or


[05/14/04 - 12:00 AM]
'House,' 'Inside,' 'Savages' Begin Staffing for Fall
By The Futon Critic Staff (TFC)

LOS ANGELES (thefutoncritic.com) -- The latest pilot buzz, culled from various reports and sources:

BLIND JUSTICE (ABC) - The Alphabet continues to remain high on the drama, which is expected to roll out at midseason. It's understood the current plan is to run "N.Y.P.D. Blue" for 22 or so consecutive weeks on Tuesdays at 10:00/9:00c, with "Justice" taking over the hour in March. That scenario would give ABC some extra firepower during February sweeps with "Blue's" swan song airing that month. Not surprisingly, "Justice" comes from "Blue" vets Steven Bochco, Matt Olmstead and Nicholas Wootton.

CATS AND DOGS (A.K.A. PLAY NICE) (UPN) - The Charisma Carpenter/Tyler Labine comedy is now said to be running under the title "Cats and Dogs." Said pilot, which comes from Paramount Network Television and the Littlefield Co., reportedly screened well earlier this week.

EMPIRE (ABC) - ABC has officially cut the show's production commitment to six hours, as previously indicated (read the story). All parties seem happy with the decision as the producers were said to be fearful the Alphabet would scrap the project entirely. The limited series' budget however will still remain at $30 million with writer Thomas Wheeler tightening up storylines to fit the new six-hour limit. In addition to Wheeler, Chip Johannessen, Neil Meron and Craig Zadan are the executive producers of the Touchstone Television/Storyline Entertainment project which more than likely will roll out at midseason or November sweeps at the earliest.

GREY'S ANATOMY (A.K.A. UNDER THE KNIFE) (ABC) - Shonda Rhimes' medical drama pilot appears to have gone through another title change, this time to "Grey's Anatomy."

HOUSE (FOX) - Executive producers David Shore, Paul Attanasio and Katie Jacobs have been given the go ahead to begin staffing the drama project, a clear indicator FOX will give or has already given a series order to the project. Hugh Laurie, Omar Epps, Robert Sean Leonard, Jennifer Morrison, Jesse Spencer and Lisa Edelstein all star in the drama, which focuses on a team of doctors charged with solving complicated medical mysteries that mystify other health-care professionals. The news would mark the second "medical mystery" project to get the green light, the other being NBC's "The Cure." NBC Universal Television and Heel and Toe Films are behind "House."

THE INSIDE (FOX) - Staffing is said to have begun on the drama pilot, about a 23-year-old woman (Rachel Nichols) who poses as a 16-year-old high school student in order to investigate a drug ring but complications arise as she has to navigate the world of high school all over again and slowly becomes emotionally attached to the person she's supposed to be investigating. Peter Facinelli also stars. The project, which is set up at 20th Century Fox Television and Imagine Television, comes from Kathryn Bigelow, Todd Kessler, Glenn Kessler, Brian Grazer and David Nevins.

LIAR (CBS) - The Eye is said to be considering turning its Saturday schedule into a reality-themed night with the D.L. Hughley-hosted update of "To Tell the Truth" among the possibilities. Also mentioned: "Fire Me Please!," a previously unreported version of the overseas format "Sack Race."

LIFE AS WE KNOW IT (A.K.A. DOING IT) (ABC) - The teen drama now features the title "Life as We Know It."

LOST (ABC) - The J.J. Abrams drama is looking more likely for a midseason bow. Various sources indicate ABC is leaning toward having the series take over "Alias'" Sunday, 9:00/8:00c time period at midseason as an alternative to the show's often low-rated repeats. While the pilot has been received well, there's indications some ABC executives feel the project doesn't have the legs to become a full-fledged series. The alternative is a more limited structure along the lines of fellow Alphabet drama "Empire."

