 |
 |
[11/30/09 - 06:24 PM]
Development Update: Monday, November 30
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!
COUGAR TOWN (ABC) - Ryan Devlin ("Veronica Mars") has scored a recurring role on the freshman comedy. He'll play Smith, a love interest for Busy Phillipps's character. Further details about his character however weren't released.
FUNNY IN FARSI (ABC) - Barry Sonnenfeld ("Pushing Daisies") has been tapped to direct and executive produce the comedy pilot, based on Firoozeh Dumas's memoir about his experiences growing up in Newport Beach, California during the 1970s. The Alphabet originally issued the project a director-contingent order during its last development cycle. In any case, Sonnenfeld will work from a script by Jeffrey Hodes and Nastaran Dibai ("Rita Rocks") for ABC Studios. His involvement is tied to a first-look deal the director/producer inked with the studio earlier this year. The pact also called for Sonnenfeld to direct two pilots for the studio.
KEEP HOPE ALIVE (FOX) - Garrett Dillahunt ("Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles") has joined the cast of the comedy pilot, about Jimmy (Lucas Neff), "a 25-year-old man raising an infant with the help of his quirky family after the mother of the baby, with whom he had a one-night stand, ends up on death row." He'll play Jimmy's dysfunctional father and boss, "who is not thrilled to find himself a grandfather and worries that the baby might carry her mom's homicidal gene." Martha Plimpton and Olesya Rulin also star in the 20th Century Fox Television-based half-hour, which Michael Fresco is directing from a script by Greg Garcia.
THE MENTALIST (CBS) - Aunjanue Ellis ("E-Ring") has booked a multi-episode arc on the sophomore drama. She'll play the CBI's "beautiful but tough" new boss, who "is brought in to restore discipline and morale to the division after the murder of three agents." Ellis takes over for Gregory Itzin's Virgil Minelli, who is being written out to accommodate the actor's return to "24" later this season. Her first episode will likely air in the spring.
RAISING THE BAR (TNT) - The cable channel has passed on ordering a third season of the legal drama. "Everyone at TNT had a great experience working on 'Raising the Bar' with Steven Bochco and the rest of the show's terrific cast and crew," said the network in a statement. "We're proud of the series and appreciate the efforts of all of the creative people who were involved. Unfortunately, ratings for 'Raising the Bar's' second season did not reach the levels required for TNT to renew the series." The network still has three episodes yet to air of the series however when or if they will be broadcast wasn't specified.
ROOSTER TALES (FOX, New!) - Matthew McConaughey is developing an animated comedy at the network based on the life of his brother Rooster. The project, to be penned by Kell Cahoon ("Psych"), follows "the world of a beer-swilling, redneck sheriff who marries a much younger woman from Mexico [only to realize] he's gained not only a wife but an entire clan - 114 members and counting." McConaughey and Cahoon will executive produce the half-hour alongside Mark Gustawes for the actor's J.K. Livin' Productions. It's understood FOX beat out TBS and Comedy Central for the project, which has a script commitment.
TOUGH TRADE (Epix) - Lucas Black ("The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift") and Cary Elwes ("Disney's A Christmas Carol") have both been cast in the drama pilot, about the Tucker family, "a Nashville music dynasty whose penchant for drink, debauchery and divorce has left it on the verge of bankruptcy." Black will play "an extremely talented guitarist and singer who could have followed in the Tucker legacy started by his grandfather (the previously cast Sam Shepard) and father (Elwes) but has no interest in pursuing a career in country music." Chris Offutt and Jenji Kohan are behind the hour, which is set up at Lionsgate Television.
UNTITLED JASON MANTZOUKAS PROJECT (FOX, New!) - Jason Mantzoukas (NBC's "Off Duty") has landed a script order from the network for a new medical comedy about "a female doctor who is unraveling at the seams." 20th Century Fox Television and The Chernin Co. are behind the half-hour, which Mantzoukas will executive produce alongside Peter Chernin and Katherine Pope.
