or


[09/24/09 - 06:04 PM]
Development Update: Thursday, September 24
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!


24 (FOX) - Stephen Root ("True Blood") is the 16th addition to the show's massive season eight ensemble, due in January. He'll play Ben Prady, an officer of the Department of Corrections looking into a parolee gone missing, in a multi-episode arc.


AMERICAN IDOL (FOX) - The network and Simon Cowell are reportedly in talks to import his U.K. series "The X Factor." Said development comes as negotiations continue with the judge to extend his current pact, which ends after the upcoming season. The "Idol" portion of the deal is said to be valued in the nine-figure range to return for two more seasons while "Factor" could net just as much per season. Cowell's existing "Idol" deal prohibited him from bringing "Factor" to the U.S., hence the added pressure to either keep Cowell exclusive or fold "Factor" under the FOX tent.


THE BILL ENGVALL SHOW (TBS) - The cable channel has pulled the plug on the sitcom after three seasons. In a statement released to the Atlanta Journal Constitution, the network said: "TBS has cancelled The Bill Engvall Show after three seasons. We had a great experience working with Bill and the cast. Bill is a terrific comic, and we have tremendous respect for him. While the show didn't attract the audience we need to renew it for another season, we're proud of the work of everyone involved."


THE CAPE (NBC, New!)/THE MYSTERIES OF OAK ISLAND (FOX, New!) - Tom Wheeler ("Empire") has landed script commitments - with penalties attached - for new dramas at FOX and NBC. The former, the Warner Bros. Television-based "The Mysteries of Oak Island," revolves around "a single mom and her two children who inherit a 200-year-old lighthouse on [a] mysterious island off the coast of Nova Scotia known for numerous quests to find treasure believed to be buried there." Meanwhile, "The Cape" centers on "a former cop framed for a crime he didn't commit who becomes the Cape, a masked hero, to clear his name and reunite with his son." Said hour, set in the fictional Jefferson City ("a Los Angeles-type city where corrupt private industries are taking over everything"), comes from Universal Media Studios and fellow executive producers Lloyd Braun and Gail Berman.


HOUSE (FOX) - Entertainment Weekly reports Jennifer Morrison is departing the series later this season. Said development is being billed as "a creative decision on the part of producers." It's understood Morrison's character, who will say goodbye during an episode in November, won't be killed off but rather exit for other reasons. Producers nevertheless reportedly will leave the door open for future appearances.


LAWMAN (FX) - "Dirty Sexy Money" alum Natalie Zea has joined the cast of upcoming drama, about "a modern-day, 19th-century-style lawman (Timothy Olyphant) enforcing his brand of justice." She'll play the ex-wife of said character after guest starring in the pilot. Sony Pictures Television and FX Productions are behind the hour, which rolls out early next year.


SKY JOCKEYS (FOX, New!) - RDF Media and UKTV, a joint venture between BBC Worldwide and Virgin Media, are set to team for a potential new animated comedy set inside an airport. Anil Gupta (U.K.'s "The Office") and Richard Pinto ("Mutual Friends") are behind the half-hour, the pilot of which has been sold to FOX. The project is a result of RDF Media's new script-development deal with UKTV's digital outlet Dave which calls for the company to develop three half-hour scripts, including "Sky Jockeys," at least one of which will be picked up for broadcast sometime in late 2010. No other details about "Jockeys" however were released.


UNTITLED JIM BREUER PROJECT (NBC, New!) - "SNL" alum Jim Breuer is set to topline a new multi-camera comedy at the Peacock about "a father who decides to stay home and raise his three daughters and at the same time take care of his elderly parents." Wil Calhoun ("What I Like About You") is penning the half-hour for Sony Pictures Television. It's understood the project, which has a script commitment, is inspired by Breuer's recent documentary "More Than This," which followed the comedian as he embarked on a stand-up tour with his father. Breuer and Calhoun then will executive produce alongside Brian Robbins and Sharla Sumpter of Varsity Pictures and Judi Brown-Marmel of Levity Entertainment Group.


Sources: Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Reuters





  [september 2009]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S
  


· 24 (FOX)
· AMERICAN IDOL (ABC)
· BILL ENGVALL SHOW, THE (TBS)
· CAPE, THE (NBC)
· DEVELOPMENT UPDATE (TFC)
· DIRTY SEXY MONEY (ABC)
· EMPIRE (ABC)
· HOUSE (FOX)
· JUSTIFIED (FX)
· MYSTERIES OF OAK ISLAND, THE (FOX)
· SKY JOCKEYS (FOX)
· TRUE BLOOD (HBO)
· UNTITLED JIM BREUER PROJECT (NBC)
· WHAT I LIKE ABOUT YOU (WB)
· X FACTOR, THE (FOX)





[01/06/26 - 12:31 PM]
"TMZ Investigates: The Reiner Murders: What REALLY Happened" Premieres Friday, January 9 at 8/7c on FOX
Harvey Levin, Ryan Regan, Charles Latibeaudiere and Jess Fusco serve as executive producers with co-executive producer Shevonne Sullivan.

