or


[10/14/09 - 06:39 PM]
Development Update: Wednesday, October 14
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!


BIG LOVE (HBO) - Sissy Spacek has joined the cast of the show's fourth season, due to launch on Sunday, January 10. She'll play a Washington, D.C., lobbyist beginning with the show's third episode this season. Adam Beach and Bella Thorne are also on board for the show's fourth go around.


FAMILY GUY (FOX) - Executive producer David Goodman has inked a new two-year, seven-figure overall deal with producer 20th Century Fox Television. The pact calls for the writer/producer to supervise series projects in development at the studio as well as develop his own series, both live action and animated. Goodman is already in talks to supervise two such properties, both animated pilot presentations for FOX: "Fathers and Son," from Jason Ruiz, and the recently announced high school series from Seth Green, Matthew Senreich and Tom Root. As previously reported, Goodman and Chris Sheridan are stepping down as the day-to-day showrunners for the show's eighth production cycle, to be replaced by Mark Hentemann and Steve Callaghan.


PAST LIFE (FOX) - The network has quietly rolled back its commitment to the midseason drama to seven episodes, including the pilot. "Due to the return of 'American Idol, '24' and our other midseason programming in January, as well as the back order of 'Glee,' we have a wealth of material for midseason and can only accommodate seven episodes of 'Past Life' on our schedule," the network said in a statement. The Warner Bros. Television-based hour is currently slated to follow "American Idol" on Tuesday nights starting next year.


UNTITLED AMY SHERMAN-PALLADINO PROJECT (HBO, New!) - "Gilmore Girls" creator Amy Sherman-Palladino is developing a new dramedy at the pay channel which "chronicles the complicated relationship between three adult sisters, all writers sharing the same upper east side apartment building, and their mother, a domineering literary lioness who reserves most of her affections for their ne'er-do-well brother." The news marks Sherman-Palladino's first cable venture, which she'll write and executive produce.


UNTITLED BEN WATKINS PROJECT (FOX, New!) - Ben Watkins ("Burn Notice") has booked a script order from the network for a new drama about "a woman in her late 20s of mixed-race heritage who works for the Alameda County D.A.'s office" as an undercover investigator. 20th Century Fox Television is behind the hour, which Watkins will write and executive produce alongside Mike Tollin. As for specifics, the woman "having been adopted as an infant... is dogged by questions about her own identity."


UNTITLED MATTHEW PERRY PROJECT (ABC, New!) - The Alphabet has booked a hefty series commitment to a new single-camera comedy featuring "Friends" alum Matthew Perry about "a self-involved manager of a second-rate sports arena who begins to reevaluate his life on his 40th birthday." Perry himself is co-writing the half-hour with Alex Barnow and Mark Firek ("'Til Death") for Sony Pictures Television. Thomas Schlamme is on board to direct the project while Jamie Tarses is attached to executive produce alongside Schlamme, Perry, Barnow and Firek. It's understood ABC will have to pay a significant penalty to the studio should it not land on its schedule, virtually guaranteeing a pilot will be greenlit.


Sources: Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Reuters





  [october 2009]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S
    


· 24 (FOX)
· AMERICAN IDOL (ABC)
· BIG LOVE (HBO)
· BURN NOTICE (USA)
· DEVELOPMENT UPDATE (TFC)
· FAMILY GUY (FOX)
· FATHERS & SON (FOX)
· FRIENDS (NBC)
· GILMORE GIRLS (CW)
· GLEE (FOX)
· MR SUNSHINE (ABC)
· PAST LIFE (FOX)
· 'TIL DEATH (FOX)
· UNTITLED AMY SHERMAN-PALLADINO PROJECT (HBO)
· UNTITLED BEN WATKINS PROJECT (FOX)
· UNTITLED SETH GREEN PROJECT (FOX)





[11/19/25 - 11:03 AM]
Romantic Drama Series "Heated Rivalry" Debuts November 28 on HBO Max
New episodes of the six-episode season will debut weekly leading up to the finale on Friday, December 26.

[11/19/25 - 11:00 AM]
Maria Zuckerman Enters Into Multi-Year First-Look Producing Deal with FOX Entertainment Studios to Develop Slate of Premium Scripted Content and Prestige Non-Fiction
An Emmy Award-winning producer and respected industry leader, Zuckerman is known for her ability to identify and champion brand-defining stories and talent that balance artistic excellence with commercial success.

[11/19/25 - 11:00 AM]
AMC Networks' December Highlights Include "Sanctuary: A Witch's Tale," "Midsomer Murders," "Bridezillas," "Best Christmas Ever" and More
"Sanctuary: A Witch's Tale" returns Thursday, December 25 with new episodes through January 29.

[11/19/25 - 09:18 AM]
Peacock Announces January 15 Premiere Date for "Ponies"
The espionage thriller series starring Emilia Clarke and Haley Lu Richardson will premiere on Thursday, January 15.

[11/19/25 - 09:05 AM]
The CW Network Sets 2026 Midseason Premiere Dates for Returning Hit Series
Highlights include the season premiere of "Wild Cards" on Monday, January 26 at 8:00/7:00c.

[11/19/25 - 09:02 AM]
Video: "Stargate" Announcement - Prime Video
Amazon MGM Studios has greenlit a new "Stargate" series for Prime Video.

[11/19/25 - 09:01 AM]
Video: "With Love, Meghan: Holiday Celebration" - Official Trailer - Netflix
'Tis the season! Meghan shares her favorite holiday traditions, seasonal crafts and family recipes with friends old and new in this festive special.

[11/19/25 - 09:01 AM]
Video: "Star Wars: Young Jedi Adventures" Season 3 - Official Trailer - Available December 8 on Disney+
Follow your friends one last time.

[11/19/25 - 09:00 AM]
HBO Original "Hard Knocks: In Season with the NFC East" Debuts December 2
New episodes will premiere on subsequent Tuesdays through the end of the NFL regular season and continue into the NFL playoffs in January 2026.

[11/19/25 - 08:10 AM]
Colt Knost, Andrew Catalon and Dan Rapaport to Serve as On-Air Announcers for "The Capital One Skins Game" Set for Black Friday on Prime Video
Prime Video's coverage will tee off at 9 a.m. ET on November 28, with no subscription or Prime membership required.

[11/19/25 - 07:01 AM]
Date Announcement: "The Wonderfully Weird World of Gumball" Season 2
The series, produced by Hanna-Barbera Studios Europe, returns on Monday, December 22 only on Hulu and Hulu on Disney+ for bundle subscribers.

[11/19/25 - 05:01 AM]
Sesame Street Friends and Mark Rober Unwrap A New Holiday Special
"Elmo & Mark Rober's Merry Giftmas" debuts globally on Netflix December 8.

[11/19/25 - 02:01 AM]
Video: "Innate" - Official Trailer - Netflix Spain
When the diesel killer is released from prison, a new wave of identical crimes hits the city. Sara ends up working with the police to hunt down the copycat while confronting her own demons.

[11/19/25 - 12:01 AM]
Video: "Murder in Monaco" - Official Trailer - Netflix
Monaco, 1999. One of the world's richest men dies in his penthouse. This documentary unpacks the mysterious murder of billionaire banker, Edmond Safra.

[11/18/25 - 03:40 PM]
"College GameDay" Scores Best Week 12 Show Ever in Steel City Stop; ABC & ESPN Deliver Top Four Most-Watched Games of Week 12
ABC is registering 6.9 million viewers per game, on pace for the most-watched season on record for the network.