 |
 |
[09/18/09 - 06:03 PM]
Development Update: Friday, September 18
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 BORGIAS (Showtime, New!) - Feature helmer Neil Jordan is developing a new historical drama at the pay channel about the infamous Borgia clan, "the notorious Italian noble family that ran amok during the Renaissance." Showtime is said to be close to a pilot commitment for the project, which also comes from DreamWorks Television and Robert Zemeckis's ImageMovers banner. Jordan penned the script on spec and has completed a story bible for the series. He'll also executive produce alongside Justin Falvey and Darryl Frank of DreamWorks and Zemeckis, Jack Rapke and Steve Starkey of ImageMovers. As for specifics, the series will revolve around Rodrigo Borgia, "who served as Pope Alexander VI from 1492-1503 before dying suddenly, and his murderous and larcenous children Lucrezia, Cesare and Juan."
CHUCK (NBC) - Vinnie Jones ("X-Men: The Last Stand") is set to guest star on the show's third season. He'll play Karl Stromberg, "an expert hit man with a soft side." No other details were given about said role.
IN PLAIN SIGHT (USA, New!) - John McNamara ("Eyes") has been tapped as the showrunner of the series, which returns for its third season next year. He'll take over for David Maples and Paul Stupin, who announced their departure earlier this year. The news is the result of a new overall deal the prolific writer/producer has inked with Universal Media Studios. In addition to his "Sight" duties, he'll develop new series projects for the studio. Production on the new season of "Sight" begins in January in Albuquerque.
LEAPFROG (ABC, New!) - Shana Goldberg-Meehan ("Joey") has landed a pilot commitment from the Alphabet for a new multi-camera comedy about "two sisters at different stages in their romantic relationships - one sister is in a happy, long-term relationship but isn't married; the other gets pregnant and winds up quickly marrying her new beau." Warner Bros. Television is the studio attached.
PREGNANCY PACT (Lifetime) - Thora Birch and Nancy Travis are the first to be cast in the original movie, which is inspired by "the true story of the boom of teen pregnancies at Gloucester High School in Massachusetts." Birch will play Sidney Bloom, "an opinionated blogger who returns to her hometown to investigate the sudden spike in teenage pregnancies at her old high school." Travis then is set as Lorraine Dougan, "head of a local conservative-values group and mother of Sara, a pregnant 15-year-old." The Gloucester story drew national attention after a Time magazine story suggested the pregnancies were the result of a pact among the girls. Robert M. Sertner and Frank von Zerneck are behind the project, which Rosemary Rodriguez will direct from a script by Pamela Davis and Teena Booth.
UNTITLED BRETT PAESEL/MARSH MCCALL PROJECT (ABC, New!) - Brett Paesel and Marsh McCall have booked a script commitment from the Alphabet for a new comedy about Megan McPhee, "a newly divorced woman who, in an attempt to rebuild her life, takes a rather unusual job." ABC Studios is behind the multi-camera half-hour with Warren Littlefield also executive producing.
UNTITLED PENN & TELLER PROJECT (ABC, New!) - Vegas magicians/comedians Penn and Teller ("Penn & Teller: Bullshit") are set to topline a potential new dramedy at the network about a pair of "magicians by night and reluctant detectives by day." Leonard Dick ("House") is writing the Warner Bros. Television-based project and will executive alongside the duo. Peter Golden is also onboard as a co-executive producer.
Sources: Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Reuters
|
|
|
 [september 2009]  |
S |
M |
T |
W |
T |
F |
S |
| | |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
 |
|
[11/21/25 - 01:01 PM]
Netflix Wins Drama Series "Trigger Point" and Orders Hot Package Straight to Series
Joel Edgerton stars in an action crime drama about a group of former Tier One Special Forces Operators who sell their elite skills to the criminal underworld behind the front of a private military contracting firm - and the FBI agent who's hunting for them.
|
[11/21/25 - 12:13 PM]
"Henry David Thoreau" to Air on PBS March 2026
The three-part, three-hour film examines the life and work of the 19th-century writer in the context of antebellum New England and the larger United States, as well as through the universal themes he focused on in his writings.
