or


[03/25/03 - 12:00 AM]
Telefilm Roundup: March 25
By The Futon Critic Staff (TFC)

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

BIG BUCKS: THE PRESS YOUR LUCK SCANDAL (GSN) - The Game Show Network saw its highest numbers in its eight-year history for its March 16 broadcast of the film. 1.2 million viewers tuned in for the telefilm, about an unemployed ice cream truck driver who mastered the show's game board, more than three times its previous record of 400,000 for "The Best of Family Feud" in 2000.

CHILDREN OF DUNE (Sci Fi) - The mini-series became the third most watched program in the network's history as roughly 2.7 million viewers on average watched the three-part adaptation of Frank Herbert's novels. The first night earned a 2.9 rating, the second a 2.3 and the third a 2.1. Only the original "Dune" mini-series and the recent "Taken" maxi-series have performed better for the cable channel.

CODE 11-14 (CBS, New!) - David James Elliott ("J.A.G.") and Terry Farrell ("Becker") star in this thriller that follows an F.B.I. agent whose search for a serial killer intensifies when he finds himself and his family trapped on board an international flight with the murderer. The telefilm bows Sunday, April 13 at 9:00/8:00c.

EVIL NEVER DIES (TBS) - The cable channel will premiere its new take on the Frankenstein legend on Sunday, June 1 at 8:00/7:00c. Thomas Gibson ("Dharma and Greg") stars as a police officer who loses his wife at the hands of a brutal murderer. After being transferred to patrol duty at a prestigious college, he discovers that the now-executed murderer is part of a professor's strange experiment that results in his being brought back to life, his murderous drive still intact. Katherine Heigl ("Roswell") also stars. Visit the official web site by clicking here.

FRAMED (TNT) - The Turner owned network will premiere the telefilm on Sunday, April 13 at 8:00/7:00c. Golden Globe nominees Rob Lowe ("The West Wing") and Sam Neill ("Jurassic Park") star in the psychological drama about a disgraced cop (Lowe) who gets his last shot at redemption when he tracks down the key witness in a money-laundering case (Neill). Visit the official web site by clicking here.

THE GOODBYE GIRL (TNT) - Two-time Emmy winner Patricia Heaton ("Everybody Loves Raymond") is set to star in TNT's upcoming remake of Neil Simon's classic feature "The Goodbye Girl." Marsha Mason snagged an Oscar nomination for playing the part in the original 1977 film. Simon himself is writing and executive producing the new take on "Girl," with Ron Ziskin and Dave Collins ("Stealing Sinatra") on board as executive producers. The telefilm is a co-production between Warner Bros. TV and TNT. Shooting is expected to begin this summer for an early 2004 debut.

HOMELESS TO HARVARD: THE LIZ MURRAY STORY (Lifetime) - The cable channel will premiere its biopic of Liz Murray (portrayed by "American Beauty's" Thora Birch) on Monday, April 7 at 9:00/8:00c. Murray was raised in severe poverty by loving, yet drug-addicted parents. After her mother's AIDS-related death when she was 15, she turned her life around, eventually earning a New York Times scholarship for needy students, enabling her to attend Harvard University.

LUCY (CBS) - The celebrated, complex, passionate and tumultuous relationship between Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz is profiled in the Eye's original telefilm that also features a fascinating behind-the-scenes look at the creation "I Love Lucy." It premieres Sunday, May 4 at 9:00/8:00c.

OUT OF THE ASHES (Showtime, New!) - The pay channel will bow the original telefilm on Sunday, April 13 at 8:00/7:00c. Oscar, Golden Globe and Emmy Award-winning actress/director Christine Lahti stars as Dr. Gisella Perl, a Jewish doctor who survived the holocaust to set up a practice in the United States. The film, directed by Joseph Sargent, is based on Perl's book, "I Was A Doctor In Auschwitz."

RUDY: THE RUDY GIULIANI STORY (USA) - USA has announced it has cut a brief shot of a body falling from the north tower of the World Trade Center in its Giuliani biopic. Review copies of the telefilm (which airs March 30) included the shot. In a letter set to journalists, USA said "after much internal discussion, we have decided that the potential distress that could be caused by one particular shot -- a shot of a body falling from the north tower -- outweighs its place in the accounting of the life of Rudy Giuliani."

