or


[11/05/09 - 06:19 PM]
Development Update: Thursday, November 5
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!


CRESCENDO PROJECTS (Various, New!) - Don Cheadle, Kay Liberman and Lenore Zerman have inked a first-look deal with NBC. The pact gives the network first crack at their Crescendo banner's output. Already in the works are "Boston P.D.," from John Hlavin ("The Shield"), about "a homicide detective who discovers he shares a surprising connection to his new partner"; and "Gemini," from Sid Quashie ("NOLA"), about "an operative inside a little-known government agency that investigates crimes [who] finds himself balancing two lives, including a deep secret." Universal Media Studios is the studio attached to the former.

Outside of the Peacock, there's a small screen take on "The Star Chamber" at ABC, about "a judge who goes after dangerous criminals who are set free by a flawed judicial system." Michael Douglas, Hal Holbrook and Yaphet Kotto toplined the 1983 feature. Zack Estrin ("Prison Break") is behind the hour, which is set up at 20th Century Fox Television. Then there's "RX" at TNT, from Ed Horowitz ("Exit Wounds") and syndicated political columnist Norman Solomon, about "a young doctor who establishes a clinic in downtown Los Angeles." Liongsate Television is in talks to produce. Said quartet join the previously announced "March to Madness" at FX, which "chronicles the glory and the seedy side of college basketball." Joel Silverman created said hour and is executive producing alongside Pete Segal, Michael Ewing and Dave Miller for FX Productions.


DAMAGES (FX) - Sarah Wynter ("24") is the latest to land an arc on the show's upcoming third season. She'll play a mysterious "security specialist" helping a high-level assistant district attorney (Martin Short) unravel a financial scheme. Full details of course are being kept under wraps. Reiko Aylesworth, Campbell Scott, Keith Carradine and Lily Tomlin are also among the newcomers to the third season, which rolls out in January.


GUESTS OF THE AYATOLLAH (HBO, New!) - Mark Bowden's book, subtitled "The Iran Hostage Crisis, The First Battle in America's War With Militant Islam," is being eyed as a film at the pay channel. Said development comes 30 years "after militant students stormed the U.S. Embassy in Tehran and began a 444-day hostage crisis that affected U.S. and global politics." Featured writer Andrea Berloff ("World Trade Center") will pen the adaptation with William Horberg ("The Kite Runner") executive producing. Scott Rudin previously optioned the book for a feature incarnation at Paramount back in 2003 that never materialized.


JACK & DAN (FOX) - Zack Estrin ("Prison Break") has signed on as an executive producer of the upcoming drama, about Jack (Colin Hanks), "an ambitious, by-the-book detective whose habit of undermining himself has resulted in a dead-end position at the Los Angeles Police Department [where] he has been partnered with Dan (Bradley Whitford), a drunken, lecherous, wild-card cop who hangs onto his job only because of a heroic act years before." He'll serve alongside creator Matt Nix on the series, which comes from Fox Television Studios.


RECONSTRUCTION (FX, New!) - "St. Elsewhere" co-creator Joshua Brand and director/producer Peter Horton ("The Philanthropist") are set to team for a new drama at the cable channel set in a Missouri town during the post-Civil War Reconstruction era. Said hour would focus on Jason, "a proper East Coast gentleman who returns from the war a changed man and seeks refuge in the border state." Brand is writing the script for the project, which will include magical elements, with Horton attached to direct. The pair will also executive produce alongside Aaron Kaplan.


Sources: Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Reuters





  [november 2009]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S


· 24 (FOX)
· BOSTON PD (NBC)
· DAMAGES (AUDIENCE)
· DEVELOPMENT UPDATE (TFC)
· GEMINI (NBC)
· GOOD GUYS, THE (FOX)
· GUESTS OF THE AYATOLLAH (NGC)
· MARCH TO MADNESS (FX)
· PHILANTHROPIST, THE (NBC)
· PRISON BREAK (FOX)
· RECONSTRUCTION (NBC)
· RX (TNT)
· SHIELD, THE (FX)
· STAR CHAMBER, THE (AMAZON)





[07/30/25 - 09:06 AM]
TNT Unveils Impressive Guest Star Lineup for Season Two of "The Librarians: The Next Chapter"
Dominic Monaghan, Jeremy Swift, Josh Gates, Stefan Kapicic, Oliver Dench and more around bound for the show's sophomore run.

