or


[05/26/05 - 12:00 AM]
Development Update: May 25-26
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!

ABC FAMILY PILOTS (ABC Family, New!) - The ABC cable sibling has ordered three new drama pilots for series consideration next year: "Three Moons Over Milford," about a small East Coast town in which residents literally live "for the moment" because the town is located beneath a falling comet that could destroy their world at any time; "Kyle XY," about a suburban family that takes in a mysterious teen naive to the world around him; and "Balancing Act," about a young cop who moves his family back to the inner-city neighborhood where he was raised in hopes of making a difference.

All three projects are set to begin production in July and casting is underway. Holly Goldberg Sloan ("Angels in the Outfield") and Gary Rosen ("Major Payne") are behind the Touchstone Television-based "Moons" with Laura Ziskin ("Tarzan") in talks to also come aboard as an executive producer. Also set up at Touchstone is "Kyle XY," which comes from creators Eric Bress and J. Mackeye Gruber ("The Butterfly Effect") who will executive produce along with David Himmelfarb ("My Wife and Kids") and the Benderspink banner. Finally, Seth Freeman ("Lou Grant") is behind "Act," which is set up at Disney Cable Networks Group. Meanwhile on the comedy front, the cable channel has confirmed it has passed on the pilots "East of Normal, West of Weird" and "Door to the Throne" while Carter Covington's "Just a Phase," about a teen uncertain of his sexual identity, remains in play.

ATTACK OF THE SABRETOOTH/BLOODSUCKERS (Sci Fi, New!) - July will see the premiere of two more of Sci Fi's Saturday originals. The first is "Attack of the Sabretooth" (premieres July 9), which is described as: "A resort owner in Fiji expects to get rich running a wildlife preserve stocked with previously extinct animals. Then a smilodon fatalis � a vicious, gigantic sabretooth tiger � gets loose and turns the theme park into a killing field." The other is "Bloodsuckers" (premieres July 30) and is described as: "Joe Lando (Alien Nation: The Enemy Within and Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home) and Michael Ironside (Starship Troopers, TV's SeaQuest DSV) star in this high-tech adventure about intergalactic vampire-hunters."

CATTLE DRIVE/THE GIRLS NEXT DOOR (E!) - Both newcomers have been slated to premiere on Sunday, August 7 in yet-to-be-determined time periods. "Drive" tracks the children of the rich and famous (including the kids of Yahoo! CEO Terry Semel and rocker Pat Benatar) as they are sent to work a cattle drive while "Girls" is an eight-part series which chronicles the lives of Hugh Hefner's girlfriends at the Playboy Mansion.

CELEBRITY FIT CLUB/HOGAN KNOWS BEST (VH1) - The cable channel has moved up "Celebrity Fit Club's" second season premiere to Sunday, July 10 at 10:30/9:30c. Leading into the broadcast will be the series premiere of "Hogan Knows Best" at 10:00/9:00c. Both series will then air regularly on Sundays at 9:30/8:30c ("Hogan") and 10:00/9:00c ("Fit Club") respectively.

I WANT TO BE A HILTON (NBC) - The summer entry will be the latest NBC series to get repurposed on cable sibling Bravo. The series, which premieres Tuesday, June 21 on NBC, will be rebroadcast on Bravo several times next month: Thursday, June 23 at 11:00/10:00c (episodes 1 & 2), Friday, June 24 at 6:00/5:00c (episodes 1 & 2), Sunday, June 26 at 6:00/5:00c (episode 1 only) and 11:00/10:00c (episode 2 only). It's expected the remaining episodes will also get second runs on Bravo in unspecified time periods.

OVER THERE (FX) - Fox Home Entertainment plans to release the show's pilot on DVD less than a week after its Wednesday, July 27 bow on FX. (A previous report had incorrectly indicated the show would launch Friday, July 22.) As for the DVD, which streets on August 2, the single-disc release will also include a 15-minute behind-the-scenes featurette and sell for a suggested retail price of $9.98. "Over There" tracks the lives and struggles of seven American soldiers and their sergeant stationed in Iraq on their first tour of duty.

PIZZA MY HEART (ABC Family) - The cable channel's latest original movie will debut on Sunday, July 24 with broadcasts at both 7:00/6:00c and 9:00/8:00c. Here's how ABC Family's press materials describe the project: "A modern day Romeo and Juliet set in the town of Verona, New Jersey. Because of a family feud dating back to the old country, the Prestolanis and the Montebellos have taken to extremes their fight over who truly has the best pizza. The situation is about to come to a head when Joe Prestolani meets Gina Montebello and they begin a secret romance. Will the families be able to survive this union or will their pizza empires flop? Starring Michael Badalucco and Shiri Appleby, directed by Andy Wolk and executive produced by Jane Goldenring."

UNTITLED DAVID M. ISRAEL/JIM O'DOHERTY PROJECT (NBC) - Writer/producers Jim O'Doherty and David M. Israel ("The Tracy Morgan Show") have signed a two-year, seven-figure overall deal with NBC Universal Television. The pact calls for the pair to develop new half-hour projects for the studio. The duo previously were developing a semi-improved comedy at NBC proper, about the behind-the-scenes goings-on at a documentary company charged with producing fare for networks like the History Channel and the Discovery Channel. That project appears to have been shelved.

YOU'RE NOT THE MAN I MARRIED (Lifetime) - The cable channel has postponed the show's previously reported summer launch until an unspecified date in the fall. The series tracks neglected wives who have their husbands compete in comedic challenges - such as approaching complete strangers at the boardwalk in Atlantic City, N.J., to tell them why they love their wife - to prove they really are the men their wives married.

