or


[09/03/09 - 06:49 PM]
Development Update: Thursday, September 3
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!


THE DEEP END (ABC) - Mehcad Brooks ("True Blood") has joined the cast of the upcoming drama, about first-year associates at a prestigious L.A. law firm. He'll play a new character, Malcolm Bennet, an associate at the firm. No other specifics about his character were given, nor how said commitment relates to his status on "Blood."


ENLIGHTENED (HBO) - The pay channel has commissioned a pilot for the single-camera comedy, about "a self-destructive woman who has a spiritual awakening and becomes determined to live an enlightened life, creating havoc at home and work." Laura Dern will topline the half-hour, which comes from filmmaker Mike White ("Year of the Dog"). Production is set to begin in December.


JACK & DAN (FOX, New!) - Fox Television Studios and "Burn Notice" creator Matt Nix are set to team for a new international co-production, a drama about Jack, "an ambitious, by-the-book cop who is partnered with Dan, a drunken, lecherous, wild-card cop who hangs onto his job only because of a heroic act years before." The news marks the fourth such endeavor by the studio, the others being ABC's "Defying Gravity," FOX's "Mental" and NBC's "Persons Unknown." FOX has already signed on for the U.S. broadcast window, an early partnership designed to help foster the creative input by the broadcaster. Production is also expected to take place in the U.S., albeit at a lower license fee as the studio will recoup the difference via potential international broadcasting partners. Casting and staffing are currently underway. Nix's manager, Mikkel Bondesen, will also serve as an executive producer.


MELROSE PLACE (The CW) - Rick Fox ("The Game") has scored a recurring role on the netlet's "Melrose" update. He'll play "the owner of the restaurant where all the aspiring actors on the show work." It's not clear when his first episode will air.


PRIME SUSPECT (NBC, New!) - Hank Steinberg ("Without a Trace") is looking to import Lynda La Plante's much-ballyhooed U.K. drama for U.S. audiences. The project is the result of a two-year, three-pilot deal the Peacock has inked with ITV Studios. Universal Media Studios-based Steinberg will write and executive produce the planned two-hour pilot, which will follow "a tough homicide investigator who found herself juggling her difficult job and equally harrowing personal life." Helen Mirren toplined the U.K. incarnation, which aired in seven parts between 1991 and 2006. Paul Buccieri will executive produce for ITV Studios.


UNTITLED BRET HARRISON PROJECT (CBS, New!) - "Reaper" alum Bret Harrison is set to write and star in a new multi-camera comedy at the Eye about "two district attorneys - one in his 20s (Harrison), the other in his 40s - and the woman between them." The project, which has a script commitment, is set up at Universal Media Studios and feature producer Scott Stuber's ("Love Happens") Stuber Productions banner. Robert Borden ("The George Lopez Show") is penning the half-hour off a story he co-wrote with Harrison. The writer/producer is also working on "Outsourced" for NBC and Universal Media Studios. The comedy, which he's executive producing with Ken Kwapis, and the Harrison project are part of a two-script deal Borden has with the studio.


Sources: Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Reuters





  [september 2009]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S
  


· BURN NOTICE (USA)
· DEEP END, THE (ABC)
· DEFYING GRAVITY (ABC)
· DEVELOPMENT UPDATE (TFC)
· ENLIGHTENED (HBO)
· GAME, THE (BET)
· GEORGE LOPEZ SHOW, THE (ABC)
· GOOD GUYS, THE (FOX)
· MELROSE PLACE (CW)
· MENTAL (FOX)
· OUTSOURCED (NBC)
· PERSONS UNKNOWN (NBC)
· PRIME SUSPECT (NBC)
· REAPER (CW)
· TRUE BLOOD (HBO)
· UNTITLED BRET HARRISON PROJECT (CBS)
· WITHOUT A TRACE (CBS)





[05/28/25 - 01:01 PM]
Peacock Unveils Cunning, Cutthroat and Chaotic New Cast of "House of Villains" Season Three, Premiering Early 2026
Production begins this week as the villains return to the iconic house from seasons one and two.

