or


[02/14/05 - 12:00 AM]
Development Update: February 14
By The Futon Critic Staff (TFC)

LOS ANGELES (thefutoncritic.com) -- The latest development news, culled from recent wire reports:

Looking to keep track of all the various projects in development? Click here to visit our newly revamped "Series in Development" charts. Visitors can now filter our listings by network, genre and even development stage (ordered to pilot, cast-contingent, script, etc.). It's updated every day!

20 THINGS TO DO BEFORE YOU'RE 30 (UPN, New!) - "King of the Hill" veterans Alan Cohen and Alan Freedland are looking to import the British comedy of the same name - about four twentysomething friends who create a list of 20 things they want to do before they are 30 and set out to accomplish them - for UPN. The netlet has given a pilot order to the project, which is set up at Touchstone Television. The news marks the second time the comedy has been developed for U.S. audiences, the first being by Conan O'Brien and Lester Lewis ("Happy Family") for NBC in 2003 (read the story). Cohen and Freedland will write the pilot script and executive produce.

3 LBS. (CBS) - Oscar-winner Barry Levinson has been tapped to direct the pilot for the project, a medical drama revolving around brain surgeons. Already cast in the Paramount Network Television-based pilot is Reiko Aylesworth while Peter Ocko and Paul Stupin are the executive producers.

CRAZY LAWYERS (FOX) - Aimee Garcia ("All About the Andersons") has joined the cast of the drama pilot, about a successful golden boy lawyer (Chris O'Donnell) who has a nervous breakdown and teams up with another mentally disturbed lawyer with an anger problem to help people with issues, legal and otherwise. She'll play the lawyer in distress' loyal assistant in the project, which comes from executive producers Bill Chais, Jeff Rake and Barry Josephson as well as 20th Century Fox Television.

EIGHT SIMPLE RULES (ABC) - The Alphabet threw some extra support behind another one of its veteran comedies over the weekend, ordering two extra installments of "Rules." Said order brings its season total to 24 episodes. To date this season "Rules" is averaging 7.03 million viewers, ahead of fellow Friday comedies "Less Than Perfect" (6.48 million) and "Complete Savages" (6.09 million) and just short of "Hope & Faith" (7.35 million).

THE EVIDENCE (ABC) - Oscar winner Martin Landau ("Ed Wood") and Orlando Jones ("Evolution") have been cast the drama pilot, a San Francisco-based procedural which presents all the evidence and then tries to deconstruct the crime. Jones will play Det. Clint Bishop in the project while Landau is believed to be set as Dr. Saul Gold. Here's how Bishop is described in the show's casting notices: "Early-mid 30s, African-American, charismatic, sensitive, compassionate, well-educated (MA's in criminal psychology), Bishop is a San Francisco detective. He is trying to resuscitate his partner, Sean Riley, and gets a lot of flak for his propensity to play "therapist" to everyone. Bishop has a brother in prison, and will struggle with his eventual release, as well as with his own capacity for forgiveness." Gold then is described as: "65-72, seasoned, respected, wry, he's a CSU supervisor with nothing left to prove." The project is set up at John Wells Productions and Warner Bros. Television.

FRIENDS IN THE A.M. (UPN, New!) - Courteney Cox and David Arquette's Coquette Productions has scored a pilot order from the netlet for a new comedy about the brutally honest, fiercely loyal and incredibly complex on- and off-camera exploits of the three female hosts of a morning talk show. Allison Gibson ("Reba") is on board to write and executive produce the project, which is set up at Touchstone Television. Cox and Arquette will also serve as executive producers.

NUMB3RS (CBS) - The Eye has ordered four additional episodes of the successful Friday-night drama, bringing its season total to 12 installments. 11.55 million viewers tuned into its February 4 broadcast, making it the most-watched program on the night.

REUNION (FOX) - Chyler Leigh ("The Practice") is the latest addition to the drama pilot, about the lives of six close friends from their high school graduation in 1986 to their 20th reunion in 2006. Leigh joins the previously cast Alexa Davalos, Sean Faris, Amanda Righetti and Dave Annable in the project, which comes from "Tru Calling" creator Jon Harmon Feldman, Warner Bros. Television and Class IV Productions. Leigh will play Carla, a good girl whose life is transformed over the show's 20 years.

THRESHOLD (CBS) - Charles S. Dutton ("Roc") is the first to be cast in the drama pilot, about a female government contingency analyst who leads a team of scientists and military personnel to respond to the threat of a mysterious alien lifeform. No details were given about his character in the project, which comes from Paramount Network Television and executive producers David Goyer, David Heyman, Bragi Schut, Mark Rosen and Brannon Braga.

UNTITLED DAN MAZER PROJECT (NBC, New!) - "Da Ali G Show" executive producer Dan Mazer has booked a pilot presentation order from the Peacock for a new sketch comedy series along the lines of the HBO comedy. Already cast in the pilot are Matt Walsh ("Old School"), Andrea Savage ("The 40-Year-Old Virgin"), A.D. Miles ("Wet Hot American Summer") and Zach Galifianakis ("Late World With Zach"). No other details were released about the project, other than it will will mix actors (as newscasters) and real-life people, in the vein of "Ali G."

UNTITLED TOM FONTANA/BARRY LEVINSON PROJECT (The WB) - Ernest Waddell ("The Wire") and Penn Badgley ("The Mountain") have signed onto the drama pilot, an ensemble drama about the lives of students and teachers at a small Manhattan college. HBO Independent Productions and Warner Bros. Television are behind the project, which comes from Fontana, Levinson, Jim Finnerty and Julie Martin.

