or


[03/01/04 - 12:00 AM]
Development Update: March 1
By The Futon Critic Staff (TFC)

CHICAGO (thefutoncritic.com) -- The latest development news, culled from recent wire reports:

Looking to keep track of all the various pilots and other projects in development? Be sure to check out our detailed production chart listings by clicking here.

CENTER OF THE UNIVERSE (CBS) - Melinda McGraw ("Living in Captivity") is the latest actor to join the cast of the comedy pilot, which centers on a family man (John Goodman) who tries to keep the peace with his extended Chicago family. McGraw joins the previously cast Goodman, Jean Smart and Diedrich Bader in the project, where she'll play the sister of Goodman's character.

CITY OF DREAMS (NBC) - The Peacock has pushed the Jimmy Smits-led drama pilot to midseason 2005 consideration as the network reportedly wants to give writer/producer David Mills ("Kingpin") more time to develop the project. "Dreams," which comes from Jerry Bruckheimer Television ("C.S.I.," "Without a Trace") and Warner Bros. Television, features Smits as a Los Angeles private investigator who fixes problems for the rich and famous.

COUNTDOWN (ABC) - Chi McBride isn't waiting for the axe to fall on "Boston Public" as the actor has joined the cast of the drama pilot, which chronicles the final 43 minutes of a crisis through the eyes of a S.W.A.T. team. McBride will play Capt. John Richardson in the Touchstone Television./FremantleMedia project, the commander of the aforementioned S.W.A.T. team. He joins the previously cast Jason O'Mara, Louis Mandylor, Salli Richardson and Adam Beach in the pilot, which comes from "Boomtown" creator Graham Yost.

THE DANA & JULIA SHOW (A.K.A. UNTITLED GOODMAN & WOLVO PROJECT) (WB) - The Frog's "Laverne & Shirley"-esque comedy pilot is scheduled to tape Friday, March 19 at 6:30 P.S.T. at Sony Pictures Studios.

DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES (ABC) - Marcia Cross ("Everwood") is set as the fourth "housewife" in the drama pilot, a darkly humorous look at the secretive lives of four women living in an Anytown, U.S.A., cul-de-sac. She joins the previously set leads Eva Longoria, Teri Hatcher and Felicity Huffman in the Touchstone Television project, where she'll play Bree, a Martha Stewart-esque housewife.

EVERYDAY LIFE (NBC) - Rob Reiner has opted to move in front of the camera for his comedy pilot at the Peacock, as the actor/director, along with Mercedes Ruehl, have joined the cast of the project. They'll play the parents of Josh Radnor's character, a psychiatrist who along with his fellow shrink wife end up moving back in with his parents, who are also psychiatrists. Reiner signed on to appear in the Universal Network Television pilot after Alan Alda, originally approached for the role, ultimately passed. "Life" is scheduled to tape at Universal Studios on Tuesday, March 23.

FOSTER HALL (NBC) - Busy Phillips ("Freaks & Geeks," "Dawson's Creek") and Greg Germann ("Ally McBeal") have joined the cast of the comedy pilot, which comes from NBC Studios and Conan O'Brien's production company, Conaco Productions. Phillips will play the sister of Macaulay Culkin's character, Clark Hall, while Germann will play her husband. "Hall" centers on siblings (Culkin, Phillips) who reunite after years of being bumped from foster home to foster home.

THE FRIENDLYS (NBC) - Ana Gasteyer ("Saturday Night Live") has joined the cast of the comedy pilot, an offbeat comedy that revolves around a family's fight over a dead candy mogul's business. She'll play Bebe, the boozy widow of said candy mogul in the NBC Studios project, which also stars Dave Foley and Billy Gardell.

LUCKY US (FOX) - Jill Ritchie ("The Pool at Maddy Breaker's") is the latest to join the cast of the comedy pilot, which centers on a couple (Chyler Leigh, T.B.D.) who go out on a blind date and wind up with a kid. Ritchie will play the best friend of Leigh's character in the project, which comes from 20th Century Fox Television and Original Television. The pilot is currently scheduled to tape on Tuesday, March 23 at Fox Studios.

