or


[04/14/03 - 12:00 AM]
Pilot Update: April 14
By The Futon Critic Staff (TFC)

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

THE BREAK (FOX) - Dustin Nguyen ("V.I.P.") has been cast in drama pilot about a cop (Dylan Bruno) who goes back to Hawaii with his son and moves in with his sister. Nguyen will play the sister's politician husband.

CASINO EYE (NBC) - Frank Santorelli ("The Sopranos") has been added to the cast of Peacock's drama pilot about the security surveillance team at a Las Vegas casino. He will play the right-hand man to the team's leader (James Caan).

EDDIE'S FATHER (WB) - Nicole Bilderback ("Dawson's Creek," "Dark Angel") has joined the cast of the Frog's remake of the 1960s series "The Courtship of Eddie's Father." She will play a university student who works part time as Eddie's nanny.

FATHER OF THE PRIDE (NBC, New!) - The Peacock has made a hefty commitment to "Father of the Pride," a CGI animated series about a family of white lions who work as performers in the Las Vegas act of illusionists Siegfried & Roy. NBC has ordered 13 episodes of the project as well as 13 additional scripts for a fall 2004 premiere date. Jonathan Groff ("Late Night with Conan O'Brien"), Peter Mehlman ("Seinfeld") and Dreamworks partner Jeffrey Katzenberg are behind the project. Katzenberg flew 10 NBC execs (as well as their families) to Las Vegas and arranged for the group to take a private backstage tour at the Mirage to see the animals in Siegfried & Roy's show as part of their pitch to sell the project.

THE GONG SHOW (WB) - Comedian Jeffrey Ross will take over the hosting duties from Chuck Barris in the Frog's update of the game/talent show.

JACK'S HOUSE (FOX) - Will Friedle ("Boy Meets World") has landed the lead role in the FOX comedy pilot about a twentysomething guy (Friedle) whose plan to settle down after buying a house is complicated by his partying roommates and his girlfriend.

THE HELP (WB) - Newcomer Megan Fox has been added to the cast of the Frog's comedy pilot "The Help," which is in the vein of "Upstairs, Downstairs." She will play a spoiled, rich 16-year-old who is completely oblivious to the feelings of the household staff.

MACARTHUR PARK (Showtime, New!) - The pay channel has given a script order to a new dramedy from "Real Women Have Curves" writer Josefina Lopez. The project revolves around the world of immigration law and follows the lives of an ensemble cast of characters living in Los Angeles' east side. Lopez will serve as creator and writer of the series with Willie Kutner and Marilyn Atlas on board as producers.

A MINUTE WITH STAN HOOPER (FOX) - Eric Lively ("Uprising") has been added to the cast of Norm Macdonald's comedy pilot about a man (Macdonald) who moves with his wife to a small Wisconsin town. Lively will play Hooper's high-spirited cameraman.

RUN OF THE HOUSE (WB) - "Even Stevens'" Margo Harshman has been cast in the comedy pilot as Brooke.

SKIN (FOX) - Pamela Gidley ("The Pretender") has been added to the cast of Jerry Bruckheimer's drama pilot about the forbidden love of the daughter of a porn king (Ron Silver) and the son of the district attorney who is trying to bring him down (Ken Anderson). Gidley will play the magnate's polished but earthy Bel-Air wife.

SWEET POTATO QUEENS (WB) - Ronnie Claire Edwards, Burke Moses and Faith Prince have all joined the WB's comedy pilot based on the J. Conner Browne's books. Edwards will play Burke's mother.

TITLETOWN (FOX) - The Wisconsin-based comedy has rounded out its cast: Margo Harshman ("Even Stevens"), Kerri Kenney ("The Ellen Show"), Steve Witting ("The Hogan Family"), Callie Thorne ("Homicide: Life on the Street"), Aaron Himelstein ("What About Joan"), Joel Murray ("Dharma & Greg"), Jessica Lundy ("Party of Five"), Dee Dee Pfeiffer ("For Your Love") and newcomer Stephanie Nichole Lemelin will join the previously cast Curtis Armstrong and Jud Taylor. Lauren Strom however has dropped out of the project.

UNTITLED NICOLE SULLIVAN PROJECT (CBS) - David Burke has been added to the cast of Nicole Sullivan's untitled comedy pilot.

UNTITLED TOM HERTZ PROJECT (ABC) - Breckin Meyer ("Inside Schwartz") is set as Tom, Nancy Lenehan ("Catch Me if You Can") as Sandy and Derek Waters ("The District") as Lewis in Hertz's untitled project for the Alphabet network. Meyer plays an introverted New Yorker who marries into a large, gregarious family from Kansas.

UNTITLED WHOOPI GOLDBERG PROJECT (NBC) - Elizabeth Reagan ("Malcolm in the Middle") will play Rita, the girlfriend of Goldberg's brother and newcomer Tamara Robinson as Sammi, the niece of Goldberg in the former "Hollywood Squares" host's project for the Peacock.

VEGAS DICK (UPN) - Vincent Ventresca ("Invisible Man") has nabbed the title role in UPN's drama pilot presentation.

