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)





[06/25/26 - 12:01 PM]
Video: "Breaking Bear" - Official Trailer - Tubi Original
A family of bears run a drug empire to raise money to save their forest from frackers and an endless array of psychotic enemies.

[06/25/26 - 12:01 PM]
The 62nd Academy of Country Music Awards Will Return to the World-Renowned MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on Sunday, May 16, 2027
This year's event drove an estimated $53 million in total economic impact for the Las Vegas region.

[06/25/26 - 11:45 AM]
ESPN Presents "All of Wimbledon. All in One Place" June 29 - July 12
Every match from all courts stream live on the ESPN App for ESPN Unlimited plan subscribers.

[06/25/26 - 11:31 AM]
Emmy Award Nominee Lizzy Caplan Plunges Into the Insanity of FX's "Far Cry" Coming to FX and Hulu
The limited series from Noah Hawley and Rob Mac, who will also star, will retain the franchise's signature standalone storytelling format with each season set in a new setting following a new cast of characters.

[06/25/26 - 10:01 AM]
NBC Greenlights Emmy-Nominated Event Series "The Americas" for a Second Season
Expanding on the tentpole series, special episodes will roll out in the leadup to season two, starting with "The Americas: A Wild 250th," airing July 2 at 9pm ET/PT on NBC and next day on Peacock.

[06/25/26 - 10:01 AM]
Video: Trailer & Key Art Debut - Hulu Original "Furious"
From creator and executive producer Elizabeth Meriwether, "Furious" follows an FBI agent, Alice Black (Emmy Rossum) on the hunt for a mysterious and calculating female serial killer.

[06/25/26 - 10:00 AM]
Wonder Project Orders Two Seasons of First Original Kids' Series "Fluff Piece"
Created by Sylvia Brindis, Shane Snow, and Brian Donegan, "Fluff Piece" will premiere July 9 on Wonder Project, with two new episodes released weekly.

[06/25/26 - 09:31 AM]
Peacock's "The Paper" Reveals September 9 Premiere Date and First Look Images for Season Two
In season two, after sweeping the Ohio Journalism Awards, Ned searches for a journalistic crusade, coming for a local private club and jeopardizing the paper, while he and Mare try to figure out their attraction, Esmeralda struggles to find her place, and the staff gradually mature as reporters.

[06/25/26 - 09:26 AM]
TNT Sports and DAZN Unveil Star-Studded Broadcast Team Beginning with Inaugural "The Fight" Event on July 4
TNT Sports host Adam Lefkoe will anchor studio coverage alongside one of boxing's all-time greats, Terence Crawford, boxing analyst and Hall of Famer Tim Bradley Jr., and former two-time world champion Shawn Porter.

[06/25/26 - 09:01 AM]
Video: "Ransom Canyon" Season 2 - Official Trailer - Netflix
Staten and Quinn chase risky new ventures to bring hope and prosperity back to Ransom Canyon - and grapple with their true feelings for one another.

[06/25/26 - 09:01 AM]
Join the Chase in Searchlight Pictures' "Ready or Not 2: Here I Come," Streaming on Hulu July 2
Moments after surviving an all-out attack from the Le Domas family, Grace (Samara Weaving) discovers she's reached the next level of the nightmarish game - and this time with her estranged sister Faith (Kathryn Newton) at her side.

[06/25/26 - 09:01 AM]
"Jay-Z in 8" A Candid and Intimate 8-Part Conversation Years in the Making, An HBO Original Documentary Series Debuting This Fall
The series debuts this fall on HBO and will be available to stream on HBO Max in the U.S.

[06/25/26 - 09:01 AM]
Nominees Announced for "The 2026 ESPYS Presented by Capital One," Airing Wednesday, July 15, at 8 P.M. ET on ABC and Streaming on the ESPN App
Top nominees include Jalen Brunson, Myles Garrett, Alysa Liu, Matthew Stafford, Rory McIlroy, Lionel Messi, Shohei Ohtani, Mikaela Shiffrin, Victor Wembanyama, and A'ja Wilson.

[06/25/26 - 08:01 AM]
Video: "Mary Beth Barone: Galaxy Brain" - Official Trailer - Netflix
Is an ex-best friend the worst ex? Can dating apps save democracy? What's with NYPD merch? Mary Beth Barone has all the answers in this witty special.

[06/25/26 - 07:19 AM]
Mets-Phillies on NBC & Peacock Is Most-Watched "Sunday Night Baseball" Game Since 2013, Excluding Season Openers
Coverage on June 21 averaged 3.0 million viewers on NBC and Peacock.