Sources: Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Reuters





  [february 2005]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S
  


· 20 THINGS TO DO BEFORE YOU'RE 30 (UPN)
· 3 LBS. (CBS)
· ALL ABOUT THE ANDERSONS (WB)
· BEDFORD DIARIES, THE (WB)
· COMPLETE SAVAGES (ABC)
· DA ALI G SHOW (HBO)
· DOG BITES MAN (COMEDY CENTRAL)
· EIGHT SIMPLE RULES (ABC)
· EVIDENCE, THE (ABC)
· HAPPY FAMILY (NBC)
· HEAD CASES (FOX)
· HOPE & FAITH (ABC)
· KING OF THE HILL (HULU)
· LESS THAN PERFECT (ABC)
· MOUNTAIN, THE (WB)
· NUMB3RS (CBS)
· PRACTICE, THE (ABC)
· REBA (CW)
· REUNION (FOX)
· TALK SHOW DIARIES (UPN)
· THRESHOLD (CBS)
· TRU CALLING (FOX)
· WIRE, THE (HBO)





[02/02/26 - 04:01 PM]
Netflix and HYBE Announce Global Live BTS Comeback Performance and Feature-Length Documentary
Streaming live from the historic Gwanghwamun in Seoul on March 21, this monumental performance celebrates the release of their highly anticipated new album, ARIRANG.

[02/02/26 - 03:34 PM]
"The Kelly Clarkson Show" to Conclude After Season Seven
Season seven episodes will air through Fall 2026.

[02/02/26 - 01:17 PM]
NBC Renews "St. Denis Medical" and "Happy's Place" for 2026-27 Season
"Both 'St. Denis Medical' and 'Happy's Place' have delivered comedic brilliance over their first two seasons, truly connecting with our audience with hilarious characters, and remain hugely important and successful programs to our primetime and Peacock lineup," said Lisa Katz.

[02/02/26 - 01:15 PM]
NBC Sports Presents First Ever Live Broadcast from Alcatraz Island as Part of Super Bowl LX Pregame Show This Sunday, Feb. 8 on NBC & Peacock
Hall of Fame head coach Tony Dungy, fellow two-time Super Bowl winner Rodney Harrison, and co-host Jac Collinsworth will broadcast live from multiple locations on the island beginning at 1 p.m. ET.

[02/02/26 - 12:31 PM]
E! to Air the 2026 EE BAFTA Film Awards Hosted by Alan Cumming on Sunday, February 22
The EE BAFTA Film Awards ceremony will be held at the Southbank Centre's Royal Festival Hall in London and will premiere as-live on BBC One and iPlayer in the UK.

[02/02/26 - 11:01 AM]
Video: "Final Siren: Inside the AFL" - Official Trailer - Prime Video
Inside the highs, the heartbreak, and the hunt for glory.

[02/02/26 - 10:38 AM]
New Year, New Viewership Milestones for ESPN: Signature Events Deliver Second-Best Month in 30 Years
Continuing ESPN's landmark viewership success to start the year, January 2025 and 2026 now account for two of the top three most-watched months in the platform's history.

[02/02/26 - 10:01 AM]
Video: "Sommore: Chandelier Fly" - Sneak Peek - Netflix
From hot topics to celebrity scandals, "The Queen of Comedy" Sommore delivers her unapologetic perspective with a combination of bravado and elegant style.

[02/02/26 - 09:06 AM]
CNN FlashDoc "Bad Bunny and the Halftime Show: Rhythms of Resistance" Now Streaming in the CNN App
The special is now streaming on demand for subscribers of CNN's streaming offering and will premiere Saturday, February 7 at 10pm ET on CNN.

[02/02/26 - 09:01 AM]
"Last Week Tonight with John Oliver" Returns February 15
The weekly series has received 32 Emmys since its premiere in 2014.

[02/02/26 - 09:00 AM]
Video: AMC/AMC+ Release Final Teaser Trailer for the New Season of the Critically Acclaimed Noir Thriller, "Dark Winds"
Consisting of eight hour-long episodes, Season 4 premieres on Sunday, February 15 at 9pm ET/PT on AMC and AMC+.

[02/02/26 - 09:00 AM]
Video: Prime Video Reveals Official Trailer for "Soul Power: The Legend of the American Basketball Association"
Directed by Kenan Kamwana Holley, all four episodes of the docuseries will premiere February 12 exclusively on Prime Video in more than 240 countries and territories worldwide. Soul Power is the latest addition to the Prime membership.

[02/02/26 - 08:01 AM]
ITV's Captivating Police Procedural Series, "Winter," Begins Filming in Bristol and Belgium, Whilst Further Casting Is Announced Alongside Richard Armitage and Annabel Scholey
Each episode features its own compelling, self-contained crime story, with resulting guest casting.

[02/02/26 - 07:02 AM]
Apple's Hit Drama "Your Friends & Neighbors" Lands Early Season Three Renewal
Season two will make its global debut on Apple TV with one episode on Friday, April 3, 2026, followed by new episodes every Friday through June 5.

[02/02/26 - 07:01 AM]
Video: "Love Is Blind" Season 10 - Official Trailer - Netflix
The pods are back, this time in Ohio, with a brand-new group of singles dating sight unseen. Will they be able to see love from a new perspective?