[07/30/25 - 09:06 AM]
ABC News Studios Announces Three New True Crime Docuseries to Premiere in August, Streaming Exclusively on Hulu
"Capturing Their Killer: The Girls on the High Bridge," "Stalking Samantha: 13 Years of Terror" and "Ruby Red Handed: Stealing America's Most Famous Pair of Shoes" are all on tap in the coming month.

[07/30/25 - 09:01 AM]
Video: Trailer & Key Art Debut - Hulu's "The Twisted Tale of Amanda Knox"
A limited series inspired by the story of how Amanda Knox was wrongfully convicted for the tragic murder of her roommate, Meredith Kercher, and her 16-year odyssey to set herself free.

[07/30/25 - 07:16 AM]
Video: Apple TV+ Debuts Trailer for Peanuts Special "Snoopy Presents: A Summer Musical"
Discover the magic of summer camp as Charlie Brown, Snoopy and the rest of the gang break out in original songs by Emmy Award nominees Jeff Morrow and Ben Folds, plus Broadway veterans Alan Zachary and Michael Weiner in the first Peanuts musical in over three decades.

[07/30/25 - 07:01 AM]
Video: "The Dead Girls" - Official Trailer - Netflix
Based on Jorge Ibargüengoitia's novel, the series tells how the Baladro sisters built a brothel empire and became merciless killers in 1960s Mexico.

[07/30/25 - 06:01 AM]
Video: "Her Mother's Killer" Season 2 - Sneak Peek - Netflix
With Mejía in prison, Analía and Pablo look to their future. But a relentless new enemy threatens to destroy everything they've built.

[07/30/25 - 03:01 AM]
Video: "Fantasy Football Ruined Our Lives" - Official Trailer - Netflix
When a member of their fantasy football league vanishes on his wedding day, a motley group of friends recount the lead-up to his chaotic bachelor party.

[07/29/25 - 04:00 PM]
Video: Teaser Trailer & Poster - Korean Hulu Original "Tempest"
The new spy thriller with an international cast, including Gianna Jun, Gang Dongwon, John Cho and more, is launching with three episodes on September 10 on Hulu in the U.S. and Disney+ internationally.

[07/29/25 - 02:26 PM]
Discovery Channel August Programming Highlights
This August, the all-new series "Truck Dynasty" premieres alongside new seasons of "Deadliest Catch," "Contraband: Seized at the Border," "Bering Sea Gold," "Mysteries of the Abandoned," and "Expedition X."

[07/29/25 - 12:32 PM]
"Inside the Worlds of Epic Universe" to Air Wednesday, Aug. 20 at 9 P.M. ET/PT on NBC and Next Day on Peacock
Hosted by Joe Manganiello, the one-hour special celebrates the debut of Universal Orlando Resort's Universal Epic Universe and explores the imagination, innovation and storytelling behind the groundbreaking new theme park.

[07/29/25 - 12:07 PM]
Video: "Songs & Stories with Kelly Clarkson" - NBC
Get an exclusive first look at the new four-part behind-the-scenes series, featuring Gloria Estefan, Jonas Brothers, Lizzo and Teddy Swims.

[07/29/25 - 12:01 PM]
Netflix Top 10 Week of July 21: "Happy Gilmore 2" Finds Its Happy Place at No. 1 in This Week's Top 10
Mystery thriller "Untamed" spent another week at No. 1 on the English TV List.

[07/29/25 - 11:46 AM]
ABC Airs Another of Its Most-Watched WNBA Games Ever: Indiana Fever vs Chicago Sky Averaged 1.5 Million Viewers, Up 17% from Last Year's ABC Average
Said audience peaked with 1.7 million viewers.

[07/29/25 - 11:30 AM]
Chilling Crime Thriller Based on the Unbelievable Real-Life Case, "Kidnapped: The Chloe Ayling Story," Set to Premiere on Thursday, August 28, Exclusively on AMC+
Additionally, a three-part Sundance Now original true crime docu-series about the ordeal, "Chloe Ayling: My Unbelievable Kidnapping," will premiere with all episodes on Thursday, September 25, exclusively on Sundance Now and AMC+.

[07/29/25 - 11:00 AM]
ABC Announces Fall 2025 Premiere Dates on the Heels of Scoring the Top 5 Programs in Adults 18-49 for the 2024-2025 Season
New series "9-1-1: Nashville" and returning series "9-1-1" and "Grey's Anatomy" will now premiere Thursday, October 9.