or


[01/19/10 - 07:33 PM]
Development Update: Tuesday, January 19
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!


ARE YOU SMARTER THAN A 5TH GRADER? (Syndication) - Twentieth Television has cleared the syndicated incarnation of the game show for a second season. The series is a go in the top five markets, including WPIX New York, KTTV/KCOP Los Angeles and WFLD/WPWR Chicago. Mark Burnett and Zoo Productions are behind the project.


BODY OF EVIDENCE (ABC, New!) - Chris Murphey ("Dead Lawyers") has snagged a pilot order from the Alphabet for a new drama about Megan Hunt, "a former neurosurgeon-turned-medical examiner who brings a unique and crime-solving perspective to the ME's office that often puts her at odds with her superiors." Murphey penned the hour and is executive producing alongside Matt Gross, on whose idea the project is based. ABC Studios is producing.


HAPPY ENDINGS (ABC, New!) - Newcomer David Caspe has booked a pilot commitment from the network for a new single-camera comedy about "a couple that breaks up at the altar, forcing them and their group of friends to figure out how to maintain their friendships after the split." Sony Pictures Television is behind the half-hour, which is executive produced by Jamie Tarses and her studio-based FanFare Productions banner.


NEVERMIND NIRVANA (FOX, New!) - Ajay Sahgal is once again developing the multi-camera comedy, about "two brothers from a traditional Indian background - one defies his family's expectations by dating a Caucasian woman, while the other agrees to enter an arranged marriage." FOX has ordered a pilot for the 20th Century Fox Television-based project, the third time it has received such a commitment. NBC originally took a stab back in the spring of 2004 with Kal Penn and Judy Greer in the lead roles. David Schwimmer helmed the half-hour, which didn't make the cut for the 2004-05 season. The producers then opted to reshoot the pilot that summer with Sahgal himself as the male lead but the Peacock passed on that incarnation as well. FOX topper Kevin Reilly shepherded both versions while at NBC, making its revival not much of a surprise. Sahgal won't topline the FOX version, which is likewise based on his experiences as the son of Indian immigrants who eventually married a Caucasian woman (actress Kelli Williams). It's not clear if original executive producers Schwimmer, Jamie Tarses and Karey Burke will be involved in the update.


THE ODDS (CBS, New!) - Feature writer/director Jeff Wadlow ("Never Back Down") has scored a pilot order from the Eye for a new drama billed as "a buddy cop show set in Las Vegas where the cops are just as outrageous as the crimes they solve." Wadlow penned the Warner Bros. Television-based hour and is executive producing alongside Joel Silver with Beau Bauman producing. No other specifics were given.


OFF THE MAP (ABC) - The Alphabet has greenlit production on Jenna Bans's ("Grey's Anatomy") drama pilot, about "three doctors, each anxious for a fresh start, [who] leave the comfort of the States to work at an isolated tropical clinic, where they face both exotic and unusual medical challenges as well as personal ones." ABC Studios is behind the hour, which is set up at Shonda Rhimes's studio-based Shondaland banner. Bans and Rhimes then will executive produce alongside Betsy Beers.


THE STRIP (A.K.A. UNTITLED THOMAS LENNON PROJECT) (NBC) - The Thomas Lennon led comedy has received a pilot order from the Peacock. The multi-camera half-hour revolves around "a former child star (Lennon) who now owns a Hooters-type restaurant in a strip mall on the outskirts of Vegas." Lennon and Robert Ben Garant co-wrote the script to the Universal Media Studios-based project, which Garant will also co-star in a supporting role. The duo will also executive produce alongside Peter Principato and Paul Young.


TORCHWOOD (FOX) - Russell T. Davies is developing a U.S. incarnation of the "Doctor Who" spin-off about "a covert group that investigates and fights alien activity." BBC America currently holds the broadcast rights to the original incarnation, which wrapped its third season last summer. The Hollywood Reporter suggests co-star John Barrowman may be part of the new version, however the project is still in the early stages of development. Davies, Julie Gardner and Jane Tranter are the executive producers attached for BBC Worldwide Productions.


UNTITLED BROADWAY MUSICAL PROJECT (Showtime) - Theresa Rebeck ("Canterbury's Law") has been tapped to pen the potential drama, which "chronicles the development of an original Broadway musical, from the inception of the idea through the opening night and everything in between." Storyline Entertainment's Craig Zadan and Neil Meron and DreamWorks Television's Steven Spielberg, Daryl Frank and Justin Falvey are all behind the hour, which would spawn an actual Broadway musical at the end of the first season. Also on board are Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman as songwriters, who are expected to receive an executive producing credits.