Sources: Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Reuters





  [april 2003]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S
  


· BOY MEETS WORLD (ABC)
· BREAK, THE (FOX)
· DARK ANGEL (FOX)
· DAWSON'S CREEK (WB)
· DHARMA & GREG (ABC)
· DISTRICT, THE (CBS)
· EDDIE'S FATHER (WB)
· ELLEN SHOW, THE (CBS)
· FATHER OF THE PRIDE (NBC)
· FOR YOUR LOVE (WB)
· GONG SHOW, THE (ABC)
· HELP, THE (WB)
· HOLLYWOOD SQUARES (SYNDICATION)
· INSIDE SCHWARTZ (NBC)
· INVISIBLE MAN, THE (SCI FI)
· JACK'S HOUSE (FOX)
· LAS VEGAS (NBC)
· MACARTHUR PARK (SHOWTIME)
· MALCOLM IN THE MIDDLE (FOX)
· MARRIED TO THE KELLYS (ABC)
· MINUTE WITH STAN HOOPER, A (FOX)
· PARTY OF FIVE (FOX)
· PRETENDER, THE (NBC)
· RUN OF THE HOUSE (WB)
· SKIN (FOX)
· SOPRANOS, THE (HBO)
· SWEET POTATO QUEENS (WB)
· TITLETOWN (FOX)
· UNTITLED NICOLE SULLIVAN PROJECT (CBS)
· UPRISING (NBC)
· VEGAS DICK (UPN)
· VIP (SYNDICATION)
· WHAT ABOUT JOAN (ABC)
· WHOOPI (NBC)





[11/10/25 - 12:00 PM]
Jessica Alba and Lizzy Mathis Return as Roku Originals Orders Fourth Season of "Honest Renovations" After Strong Season Three Performance
Additionally, Roku has greenlit a third installment of "Honest Renovations: A Holiday Home Makeover," set to premiere during the 2026 holiday season.

[11/10/25 - 11:32 AM]
Emmy Award-Winning Series "The Pitt" to Debut on TNT Monday, December 1 at 9PM ET/PT
As part of a special programming event, three back-to-back episodes will air weekly on Mondays through December 29 on TNT.

[11/10/25 - 10:31 AM]
"A Different World" Sequel Series Heads Back to Hillman College
Free-spirited freshman Deborah Wayne, daughter of Dwayne and Whitley, is setting out to build her own legacy alongside a whole new generation of Hillman's best and brightest.

[11/10/25 - 10:01 AM]
"Avatar: The Last Airbender" Wraps Production on Third and Final Season
Netflix adds that Season 2 news is "coming very soon."

[11/10/25 - 09:30 AM]
Starz Announces March 6, 2026, Premiere Date and Unveils Dramatic New Key Art for the Eighth and Final Season of the Timeless Romance "Outlander"
In the final chapter of "Outlander," a heart-wrenching journey lies ahead for Claire and Jamie's enduring love story.

[11/10/25 - 09:01 AM]
Video: "The Merchants of Joy" - Official Trailer - Prime Video
Meet the Merchants of Joy, a new documentary premiering at DOC NYC next month and coming to Prime Video December 1.

[11/10/25 - 09:00 AM]
Grab Your Remote and Rally Your Bravo Besties - BravoCon Begins Streaming on Peacock Nov. 14
Viewers can stream the Bravoverse Live Stage in real time and revisit panels on-demand, while every Gold and Glam Stage panel will be available next day at 12 p.m. ET - bringing the Vegas excitement straight to living rooms nationwide.

[11/10/25 - 08:31 AM]
"With Love, Meghan: Holiday Celebration" - Date Announcement & Key Art Debut
This December, join Meghan in Montecito for a magical holiday celebration. Together, friends and family deck the halls, create holiday feasts, craft heartfelt gifts, and share lots of laughs - with simple how-tos to follow at home.

[11/10/25 - 08:06 AM]
Video: "The Gold" Season 2 Preview
Season two also welcomes new faces, including Tom Hughes, Stefanie Martini, Thomas Coombes, and Tamsin Topolski.

[11/10/25 - 08:01 AM]
Video: "Missing: Dead or Alive?" - Season 2 Official Trailer - Netflix
A young woman disappears in the dead of night. A man vanishes without his vital possessions. Police tackle new cases in this chilling true-crime series.

[11/10/25 - 08:01 AM]
Video: Trailer & Key Art - Hulu Original "Sebastian Maniscalco: It Ain't Right"
The latest special in the Hularious stand-up slate premieres Friday, November 21 on Hulu, and Hulu on Disney+ for bundle subscribers, in the US, and on Disney+ internationally.

[11/10/25 - 08:00 AM]
Video: Peacock Debuts Trailer for Sports Docuseries "Here Come the Irish" as New Season Premieres on Monday, Dec. 8
"Here Come the Irish" documents the legendary football team through their grit, determination and brotherhood along with exclusive behind-the-scenes footage and interviews with those closest to the program.

[11/10/25 - 06:40 AM]
Full Rosters Announced for "Optum Golf Channel Games" - Live Primetime Competition Featuring Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler on Golf Channel and USA Network December 17
Team Rory will include Shane Lowry, Luke Donald, and Haotong Li; and Team Scottie will feature Keegan Bradley, Sam Burns, and Luke Clanton.

[11/10/25 - 06:15 AM]
"Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve" Marks Historic First as Chicago Hosts Live Central Time Countdown
Joining New York City's Times Square live East Coast Time zone countdown and the only broadcast Spanish language live Atlantic Time zone countdown from Puerto Rico, Chicago will bring the city's energy and New Year's festivities directly into homes across the nation.

[11/10/25 - 06:01 AM]
Video: "Owning Manhattan" - Season 2 Official Trailer - Netflix
Ryan Serhant aims to break into the posh uptown housing market, but will team rivalries, egos, gossip and betrayals stand in the way of success?