Sources: Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Reuters





  [may 2005]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S


· ATTACK OF THE SABRETOOTH (SCI FI)
· BLOODSUCKERS (SCI FI)
· CELEBRITY FIT CLUB (VH1)
· DOOR TO THE THRONE (ABC FAMILY)
· EAST OF NORMAL, WEST OF WEIRD (ABC FAMILY)
· FILTY RICH: CATTLE DRIVE (E)
· GIRLS NEXT DOOR, THE (E)
· HOGAN KNOWS BEST (VH1)
· I WANT TO BE A HILTON (NBC)
· JUST A PHASE (ABC FAMILY)
· KYLE XY (ABC FAMILY)
· LINCOLN HEIGHTS (ABC FAMILY)
· MOVING PICTURES (NBC)
· MY WIFE & KIDS (ABC)
· OVER THERE (FX)
· PIZZA MY HEART (ABC FAMILY)
· TARZAN (WB)
· THREE MOONS OVER MILFORD (ABC FAMILY)
· TRACY MORGAN SHOW, THE (NBC)
· YOU'RE NOT THE MAN I MARRIED (LIFETIME)





[09/29/26 - 11:01 AM]
Put It All on Vanderpump! Bravo Hits the Jackpot When "Vanderpump Rules: Lisa Las Vegas" Premieres Tuesday, Oct. 20 at 9 P.M. ET/PT
Lisa Vanderpump has been reigning over the Las Vegas Strip for years now with three hotspot restaurants serving up chic cocktails, over-the-top glamour and her signature brand of whimsy.

[09/29/26 - 10:36 AM]
AMC Global Media Greenlights "Happy Jack" - New Comedy Series Starring Charlie and Martin Sheen, Playing a Father-and-Son Duo, to Premiere on AMC and AMC+ in 2027
"Happy Jack" is a contemporary family comedy featuring one of America's favorite comedic actors.

[09/29/26 - 10:02 AM]
Date Announcement: Hulu's "The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives: Orange County"
The all-new series premieres with all 10 episodes November 12 on Hulu and Hulu on Disney+ for bundle subscribers in the U.S. and Disney+ internationally.

[09/29/26 - 10:01 AM]
Video: "The New Stanford Prison Experiment" - Official Trailer - Netflix
In this modern reimagining of the infamous study, 30 people enter a real prison for two weeks and shifting power dynamics expose what they're capable of.

[09/29/26 - 09:50 AM]
"Jimmy Kimmel Live" Finishes 2025-2026 Season with Largest Overall Audience in Eight Years and Strongest Adults 18-49 in Four Years
In the final week of the 2025-2026 season, "Jimmy Kimmel Live" ranked No. 1 in both Total Viewers and Adults 18-49.

[09/29/26 - 09:01 AM]
Video: Trailer & Key Art Debut - Hulu's "Phony"
"Phony" premieres on October 20 on Hulu and Hulu on Disney+ for bundle subscribers in the US, and Disney+ internationally.

[09/29/26 - 09:00 AM]
Paramount+ Presents a Historic Week of Combat Sports Headlined by "UFC 332: Silva vs. Wang," The First Full Main Card of a UFC Numbered Event Ever Simulcast on CBS and Paramount+
CBS coverage of UFC 332 will immediately follow college football on Saturday at 7:30 PM, ET/ 4:30 PM, PT.

[09/29/26 - 08:16 AM]
Video: "Campus Drivers" - Official Teaser - Prime Video
The adaptation of C.S. Quill's saga premieres November 6 on Prime Video.

[09/29/26 - 08:07 AM]
Discovery Channel October Programming Highlights
New seasons of "Contraband: Seized at the Border" and "Rocky Mountain Wreckers" will join the previously announced return of "Gold Rush."

[09/29/26 - 08:01 AM]
Investigation Discovery Spotlights the Haight Family Tragedy in New Special "Toxic: What Happened in the Haight House?"
The two-hour special premieres Tuesday, October 27 from 9-11pm ET/PT on ID and will be available to stream on HBO Max, anchoring the network's 5th annual "No Excuse for Abuse" campaign for Domestic Violence Awareness Month.

[09/29/26 - 07:31 AM]
Joins the Cast of AMC Global Media's Critically Acclaimed Drama, "The Audacity"
Hollander will portray Big Tim, the powerful tech billionaire and CEO of Cupertino, whose carefully curated public persona masks his insatiable appetite for control and revenge.

[09/29/26 - 07:16 AM]
"Icebreaker" Sticks the Landing, Adding Six to Round Out Series Regulars
Gabriel Tierney, Auli'i Cravalho, Peter Berry, Chaneil Kular, Devin Craig, and Aidan Shaw join the previously announced leads Daisy Jelley and Connor Simos.

[09/29/26 - 07:05 AM]
Paramount+ Announces Upcoming Slate of British Series from A24
These series include the upcoming comedy, "It Gets Worse," the coming-of-age drama, "Major Players," and the TV adaption of the award-winning, New York Times-bestselling novel, "The Ministry of Time."

[09/29/26 - 07:01 AM]
Video: "Rivals" Season Two Trailer Debut
Romance and rivalry takes centre stage as new trailer teases what lies ahead the rest of the season for the residents of Rutshire.

[09/29/26 - 06:01 AM]
Video: Apple TV Unveils Trailer for Gripping New Drama "Nocturne"
"Nocturne" will make its global debut on Friday, October 30, 2026, with the first two episodes, followed by new episodes every Friday through December 25, 2026, on Apple TV.