or


[11/03/09 - 06:05 PM]
Development Update: Tuesday, November 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!


APPETITE FOR SELF-DESTRUCTION (HBO, New!) - Steve Knopper's book, subtitled "The Spectacular Crash of the Record Industry in the Digital Age," is being developed as an original movie by the pay channel. Playwright Victoria Stewart is penning said adaptation, which chronicles the past 30 years, "beginning with the crash of the disco craze in the late 1970s, through the CD boom in the late 1980s and 1990s, the music industry's battle with Napster and other free file-sharing online services in the 2000s and the sharp decline in sales of CDs, which have been replaced by digital downloads." Bob Cooper is producing.


DELTA BLUES (TNT) - Clark Johnson ("The Shield") has been tapped to direct the drama pilot, about "an outstanding but unusual Memphis cop who moonlights as an Elvis impersonator and lives with his mother." He'll work from a script by Liz Garcia and Josh Harto. Smokehouse Pictures's George Clooney and Grant Heslov are executive producing the Warner Horizon Television-based hour with Henry Bronchtein and Abby Wolf-Weiss serving as co-executive producers.


IT'S ALWAYS SUNNY IN PHILADELPHIA (FX) - Twentieth Television has cleared repeats of the cable comedy on 23 stations covering about 45% of the country. Tribune stations in New York, Los Angeles and Washington, D.C.; Fox stations in Chicago, Phoenix and Minneapolis; CBS stations in Philadelphia, Atlanta and Dallas; and Sunbeam's Boston's station are all on board to carry the show's off-cable run, which begins in the fall of 2011.


JERSEYLICIOUS (Style, New!) - Endemol USA has landed an eight-episode order for a new reality series which tracks the intertwined professional and romantic lives of six stylists at a Central New Jersey beauty salon. Alex Duda ("The Tyra Banks Show") is executive producing the project, which will also feature "intrinsically Garden State makeovers and hairstyles." The series is expected to roll out in the spring of 2010.


THE MARRIAGE REF (NBC) - Tom Papa ("Come to Papa") has been tapped to host the Jerry Seinfeld-produced series, in which a panel of comedians and celebrities serve as advocates during marital disputes. Papa then will serve as the "ref" who ultimately judges which spouse is correct. Production on its six-episode order is set to begin in January. Ellen Rakieten is executive producing alongside Seinfeld.


REX IS NOT YOUR LAWYER (NBC) - "Doctor Who" alum David Tennant has been tapped for the lead role on the drama pilot, about "a top Chicago litigator who begins suffering panic attacks and takes up coaching clients to represent themselves in court." He'll play the title role of Rex Alexander. In addition, David Semel has been tapped to direct the hour from a script by co-creators Andrew Leeds and David Lampson. He'll likewise executive produce alongside showrunner Barry Schindel and non-writing executives Gail Berman, Lloyd Braun and Gene Stein. Leeds and Lampson will then serve as supervising producers.


SHAMELESS (Showtime) - Mark Mylod ("Entourage") has been tapped to direct the drama pilot, about the working-class Chicago Gallagher family. William H. Macy is toplining the hour as the clan's alcoholic patriarch who "usually ends up passed out on the living room floor." Mylod previously helmed the pilot to the show's original U.K. incarnation. John Wells is behind the U.S. take and is executive producing alongside original creator Paul Abbott.


UNTITLED KRISTIE ALLEY PROJECT (A&E, New!) - The cable channel has ordered 10 half-hour episodes of a new reality series about the life of actress/tabloid fodder Kirstie Alley. FremantleMedia North America is behind the project, which will track her life as a single mom and her efforts to lose weight as well as launch a weight loss program. Alley previously toplined the short-lived Showtime series "Fat Actress," which took a comedic take on her weight struggles. George Moll ("Rock the Cradle") and Alley are executive producing alongside A&E's Robert Sharenow and Colleen Conway.


V (ABC) - "Chuck" executive producer Scott Rosenbaum has been tapped as the new showrunner of the freshman drama, which launches tonight on the Alphabet. Said development is the result of a new two-year, seven-figure overall deal Rosenbaum has inked with producer Warner Bros. Television. He'll take over from Scott Peters, who in turn took over from original showrunner Jeffrey Bell. Just four installments have been completed of its 13-episode order, the remaining installments of which will roll out in March. Peters nevertheless will continue as executive producer alongside Jason Hall while Bell is expected to depart.


