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)





[05/13/26 - 04:01 PM]
"The Nightmare Upstairs: What Happened to Ty and Bryn?" Begins Streaming May 19 on Hulu
What starts as a whirlwind romance and Vegas wedding spirals into a bitter custody battle marked by allegations of abuse and parental alienation.

[05/13/26 - 03:01 PM]
Six New Cast Join the Fifth and Final Season of "The Lincoln Lawyer"
Amy Aquino, Angela Trimbur, Elpidia Carillo, Nate Corddry, Tricia Helfer, and Keir O'Donnell are all on tap.

[05/13/26 - 12:08 PM]
The 151st Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show to Make Its Debut on Netflix Live from NYC in February 2027
Seven highly respected group judges will make their selections over two nights at Madison Square Garden, with their winning dogs advancing to the Best in Show competition.

[05/13/26 - 12:06 PM]
Video: "The Hawk" - Official Teaser - Netflix
Lonnie Hawkins, (Will Ferrell) 2004's number one golfer, struggles on the back nine of his career to recapture his magic.

[05/13/26 - 12:03 PM]
Video: "East of Eden" - Official Teaser - Netflix
This fresh interpretation of Steinbeck's masterpiece will explore the multigenerational saga of the Trask family, focusing new attention on its indelible antihero, Cathy Ames, played by Florence Pugh.

[05/13/26 - 12:02 PM]
Netflix Announces New Drama Series "The Retrievals"
Inspired by the Peabody Award-winning New York Times podcast, "The Retrievals" follows one woman's crusade against Yale Fertility Center after she (and almost 100 other women) were operated on without anesthesia - because a nurse stole their fentanyl.

[05/13/26 - 12:01 PM]
"Running Point" Renewed for Season 3 on Netflix
Season 2 recently debuted in the Global Top 10, where it has remained since release, and its return also brought Season 1 back onto the chart, with the show surpassing 60M views across both seasons.

[05/13/26 - 12:00 PM]
Netflix Renews "Quarterback" for Season 3 Premiering Globally July 14, 2026
Jayden Daniels, Baker Mayfield, Cam Ward, and Joe Flacco are this year's subjects.

[05/13/26 - 11:59 AM]
Netflix Unites Harlan Coben & David E. Kelley on New Drama Series "Myron Bolitar" - Extends Creative Partnership with Harlan Coben
After an injury ends his NBA dreams, Myron Bolitar reinvents himself as a sports agent - using charm, smarts, and a ruthless partner to navigate the high-stakes and dirty world of sports, where saving his clients often means risking himself.

[05/13/26 - 11:58 AM]
"My Life with the Walter Boys" Renewed for Season 4 on Netflix
Season 3 is set to premiere in 2026, while season 4 will premiere in 2027.

[05/13/26 - 11:57 AM]
"Love Is Blind" to Return with Season 11 Set in Boston
Hosted by Nick and Vanessa Lachey, the series returns this fall.

[05/13/26 - 11:56 AM]
Netflix Announces New YA Drama Series "Calabasas" - Forges Creative Partnership with Chris Van Dusen
At an elite private school in the country's most exclusive town, the headmaster's ambitious daughter is destined to have it all - until she's swept into a forbidden romance with the one boy determined to burn down her glittering world instead of play by its rules.

[05/13/26 - 11:55 AM]
Netflix Renews "Big Mistakes" for Season 2 - Extends Creative Partnership with Dan Levy
Said Levy: "Season 2 is already in the works and it's going to be WILD. I can't wait to get it out there to everyone as soon as humanly possible."

[05/13/26 - 11:54 AM]
Netflix Announces "Barbaric"; A New Medieval Fantasy Drama
A ruthless and crass barbarian is cursed to only use his violence for good, which sends him, his talking axe and a young witch on a road of self discovery, redemption and revenge.

[05/13/26 - 11:53 AM]
Nick Cannon Is Getting Real About Fatherhood and Fame in New Docuseries
In a new docuseries coming to Netflix later this year, the superstar is giving an intimate look at his wildly unconventional life, as he raises 12 children and co-parents with six different moms.