MAD MAD HOUSE (Sci Fi) - The cable channel will wrap the show's first season with a two-hour finale on Thursday, April 29 at 9:00/8:00c. Casting has already begun on a potential second season of the project (read the story), which debuts this Thursday at 9:00/8:00c.

ROBBING THE CRADLE (WB) - Ben Feldman ("Kissing Jessica Stein") has snagged the lead role in the Jamie Kennedy-produced comedy pilot, which revolves around a 24-year-old (Feldman) who moves back home with his mom and her 24-year-old boyfriend. Regency Television and Kennedy's Wannabe Producers are behind the project.

SUPER MILLIONAIRE (ABC) - ABC has picked up its "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire" revival for a second cycle, set to unspool during May sweeps. According to ABC's press release about the news: "'Super Millionaire's' return to ABC's primetime schedule on Sunday, February 22, drew an average audience of 17.5 million viewers to rank as the most-watched television program that night. Also on its return, the show delivered the largest audience and highest young adult ratings for the 'Millionaire' franchise since May 2001. On each of its four telecasts so far, 'Super Millionaire' has been ABC's No. 1 show of the night among viewers and young adults. Versus ABC's delivery this season with entertainment programming in the time periods, 'Super Millionaire' is up by 5.2 million Total Viewers (14.3 million vs. 9.1 million), by 34% among Adults 18-49 (4.7/11 vs. 3.5/9) and by 54% among Adults 18-34 (4.0/11 vs. 2.6/7). On average, "Super Millionaire" builds on its lead-in by over 4 million viewers and gains audience during the course of its telecast."

UNTITLED ISAAC MIZRAHI PROJECT (Syndication, New!) - NBC's syndication arm, NBC Enterprises, has signed designer Isaac Mizrahi to an overall development deal. The pact calls for the company to develop a project to be hosted by Mizrahi, who recently appeared on the Peacock's "The Apprentice." Mizrahi is no stranger to hosting as the prolific designer headlined Oxygen's "The Isaac Mizrahi Show" for three years.

WANTED (CBS) - Yancey Arias ("Kingpin") is set to star alongside Scott Glenn in the drama pilot, which revolves around the fugitive-apprehension team of the L.A.P.D. He'll play a member of the team, a zealous cop, in the CBS Productions/Warner Bros. Television/25C Productions project.

Sources: Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Reuters





  [july 2026]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S
   


· ALLY MCBEAL (FOX)
· APPRENTICE, THE (NBC)
· BOOMTOWN (NBC)
· BOSTON PUBLIC (FOX)
· CENTER OF THE UNIVERSE (CBS)
· CITY OF DREAMS (NBC)
· COUNTDOWN (ABC)
· CSI: CRIME SCENE INVESTIGATION (CBS)
· DANA & JULIA SHOW, THE (WB)
· DAWSON'S CREEK (WB)
· DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES (ABC)
· EVERWOOD (WB)
· EVERYDAY LIFE (NBC)
· FOSTER HALL (NBC)
· FREAKS & GEEKS (NBC)
· FRIENDLYS, THE (NBC)
· KINGPIN (NBC)
· LIVING WITH FRAN (WB)
· LUCKY US (FOX)
· MAD MAD HOUSE (SCI FI)
· POOL AT MADDY BREAKER'S, THE (FOX)
· UNTITLED ISAAC MIZRAHI PROJECT (SYNDICATION)
· WANTED (CBS)
· WHO WANTS TO BE A MILLIONAIRE (ABC)
· WITHOUT A TRACE (CBS)





[07/15/26 - 12:50 PM]
FOX Sports Secures Most-Watched FIFA Men's World Cup Semifinals Telecast in English-Language U.S. History
11.462 million viewers watched Spain knock out France in the semifinal Tuesday afternoon on FOX.