THE SAVAGES (ABC) - The Mel Gibson-produced comedy pilot is reportedly close to a series order as the producers, which also include Bruce Davey, Julie Thacker and Mike Scully, have been given the go ahead to begin staffing the show. Keith Carradine stars as a blue-collar dad raising five teenage boys, ages 11 to 17, much like Gibson who himself is the father of six boys. NBC Universal Television and Gibson's Icon Productions are behind the project. Gibson himself directed the pilot.

UNTITLED PRACTICE PROJECT (ABC) - Early indicators put the spin-off, as previously suggested, on Sundays at 10:00/9:00c in "The Practice's" old slot following "Alias."

And some quick hits:

-- Still hot: John Stamos, Jennifer Love Hewitt and Rodney Carrington's projects for ABC; dramas "Desperate Housewives" and "Eyes," also at ABC; Chris O'Donnell, John Goodman and Jason Alexander's respective comedy pilots at CBS; the Stanley Tucci drama "The Webster Report" at CBS; FOX's animated comedy "American Dad" as well as the drama "Point Pleasant"; and UPN's Mel Gibson-produced/Taye Diggs-led drama "Kevin Hill."

-- Heating up: ABC's comedy "We Are Family"; dramas "Clubhouse," "Dr. Vegas" and "Colderon" over at CBS; John Wells and Mimi Leder's drama "Johnny Zero" at FOX; the comedy "Related by Family," also at FOX; and the drama "Countdown" over at ABC.

-- Cooling off: the Jessica Simpson and the Marsh McCall/Joel Stein comedy projects at ABC.





  [may 2004]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S
      


· ALIAS (ABC)
· AMAZING WESTERBERGS, THE (CBS)
· AMERICAN DAD (TBS)
· BLIND JUSTICE (ABC)
· BOSTON LEGAL (ABC)
· CENTER OF THE UNIVERSE (CBS)
· CLUBHOUSE (CBS)
· COMPLETE SAVAGES (ABC)
· COUNTDOWN (ABC)
· DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES (ABC)
· DR. VEGAS (CBS)
· EMPIRE (ABC)
· EYES (ABC)
· FIRE ME, PLEASE (CBS)
· GREY'S ANATOMY (ABC)
· HOUSE (FOX)
· IN THE GAME (2004 VERSION) (ABC)
· IN THE GAME (2005 VERSION) (ABC)
· INSIDE, THE (FOX)
· JAKE IN PROGRESS (ABC)
· JESSICA (ABC)
· JONNY ZERO (FOX)
· KEVIN HILL (UPN)
· LIAR (CBS)
· LIFE AS WE KNOW IT (ABC)
· LIFE ON A STICK (FOX)
· LIKE CATS & DOGS (UPN)
· LISTEN UP (CBS)
· LOST (ABC)
· MEDICAL INVESTIGATION (NBC)
· NEWS TO ME (ABC)
· NYPD BLUE (ABC)
· POINT PLEASANT (FOX)
· PRACTICAL MAGIC (CBS)
· PRACTICE, THE (ABC)
· RODNEY (ABC)
· TO TELL THE TRUTH (SYNDICATION)
· WE ARE FAMILY (ABC)
· WEBSTER REPORT, THE (CBS)





[10/02/23 - 03:30 PM]
ABC's "Dancing with the Stars" Jumps to 6.50 Million Total Viewers After Three Days of Cross-Platform Viewing
The season premiere jumped to 6.50 million Total Viewers and hit a 1.08 rating among Adults 18-49.

[10/02/23 - 01:38 PM]
Global Megastar Selena Gomez Invites Four Culinary Superstars to Her Home in "Selena + Chef: Home for the Holidays"
This year she has invited all-star chefs Eric Adjepong, Alex Guarnaschelli, Michael Symon, and Claudette Zepeda to bring their favorite dishes and culinary wisdom to her home kitchen so they can cook up perfect holiday meals to share with friends and family.

