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)





[01/21/26 - 02:57 PM]
Smithsonian Channel Announces Three Network Series Renewals
"How Did They Build That?," "How Did They Fix That?" and "Ice Airport Alaska" are all due back.

[01/21/26 - 02:43 PM]
Video: Preview - Loveuary 2026 - Coming This February
This February tune in for all-new romantic movie premieres on Hallmark Channel, Saturdays starting February 7.

[01/21/26 - 01:40 PM]
Black Stories Always: Community Is Everything This Black History Month on Hulu
From multigenerational legacies to chosen families and collective joy, these stories highlight the communities that uplift, inspire, and bring us together.

[01/21/26 - 01:37 PM]
BritBox Sets the Tempo for 2026: Sally Wainwright Headliner "Riot Women" Gears Up for Season Finale
Other February highlights include new seasons of "Father Brown," "Grace," and "Ten Pound Poms."

[01/21/26 - 01:03 PM]
FX's "The Beauty" Launches Official Video Podcast on Hulu
Hosted by Evan Ross Katz, the series will feature 11 episodes and release a new episode at the same time that each episode of "The Beauty" premieres.

[01/21/26 - 01:00 PM]
Video: AMC Networks Debuts Official Trailer for Hilarie Burton-Morgan's Impactful Documentary Series "True Crime Story: It Couldn't Happen Here"
Season three examines the challenges and complexities of small-town justice and spotlights cases in Pennsylvania, Texas, Indiana, Oklahoma and Kentucky, seeking accountability and justice for victims.

[01/21/26 - 12:23 PM]
Legally Blonde Prequel "Elle" to Premiere on July 1 on Prime Video
Ahead of the series' debut, Prime Video has also ordered a second season of "Elle."

[01/21/26 - 12:07 PM]
NBC's Highly Addictive and Hugely Popular #OneChicago Franchise Will Feature a Crossover Between All Three Shows on Wednesday, March 4
Firehouse 51 is called to an airfield when a passenger jet suddenly goes silent mid-air, triggering a high-stakes emergency.

[01/21/26 - 12:01 PM]
First Look at Netflix's Second Installment of "Beef" - Out April 16th
The series returns with a new cast and a new "beef," as a Gen-Z couple witnesses an alarming fight between their Millennial boss and his wife.

[01/21/26 - 11:42 AM]
Max Parker Signs on to Play Heimdall in Prime Video's "God of War" from Sony Pictures Television and Amazon MGM Studios
Previously announced cast members include Ryan Hurst as Kratos.

[01/21/26 - 11:31 AM]
MLB on ABC: Boston Red Sox Host New York Yankees in Exclusive Matinee Presentation on June 27
In addition, the Chicago Cubs will make two appearances on ABC, including a Sunday, August 16 contest against their historic rivals, the St. Louis Cardinals.

[01/21/26 - 11:04 AM]
Discovery Channel's "Filthy Fortunes" Returns with Dirtier Messes, Bigger Treasures and More Than $1 Million in Sales
This season, Matt Paxton and his crew, expert appraiser Mike Kelleher, lead picker Chris Davis and cleanout manager Kayland Brock, take on their biggest hoards yet, crisscrossing the country to rescue homeowners drowning in clutter.

[01/21/26 - 10:58 AM]
ABC's Tuesday Dramas Soar with Midseason Premieres
In fact, "High Potential" and "Will Trent" were the top two scripted programs of the week among Total Viewers.

[01/21/26 - 10:27 AM]
Reelz Renews Hit Series "On Patrol: Live," Orders 90 New Episodes
The network also ordered another 90 one-hour episodes of spin-off and "OPL" lead-in "On Patrol: First Shift," extending the run of the franchise through January 2027.

[01/21/26 - 09:19 AM]
Bravo's "Ladies of London: The New Reign" Makes Its Proper Debut in a Two-Hour Premiere Event Thursday, March 5 at 9 P.M. ET/PT
Lady Emma Thynn, Martha Sitwell, Mark-Francis Vandelli, Lottie Kane, Missè Beqiri, Kimi Murdoch, Myka Meier, and Margo Stilley will star in the revival.