or


[04/13/04 - 12:00 AM]
Development Update: April 13
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.

Note: As we approach the end of pilot season, our "Development Updates" may not appear every day due to a lack of news.

AFI'S 100 YEARS... 100 SONGS: AMERICA�S GREATEST MUSIC IN THE MOVIES (CBS, New!) - The Eye has scheduled a new special from the American Film Institute, hosted by John Travolta ("Grease," "Saturday Night Fever," "Pulp Fiction"). The three-hour presentation, which spotlights the 100 greatest songs in American movies, is scheduled for Tuesday, June 22 at 8:00/7:00c. Among those scheduled to appear are Clay Aiken, Debbie Allen, Burt Bacharach, Carole Bayer Sager, Peter Boyle, Keith Carradine, Cyd Charisse, Betty Comden, Bill Conti, Celine Dion, Michael Feinstein, Art Garfunkel, Barry Gibb, Marvin Hamlisch, Isaac Hayes, Angela Lansbury, Baz Luhrmann, Brian McKnight, Rob Marshall, Bill Medley, Rita Moreno, Rosie Perez, Debbie Reynolds, Paul Simon, Barbra Streisand, Jennifer Warrens, Andy Williams and Hans Zimmer.

BAND OF BROTHERS (History Channel) - 4.6 million viewers (3.7 household rating) tuned into the HBO mini-series' debut installment on the History Channel on Sunday, the network's largest audience in its history. "Brothers" also topped all ad-supported cable networks for the night.

THE CAROL BURNETT SHOW: LET'S BUMP UP THE LIGHTS (CBS) - The Eye has rescheduled the special from Wednesday, May 5 to Wednesday, May 12 at 10:00/9:00c. In the special, "the illustrious cast comes together before an audience to introduce never-before-seen clips from the spontaneous and hilarious moments that were seen at the beginning of every 'The Carol Burnett Show' -- where Carol and the gang answered questions from the studio audience," according to a network press release.

ONTOURAGE (New!) - A six-episode reality series that would follow Britney Spears and her fellow dancers on the European leg of her steamy Onyx Hotel Tour is reportedly being shopped around the broadcast and cable networks. Spears herself is executive producing the project through her Fairy Zone banner in association with manager Larry Rudolph's Diamond Park Entertainment and Lisa Falcone. With the European segment of the tour scheduled to begin on April 27, a network commitment would have to come in the next two weeks. Spears and company are said to have budgeted "OnTourage" at $1 million per episode, a rather high fee for a new unscripted reality series. Foxlab, 20th Century Fox Television's alternative division, and Zoo Productions are also behind the project.

THE PRACTICE (ABC) - Longtime David E. Kelley collaborator Bill D'Elia has been named executive producer/showrunner of the forthcoming spin-off series. The project centers on James Spader's character as he makes the transition to Crane, Poole & Schmidt, the rival law firm that represented him in his wrongful-termination lawsuit against Young, Frutt & Berluti. Rhona Mitra, Fay Masterson and Lake Bell also star in the spin-off, while options exist for William Shatner, Vincent Pastore and Rebecca De Mornay to make the transition.

TALK TO ME (USA, New!) - Dean Devlin ("Independence Day") is developing a new drama series about the professional and personal lives of the New York Police Department's hostage-negotiation unit. Lions Gate Television is behind the project, which is set to be written by Jan Skrentny and Neal Tabachnick ("Driven"). Devlin will executive produce via his Electric Entertainment banner.

THE TRIANGLE (Sci Fi) - Rockne O'Bannon ("Farscape") has been tapped to script the eight-hour mini-series, currently in development at the cable channel. Dean Devlin ("Independence Day") and Bryan Singer ("X-Men") are executive producing the project, which takes on the myth of the Bermuda Triangle.

UNTITLED MO'NIQUE PROJECT (Syndication, New!) - Mo'Nique ("The Parkers") has pacted with Telepictures to develop a new syndicated talk show for the 2005-06 season. The actress/comedian, who was previously attached to talk show from Big Ticket Television this past development season, recently subbed in as host of fellow Telepictures' series "The Sharon Osbourne Show."