Sources: Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Reuters





  [november 2009]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S


· APPETITE FOR SELF-DESTRUCTION (HBO)
· CHUCK (NBC)
· COME TO PAPA (NBC)
· DEVELOPMENT UPDATE (TFC)
· DOCTOR WHO (DISNEY PLUS)
· ENTOURAGE (HBO)
· FAT ACTRESS (SHOWTIME)
· IT'S ALWAYS SUNNY IN PHILADELPHIA (FXX)
· JERSEYLICIOUS (STYLE)
· KIRSTIE ALLEY'S BIG LIFE (A AND E)
· MARRIAGE REF, THE (NBC)
· MEMPHIS BEAT (TNT)
· REX IS NOT YOUR LAWYER (NBC)
· SHAMELESS (SHOWTIME)
· SHAMELESS (SUNDANCE)
· SHIELD, THE (FX)
· TYRA BANKS SHOW, THE (SYNDICATION)
· V (ABC)





[01/07/26 - 01:01 PM]
AMC/AMC+ Unveil First Look at "The Audacity," The Highly Anticipated Drama from Emmy Award-Winner Jonathan Glatzer
The series stars Billy Magnussen, Sarah Goldberg, Zach Galifianakis, Lucy Punch, Simon Helberg, and more.

[01/07/26 - 01:00 PM]
51st Season of "Saturday Night Live" Returns Jan. 17 with Three Back-to-Back Shows
Teyana Taylor and Alexander SkarsgÄrd will follow the previously announced Finn Wolfhard as the first hosts in 2026.

[01/07/26 - 12:32 PM]
Bowl Season on ESPN Networks Delivers Strongest Audience Since 2015-16
ABC delivered its largest non CFP bowl audience in 12 years, averaging 6.2 million viewers across six games.

[01/07/26 - 11:00 AM]
"Real Time with Bill Maher" Renewed Through 2028, With Season 24 Debuting January 23
Hosted by Bill Maher, the long-running series continues its mix of a sharp opening monologue, one-on-one interviews, roundtable discussions, and the show's signature segment "New Rules."

[01/07/26 - 10:13 AM]
Nominations Announced for the 32nd Annual Actor Awards Presented by SAG-AFTRA
The event will stream live globally on Netflix Sunday, March 1, 2026, at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT from the Shrine Auditorium & Expo Hall.

[01/07/26 - 09:34 AM]
FX's "The Lowdown" Renewed for Second Season on FX and Hulu
Production on season two will begin in Tulsa this spring.

[01/07/26 - 09:29 AM]
In 2025, Fans Power ESPN and "ESPN on ABC" to Its Most-Watched Year in Over a Decade
ESPN networks increased industry-leading sports share to 35 percent, up from 31 percent in 2024.

[01/07/26 - 09:11 AM]
Netflix Announces New Comedy Series "A Hundred Percent" Starring Nick Kroll, Sam Richardson, Jason Mantzoukas, and Vanessa Bayer
The half-hour comedy is about a group of friends working inside the Thought Leader industrial complex.

[01/07/26 - 09:01 AM]
Video: "Relationship Goals" - Official Trailer - Prime Video
Stream the film, starring Kelly Rowland and Cliff "Method Man" Smith, February 4 on Prime Video.

[01/07/26 - 08:32 AM]
FOX Entertainment Introduces FOX Creator Studios New Creator-Led, Digital-First Division to Partner with Next-Gen Talent, Developing New Formats, Building Future of Global IP and Reaching Audiences Where They Are
The new studio debuts with a focus on food content and an inaugural roster boasting some of the world's most influential culinary voices, including Gordon Ramsay, Rosanna Pansino, Jolly, Sorted Food, Food Theorists, and Little Remy Food.

[01/07/26 - 08:00 AM]
Television Legend Judge Judy Sheindlin Marks 30-Year Milestone with All-New Season of "Judy Justice" on Prime Video January 19
The series will debut with three episodes on premiere day and new episodes released every weekday until April 10.

[01/07/26 - 06:01 AM]
What Next? Netflix Reveals Series, Films and Games Coming in 2026
Upcoming season premieres include "Beef" on April 16; "Sweet Magnolias" on June 11; and "Virgin River" on March 12.

[01/07/26 - 06:00 AM]
Video: The Heist You Can't Miss - Prime Video's "Steal" Trailer and Key Art Debut
All six episodes will be available on January 21, 2026, exclusively on Prime Video in more than 240 countries and territories worldwide.

[01/07/26 - 05:32 AM]
Video: TV One Drops Exclusive First Look for "Fatal Attraction: I'd Kill to Be You"
The series explores real stories of friendships that turn into dangerous fixations, romantic envy, and co-worker rivalries gone wrong.

[01/07/26 - 04:03 AM]
Netflix Supports Warner Bros. Discovery Board's Commitment to Merger Agreement
After a comprehensive and rigorous review process with its independent financial and legal advisors, the WBD Board reaffirmed its conclusion that the transaction with Netflix is in the best interests of WBD stockholders.