or


[04/02/10 - 12:08 AM]
Development Update: Friday, April 2
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!


HELLCATS (The CW) - Robbie Jones ("One Tree Hill") and Heather Hemmens ("The Candy Shop") are both on board the presentation, a drama set in the world of competitive college cheerleading. He's believed to be playing Luis Famosa, an "easy and laid-back, seriously unserious" member of the squad who befriends Marty (Aly Michalka), much to the chagrin of Dan (Matt Barr). Said role was originally written for someone of Cuban descent. Hemmens then is set as Alice Vandermark ("a willowy beauty with jaded New York cool"), a fellow Hellcat that suffers a hairline wrist fracture. Ashley Tisdale and Gail O'Grady co-star in the hour, which was penned by Kevin Murphy. CBS Television Studios, Tom Welling Productions and Warner Bros. Television are co-producing.


HITCHED (CBS) - Riki Lindhome has landed a role on the comedy pilot, about a twentysomething newlywed couple (Jack Carpenter, Kristin Kreuk) navigating their new life together. She's on board as Shari Ratner, the bride's best friend, "a ball buster" whose husband never speaks. Josh Schwartz and Matt Miller are behind the Warner Bros. Television-based half-hour, which also stars Eugene Levy, Kurtwood Smith and Thomas Middleditch. Rob Greenberg is directing.


HUGE (ABC Family) - Gina Torres ("Gossip Girl") is the latest addition to the series, which launches Monday, June 28 at 9:00/8:00c. She'll play Dr. Dorothy Rand in the hour, about "the lives of seven teens and the staff at a weight-loss camp, as they look beneath the surface to discover their true selves and the truth about each other." Andrew Caldwell, Ari Stidham, Ashley Holliday, Harvey Guillen, Hayley Hasselhoff, Nikki Blonsky and Zander Eckhouse also star in the ensemble.


LAW & ORDER (NBC) - S. Epatha Merkerson is departing the series after 17 seasons. Said decision comes as production is about to begin on the show's 20th season finale. Merkerson reportedly made the request in time to give her character an appropriate send-off. Earlier this week, the Peacock announced Olympic Gold Medal winning skier Lindsey Vonn would guest star on the aforementioned finale, to be written and directed by Rene Balcer. As for the future of the series, rumblings persist that a 21st season will be contingent on whether or not TNT, home to its off-network run, will extend its contract beyond season 20 which in turn will help offset the cost of production.


PRETTY LITTLE LIARS (ABC Family) - Chad Lowe ("24") has joined the cast of the upcoming drama, about "four estranged best friends who are reunited one year after their best friend and queen bee of the group, Alison, goes missing only to discover they are receiving messages from an anonymous "A" who knows all their secrets." He'll play Byron, one of the girls' (Lucy Hale) fathers, a "handsome professor that the college girls on campus all talk about when they get drunk and horny." Alexis Denisof originated the role in the pilot. No reason was given for the recasting. Ashley Benson, Laura Leighton, Nia Peeples, Shay Mitchell as Emily and Troian Bellisario also star in the project, which bows Tuesday, June 8 at 8:00/7:00c.


STRANGE BREW (FOX) - Greg Germann ("In Case of Emergency") and Damon Gupton ("Deadline") have both booked roles on the comedy pilot, about a family-owned brewery. The former will play Burt ("fit, comfortable in his Republican skin"), a president of a rival company who tries to convince patriarch Ted (Jere Burns) to sell him a piece of the business. Gupton then is set as Lester Lewis III, a third generation brewmaster who's a de facto member of the family. Aya Cash, Laurie Metcalf, Mo Mandel and Skylar Astin also star in the Warner Bros. Television-based half-hour, which Marc Buckland is directing from a script by David Kohan and Max Mutchnick.


Sources: Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Reuters





  [april 2010]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S
    


· 24 (FOX)
· DEADLINE (NBC)
· DEVELOPMENT UPDATE (TFC)
· GOSSIP GIRL (CW)
· HELLCATS (CW)
· HITCHED (CBS)
· HUGE (ABC FAMILY)
· IN CASE OF EMERGENCY (ABC)
· LAW & ORDER (NBC)
· ONE TREE HILL (CW)
· PRETTY LITTLE LIARS (FREEFORM)
· STRANGE BREW (FOX)





[08/05/26 - 12:31 PM]
Taron Egerton, Jamie Chung, Benjamin Norris, Dylan Arnold, Jessy Hodges, and Milan Carter Join the Cast of "I Love LA" Season 2
Mood board turned reality.

