[10/13/10 - 06:20 PM] Development Update: Wednesday, October 13 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!
GRAVE SIGHT (CBS, New!) - Ridley Scott and Tony Scott ("The Good Wife") are developing a small screen take on Charlaine Harris's ("True Blood") Harper Connelly series of mystery novels about "a woman who's struck by lightning - and suddenly able to see the last moments of the dead." Kam Miller ("Law and Order: Special Victims Unit") is on board to pen the CBS Television Studios-based adaptation and executive produce alongside Naren Shankar and the Scotts for their Scott Free Productions banner.
Here's how publisher Penguin details "Grave Sight," the franchise's opening novel: "Harper Connelly has what you might call a strange job: she finds dead people. She can sense the final location of a person who's passed, and share their very last moment. The way Harper sees it, she's providing a service to the dead while bringing some closure to the living - but she's used to most people treating her like a blood-sucking leech. Traveling with her step-brother Tolliver as manager and sometime-bodyguard, she's become an expert at getting in, getting paid, and getting out fast. Because for the living it's always urgent - even if the dead can wait forever."
HAWKSHAW (The CW, New!) - Feature writer David Loughery ("Lakeview Terrace") has booked a new drama at the netlet about "a mysterious man in his 20s who doesn't know his real identity - but believes that he's either a descendent of Sherlock Holmes or is actually the literary sleuth." Said hour is set up at CBS Television Studios and Samuel L. Jackson's UppiTV banner, which has a first-look deal with the studio. Loughery, Jackson and Amanda Tracey then will executive produce. The project is further detailed as follows: "Hawkshaw's psychiatrist thinks he suffers from Dissociative Identity Disorder - but her sister, a young cop, soon discovers Hawkshaw's British charm and powers of deduction can help her solve crimes. Both sisters soon find themselves drawn to him (and perhaps battling for his affection)."
HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER (CBS) - The Eye has reportedly extended the show's current sixth season to 24 episodes. The show's most recent installment drew 8.53 million viewers and 3.4 rating among adults 18-49, making it the fifth most-watched program in the demo on Monday night.
LOVE IN THE WILD (NBC, New!) - The Peacock is said to be developing a new dating series that blends "the hookups of 'The Bachelor' with the adventure elements of 'Survivor.'" Endemol USA ("Dating in the Dark") is behind the project, which would "have teams of two potential lovebirds, dropped into exotic outdoor environments, where they would get busy doing all sorts of challenges together." "Wild" is in the early stages of development and is being eyed for a potential summer run.
MARRIED TO ROCK (E!, New!) - The cable channel has ordered eight episodes of a new reality series featuring "three women married to members of famous bands and one who hopes to join their ranks." Due Sunday, November 7 at 10:30/9:30c following the season premiere of "Kendra," "Rock" stars Susan Holmes McKagan (wife of former Guns N' Roses bassist Duff McKagan), Etty Farrell (wife of Jane's Addiction frontman Perry Farrell), Josie Stevens (wife of Billy Idol's longtime guitarist Steve Stevens) and AJ Celi (longtime girlfriend of guitarist Billy Duffy of the Cult). Bunim-Murray Productions is behind the half-hour, with Jon Murray, Jeff Jenkins, Farnaz Farjam and Gil Goldschein serving as executive producers.
RAMSAY'S BEST RESTAURANT/OZ & JAMES'S BIG WINE ADVENTURE (BBC America, New!) - The cable channel has acquired the broadcast rights to both series. The former (11 one-hour episodes), which currently airs on the U.K.'s Channel 4, sees Gordon Ramsay pit 16 audience-submitted restaurants against each other in an elimination-style tournament to find - you guessed it - the best restaurant. The latter (22 half-hour episodes), which ran from 2006-2009 on BBC Two, focuses on wine expert Oz Clarke and motoring journalist James May as they take various wine-themed road trips (France in season one, California in season two and the U.K. in season three). One Potato Two Potato and Optomen are behind "Best Restaurant" while RDF Television produced "Wine Adventures." Both presumably will roll out next year on the cable channel.
ROMEO & JULIET (ABC, New!) - Director Catherine Hardwicke ("Twilight") and screenwriter Andrea Berloff ("World Trade Center") are among those set to team for a potential small screen take on William Shakespeare's classic tale set in Renaissance-era Verona. The ABC Studios-based hour would follow "the famous love story while also pealing away the curtain on the impetuous, incestuous, bloody and violent relationships" during the aforementioned period. Sean Robin, Todd Garner ("Paul Blart: Mall Cop"), Wyck Godfrey and Marty Bowen ("Dear John") are executive producing alongside Berloff while Hardwicke is still in negotiations to direct.
ROZ (CBS, New!) - Yvette Lee Bowser ("Half & Half") is developing a new comedy at the Eye about "a single mom who supports her extended family." The multi-camera half-hour is set up at the CBS Television Studios-based Green Mountain West banner with the company's principals Craig Ferguson and Tracey Pakosta executive producing alongside Boswer. No other specifics were given.
UNTITLED LIZ MERIWETHER PROJECT (FOX, New!) - Liz Meriwether has booked a premium script commitment from the network for a new comedy about "an optimistic Midwestern woman who moves into a New York apartment with three juvenile guys." The 20th Century Fox Television-based Chernin Entertainment is behind the half-hour with the company's Peter Chernin and Katherine Pope executive producing alongside Meriwether. Said effort, originally titled "Chicks and Dicks," is billed as a "reverse 'Three's Company.'"
YOUNG TURKS (NBC, New!) - Newcomers Jonny Umansky and Zach Hyatt have sold a new drama to the Peacock about "the personal and professional lives of a group of New Yorkers in their 20s [who] find themselves in the high-powered worlds of finance, politics and media." John Romano ("In Plain Sight") is supervising the hour, which has also tapped MSNBC anchors Mika Brzezinski and Joe Scarborough as consultants. Prospect Park's Jeff Kwatinetz, Paul Frank and Rich Frank ("Royal Pains") are likewise attached as executive producers for Universal Media Studios.
[06/19/13 - 01:39 PM] TNT Bumps Newcomer "72 Hours" to Friday Nights The reality competition series, which had been airing on Thursdays at 9:00/8:00c, will relocate to Fridays effective immediately.
[06/19/13 - 12:17 PM] ESPN to Present World Series of Poker Main Event To kick off ESPN's WSOP coverage, the inaugural World Series of Poker Asia-Pacific Main Event Final Table will air on Tuesday, July 23.
