watched Playoff Game of Opening Weekend
Saturday's Houston Rockets vs. Los Angeles Lakers matchup on ABC averaged 5.2 million viewers, peaking at 6.4 million viewers during the 11 p.m. ET quarter hour.
|
[04/22/26 - 12:01 PM]
HBO Original Film "Miss You, Love You," Starring Allison Janney and Andrew Rannells, Debuts May 29
A blunt, grieving widow, Diane Patterson (Allison Janney) is forced to plan her husband's funeral with a total stranger: her estranged son's assistant, Jamie Simms (Andrew Rannells).
|
[04/22/26 - 11:17 AM]
USA Sports Announces 2026 WNBA on USA Network Schedule, Highlighted by Wednesday Night Doubleheaders, Marquee Matchups and 2026 WNBA Finals Games
The WNBA on USA Network schedule tips off on Mother's Day, Sunday, May 10, as 2025 WNBA MVP A'ja Wilson and the defending champion Las Vegas Aces visit Cameron Brink, Kelsey Plum and the Los Angeles Sparks at 6 p.m. ET from Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.
|
[04/22/26 - 11:11 AM]
NBC Sports Announces Its Complete 2026 WNBA Regular-Season Schedule Across NBC, Peacock, and NBCSN
NBC Sports' 2026 WNBA slate of 22 regular season games begins with the reigning WNBA Champion Las Vegas Aces visiting the Atlanta Dream on Sunday, May 17 at 1:30 p.m. ET on NBC and Peacock.
|
[04/22/26 - 11:07 AM]
NBC Sports' Manchester City-Arsenal Is Most-Watched Premier League Match in U.S. History
Coverage averaged 2.6 million viewers across NBC, Peacock, Telemundo and NBC Sports Digital platforms this past Sunday.
|
[04/22/26 - 11:06 AM]
ESPN, ABC Announce 2026 WNBA Regular Season Schedule
ESPN, which has televised the WNBA since the league's inaugural season in 1997, will tip off its 30th consecutive season on Saturday, May 9, with expanded coverage across ESPN, ABC, Disney+ and ESPN Deportes.
|
[04/22/26 - 11:03 AM]
Video: "We'll Be Fine" - Trailer - Hulu
Some love stories don't just consume you... they undo you.
|
[04/22/26 - 10:03 AM]
"In the Eye of the Storm: Chasers" - New Docu-Series Premieres Sunday, May 17 on Discovery Channel
The six-part series captures raw, harrowing encounters as storm chasers, outfitted with their own camera rigs and advanced weather tech, race into the American Midwest during one of the most active tornado seasons in decades.
|
[04/22/26 - 09:32 AM]
Record Setter! ESPN Opens 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs with Three Most-Watched First Round Games on Cable Ever, Excluding Game 7's
The Philadelphia Flyers-Pittsburgh Penguins matchup (Saturday, 8 p.m. ET) drew 2.1 million viewers, becoming the most-viewed First Round Playoff game ever on cable (excluding game 7's).
|
[04/22/26 - 09:29 AM]
Stage Set in the Steel City: ESPN's "College GameDay Built by The Home Depot" to Air Live from the NFL Draft in Pittsburgh
The Draft marks ESPN's first major event of the 2026 football season, culminating with ESPN's first-ever Super Bowl on February 14, 2027.
|
[04/22/26 - 09:11 AM]
Video: Jaw-Dropping Official Trailer for Highly Anticipated Drama "The Vampire Lestat" Released
The wild and captivating next chapter in Anne Rice's Immortal Universe follows Lestat as the world's first immortal rock star on an electric multi-city tour, while he's haunted by "muses" from his rebellious past.
|
[04/22/26 - 09:01 AM]
Start Your Engines... "RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars" Season 11 Unveils Its Iconic Cast Ahead of Friday, May 8 Premiere on Paramount+
With the return of the high-stakes "Tournament of All Stars" format, the competition reaches new heights across 12-episodes packed with jaw-dropping runway looks, unforgettable performances, and the kind of drama only Drag Race can deliver.
|
|
|
|
