or


[11/17/10 - 06:31 PM]
Development Update: Wednesday, November 17
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!


AMBULANCE CHASERS (FX, New!) - Jason Mantzoukas ("The League") has sold a potential comedy to the cable channel about personal injury attorneys. The actor/writer was behind the 2009 NBC pilot "Off Duty," starring Bradley Whitford and Romany Malco, that didn't move forward. Director Adam Bernstein and American Work's Scot Armstrong and Ravi Nandan, all of whom worked on the aforementioned half-hour, are also on "Chasers," which will "focus on street-mall attorneys featured in local TV commercials." On the acting front, Mantzoukas has booked multi-episode arcs on both NBC's "Parks & Recreation" and HBO's "Enlightened."


THE GREAT STATE OF GEORGIA (ABC Family) - Raven Symone has snagged the title role on the comedy pilot, about an "exuberant plus-sized performer from the south and her science geek best friend who try to make headway in New York City." Jennifer Weiner ("In Her Shoes") and Jeff Greenstein ("Desperate Housewives") are behind the ABC Studios-based half-hour, which has also cast Brock Cuchna ("Melrose Place") as "Georgia's Southern ex-boyfriend who, still madly in love with her, comes to New York to bring her back home." Symone previously toplined "Revenge of the Bridesmaids" for the cable channel and had been attached to star and produce a different potential half-hour from Yvette Lee Bowser ("Half & Half").


MAGICAL LAW (FOX, New!) - "Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl" screenwriter Terry Rossio and director Gore Verbinski are developing a new legal drama at the network "set in a world where the existence of supernatural beings is commonplace and follows the specialized cops and lawyers who face the unique challenges of prosecuting otherworldly crimes." 20th Century Fox Television and Verbinski's Blind Wink Productions are behind the hour, which has a penalty attached should it not go to pilot. Rossio will pen the hour under the supervision of Jeff Rake, who's also attached to executive produce alongside Verbinski and Jonathan Krauss.


MEET JANE (Lifetime) - Molly Parker ("Swingtown") has been tapped for the title role on the drama pilot, about Jane Bilinski, "an unhappily married mother of two daughters in the Washington, DC area [who] is suddenly re-energized and empowered when the FBI enlists her to spy on her husband, a computer technician the government suspects is selling top-secret information to Russia." Andi Bushell is behind the hour, which also comes from Warner Horizon Television and Mark Pedowitz's Pine Street Entertainment.


ONE POLICE PLAZA (ABC) - Angela Bassett ("ER") has signed onto the potential drama, about New York City's first female commissioner. She'd play the aforementioned role in the hour, which comes from ABC Studios and the Mark Gordon Co. Linda Fairstein and Kenneth L. Solarz co-wrote the script and are executive producing alongside Gordon and Deborah Spera.


OUTLAW (NBC) - John Eisendrath has inked a two-year, seven-figure overall deal with Sony Pictures Television. The pact, set to begin in June, sets the formerly Universal Media Studios-based writer/producer at the studio where he'll develop new series projects.


PATITO FEO (MTV) - Hayley Erin ("The Young and the Restless") has joined the cast of the comedy pilot, which "chronicles the struggles of a Mexican girl (Benita Robledo) from a small town thrown into the glitz and glamour of Los Angeles." She'll play Josie in the project, which comes from director Andy Fickman and writer Bert V. Royal. Grupo Televisa, Hip TV and Yellow Brick Road Productions are co-producing.


TEEN MOM (MTV) - Executive producer Morgan J. Freeman told The USA Today that the popular reality series will return with a brand new cast on Tuesday, January 11. "We're doing some continuous-type shooting with the original Teen Mom (cast: Maci Bookout, Catelynn Lowell, Farrah Abraham and Amber Portwood), but nothing's been announced yet about what we'll do with that," he said. As for "Teen Mom 2," the new group of girls will once again be culled from the latest "16 and Pregnant" cast members.


TREME (HBO) - James Ransone ("Generation Kill") has joined the cast of the show's upcoming second season. He'll play a New York City restaurant worker in a recurring role however no other details were given about the character.


UNTITLED KATHRYN HAHN PROJECT (FOX) - Kathryn Hahn ("Hung") has once again inked a talent holding deal with the network. The actress previously starred in pair of pilots for the network: "AbFab" in 2009 and "Most Likely to Succeed" this past development cycle, neither of which went forward to series. The new pact will once again see FOX develop a new series project for the actress.


UNTITLED PIERCE BROSNON/JACK ORMAN PROJECT (New!) - Actor Pierce Brosnan, writer Jack Orman and Sony Pictures Television are developing a potential drama about a "private investigator specializing in international crisis intervention who is called in to help solve homicides, abductions, financial schemes and other crimes anywhere in the world." Said hour - based on the real-life experiences of international P.I. Logan Clarke - is initially being pitched to the international marketplace with an eye towards a straight-to-series commitment before approaching U.S. broadcasters. Brosnan, who's expected to recur in a small role on the series, and Beau St. Clair are executive producing the project via their Irish DreamTime banner alongside Orman and Keri Selig.






