 |
 |
[12/10/10 - 08:33 PM]
Development Update: Friday, December 10
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!
ALCATRAZ (FOX) - Sam Neill ("Happy Town"), Parminder Nagra ("ER") and Robert Forster ("Heroes") have all joined the cast of the drama pilot, about a group of missing Alcatraz prisoners and guards who reappear in the present day and the efforts of a team of FBI agents to track them down and unravel the mystery behind their disappearance 30 years prior. Neill will play Emerson Hauser, "the head of a government agency who radiates authority and piercing intelligence"; with Nagra as his lab technician, Lucy; and Forster as Ray Archer, "a retired detective who is now owner/bartender of a cop hangout bar." Sarah Jones, Jorge Garcia, Jonny Coyne and Jason Butler Harner also star in the hour, which comes from the Warner Bros. Television-based Bad Robot Productions. Bryan Burk, Elizabeth Sarnoff and J.J. Abrams are among the executive producers. Danny Cannon directs.
AMERICAN WORK PROJECTS (NBC, New!) - Scot Armstrong and Ravi Nandan's American Work has booked six new projects at the Peacock via their first-look deal with the network. The group joins previously announced efforts "Life Is Good" and "I'm with Russell," also at NBC, as well as "Ambulance Chasers" at FX and "Single at 40" at FOX. The new additions include "A Lot Like Us," from Liz Feldman, about "an alternative LA family, centering around an expectant lesbian couple and their donor who lives with them"; "Join the Club," from Thomas Moffett, about "a disenchanted 30-year-old joins his step-grandfather's men's club and finds an unlikely group of friends where he least expected"; and "Shanked It," from Mike Arnold, about "three couples, their lives, and the golf course in the middle of it all."
Rounding out the lineup is "Brothers," from John Blickstead and Trey Kollmer, about "three brothers from three different mothers who try to avoid their father's mistakes"; an untitled effort from Lennon Parham and Jessica St. Clair, about a woman (St. Clair) who "moves back in with her best friend (Lennon) only to find out he's now living with her boyfriend"; and another untitled project from Sonny Lee and Patrick Walsh about "a self-centered, once-hot internet entrepreneur and his would-be think tank as he tries to maintain the illusion he's a Sean Parker-like CEO." All six are presumably co-produced by Universal Media Studios.
BRAXTON FAMILY VALUES (WE tv, New!) - The cable channel is set to roll out a new reality series about personal and professional foibles of Atlanta-based singer Toni Braxton and her four sisters - Toni, Tamar, Trina, Towanda. It's understood the newcomer, which also feature their mother Evelyn, will air on Tuesday nights in April following the runs of "Joan & Melissa: Joan Knows Best?" and "A Stand-Up Mother," both of which launch Tuesday, January 25 starting at 9:00/8:00c.
BIRD DOG (TNT) - Eric Mabius ("Ugly Betty") has landed a role on the drama pilot, about Gail McGrath (Ashley Williams), "a patrolling officer whose new partner is her cop dad Sam McGrath (Gerald McRaney)." Mabius will play Tim Burke, "the boyishly handsome County Sheriff who is secretly attracted to Gail." Suzy Nakamura, William Ragsdale and Wynn Everett also star in the Mike Robe project, which comes from Warner Horizon Television.
DANNI LOWINSKI (The CW) - Carla Gallo ("Men of a Certain Age") is the latest addition to the drama pilot, about "a scrappy hairdresser (Amanda Walsh) who graduates from law school but is brushed off by law firms and sets up her own practice in a shopping mall kiosk." She's on board as "her best friend Kaz who is brassy, a little slutty and fiercely protective of Danni." Jennie Snyder Urman is behind the CBS Television Studios-based hour, to be directed by Richard Shepard. Neal Bledsoe also stars.
PLAYBOY (NBC, New!) - Chad Hodge ("Runaway") is developing a period drama at the Peacock about "a group of women working as Playboy bunnies in the [now defunct] New York club" in the 1960s. 20th Century Fox Television and Imagine Television are behind the hour, formerly known as "Bunny Tales." Imagine's Brian Grazer and Francie Calfo will executive produce alongside Hodge. It's understood said effort was rolled from last season when a different writer was attached.
THE SEARCH FOR JUSTICE (Investigation Discovery, New!) - The cable channel has ordered a new three-episode series detailing the FBI's Civil Rights Unit and its chief, Cynthia Deitle. Filmmaker Keith Beauchamp is behind the project, due to launch in February. Each installment will "reopen cold cases from our country's past, and seeks to solve the crimes once and for all."
