or


[09/29/09 - 06:46 PM]
Development Update: Tuesday, September 29
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!


BBQ PIT MASTERS (TLC, New!) - The cable channel has commissioned eight episodes of a new reality series focusing on the world of competitive grilling. Original Media ("L.A. Ink") is behind the project, which is set to launch on Wednesday, December 2. Said order comes on the heels of second season pickups for its fellow food-based efforts "Cake Boss" and "Ultimate Cake Off." The former averaged a solid 2.2 million viewers during its freshman run while "Cake Off" is currently drawing over 1.0 million per installment.


GOSSIP GIRL (The CW) - Kevin Zegers ("50 Dead Men Walking") has booked a multi-episode arc on the much-ballyhooed soap. He'll play Damien, an international bad-boy love interest for Taylor Momsen's character. No other specifics were given.


PUSHING DAISIES (ABC) - Executive producer Barry Sonnenfeld has inked a two-year, first-look deal with ABC and its production sibling ABC Studios. The pact calls for the prolific director/producer to develop new series projects for the duo as well as direct one of their upcoming pilots. Already in the works is an untitled multi-camera comedy about "a harried mom who finds a suit that turns her into a 'supermom' when she puts it on." Laura House penned the half-hour, which has a script commitment, which Sonnenfeld will executive produce (and potentially direct) alongside Stu Bloomberg. Separately, Sonnenfeld is still shepherding CBS's "Things a Man Should Never Do Past 30," based on David Katz's frequent feature for Esquire. Said half-hour is being reworked into a multi-camera comedy by David Litt for Sony Pictures Television.


UNTITLED CRAIG WRIGHT/MARK BURNETT PROJECT (CBS, New!) - "Dirty Sexy Money" creator Craig Wright is set to team with reality guru Mark Burnett for a potential new drama about "a lawyer who, after a near-fatal car crash, is offered a second chance at life by the ghost of his ex-wife." The news marks Burnett's first scripted effort since the WB pilot "Commando Nanny" back in 2004. The Eye has committed to a script to the Sony Pictures Television-based hour with a penalty attached should it not go to pilot. Wright will pen the hour and executive produce alongside Burnett and his wife, actress Roma Downey ("Touched by an Angel").


Sources: Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Reuters





  [june 2026]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S
 


· BBQ PITMASTERS (DA)
· CAKE BOSS (DFC)
· COMMANDO NANNY (WB)
· DEVELOPMENT UPDATE (TFC)
· DIRTY SEXY MONEY (ABC)
· GOSSIP GIRL (CW)
· LA INK (TLC)
· PUSHING DAISIES (ABC)
· THINGS A MAN SHOULD NEVER DO PAST 30 (CBS)
· TOUCHED BY AN ANGEL (CBS)
· ULTIMATE CAKE OFF (TLC)
· UNTITLED BURNETT & WRIGHT PROJECT (CBS)
· UNTITLED HOUSE & SONNENFELD PROJECT (ABC)





[06/08/26 - 10:55 AM]
Production Begins on Season Two of CBS' "Marshals" - The #1 New Broadcast Series
Produced by Paramount Television Studios and 101 Studios, the series averaged 20.4 million multiplatform viewers for the first eight episodes.

[06/08/26 - 10:01 AM]
Video: "The Bear" - Season 5 Official Trailer - Jeremy Allen White, Ayo Edebiri, Ebon Moss-Bachrach - FX
The final season premieres June 25.

[06/08/26 - 10:00 AM]
Rocket, Groot, Mr. Fantastic and Silk Join "Marvel's Spidey and His Amazing Friends" Season 5, Premiering July 13
This season will introduce a new "Rescue-Webs" story arc in which Team Spidey is able to tackle even more daring rescues with their new Spidey-themed firetruck and rescue gear.

[06/08/26 - 09:16 AM]
"Lupin" Part 4 Will Premiere on October 23rd on Netflix
Omar Sy reprises his iconic role as Assane Diop, the gentleman thief, in these new eight episodes alongside Ludivine Sagnier, Antoine Gouy, Soufiane Guerrab, Shirine Boutella, Théo Christine and Laïka Blanc-Francard.