|
[11/21/25 - 12:00 PM]
CBS Series Top L+7 Multiplatform Competitive Charts
Seven weeks into the 2025/26 broadcast season, "Tracker" is the #1 series, averaging 14.2 million viewers across broadcast and streaming.
|
[11/21/25 - 11:00 AM]
Video: New Trailer of Upcoming Drama "Memory of a Killer" Starring Patrick Dempsey and Michael Imperioli - Premiering This January on FOX
Dempsey stars as a hitman, Angelo Doyle, leading a dangerous double life while hiding an even deadlier personal secret.
|
[11/21/25 - 09:00 AM]
What's New on HBO Max This December
New films due next month include "The Family McMullen," A24's "Ne Zha II," A24 documentary "Architecton," and Bleeker Street's "Spinal Tap II: The End Continues."
|
[11/21/25 - 09:00 AM]
"TMZ Presents: TMZ's Most Outrageous Moments of 2025" Premieres Tuesday, December 2 at 9/8c on FOX
TMZ brings you an ultimate year-end spectacle packed with the most jaw-dropping moments, epic surprises, and unforgettable blunders of 2025!
|
[11/21/25 - 09:00 AM]
Video: We TV Releases Exclusive Sneak Peek of the New Season of "Love During Lockup"
The prequel to "Love After Lockup," "Love During Lockup," reveals the fascinating moments that occur when people in the free world look for love and begin relationships with inmates, capturing their journey as they count down the days, weeks, months, or even years until the anticipated release.
|
[11/21/25 - 07:39 AM]
Great American Media Celebrates "Christmas as It's Meant to Be" as the Exclusive Broadcast Home of the 2025 National Christmas Tree Lighting
Great American Media will exclusively broadcast the ceremony on Great American Family Friday, December 5 at 8 p.m. ET, with streaming available on Great American Pure Flix through January 31, 2026.
|
[11/21/25 - 06:03 AM]
FOX Sports' FIFA World Cup 2026 Final Draw Presentation Features Unprecedented 3 1/2 Hours of Live Coverage on Broadcast Television
FOX Sports' veteran sportscasters Rob Stone and Jenny Taft will anchor the network's on-site broadcast alongside former U.S. Men's National Team (USMNT) stars and acclaimed analysts Alexi Lalas and Stu Holden.
|
[11/21/25 - 01:01 AM]
Video: "The Night My Dad Saved Christmas 2" - Official Trailer - Netflix
When the sneaky director of a toy company kidnaps Santa, it's up to a father and son to rescue him and save Christmas from disaster.
|
[11/20/25 - 04:55 PM]
"Dancing with the Stars" Jumps to Season Highs with Epic "Prince Night"
The show rose dramatically over its year-ago penultimate episode in Total Viewers, with its best semifinals performance in seven years.
|
[11/20/25 - 02:50 PM]
Video: Watch the Trailers - "OWN for the Holidays" Returns with Three Festive New Movies
"Fake Yourself a Merry Little Christmas," "The Christmas Showdown," and "Very Merry Mystery" are on tap in the coming weeks.
|
[11/20/25 - 01:16 PM]
"Christmas in Nashville" Unveils Star-Studded Performer Lineup for Dec. 3 Country Music Holiday Special on NBC
Bill Murray & His Blood Brothers, Lauren Alaina, NE-YO, The War and Treaty and Trace Adkins are set to perform holiday favorites.
|
[11/20/25 - 12:32 PM]
"The Tonight Show" Enters the Upside Down - "Stranger Things" Cast to Make a Series of Guest Appearances on "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon"
Millie Bobby Brown will co-host with Fallon on December 7, which is the final post-"Sunday Night Football" special episode of the season.
|
[11/20/25 - 12:30 PM]
Video: Acorn TV Debuts Trailer and Key Art for "The Madame Blanc Mysteries" Two-Part Christmas Special
Created by and starring Sally Lindsay, the special is set to premiere on Monday, December 15 and Monday, December 22, respectively, in the US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.
|
|
|
|