[05/28/25 - 12:04 PM]
Garcelle Beauvais Extends Partnership with Lifetime to Executive Produce and Star in Two New Original Movies
On tap are "Taken at a Truck Stop: A Black Girl Missing Movie," an emotionally charged thriller and continuation of the "Black Girl Missing" franchise, and "Terry McMillan Presents: Tempted 2 Love," the highly anticipated sequel to the hit romance that captivated viewers last year.

[05/28/25 - 11:35 AM]
"The American Music Awards" Hosted by Jennifer Lopez Posts Largest Audience Since 2019
The live broadcast delivered 4.73 million viewers, up +34% from its last live broadcast in 2022 (airing November 20, 2022, on ABC).

[05/28/25 - 10:19 AM]
ESPN's "Sunday Night Baseball" Averaged 1.7 Million Viewers for NLCS Rematch Featuring Los Angeles Dodgers vs New York Mets
Said telecast was up 11% versus last year's "Sunday Night Baseball" average.

[05/28/25 - 09:06 AM]
Apple's "The Morning Show" Returns for Season Four on Wednesday, September 17
Season four of "The Morning Show" opens in spring 2024, almost two years after the events of season three.

[05/28/25 - 09:03 AM]
FX's "Welcome to Wrexham" Scores Season Five Order
Also revealed today were new details about FX and Disney+ Latin America's "Necaxa," a new docuseries from Eva Longoria in partnership with Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds, the three of whom are all investors in Aguascalientes, Mexico-based Club Necaxa.

[05/28/25 - 09:01 AM]
Netflix's "Leanne" Starring Leanne Morgan and from Co-Creator Chuck Lorre - First Look & Date Announcement
All 16 episodes will premiere globally on July 31.

[05/28/25 - 09:01 AM]
Video: Trailer & Key Art Debut - "The Kollective" (Only on Hulu)
Taking audiences around the world from Budapest to St. Petersburg to London, "The Kollective" is a gripping thriller about a group of intrepid young citizen journalists who, after a sudden tragedy, find themselves sucked into a globe-spanning web of government lies and corruption.

[05/28/25 - 09:00 AM]
First-Time Tony Nominee Darren Criss and Tony Award Winner Renee Elise Goldsberry to Host "The Tony Awards: Act One"
The live pre-show with exclusive content is available to viewers for free on Pluto TV - the leading free streaming television service - beginning Sunday, June 8 at 6:40-8:00 PM, ET/3:40-5:00 PM, PT.

[05/28/25 - 09:00 AM]
Video: Prime Video Drops a Gripping Trailer and Official Key Art for "Countdown," Starring Jensen Ackles, Eric Dane & Jessica Camacho
The pulse-pounding series will debut exclusively on Prime Video in more than 240 countries and territories worldwide on Wednesday, June 25, with a three-episode premiere.

[05/28/25 - 08:11 AM]
TLC's "Match Me Abroad" Returns for a Second Season Beginning June 22
The series returns for a second season, following six American singles who take a bold step to find love across international borders.

[05/28/25 - 08:01 AM]
"The Gentlemen" Season 2 Announces Cast as Filming Begins
Joining the cast for season two will be Hugh Bonneville, Benjamin Clementine, Benedetta Porcaroli, Michele Morrone, Sergio Castellito, Amra Mallassi, Tyler Conti, British professional boxer Chris Eubank Jr and TV host, DJ and entrepreneur Maya Jama.

[05/28/25 - 08:01 AM]
Nicole Curtis Rescues Neglected Historic Homes In Detroit and Wyoming in a New Season of HGTV's "Rehab Addict" Premiering Tuesday, June 24, at 9 p.m. ET/PT
Across the fresh four episodes, she will embark on one of her biggest challenges yet - fighting to save two derelict properties that are 1,500 miles apart.

[05/28/25 - 07:52 AM]
Formula 1 Monaco Grand Prix Telecast on ABC Attracts Largest Live Audience Ever for Iconic Event
The audience broke the event's record viewership of 2.0 million that watched last year's race, with viewership peaking at 2.6 million during the 10:30-10:45 a.m. quarter hour.

[05/28/25 - 07:10 AM]
Video: Apple TV+ Unveils Trailer for "Smoke," Gripping New Crime Drama from Creator Dennis Lehane Debuting June 27, 2025
"Smoke" follows an arson investigator who begrudgingly teams up with a police detective as their race to stop two arsonists ignites a twisted game of secrets and suspicions.