[01/06/26 - 12:01 PM]
Netflix Top 10: Week of December 29 - "Stranger Things 5" Concludes Right Side Up at No. 1 in This Week's Top 10
At No. 2 on the English TV list with 12.7 million views is the new Harlan Coben mystery series "Run Away," centered on a father desperate for clues about his missing daughter while a string of related murders heightens the urgency to find her.

[01/06/26 - 11:33 AM]
Mark Silverman Wraps Tenure at FOX Sports
Silverman joined FOX Sports in 2018 and previously was the President of Big Ten Network (BTN) since its formation in 2006.

[01/06/26 - 11:06 AM]
Grammy Award Winner Mary J. Blige Extends Lifetime Relationship with New Three-Picture Deal, Launching with "Mary J. Blige Presents Be Happy"
NAACP Image Award-winners Tisha Campbell and Mekhi Phifer and SAG Award nominee Russell Hornsby are set to star.

[01/06/26 - 11:00 AM]
FOX Entertainment Studios Strikes Development Deal with Golden Globe-Winning and Emmy-Nominated Multi-Hyphenate Tracee Ellis Ross and Her Joy Mill Entertainment
Under the partnership, Ross will serve as executive producer and creative originator on a cross-genre scripted slate spanning comedy, drama and animation, as well as unscripted and reality television programming formats.

[01/06/26 - 10:42 AM]
CNBC's "Warren Buffett: A Life and Legacy" to Premiere on Tuesday, January 13 at 7PM ET
The two-hour special features exclusive, never-before-seen interviews with Warren Buffett about his views on business, philanthropy, and life, and how his philosophies have evolved over the decades.

[01/06/26 - 10:31 AM]
Video: "Hidden Assets" - Season 3 Official Trailer - Acorn TV
When investigative reporter Olatz Alzola and her family are brutally murdered in Bilbao, DS Claire Wallace is drawn into a case that links their killings to a CAB raid in Ireland that ended in tragedy.

[01/06/26 - 10:01 AM]
Netflix's "Star Search" Adds Jelly Roll, Sarah Michelle Gellar and Chrissy Teigen as Judges
"Star Search" premieres live on January 20 hosted by Emmy and Golden Globe nominated actor Anthony Anderson.

[01/06/26 - 10:01 AM]
Video: "Molly-Mae: Behind It All" Series 2 Part 2 - Official Trailer - Prime Video
The wait is almost over. Step back into her world of unfiltered moments and new beginnings.

[01/06/26 - 09:34 AM]
Video: "Fear Factor: House of Fear" - Special Premiere This Sunday on FOX!
The series will then regularly air Wednesdays at 9:00/8:00c on FOX.

[01/06/26 - 09:03 AM]
Bravo's "The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City" Three-Part Reunion Begins Tuesday, Jan. 13 at 8 P.M. ET/PT
Host Andy Cohen sits down with Lisa Barlow, Mary Cosby, Heather Gay, Angie Katsanevas, Meredith Marks, Bronwyn Newport, Whitney Rose and Britani Bateman to rehash and attempt to find resolve for the women after a turbulent season.

[01/06/26 - 08:36 AM]
ESPN's Extensive MegaCast Presentation Features 20+ Offerings of College Football Playoff Semifinal Showdowns Slated for Thursday and Friday, Jan. 8-9
The penultimate round of the College Football Playoff will be presented with the main telecast on ESPN and additional viewing options on ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPNEWS, SEC Network, ACC Network, ESPN Radio, ESPN Deportes and ESPN Unlimited.

[01/06/26 - 08:01 AM]
Video: "Agatha Christie's Seven Dials" - Official Trailer - Netflix
When a lavish country house party ends in murder, a witty young aristocrat sets out to solve the mystery in this adaptation of Agatha Christie's novel.

[01/06/26 - 06:11 AM]
New Cast Confirmed by Amazon MGM Studios for "Tomb Raider" Series
Martin Bobb-Semple, Sigourney Weaver, Jason Isaacs, Jack Bannon, John Heffernan, Bill Paterson, Paterson Joseph, Sasha Luss, Juliette Motamed, Celia Imrie, and August Wittgenstein officially join the previously announced Sophie Turner as Lara Croft.

[01/06/26 - 06:00 AM]
Netflix Becomes Official Home of WWE Library in United States
This follows the January 2025 launch of WWE on Netflix, where "Monday Night Raw" has become a weekly staple in the global English Top 10.