TWO BROKE GIRLS (CBS, New!) - "Sex and the City" writer/director Michael Patrick King and comedian Whitney Cummings are set to team for a potential multi-camera comedy at the Eye about "two 22-year-old girls who tackle life in New York: two broke girls, one expensive city." Warner Bros. Television, where King's overall deal is based, is behind the half-hour, which has a pilot production commitment following a heated bidding war. King and Cummings, who also have separate projects at NBC, co-wrote the script on spec with King executive producing and Cummings serving as a co-executive producer.
|
|
|
 [december 2010]  |
S |
M |
T |
W |
T |
F |
S |
| | | |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
 |
|
[02/05/26 - 02:03 PM]
Great American Media Signs Exclusive Multi-Picture Deal with Fan-Favorite Actress, Merritt Patterson
The company also announces the first film of the new deal is "Meet Me in the Margins," adapted from bestselling author Melissa Ferguson's novel of the same name.
|
[02/05/26 - 12:42 PM]
"20/20" Ranks No. 1 in the Two-Hour Time Period Across the Board
Hitting new season highs on January 30, "20/20" grew from the previous week in Total Viewers and Adults 18-49.
|
[02/05/26 - 11:31 AM]
Apple Original Films Lands Global Rights to Sundance Film Festival Selection "The Last First: Winter K2"
Director Amir Bar-Lev tells a complex, harrowing and moving story that unpacks the industry of extreme mountain climbing and its changing culture.
|
[02/05/26 - 11:01 AM]
HBO Original "Murder in Glitterball City," A Two-Part Documentary, Debuts February 19
Inspired by the non-fiction book "A Dark Room in Glitter Ball City" by David Dominé, the film chronicles a 2010 murder case that starts with a 911 phone call that leads police to the gruesome discovery of a body buried in the basement of a Victorian mansion.
|
[02/05/26 - 11:01 AM]
Video: ALLBLK Releases Trailer and Key Art for New Original Feature Film, "Deb Is Boss" Premiering Thursday, March 5
Before becoming a powerhouse music executive who launched Gucci Mane, Nicki Minaj, and French Montana, Deb Antney (Lil Mama) was a street-smart survivor navigating the dangerous underworlds of Queens, NY and Boston, MA.
|
[02/05/26 - 10:31 AM]
Nicolette van Dam and Bas Smit Present the Dutch Version of "Love Is Blind"
"Love Is Blind: Netherlands" arrives on Netflix in 2026.
|
[02/05/26 - 10:12 AM]
"Martha Graham Dance Company: We Are Our Time" Premieres March 27, 2026 on PBS
As the Graham Company nears its landmark 100th anniversary, "We Are Our Time" offers a rare behind-the-scenes portrait of the company, exploring Graham's legacy through the dancers who embody her work today.
|
[02/05/26 - 10:03 AM]
ABC's Juggernaut Tuesday Scores More Wins
"High Potential's" January 20 episode jumped to 12.98 million Total Viewers and a 2.17 rating among Adults 18-49 after seven days of viewing on ABC, Hulu, Hulu on Disney+ and digital platforms, scoring a series high among Total Viewers.
|
[02/05/26 - 10:01 AM]
HBO Original Comedy Series "Rooster," Starring Steve Carell, From Bill Lawrence and Matt Tarses, Debuts March 8
A comedy set on a college campus centering on an author's (Carell) complicated relationship with his daughter (Charly Clive).
|
[02/05/26 - 10:01 AM]
Small State, Big Drama. Secrets Rise with the Tide on "The Real Housewives of Rhode Island," Premiering on Thursday, April 2 at 9 P.M. ET/PT
The series will move to its regular timeslot on Sundays at 9:00/8:00c on April 5.
|
[02/05/26 - 09:31 AM]
CNN Original Series Releases First Look and Introduces "Craig Ferguson: American on Purpose"
"Any chance I get to remind my fellow Americans that we are still the best idea for a country anyone has ever had I'm going to take it. My eagle is still bald and my banner is still spangled with stars," said Ferguson.
|
[02/05/26 - 09:01 AM]
Video: "Predator: Badlands" - Trailer - Hulu
Directed by Dan Trachtenberg, the film streams on Hulu and with Hulu on Disney+ February 12.
|
[02/05/26 - 09:00 AM]
Date Announcement: Will Forte & D'Arcy Carden's "Sunny Nights" Comes to Hulu
After a critical acclaimed Australian debut, the darkly comedic crime drama starring Will Forte and D'Arcy Carden makes its U.S. debut on March 11 on Hulu.
|
[02/05/26 - 08:31 AM]
Video: Peacock Releases Teaser and Premiere Date for Upcoming Original Series "The Miniature Wife"
All episodes of the series starring Elizabeth Banks and Matthew Macfadyen will premiere on April 9, 2026 only on Peacock.
|
[02/05/26 - 08:29 AM]
Video: "The Forsytes" Official Trailer
Don't miss the U.S. premiere of this highly anticipated drama Sunday, March 22 on PBS.
|
|
|
|