[10/02/23 - 01:16 PM]
Chiefs-Jets Thriller on NBC and Peacock Is Most-Watched Sunday Show Since Super Bowl LVII, Averaging 27 Million Viewers
The Average Minute Audience for last night's live stream via Peacock, NBC Sports Digital platforms, and NFL Digital platforms, was 1.85 million viewers - marking NBC Sports' largest streaming audience ever for a regular-season Sunday NFL game.

[10/02/23 - 12:54 PM]
Nova "Ancient Earth," A BBC Studios Production with Nova for PBS and the BBC, Takes Audiences on an Astonishing Journey Through the Epic 4.5-Billion-Year Story of Our Planet
The new five-part series tells the epic story of our planet, featuring the most dramatic events in Earth's 4.5-billion-year history, from its birth to the emergence of humanity.

[10/02/23 - 12:01 PM]
ABC Releases Frightfully Festive October Programming Lineup
On Sunday, October 22, and Sunday, October 29 (10:00-11:00 p.m.), two new special episodes of "The Great Halloween Fright Fight" will send shivers up your spine!

[10/02/23 - 11:08 AM]
New Season of BBC America's "The Graham Norton Show" to Air Weekly on Thursdays Beginning October 5
This week, Graham welcomes queen of pop Kylie Minogue, BAFTA-nominated actor Stephen Graham, actor and writer David Mitchell, comedian Mawaan Rizwan, and singer-songwriter Mae Muller.

[10/02/23 - 10:00 AM]
"Crush" to Premiere on Paramount+ on Tuesday, October 17
The two-part docuseries is a spine-tingling account of what happened when a Halloween night of celebration turned into a nightmare.

[10/02/23 - 09:01 AM]
Video: Trailer Debut - Hulu Original "Black Cake"
Based on The New York Times-bestselling book by Charmaine Wilkerson, "Black Cake" is a family drama wrapped in a murder mystery with a diverse cast of characters and a global setting.

[10/02/23 - 09:00 AM]
HBO Original Documentary Series "Navajo Police: Class 57" Debuts October 17
Set against the sweeping backdrop of the Navajo Nation, the three-part documentary series follows a group of recruits over the course of one year, as they fight their way through the Navajo Police Training Academy and out into the field, where they must contend with rising crime and centuries of neglect to hold their community together.

[10/02/23 - 09:00 AM]
Ring in the New Year with "New Year's Eve Live: Nashville's Big Bash" When the Star-Studded Entertainment Special Returns to CBS on Sunday, Dec. 31!
The first performers announced to appear live from downtown Nashville to ring in 2024 include Thomas Rhett, Lynyrd Skynyrd and Lainey Wilson.

[10/02/23 - 08:30 AM]
Paramount+ Announces Greenlight of New Documentary Spotlighting Boy Bands
The documentary will dig deep into the love, pain and tears of joy in the frenetic boy band era with inside information and anecdotes from the key players.

[10/02/23 - 07:33 AM]
2023 MLB Wild Card Series Presented by Hankook Tire Exclusively on ESPN Platforms
ABC, ESPN and ESPN2 will combine to broadcast all four, best-of-three series.

[10/02/23 - 06:04 AM]
Official Key Art Revealed for New Paramount+ Original Series "Frasier"
The new series follows Frasier Crane (Kelsey Grammer) in the next chapter of his life as he returns to Boston with new challenges to face, new relationships to forge and an old dream or two to finally fulfill.

[10/02/23 - 05:01 AM]
Video: "Leave the World Behind" - Official Teaser - Netflix
A family's (Julia Roberts and Ethan Hawke) vacation is upended when two strangers (Mahershala Ali and Myha'la) arrive at night, seeking refuge from a cyberattack that grows more terrifying by the minute, forcing everyone to come to terms with their places in a collapsing world.

[10/02/23 - 05:01 AM]
Video: Apple TV+ Reveals Trailer and Announces October 11 Premiere Date for Highly Anticipated New Documentary Event "Messi Meets America"
The series is set to premiere globally on October 11 with the first three episodes.