or


[06/29/05 - 12:00 AM]
Development Update: June 29
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!

THE 4,400/THE DEAD ZONE (USA) - USA's summer entries "The 4,400" and "The Dead Zone" continued to impress on Sunday with 4.1 million and 3.8 million viewers respectively tuning in. Among adults 18-49, "The 4,400" averaged a 1.7 rating/5 share with "The Dead Zone" pulling in a 1.6 rating/4 share.

CHARMED (The WB) - Kaley Cuoco ("8 Simple Rules") has quickly found a new home as the actress is set to join the cast of "Charmed" during its upcoming eighth season. She'll play a young witch who's guided by the Charmed ones (Alyssa Milano, Holly Marie Combs and Rose McGowan). She's not the only newcomer to the show this season however as actor/musician Mark McGrath signed on to do a multi-episode arc earlier this year.

THE CLOSER/INTO THE WEST (TNT) - 5.3 million viewers tuned into "The Closer's" most recent installment on Monday, on par with last week's numbers (5.57 million on 6/20/05). Among adults 18-49 and adults 25-54, the June 27 episode drew 1.75 million viewers and 2.24 million viewers respectively. Meanwhile, part three of the network's limited series "Into the West" was seen by 4.1 million viewers on Friday, down 14.58% from part two on June 17 (4.8 million). Overall, both series are expected to help TNT finish the month of June ahead of both the WB and UPN in total viewers, households, adults 18-49 and adults 25-54. Currently, TNT is averaging 3.3 million viewers (1.4 million among adults 18-49) through Sunday followed by UPN (2.6 million overall, 1.36 million among adults 18-49) and the WB (2.3 million overall, 1.24 million among adults 18-49).

THE SHIELD (FX) - Writer/producer Glen Mazzara has inked a two-year, seven-figure overall deal with 20th Century Fox Television. The pact, which has an option for a third year, calls for Mazzara to develop original projects for the studio.

TOLLIN-ROBBINS PRODUCTIONS - The prolific producing house - who's behind the WB's "Smallville," "One Tree Hill" and "What I Like About You" as well as the upcoming "Crumbs" on ABC and "Inconceivable" on NBC - has inked a one-year overall deal with NBC Universal Television. The pact sets up producers Mike Tollin and Brian Robbins (as well as development executives Joe Davola and Shelly Zimmerman) at the studio where they'll develop original projects. The company had been set up at Touchstone Television for the past two years with their overall deal there expiring last month.

THE TRUTH ABOUT JOEY ICE CREAM/WINDFALL (NBC, New!) - NBC is getting a jump on its development for midseason as the network has greenlighted pilots for the dramas "The Truth About Joey Ice Cream" and "Windfall." The latter is a retooled version of the FOX pilot of the same name about a group of young adults who win a record $386 million dollar lottery jackpot and find that the prize isn't all that it's cracked up to be. Luke Perry, Jason Gedrick, Sarah Wynter, Tembi Locke, Jon Foster, Alice Greczyn, Lana Parrilla, Sarah Jane Morris, D.J. Cotrona, Jaclyn Desantis and Malinda Williams all starred in the original version with Laurie McCarthy and Gwendolyn Parker executive producing for Regency Television. The Peacock plans to revamp the script and make some casting changes although it's not clear which cast members (if any at all) will be carried over to the new version. Co-creator Gwendolyn Parker however will not be involved with the NBC version, having moved on to a position on "Without a Trace."

Meanwhile, writer/director Paul Haggis ("Crash") is behind "The Truth About Joey Ice Cream." The project, which is set up at NBC Universal Television, revolves around two Irish brothers who grow up against a backdrop of organized crime in the Hell's Kitchen area of New York. Haggis and Bobby Moresco co-wrote the pilot script on spec with Haggis attached to direct. In addition, Mark Harris is on board as a co-executive producer with Jeff King ("EZ Streets") in talks to serve as a producer.