Sources: Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Reuters
|
|
|
 [november 2009]  |
S |
M |
T |
W |
T |
F |
S |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
 |
|
[12/08/25 - 12:01 PM]
Netflix's "My Life with the Walter Boys" Welcomes New Cast Members for Season 3
Chad Rook, Naveen Paddock, and Erin Karpluk will recur on the upcoming season.
|
[12/08/25 - 11:30 AM]
College Football on The CW Network Sees Double Digit Year-Over-Year Viewership Gains for 2025 Season
ACC football experienced the largest year-over-year growth, up 26% in total audience compared to 2024.
|
[12/08/25 - 10:07 AM]
Video: Peacock Releases Official Trailer, Key Art and New Imagery for "The Copenhagen Test"
Simu Liu, Melissa Barrera, Sinclair Daniel, Brian d'Arcy James, Mark O'Brien, and Kathleen Chalfant star in the series, due on December 27.
|
[12/08/25 - 10:01 AM]
Video: "Kidnapped: Elizabeth Smart" - Official Trailer - Netflix
In the early hours of June 5, 2002, 14-year-old Elizabeth Smart was abducted from her bedroom in Salt Lake City, Utah, igniting one of the most intense and widely covered missing-person cases in American history.
|
[12/08/25 - 10:00 AM]
HBO Original Comedy Series "Rooster," Starring Steve Carell, From Bill Lawrence and Matt Tarses, Debuts March 2026
A comedy set on a college campus centering on an author's (Carell) complicated relationship with his daughter (Charly Clive).
|
[12/08/25 - 09:58 AM]
Wonder Project Reveals First-Look Images and Premiere Date for Upcoming Family Drama Series Starring Scott Foley, "It's Not Like That"
The family drama series starring Scott Foley will premiere with the first two episodes on Wonder Project's subscription on Prime Video on January 25, with subsequent episodes of the eight-episode season debuting weekly thereafter.
|
[12/08/25 - 09:45 AM]
Netflix Acquires Rights to Emily Giffin's Bestseller "All We Ever Wanted" for Series Adaptation Development
A soapy and scandalous drama that uncovers the secrets and class struggles of a wealthy suburb; where a torrid love affair between a "have" Mom and "have-not" single Dad threatens to expose the sins and lies of all of those around them.
|
[12/08/25 - 09:02 AM]
Video: NBC Debuts Official Trailer, Key Art, and New Images for Season 2 of "The Hunting Party"
Guest stars this season include Eric McCormack, Finnigan McCormack, Kelsey Grammer, Niecy Nash-Betts, Liz Gillies, Jefferson White, and more.
|
[12/08/25 - 09:02 AM]
"Alaska State Troopers" Returns for All-New Season on A&E Beginning January 7 at 8pm ET/PT
The series, which ran for eight seasons on cable from 2009-2015, gives an inside look at the law enforcement teams who serve and protect the communities in Alaska's vast territory.
|
[12/08/25 - 08:32 AM]
ESPN Unveils More MLB Game Selections for Key Dates in 2026
ESPN will begin its new 30-game regular season slate on Wednesday, April 15 - MLB Jackie Robinson Day - when it exclusively airs the New York Mets vs. reigning World Series Champion Los Angeles Dodgers game from Dodger Stadium at 10 p.m. ET.
|
[12/08/25 - 08:30 AM]
Hit Acorn TV Original Crime Drama "My Life Is Murder," Starring Lucy Lawless, Returns Monday, January 5
Starring Lucy Lawless as the fearless and unapologetic investigator Alexa Crowe, the eight-episode season features a slew of puzzling cases ranging from shady aquariums and elite cheer squads to creepy dolls and deadly island getaways.
|
[12/08/25 - 08:01 AM]
Video: "Miss Scarlet" Season 6 - Trailer
Can Eliza juggle the demands of her personal and professional life?
|
[12/08/25 - 07:16 AM]
Marcello Hernandez Debuts His First Ever Stand-Up Special on Netflix
In front of a hometown crowd in Miami, Marcello shares laugh-out-loud experiences of growing up as a first-generation American.
|
[12/08/25 - 06:06 AM]
Nominations Announced for "83rd Annual Golden Globes"
Marlon Wayans and Skye P. Marshall presented nominees for each of the 28 award categories at a press conference at the Beverly Hilton.
|
[12/08/25 - 03:01 AM]
Great American Media Continues Its Legacy of Love and Pet Adoption, "Great American Rescue Bowl 2026"
The two-hour special event honoring rescue pets and the heroes across America who save lives through shelter pet adoption.
|
|
|
|