Sources: Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Reuters





  [march 2003]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S
      


· BECKER (CBS)
· CODE 11-14 (CBS)
· DHARMA & GREG (ABC)
· EVERYBODY LOVES RAYMOND (CBS)
· EVIL NEVER DIES (TBS)
· FRAMED (TNT)
· FRANK HERBERT'S CHILDREN OF DUNE (SCI FI)
· FRANK HERBERT'S DUNE (SCI FI)
· GOODBYE GIRL, THE (TNT)
· HOMELESS TO HARVARD: THE LIZ MURRAY STORY (LIFETIME)
· JAG (CBS)
· LUCY (CBS)
· OUT OF THE ASHES (SHOWTIME)
· ROSWELL (UPN)
· RUDY! (USA)
· STEVEN SPIELBERG PRESENTS: TAKEN (SCI FI)
· WEST WING, THE (NBC)





[03/05/26 - 11:16 AM]
Netflix Announces New Comedy Series "I Suck at Girls" Based on Justin Halpern's Bestselling Autobiography
The series will star Kayo Martin, Jeremy Ray Taylor, and Laila Pruitt.

[03/05/26 - 11:05 AM]
ABC Renews "9-1-1, "9-1-1: Nashville" and "High Potential"
The Alphabet confirmed all three moves on social media today.

[03/05/26 - 11:04 AM]
More Stars Take the Stage To Present at the 98th Oscars
Will Arnett, Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Robert Downey Jr., Anne Hathaway, Paul Mescal and Gwyneth Paltrow are among the latest additions.

[03/05/26 - 11:01 AM]
Sandra Bernhard, Vincent Cassel, Dylan Ennis, Corentin Fila, Ari Graynor, and Nadia Tereszkiewicz Join Season 4 of "The White Lotus"
New reservations continue to fill up.

[03/05/26 - 10:01 AM]
Video: "Harry Styles. One Night in Manchester." - Official Trailer - Netflix
In a special one off concert in Manchester, recorded on the evening of March 6, Harry Styles will play his new album, "Kiss All The Time. Disco, Occasionally." for the very first time.

[03/05/26 - 09:47 AM]
Paramount+ Announces Unscripted Relationship Series "Making Love" (w/t) to Release in 2027
From the producers of "Love Is Blind" and "Married at First Sight" comes a bold new relationship experiment, where singles take their destiny into their own hands and attempt to turn their desires into a lifetime of love.

[03/05/26 - 09:31 AM]
Video: Apple TV Debuts Imaginative Trailer for Season Two of "Wonder Pets: In the City"
Produced by Nickelodeon Animation and developed by Emmy Award winner Jennifer Oxley, the new 13-episode season is set to premiere globally on Apple TV on March 20, 2026.

[03/05/26 - 09:28 AM]
Paramount+ Announces Additional Casting for "Frisco King"
Asa Germann, Kai Caster, Lilah Pate and Savanna Gann will join previously announced series lead Samuel L. Jackson.

[03/05/26 - 09:18 AM]
ID Sets March Premiere Date for Powerful, New "Evil Lives Here" Spinoff Series
"Evil Lives Here: My Child the Killer" will premiere Tuesday, March 31 at 9:00/8:00c on ID, with new episodes airing weekly.

[03/05/26 - 09:01 AM]
Video: Tensions Rise in the Official Trailer for New British Mystery Series "The Feud on Shelbury Drive"
Season one consists of six episodes and premieres Monday, March 30 exclusively on Acorn TV in the US and Canada, with subsequent episodes releasing weekly on Mondays.

[03/05/26 - 09:01 AM]
Video: The Beginning of the End - "The Boys" Releases Final Season Official Trailer
Season five of the multi-Emmy Award-winning series will premiere on April 8, 2026, with two episodes, followed by a new episode each week, culminating in the unforgettable series finale on May 20, 2026.

[03/05/26 - 09:00 AM]
Stream This Year's Must-Watch Oscar Nominees on Peacock - Including "Bugonia," "Hamnet" and "Song Sung Blue"
"Hamnet" comes to the service this Friday, March 6.

[03/05/26 - 08:31 AM]
Netflix Announces Straight-to-Series Drama "Alexander"
Jacob Tierney, the creator and showrunner of "Heated Rivalry," is set to write, direct, and executive produce the upcoming series, a period piece that explores the little-known story of Alexander the Great and his tutor, Aristotle.

[03/05/26 - 07:35 AM]
Paramount+ to Premiere Emmy-Nominated Drama Series "Anderson Spider Silva"
The series chronicles Anderson's path to becoming one of the most important athletes in the sport of MMA.

[03/05/26 - 07:11 AM]
BritBox Announces May 6th Premiere for "The Other Bennet Sister" in North America
Based on Janice Hadlow's acclaimed novel, the new drama brings Mary Bennet - the oft-overlooked middle sister in Pride and Prejudice - into the spotlight.