[08/05/26 - 12:01 PM]
Top 10 Most-Watched Prime Original Films & Series for the Week of July 27
"Ride or Die," "Off Campus," "Adarsh Baal Vidyalaya," "Elle," and "Reacher" led all original series worldwide.

[08/05/26 - 12:00 PM]
Untitled "Gilmore Girls" Documentary in Production and Coming to HBO Max
The film marks the first-ever authorized documentary about the series, which celebrated the 25th anniversary of its debut in 2025.

[08/05/26 - 11:04 AM]
Hallmark Media, NFL, Skydance Sports and the Chicago Bears Announce the Starting Lineup for "Holiday Touchdown: A Bears Love Story"
Lyndsy Fonseca, Robert Buckley, Marsha Mason, Barbara Alyn Woods, and Khary Payton will star.

[08/05/26 - 11:01 AM]
Peacock Renews "The Five Star Weekend" for a Second Season
According to preliminary Nielsen data, the series ranked among the Top 5 streaming original series during its first two weeks following its July 9 premiere.

[08/05/26 - 11:01 AM]
CBS Media Ventures Sets September Premieres for New and Returning Hit Series
New productions include "Adam's Law" and "American Mayhem."

[08/05/26 - 10:32 AM]
Video: TNT Reveals Trailer and First Look at Highly Anticipated Limited Series "High Value Target: The Hunt for Saddam" Starring Joel Kinnaman
The first two episodes will debut Sunday, September 13 at 9pm ET/PT, followed by episode three on Monday, September 14 at 9pm ET/PT on TNT.

[08/05/26 - 10:11 AM]
Disastrous Home Renovations Get a Second Chance in New HGTV Series "Botched Homes"
General contractor and master craftsman Charlie Kawas will rescue South Florida homeowners from some of the region's most disastrous renovation projects in the new series, premiering Wednesday, September 2.

[08/05/26 - 10:10 AM]
Cherry Jones, Corey Stoll, Rob Delaney, Abbey Lee Join Netflix Series Based on Dan Brown's "The Secret of Secrets"
They join the previously cast Morgan Spector as Robert Langdon and Rebecca Hall as Katherine Solomon.

[08/05/26 - 09:21 AM]
Grammy Award-Nominated Group Katseye Returns to "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon" For First-Ever Late-Night Performance on Wednesday, Aug. 12
Group members Sophia Laforteza, Lara Raj, Daniela Avanzini, Yoonchae Jeung and Megan Skiendiel will sit down with Fallon to chat about their new music and upcoming tour.

[08/05/26 - 09:01 AM]
Varnell Hill Is Back in the Spotlight: First Look at the Long-Awaited Comedy Series "The Varnell Hill Show," Premiering Globally September 1 on Paramount+
The eight-episode first season will make its global debut on Paramount+ with two episodes on Tuesday, September 1, followed by one new episode every Tuesday through October 13.

[08/05/26 - 09:01 AM]
Video: "Untold: The Testimony of Vince Young" - Official Trailer - Netflix
After delivering one of the greatest performances in Rose Bowl history, Texas Longhorns legend Vince Young was the NFL's next big thing, and for a while, he was.

[08/05/26 - 08:46 AM]
Paramount+ Announces New Scripted Drama "Trauma"
When terrorists seize a busy London Hospital and take the Prime Minister hostage during surgery, former Royal Marines medic turned ER doctor Jim Marchant (Richard Madden) must fight his way through the building to save everyone inside.

[08/05/26 - 08:41 AM]
Investigation Discovery Exposes the Story Behind One of Television's Most Controversial Reality TV Projects in "O.J. Unseen: Exploitation of Evil"
The four-part documentary event premieres on Monday, September 7 and Tuesday, September 8 at 9/8c on ID, with episodes available to stream on HBO Max.

[08/05/26 - 08:31 AM]
Video: "Love Is Blind: UK" Season 3 - Official Trailer - Netflix
A new group of UK singles enter the iconic dating pods in search of love - but who will make it out of the pods and down the aisle?