[07/15/26 - 12:40 PM]
"Time and Water" Premieres July 31 at 9/8c on National Geographic and Streams Next Day on Disney+
From Academy Award-nominated director Sara Dosa, the film is a universal reflection on the power of home and what it means to be alive amid profound epochal change.

[07/15/26 - 12:18 PM]
Ryan Garcia Set to Defend World Title Against Conor Benn in Paramount+ Global Bout at T-Mobile Arena on September 12 Over Mexican Independence Day Weekend
The entire Garcia vs. Benn card will stream exclusively on Paramount+ at no additional cost to subscribers worldwide (excluding UK & Ireland).

[07/15/26 - 12:01 PM]
Video: "The Idaho Murders: College Nightmare" - Official Trailer - Netflix
Through bodycam footage, texts and interviews with loved ones, this documentary investigates the horrifying murder of four University of Idaho students.

[07/15/26 - 12:01 PM]
Top 10 Most-Watched Prime Original Films & Series for the Week of July 6
"Elle," "Off Campus," "Every Year After," "Clarkson's Farm," and "The Boys" led all original series worldwide.

[07/15/26 - 12:00 PM]
Key Art Debut: "Futurama" Season 14 (Premieres Monday, August 3)
New episodes will stream on Mondays.

[07/15/26 - 11:22 AM]
Adult Swim Takes Over San Diego Comic-Con with Star-Studded Panels, Exclusive Reveals and Brand New "Rick and Morty" Immersive Ride
Across four days of programming and events, fans will have multiple opportunities to connect with the shows, talent and offbeat experiences that make Adult Swim unlike anything else.

[07/15/26 - 11:01 AM]
Video: "Bill Maher: The Kennedy Center Mark Twain Prize for American Humor" - Official Trailer - Netflix
Featuring Louis C.K., Whitney Cummings, Matt Friend, Woody Harrelson, Arianna Huffington, Jay Leno, John Mellencamp, and Stephen A. Smith.

[07/15/26 - 11:00 AM]
FOX Enlists a New Group of All-Star Celebrity Recruits for the Fifth Season of "Special Forces: World's Toughest Test" Premiering Thursday, September 24 on FOX and Next Day Hulu
This season, the recruits will be deployed in Malaysia to endure the world's toughest test in the most hostile environment a soldier could operate in... the jungle.

[07/15/26 - 11:00 AM]
Video: Official Trailer for "Wizards Beyond Waverly Place" 4-Part Finale Event Revealed
A marathon of the four-part finale event kicks off Tuesday, August 4, on Disney Channel (8:00 p.m. EDT/PDT) and Disney Channel On Demand.

[07/15/26 - 10:01 AM]
"Stranger Things" Celebrates 10 Years
10 years ago, a quiet Indiana town, a missing boy, a girl with extraordinary powers, and an obsession with Eggo waffles quietly debuted on televisions worldwide.

[07/15/26 - 10:01 AM]
ESPN and Southwestern Athletic Conference Announce Multi-Year Media Rights Agreement Through 2030-31
The global rights agreement includes championship and regular-season coverage across ESPN's linear and digital networks.

[07/15/26 - 10:00 AM]
Gabriel Luna Joins Season Two of "Dexter: Resurrection" for Paramount+
Luna will guest star as Ray Ballard, a serial killer operating under the name "The Sleepy-Eyed Stranger."

[07/15/26 - 09:31 AM]
Nick Digiovanni to Bring His Culinary World to Netflix
Later this year, Netflix members globally can watch his culinary library with new episodes from "Nick DiGiovanni" (food entertainment) and "Nick's Kitchen" (food education) dropping day-and-date alongside YouTube, giving fans more ways to enjoy.

[07/15/26 - 08:28 AM]
NBC and Peacock Deliver Most-Watched WNBA Game of 2026 Season with Fever-Aces on "Sunday Night Basketball"
The July 12 game averaged a Total Audience Delivery (TAD) of 2.64 million viewers on NBC and Peacock in primetime.