Sources: Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Reuters





  [april 2004]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S
    


· BAND OF BROTHERS (HBO)
· BOSTON LEGAL (ABC)
· FARSCAPE (SCI FI)
· PARKERS, THE (UPN)
· PRACTICE, THE (ABC)
· SHARON OSBOURNE SHOW, THE (SYNDICATION)
· TALK TO ME (TNT)
· TRIANGLE, THE (SCI FI)
· UNTITLED MO'NIQUE PROJECT (SYNDICATION)





[06/03/26 - 10:04 AM]
The 158th Edition of The Belmont Stakes Returns to FOX Sports
The 2026 running of the Belmont Stakes marks the final time the storied third leg of the Triple Crown will be contested at Saratoga Race Course before returning to the newly renovated Belmont Park in 2027.

[06/03/26 - 10:01 AM]
Video: Trailer and Key Art Debut - Hulu's "Never Change!"
"Never Change!" premieres June 17, 2026, on Hulu and Hulu on Disney+ for bundle subscribers in the U.S., and on Disney+ internationally.

[06/03/26 - 09:46 AM]
Netflix Announces New Adult Animated Comedy Series "Dealies"
A savant salesman. A gentle gladiator. A quiet virtuoso. A summoner of the divine. And the poor soul who hired them. All part of the staff at Dealies, a big box store.

[06/03/26 - 08:00 AM]
Chilling Hit Detective Drama, "Inspector Ellis," Starring Sharon D Clarke Returns to Acorn TV on Monday, July 6
Additional episodes will premiere weekly on the platform.

[06/03/26 - 07:31 AM]
Video: "Chris & Martina: The Final Set" - Official Trailer - Netflix
This documentary explores Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova's decades-long dominance of women's tennis - and a friendship even cancer couldn't upset.

[06/03/26 - 07:01 AM]
Video: Apple TV unveils New Trailer for Highly Anticipated Limited Series "Lucky"
"Lucky" will make its global debut on Apple TV with the first two episodes on Wednesday, July 15, followed by new episodes every Wednesday through August 19.

[06/03/26 - 07:00 AM]
Fans Power UFL on ESPN to Significant Viewership Growth Across 10-Week Regular Season
ABC alone accounted for eight of the top 10 most-watched games.

[06/03/26 - 06:54 AM]
ESPN's "We're Going" Campaign Turns Animated in Celebration of Disney and Pixar's Toy Story 5
Each spot adds to ESPN's Year of the Super Bowl celebration, with more spots set to debut up until kickoff in Los Angeles in February 2027.

[06/03/26 - 06:01 AM]
Video: "Oasis" - Official Trailer - Netflix
When a young woman mysteriously vanishes from a luxury resort, staff and guests alike become suspects - trapped inside until the truth comes out.

[06/03/26 - 06:01 AM]
Marcello Hernandez to Host "The 2026 ESPYS Presented by Capital One" at the David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center
This year marks The ESPYS return to New York City, where the show will air live from the David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center on Wednesday, July 15, 2026 at 8 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. CT on ABC.

[06/03/26 - 06:00 AM]
TNT Sports Caps Its Most Watched NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs with Its Most Watched Conference Final Ever
The record-setting series helped propel TNT Sports' overall coverage of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs to an average of 1.4 million viewers across TNT, TBS, truTV and HBO Max, up 50% from 2025 through the Conference Final.

[06/02/26 - 04:06 PM]
NBC and Peacock Deliver Most-Watched Conference Finals Game Since 2016 with 15.9 Million Viewers for Spurs-Thunder Game 7 on Saturday Night
Across 28 playoff games, NBC Sports' presentation of the 2026 NBA Playoffs averaged 7.2 million viewers on NBC and Peacock, up 72% versus comparable coverage last season.

[06/02/26 - 02:36 PM]
ESPN's WCWS Viewership Success Continues
Texas Tech-UCLA averaged 2.0 million viewers, with a peak of 2.6 million.

[06/02/26 - 02:13 PM]
FOX IndyCar Continues Ratings Growth with Strong Detroit Performance
Through eight races, IndyCar on FOX is averaging 2,241,000 viewers, up +12% from 2025 (2,007,000).

[06/02/26 - 02:00 PM]
FOX MLB's "Baseball Night in America" Delivers Most-Watched Baseball Telecast of the Week
2,322,000 viewers tuned-in to FOX for a two-game slate highlighted by the Cubs' 6-1 victory over the Cardinals in most of the country.