or


[04/05/04 - 12:00 AM]
Development Update: April 5
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.

DARK SHADOWS (WB) - Alexis Thorpe ("Days of Our Lives"), Jenna Dewan ("The Hot Chick") and Jason Shaw ("Charmed") are set to round out the cast of the Frog's "Dark Shadows" revival. Shaw and Dwann will play Joe Haskell and Sophia respectively while Thorpe is set as Kelly Greer, a new character created specificially for the updated version. Production began this weekend on the Warner Bros. Television/John Wells Productions drama pilot, which also stars Blair Brown, Marley Shelton, Ivana Milicevic, Alec Newman, Jessica Chastain, Martin Donovan, Matt Czuchry and Alexander Gould.

EARTHQUAKE (ABC) - Tami Anderson ("MacArthur Park") will play Debbie and Steven Walsh is set as Junior in the single-named comedian's comedy pilot at the Alphabet. Earthquake stars as an unlucky father of four who, with his wife (Holly Robinson-Peete), struggles to make ends meet. Charles Duckworth, Christopher Pinnick and Rhyon Nicole Brown also star in the project, which comes from Touchstone Television/Tollin-Robbins Productions.

FRIENDS (NBC) - Warner Bros. Domestic Television is asking for a minimum bid of $1 million per episode, plus 90 seconds of advertising time per half-hour, from local stations across the country for the continued syndicated rights to the series when its current contract expires in 2011. The studio is giving an April 19 deadline for stations to submit bids for the show's second cycle, which would run for four years beginning in September 2011. Industry insiders suggest the rather high premium is designed to take advantage of the show's current spotlight as it closes its 10-season, 236-episode run on May 6.

I MARRIED SOFIA (ABC) - Joseph Lawrence ("Run of the House") has joined the cast of the comedy pilot, about a single mother from Colombia (Sofia Vergara) who pays an American stockbroker to marry her for a green card. Lawrence will play Tony, the male lead in the Touchstone Television/DDJ Productions project, said American stockbroker. In addition, Jon Lovitz has signed on to guest star in the pilot episode as an I.N.S. agent.

I'M A RICH KID, GET ME OUT OF HERE! (ABC, New!) - The Alphabet has given a cast-contingent series order of 10 episodes for an updated version of last year's much-ballyhooed reality series "I'm a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here!" The project, which is targeted to air over two weeks in early September, will feature a group of "celebutantes" and ordinary offspring of rich folks as they struggle to survive for 10 days in the Australian outback. "I'm a Celebrity's" Granada Television will once again be behind the series while former ABC executive John Saade is expected to return as an executive producer.

IT'S ALL RELATIVE (ABC) - The Alphabet has confirmed the freshman comedy will wrap its season on Tuesday, April 20 at 9:30/8:30c. Here's how ABC describes the finale, "Fight for Your Invite to Party," via press release: "The O'Neils and the Stoddard-Banks families feud over the wording of the kids' wedding invitations. Mace still wants to downplay the fact that Liz's parents are gay, which causes Philip and Simon to verbally strike back via drafts of the invitation. Meanwhile, Liz tries desperately to convince Bobby's priest (Tom Bosley) that they are ready for marriage, but the stress of juggling wedding plans and school assignments takes its toll on her in some very embarrassing ways, on the season finale of "It's All Relative," TUESDAY, APRIL 20 (9:30-10:00 p.m., ET), on the ABC Television Network."

MARRIED TO THE KELLYS (ABC) - "Kansas v. Tom's Parents," the show's season finale, has been scheduled to air Friday, April 23 at 9:30/8:30c. Here's how ABC's press materials describe the episode: "Tom's pretentious parents from New York attend Bill and Sandy Kelly's anniversary party in Kansas, and Chris refuses to sell the house he just refurbished, on ABC's "Married to the Kellys," FRIDAY, APRIL 23 (9:30-10:00 p.m., ET), on the ABC Television Network."

ME, ME, ME (UPN) - Singer-actor Innis Casey ("24") is the latest to join the cast of the comedy pilot, about two best friends whose shallow New York ways are compromised when one of the pair's younger sister comes to town. Julie Gonzalo and Ayda Field also star in the project, which is set up at 20th Century Fox Television.

REVELATIONS (NBC) - John Rhys-Davis ("The Lord of the Rings") has nabbed a recurring role in the upcoming limited series, which centers on a group's efforts to forestall the apocalypse. He'll play Lampley, a wheelchair-bound Harvard professor emeritus, a genius astrophysicist and mentor to star Bill Pullman's character. Pariah Television is behind the project, which also stars Natascha McElhone.

THANK GOD IT'S MONDAY (ABC) - Matthew Morrison ("Hairspray") is the latest to join the cast of the pilot, an ensemble workplace comedy about guys who talk about their home life at work. Ever Carradine, Tamara Taylor, Ed Kerr and Louis Lombardi also star in the project, which comes from Touchstone Television.

THAT '70S SHOW (FOX) - Carsey-Werner-Mandabach has announced the studio has just completed sales of a second daily run of the veteran comedy to TV stations in 70% of the U.S. for the 2004-05 and 2005-06 seasons. Said pacts bring "That '70s Show's" current syndicated value to $1.8 million per episode in straight sales, not including the 90-seconds of bartered ad time C-W-M gets from the stations. Combined with its cable run on FX (set to begin in September 2005), which is valued at $475,000 per half-hour in cash plus another $125,000 for 60-seconds of bartered ad time within each run, "That '70s Show's" total value is expected to hit $700 million by the end of its run. Currently "That '70s Show" ranks as the fourth most-watched comedy in syndication, behind "Seinfeld," "Friends" and "Everybody Loves Raymond."

UNTITLED LEWIS BLACK PROJECT (ABC) - Michael Boatman ("Spin City") will play vice principal to Lewis Black's principal in the comedy pilot, which comes from Paramount Network Television. Anne Dudek, Brad Raider and Stephanie Childers also star.

Sources: Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Reuters





  [april 2004]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S
    


· 24 (FOX)
· CHARMED (WB)
· DARK SHADOWS (WB)
· EARTHQUAKE (ABC)
· EDUCATING LEWIS (ABC)
· EVERYBODY LOVES RAYMOND (CBS)
· FRIENDS (NBC)
· I MARRIED SOFIA (ABC)
· I'M A CELEBRITY, GET ME OUT OF HERE! (NBC)
· I'M A RICH KID, GET ME OUT OF HERE! (ABC)
· IT'S ALL RELATIVE (ABC)
· MARRIED TO THE KELLYS (ABC)
· ME, ME, ME (UPN)
· REVELATIONS (NBC)
· RUN OF THE HOUSE (WB)
· SPIN CITY (ABC)
· THANK GOD IT'S MONDAY (ABC)
· THAT '70S SHOW (FOX)





[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.