or


[05/12/06 - 12:00 AM]
Development Update: May 9-12
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 branded "Devwatch" section. There visitors can view our listings by network, genre, studio and even development stage (ordered to pilot, cast-contingent, script, etc.). It's updated every day!

BIG SHOT (Showtime, New!) - Sean Hayes and Todd Milliner's Hazy Mills Productions is developing a new unflinching drama at the pay channel about pop icon Billy Joel's early years. Paul Chart ("Children of Men") is on board to write the pilot script, which opens in the mid-1970s and follows Joel's first marriage to his then-business manager Elizabeth Weber. Hayes, Milliner and Andrew Harrison Leeds - along with Joel himself - then will serve as executive producers. No other details were given.

CABLE RATINGS ROUND-UP (Various) - HBO's "The Sopranos" continued its cable dominance for the week of May 1-7 with 8.5 million viewers tuning in. Lead-out "Big Love" drew 4.0 million viewers, taking seventh place overall for the week. Outside the top 15, Bravo's "The Real Housewives of Orange County" signed off with a series-high 923,000 viewers on May 2 while "Nashville Star" closed its fourth season to the tune of 3.0 million viewers that same night (down 11.76% from its season three finale).

CROSSING JORDAN (NBC) - Jon Cowan, Robert Rovner and Kathy McCormick have been tapped as co-showrunners of the Peacock drama. They'll take over for creator Tim Kring, who's moving on to his new NBC drama "Heroes." The trio will serve alongside fellow returning executive producers Alan Arkush and Dennis Hammer. As part of the promotions, Cowan and Rovner have each signed two-year overall deals with producer NBC Universal Television while McCormick has inked a one-year deal. The former pair then is expected to focus on development for the second year of the pact.

EXTREME MAKEOVER: HOME EDITION (ABC) - Denise Cramsey ("House Wars") has been upped to executive producer/showrunner on Endemol USA's veteran alternative series. Cramsey, who had been a co-executive producer since 2004, will take over Tom Forman, who's leaving as part of a new overall deal at CBS Paramount Network Television.

FAST INC. (MTV) - Promos currently running on the cable channel indicate the series, about the company of the same name as they "utilize their connections, craftiness, and charisma to field vintage and muscle car requests from celebrities, models, and eccentric millionaires," will launch on Monday, June 5 at 10:30/9:30c.

GREY'S ANATOMY (ABC) - Writer/producer Debora Cahn ("The West Wing") has inked a two-year overall deal with Touchstone Television. The pact, financial details of which weren't specified, calls for Cahn to join "Grey's Anatomy" next season as a supervising producer as well as develop new projects for the studio.

HBO ORIGINAL PROJECTS (HBO, New!) - The pay channel is said to be close to issuing pilot orders to two projects - "12 Miles of Bad Road," a comedy series about a Dallas matriarchy, and an untitled hour from "Deadwood" creator David Milch and author Kem Nunn ("Tapping the Source") set in the world of surfing. The former project comes from creators/executive producers Linda Bloodworth-Thomason and Harry Thomason ("Emeril") while the latter will be co-written by Milch and Nunn with the pair also executive producing alongside Howard Rosenman. Surf legend Herb "Herbie" Fletcher and wife Dibi are also expected to serve as consultants. No specifics however were released about either project. Meanwhile, pre-production reportedly has begun on "In Treatment," a serialized drama told from the point of view of therapists and their patients. HBO is in talks to order five episodes of the series, which is based on the Israeli series "BeTipul." Hagai Levi and Steve Levinson are the executive producers.

KINGS OF SOUTH BEACH (A&E) - "Boomtown" alums Donnie Wahlberg and Jason Gedrick are set to topline the original movie, about the true story of nightclub impresario Chris Paciello, who revived the South Beach scene with aid of the mob. Tim Hunter ("Cold Case") is directing the project, which begins production this month in Puerto Rico, from a script by Nick Pileggi ("Goodfellas"). Sonny Grosso and Larry Jacobson's Grosso-Jacobson Communications is producing the movie in association with Sony Pictures Television. Delia Fine and Clay Kahler also serve as executive producers.