Sources: Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Reuters





  [january 2010]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S
     


· ARE YOU SMARTER THAN A FIFTH GRADER? (SYNDICATION)
· BODY OF PROOF (ABC)
· CANTERBURY'S LAW (FOX)
· DEAD LAWYERS (SYFY)
· DEVELOPMENT UPDATE (TFC)
· DOCTOR WHO (DISNEY PLUS)
· GREY'S ANATOMY (ABC)
· HAPPY ENDINGS (ABC)
· NEARLY NIRVANA (NBC)
· NEVERMIND NIRVANA (FOX)
· ODDS, THE (CBS)
· OFF THE MAP (ABC)
· SMASH (NBC)
· STRIP, THE (NBC)
· TORCHWOOD (STARZ)
· TORCHWOOD (FOX)





[06/10/26 - 01:49 PM]
23.8M Viewers! ABC and ESPN Deliver Largest NBA Finals Game 3 Audience Since 1998
Through three games, the 2026 NBA Finals is ABC and ESPN's second most-watched ever, averaging 19.1M viewers.

[06/10/26 - 12:01 PM]
Top 10 Most-Watched Prime Original Films & Series for the Week of June 1
"Off Campus," "Spider-Noir," "The Boys," "Clarkson's Farm," and "Citadel" led all original series worldwide.

[06/10/26 - 11:00 AM]
Video: AMC Global Media Drops Thrilling Trailer for Season Three of "The Walking Dead: Dead City" Starring Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Lauren Cohan
In addition to Cohan and Morgan, season three also stars Jimmi Simpson, Raúl Castillo, Aimee Garcia, Logan Kim and Michael Emery.

[06/10/26 - 10:29 AM]
Edgar Ramirez Joins "Task" Season 2
Reporting for duty.

[06/10/26 - 10:21 AM]
NBC Reveals Season Two Cast for Hit Reality Adventure Series "Destination X"
The roster is inclusive of fan-favorite Bravolebs, Bombshells and reality competition superstars.

[06/10/26 - 10:01 AM]
Video: "Worst Neighbor Ever" - Official Trailer - Netflix
You think you know your neighbors? Think again. This new series features firsthand accounts of violence, intimidation, and harassment that are more shocking than ever.

[06/10/26 - 10:01 AM]
HBO Original Documentary "The Welcome Table" Debuts June 23
From the United States to the Caribbean, Italy, Kenya, Peru, Brazil, and Australia, the film traces the devastating human consequences of a changing climate - from hurricanes and floods to droughts, rising seas, and the impact of extractive industries on Indigenous communities.

[06/10/26 - 09:58 AM]
Video: Starz Drops Pulse-Pounding First Teaser Trailer for Upcoming Crime Drama "Fightland"
"Fightland" premieres Friday, July 31 with new episodes available to stream weekly on Fridays only on the Starz app, and all Starz streaming and on-demand platforms.

[06/10/26 - 09:31 AM]
Video: "Would You Rather: Decide to Survive" - Official Trailer - Prime Video
The series comes to Prime Video on the June 26.

[06/10/26 - 09:08 AM]
NBC Sports Delivers 2nd-Largest Final Round Audience for U.S. Women's Open Since 2014
Coverage averaged 1.3 million viewers across NBC and Peacock.

[06/10/26 - 09:01 AM]
Roku Originals Heats Up "Summer Sparks" Scripted Feature Starring Jesse Metcalfe and Kathryn Davis
"Summer Sparks" welcomes all to Camp Evergreen, where a summer cook-off means laughter, connection, and a little romance.

[06/10/26 - 09:01 AM]
A Summer of Suspense, Seduction and Obsession Begins as FX's "The Shards" Premieres on August 5 on FX and Hulu
Set against the vivid backdrop of 1980s Los Angeles, the series follows a group of privileged high school seniors at an elite prep school as they navigate identity, sex, jealousy, obsession and the dangers lurking beneath the surface of American adolescence.

[06/10/26 - 08:01 AM]
HGTV Heats Up Summer with New Series "Worst Yard on the Block" and "Extreme Buyers Club" and New Seasons of Popular Titles This July
Other premieres include "Renovation Resort Showdown," "Holmes on Homes: Building a Legacy," and "Ugliest House in America."

[06/10/26 - 08:01 AM]
"Toy Story 30 Years and Beyond - A Special Edition of 20/20" Airs Friday, June 12, on ABC, Streams Next Day on Disney+ and Hulu
This new special charts the studio's journey from making shorts and TV commercials to becoming an animation-industry superpower - told by those who lived it.

[06/10/26 - 07:31 AM]
Peacock to Exclusively Stream Colleen Hoover's "Reminders of Him" Beginning July 10
The unforgettable story of love, loss and the courage to start over stars Maika Monroe, Tyriq Withers, Rudy Pankow, Lainey Wilson and more.