Sources: Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Reuters





  [june 2005]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S
   


· 4400, THE (USA)
· BLACK DONNELLYS, THE (NBC)
· CHARMED (WB)
· CLOSER, THE (TNT)
· CRUMBS (ABC)
· DEAD ZONE, THE (USA)
· EIGHT SIMPLE RULES (ABC)
· INCONCEIVABLE (NBC)
· INTO THE WEST (TNT)
· ONE TREE HILL (CW)
· SHIELD, THE (FX)
· SMALLVILLE (CW)
· WHAT I LIKE ABOUT YOU (WB)
· WINDFALL (NBC)
· WITHOUT A TRACE (CBS)





[03/19/26 - 01:17 PM]
Maya Hawke to Star in Netflix's Series Adaptation of "The God of the Woods"
The multi-generational drama series is set in the Adirondacks, exploring the Van Laar family's dark secrets, class tensions, and the mysteries surrounding the disappearance of 13 year old Barbara Van Laar from her family's summer camp - in the wake of an earlier family tragedy that may be related.

[03/19/26 - 01:03 PM]
3 Million "Outlander" Fans Drive the Epic Season Eight Premiere to a Four-Year Series High
The episode, entitled "Soul of a Rebel," secured the top spot for the week among all scripted cable programs.

[03/19/26 - 01:01 PM]
Peacock Renews "Nelly and Ashanti: We Belong Together" for a Second Season
Production begins this month and the series will air later in the year.

[03/19/26 - 12:46 PM]
Statement from Disney Entertainment Television: "The Bachelorette"
From a spokesperson: "In light of the newly released video just surfaced today, we have made the decision to not move forward with the new season of 'The Bachelorette' at this time, and our focus is on supporting the family."

[03/19/26 - 12:13 PM]
FOX Sports, IndyCar Announce Launch of New Digital-Exclusive Series, "All In: IndyCar"
The debut episode, "The Champ Is Here," features four-time IndyCar Series champion Alex Palou at the season-opening Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg.

[03/19/26 - 10:02 AM]
Amazon MGM Studios Has Officially Greenlit "The Challenger," A Limited Series Starring Kristen Stewart
Stewart will play astronaut and physicist Sally Ride, who in 1978 became the first American woman to fly in space.

[03/19/26 - 10:01 AM]
Netflix Announces Limited Series "Enigma Variations" Starring Aaron Taylor-Johnson
The series, based on André Aciman's novel, tells the story of a man remade by the lovers who ignite and undo him over the course of 10 transformative years.

[03/19/26 - 09:14 AM]
New Season of "Storied Spaces" Premieres March 28 on Magnolia Network
Escape to beautifully designed and curated spaces, seen through the eyes of the families that breathed life into them.

[03/19/26 - 09:04 AM]
Video: "O11CE: New Generation" - Trailer - Disney+
Same team, new dream. The Hawks take the field in "O11Ce: New Generation," now streaming on Disney+.

[03/19/26 - 09:01 AM]
Season Two of "Hazardous History with Henry Winkler" Set to Premiere Sunday, April 19 at 9/8c on The History Channel
Each one-hour episode of this nostalgia-drenched series tells the stories of the things we did for fun, for money, or out of plain boredom that you can't do anymore.

[03/19/26 - 09:01 AM]
HBO to Debut Comedy Special "Josh Johnson: Symphony" This Spring
Said Josh Johnson: "I'm excited to have my breakout piece be with a company that nurtures vision like HBO does. I'm grateful to them, and you, for watching."

[03/19/26 - 09:01 AM]
Cody Johnson, Lainey Wilson, and Riley Green to Perform at the 61st Academy of Country Music Awards
The 61st ACM Awards will stream live exclusively for a global audience across 240+ countries and territories on Prime Video on Sunday, May 17, 2026, at 8 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. CT / 5 p.m. PT from the world-renowned MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.

[03/19/26 - 08:34 AM]
Must-See April U.S. Debuts from Viaplay - German Conspiracy Thriller, Award-winning Film
Highlights include "Dangerous Truth," inspired by real events surrounding the faulty intelligence that helped justify the 2003 invasion of Iraq.

[03/19/26 - 08:12 AM]
Apple Original Films' "What Happens at Night" from Martin Scorsese, Starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Lawrence, Begins Principal Photography
Hailing from Apple Studios, and made in partnership with STUDIOCANAL, the dream-like story follows a married American couple who travel to a small, snowy European town to adopt a baby.

[03/19/26 - 08:11 AM]
Netflix Canada Announces New Series "This Summer Will Be Different"
Based on the beloved novel by Carley Fortune, the series is a simmering, sun-soaked romance set across multiple summers on Prince Edward Island about Lucy, a young woman navigating her 20s and her first real love with her best friend's brother, the one person she was never supposed to fall for.