Sources: Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Reuters





  [may 2006]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S
 


· 12 MILES OF BAD ROAD (HBO)
· BIG LOVE (HBO)
· BIG SHOT (SHOWTIME)
· BOOMTOWN (NBC)
· COLD CASE (CBS)
· CROSSING JORDAN (NBC)
· EMERIL (NBC)
· EXTREME MAKEOVER: HOME EDITION (HGTV)
· FAST INC. (MTV)
· GREY'S ANATOMY (ABC)
· HEROES (NBC)
· HOUSE WARS (USA)
· IN TREATMENT (HBO)
· JOHN FROM CINCINNATI (HBO)
· KINGS OF SOUTH BEACH (A AND E)
· NASHVILLE STAR (NBC)
· REAL HOUSEWIVES OF ORANGE COUNTY, THE (BRAVO)
· SOPRANOS, THE (HBO)
· WEST WING, THE (NBC)





[11/02/26 - 09:03 AM]
Video: MGM+ Debuts Official Trailer and Key Art for "Secret Service"
Adapted from Tom Bradby's bestselling novel, "Secret Service" follows senior MI6 officer Kate Henderson (Gemma Arterton), whose covert investigation uncovers evidence that a high-ranking UK politician may be working as a Russian asset.

[11/02/26 - 09:00 AM]
The History Channel to Premiere "Mission to Honor: A 250th Salute to American Veterans" on Veterans Day at 10PM ET/PT, in Partnership with the White House and Freedom 250
Created in partnership with the White House and Freedom 250, the special honors the service and sacrifice of U.S. veterans through their own words and personal accounts.

[11/02/26 - 09:00 AM]
Video: Official Trailer For Season 3 of "Percy Jackson and the Olympians" Unleashes a Perilous New Quest
Season three will premiere with two episodes on November 20, followed by two episodes dropping each week on Disney+ and Hulu.

[11/02/26 - 08:32 AM]
Investigation Discovery Reimagines Its Iconic True Crime Franchise with "Deadly Women 2.0," Premiering November 10 at 9PM ET/PT
Guided by criminal psychologist Dr. Michelle Ward and criminal and forensic psychologist Dr. Rachel Toles, the series covers shocking cases from femme fatales to love triangles and scandalous affairs and the psychology behind them and their perpetrators.

[11/02/26 - 08:01 AM]
HBO Original Documentary "The Buffalo Miracle" Debuts November 24
The film tells the extraordinary true story of total strangers who found life-saving shelter, friendship, and an unexpected Christmas miracle inside a McDonald's that refused to close when a once-in-a-generation blizzard devastated Buffalo, New York.

[11/02/26 - 07:01 AM]
Netflix and Druski Announce Multi-Year Deal to Develop and Produce Original Series, Starting December 1 with "Collect & Praise"
The series is built around the comedian's viral megachurch character, expanding one of his most popular internet personas into a longform television production.

[11/02/26 - 07:01 AM]
Video: "The Man with the Bag" - Official Trailer - Prime Video
Naughty, meet Nice. "The Man with the Bag" premieres December 2.

[11/02/26 - 06:04 AM]
Freeform's "25 Days of Christmas" Unwraps a Month of Holiday Favorites
It's a very merry Thriftmas as "That Thrifting Show with Lara Spencer: Holiday Edition - Sleigh the Family Room!" premieres December 3.

[11/01/26 - 10:01 PM]
Video: "Style Wars" - Main Trailer - Disney+
Just purely relying on fashion instincts.

[10/31/26 - 11:05 AM]
"Percy Jackson and the Olympians" Takes Over Lucca Comics & Games 2026
On Friday, the cast and creative team took part in a dedicated Q&A panel at Cinema Moderno, where they discussed upcoming storylines, shared behind-the-scenes anecdotes and unveiled exclusive clips from the highly-anticipated third season.

[10/31/26 - 10:48 AM]
USA Sports Delivers 1.5 Million Viewers for Valkyries-Dream Game 6 Thursday Matinee
USA Sports' Game 6 coverage delivered the fifth most-watched WNBA Finals game on cable on record.

[10/31/26 - 12:06 AM]
Catch This Never-Before-Seen Special Exploring the Origins of It in Derry - "A Story of Derry" Is Streaming Now on HBO Max
IT's a surprise Halloween treat.

[10/30/26 - 09:01 AM]
Video: "The Hunchback, Soul of Paris" - Official Trailer - Netflix
In 1830 Paris, torn apart by cholera and revolution, a hunchbacked stonemason hunted by the police risks everything to save the dancer he has fallen for, inspiring Victor Hugo's most legendary character.

[10/30/26 - 08:57 AM]
ABC News Wins Across Friday Night, Sunday Morning and Late-Night
"20/20: Help Dale Find Dee" ranked as Friday's No. 1 newsmagazine in Total Viewers, Adults 25-54, and Adults 18-49.

[10/30/26 - 08:01 AM]
Netflix Announces "Haunted Hotel" Will Reopen Its Doors for a Third Season
Season 2 debuted on the Global English TV Top 10 list and season 1 has over 15 million views since release.