[06/08/26 - 09:04 AM]
Chef Anna Gass Returns for Season 2 of "Instant Italian" Premiering Monday, June 29 on FYI Network
Season 2 of "Instant Italian" joins chef, cookbook author, recipe developer, and culinary influencer Anna Francese Gass back in the kitchen as she shares fresh takes on beloved Italian dishes.

[06/08/26 - 09:03 AM]
ESPN Scores Second Most-Watched WCWS Finals on Record; Game 2 Delivers Most-Watched College Softball Game Ever
Game 2 averaged 2.5 million viewers across ESPN/ESPNU, delivering the most-watched college softball game on record.

[06/08/26 - 08:31 AM]
Video: "The American Experiment" - Official Trailer - Netflix
As the United States approaches its 250th anniversary, the new five-part documentary series The American Experiment reexamines the improbable achievement that was the nation's founding, and the radical question at the center of the revolution: Can a people govern themselves?

[06/08/26 - 08:01 AM]
Roku Originals Celebrates the Greatest Women in Sports with "Gamechangers: America's Top 25 Female Athletes," Executive Produced by Sue Bird, Alex Morgan, and Peyton Manning
This hour-long special, which is the second iteration of Roku's "Gamechangers" anthology series, will feature interviews with star athletes, sports media voices, and celebrities, celebrating the legacy and impact of 25 of the greatest female athletes in American sports history.

[06/08/26 - 08:01 AM]
BritBox Announces "Hercule," Starring Edward Bluemel as Agatha Christie's Legendary Detective Hercule Poirot
The series takes a magnifying glass to three of Christie's most celebrated stories, while also charting Hercule's burgeoning friendship with Captain Arthur Hastings, his early encounters with Scotland Yard's James Japp, and introducing him to one particular nemesis...

[06/08/26 - 08:01 AM]
Video: Prime Video Drops Official Trailer for High-Octane Series "Ride or Die" Starring Octavia Spencer and Hannah Waddingham
A Paramount Television Studios and Amazon MGM Studios production, the fast-paced series will debut all eight episodes on Wednesday, July 15, exclusively on Prime Video in more than 240 countries and territories around the world.

[06/08/26 - 08:00 AM]
Video: New Teaser for "Descendants: Wicked Wonderland" Drops Down the Rabbit Hole, Debuting July 16 on Disney Channel and Next Day on Disney+
A new teaser was revealed today, along with the premiere date, poster art and casting news confirming that critically acclaimed actress and comedian Awkwafina will step into the twisted world of Wonderland as Chessy the Cat.

[06/08/26 - 07:01 AM]
Meet Scooby-Doo! Netflix Reveals Live-Action Take on the Iconic Canine
This marks the first time in the Scooby-Doo franchise that the character of Scooby-Doo will be portrayed by a real dog.

[06/08/26 - 07:01 AM]
Video: Disney's Andscape Debuts Trailer for "They Fight," Starring Andre Holland, Wendell Pierce, and Samira Wiley Ahead of the Film's World Premiere at Tribeca
The film follows a reformed ex-con who finds purpose mentoring young boxers at a Washington, D.C. youth gym as they pursue their dreams in and out of the ring.

[06/08/26 - 07:00 AM]
National Geographic's Fin-Favorite Summer Event Returns with Even More Shark-Filled Fun, Kicking Off with Marquee Special "Hammerhead Sharks Up Close with Bertie Gregory
Additional fin-tastic programming will roll out throughout the month across Nat Geo WILD, Nat Geo Mundo, Disney Channel and Disney XD, with select titles also streaming on Disney+ and Hulu.

[06/06/26 - 12:01 AM]
Video: New Teaser - Hulu Original Series "Rivals" Season 2 Return
The UK original returns this November on Hulu, and Hulu on Disney+ for bundle subscribers, in the US and Disney+ internationally.