  [november 2010]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S
 


· 16 & PREGNANT (MTV)
· ABFAB (FOX)
· AMBULANCE CHASERS (FX)
· DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES (ABC)
· DEVELOPMENT UPDATE (TFC)
· ENLIGHTENED (HBO)
· ER (NBC)
· GENERATION KILL (HBO)
· HALF & HALF (UPN)
· HUNG (HBO)
· LEAGUE, THE (FXX)
· MAGICAL LAW (FOX)
· MEET JANE (LIFETIME)
· MOST LIKELY TO SUCCEED (FOX)
· OFF DUTY (NBC)
· ONE POLICE PLAZA (CBS)
· OUTLAW (NBC)
· PARKS & RECREATION (NBC)
· PATITO FEO (MTV)
· STATE OF GEORGIA (ABC FAMILY)
· SWINGTOWN (CBS)
· TEEN MOM 2 (MTV)
· TEEN MOM OG (MTV)
· TREME (HBO)
· UNTITLED KATHRYN HAHN PROJECT (FOX)





[12/12/25 - 01:46 PM]
ID Sets January Return for "People Magazine Investigates," Featuring More Ripped from the Headlines Cases That Captivated the Nation
The new season premieres Monday, January 12 at 9:00/8:00c on ID, with new episodes airing weekly.

[12/12/25 - 01:31 PM]
Hallmark Expands the Universe of "When Calls the Heart" with Prequel Series "Hope Valley: 1874" Starring Bethany Joy Lenz, Benjamin Ayres and Jill Hennessy
The eight-episode series begins production next week in Vancouver, BC and will premiere in March 2026 exclusively on Hallmark+.

[12/12/25 - 10:05 AM]
Meet the 14 Contestants Competing on "Fear Factor: House of Fear," Premiering Wednesday, January 14th at 9/8c on FOX
Dropped into an unforgiving, remote location, a group of strangers will live together under one roof, and face mind-blowing stunts, harrowing challenges and a twisted game of social strategy where trust is fleeting - and fear is a weapon.

[12/12/25 - 10:01 AM]
Video: What's Coming in Early 2026 - "Shrinking," "Monarch," "Hijack" & More - Apple TV
Also on tap are "The Last Thing He Told Me" and "Eternity."

[12/12/25 - 09:06 AM]
Crave Greenlights "Heated Rivalry" Season 2, While Global Momentum Continues
Also confirmed today, HBO Max U.S. and Australia, and NEON (Sky New Zealand), who already exclusively stream Season 1 in those respective markets, have all committed to the streaming rights for a second season.

[12/12/25 - 09:01 AM]
Video: "Best Medicine" Season 1 Official Trailer (Starring Josh Charles) - FOX TV
Dr. Martin Best leaves his career as a Boston surgeon to become the general practitioner in the quaint East Coast fishing village where he spent his childhood summers.

[12/12/25 - 08:09 AM]
HBO Max Rolls Out In-App Curated Channels for Fan-Favorite Series and Genres in the U.S.
Designed for an effortless streaming experience, this feature enables users to seamlessly enter a continuous feed of curated episodes from fan-favorite titles, making it easier than ever to find an episode of their favorite programming.

[12/12/25 - 06:01 AM]
Apple TV Announces Season Two for Acclaimed Thriller "Down Cemetery Road"
Season two reunites Zoƫ Boehm (Emma Thompson) and Sarah Trafford (Emma Wilson) chasing down another twisted mystery.

[12/12/25 - 05:00 AM]
Video: HBO Max Brand Spot Teases 2026 Original Programming Slate with Never-Before-Seen Footage and First Looks
Including exclusive first looks on HBO Max social accounts, the spot underscores HBO Max's commitment to delivering high quality, must-see stories that inspire, entertain, and spark conversations around the globe.

[12/11/25 - 03:15 PM]
ABC News' "Nightline" Ranks No. 1 in All Key Target Demos
The series also saw gains on the same week last year in Adults 25-54 and Adults 18-49.

[12/11/25 - 11:58 AM]
Lifetime to Kick Off 2026 with Three New "Ripped from the Headlines" Movies
Kate Beckinsale, Scott Eastwood, Katie Cassidy, Luke Humphrey, Chloe Lanier, Dillon Casey, and Maddy Hillis are among the featured talent.

[12/11/25 - 11:22 AM]
A&E's New Series "Crime in Progress" Follows the Evolution of Investigations Told Exclusively Through Raw Footage Premieres January 1 at 10pm ET/PT
The story of each crime is woven together through raw, unfiltered video from the point of view of officer body cam and surveillance footage for a first-hand look at justice in action.

[12/11/25 - 11:01 AM]
New Netflix Doc Series About Jonestown Dives Into One of the Deadliest Mass Murders in American History
From Emmy-nominated director J.M. Harper comes a three-part documentary series about the events and ideas leading up to the Jonestown massacre.

[12/11/25 - 10:32 AM]
Lola Petticrew Will Join the World of "Assassin's Creed" Alongside Toby Wallace in the New Live-Action Series Adaptation of Ubisoft's Best-Selling Video Game Franchise
Netflix confirmed the news on social media this morning.

[12/11/25 - 10:31 AM]
Video: "Breakdown: 1975" - Official Trailer - Netflix
This documentary explores how a turbulent era gave rise to iconic movies like "Taxi Driver," "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" and "Network."