or


[04/17/07 - 06:27 PM]
Development Update: Monday-Tuesday, April 16-17
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 signature "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!


LIFE AS A SONG (CBS, New!) - Scout Productions ("Queer Eye") and Storyline Entertainment ("Hairspray") have booked a pilot order for a new reality series in which people who have major announcements to make or questions to ask are given the opportunity to do so via an elaborate song and dance number. The half-hour project then will chronicle the backstory behind the person doing the singing, as well as show that person learning how to sing and dance. Scout's David Metzler and David Collins and Storyline's Craig Zadan and Neil Meron are the executive producers with Evan Weinstein serving as an co-executive producer. "Footloose" writer Dean Pitchford is also expected to serve in an unspecified role.

Commitment: Ordered to pilot
Cast: TBA
Writer: TBA
Director: TBA
Executive Producers: Craig Zadan (Storyline Entertainment), David Collins (Scout Productions), David Metzler (Scout Productions), Neil Meron (Storyline Entertainment)
Co-Executive Producer: Evan Weinstein
Consultant: Dean Pitchford
Studio: TBA


OFF THE CHARTS (FOX, New!) - FOX has added a new game show pilot to its 2007-08 season roster in which contestants are challenged to recite lines from pop songs from memory. The "Name That Tune"-esque series will feature a house band that performs various songs leaving the contestant to take over once they stop playing. RDF Media is behind the project, which was created by Jeff Apploff and will be executive produced by Apploff, Greg Goldman and RDF's Chris Coelen.

Commitment: Ordered to pilot
Cast: TBA
Writer: TBA
Director: TBA
Executive Producers: Chris Coelen, Greg Goldman, Jeff Apploff
Studio: RDF Media


POWER OF 10 (CBS) - Drew Carey ("Whose Line Is It Anyway?") has signed on to host the game show pilot, which features contestants as they try to guess the results of nationwide surveys with the finalist moving on to a bonus round in which their winnings multiply by 10 for each of its five questions - up to $10 million. No other details were given.

Commitment: Ordered to pilot
Cast: Drew Carey (Host)
Writer: TBA
Director: TBA
Executive Producers: Michael Davies (Embassy Row Productions)
Studio: Sony Pictures Television


THE SURREAL LIFE (VH1) - TV Guide's purchase of the show's off-cable run on Monday (read the story) is reportedly valued at $6.7 million. Said number translates to about $50,000 an episode for each of the 135 episodes from the franchise. As for specifics, TV Guide can only air episodes once they have completed their two-year exclusive run on VH1. In other words, only "Strange Love" and seasons 1-4 of "The Surreal Life" will be available when TV Guide begins its run in July. The three-year deal also isn't exclusive as Debmar/Mercury still plans to offer the show to local stations starting this fall. VH1 however will not able to repeat any of the episodes once they begin their syndication cycle.


UNTITLED VICTOR FRESCO PROJECT (FOX) - Jana Marie Hupp ("Ed") has joined the cast of the comedy pilot, about a 10-year-old boy who tries to navigate life in his high-achieving, overstressed family with the help of his eccentric grandfather. She'll play Susan Atlin, the boy's mother, a role originated by Andrea Parker. It's understood Parker had to exit her duties due to complications with laryngitis.

Commitment: Ordered to pilot
Cast: Jana Marie Hupp (Susan Atlin), Larry Joe Campbell (Don Atlin), Macey Cruthird (Alison Atlin), Nathan Gamble (Brian Atlin), Tom Conti (Nate)
Writer: Victor Fresco
Director: Marc Buckland
Executive Producers: Victor Fresco (Garfield Grove Productions)
Studio: 20th Century Fox Television


UP ALL NIGHT (CBS) - Sarah Wright ("The Loop") is the latest addition to the comedy pilot, about a group of people who hang out at an all-night diner from midnight-6 a.m. She'll play Kris, who's detailed in the casting notice as follows: "Early 20s, any ethnicities, attractive, she is a waitress at the all-night diner. Kris was raised by a blue collar family in the college town. A young single mom, Kris works the night shift so she can spend the days with her young son. She is an unaffected, good-natured young woman, clearly happy to see Ben back in town."

Commitment: Ordered to pilot
Cast: J.D. Walsh (Matthew), John Cho (Andy), Josh Meyers (Farrelly), Leslie Grossman (Erika), Phillip C. Vaden (Ben), Sarah Wright (Kris)
Writer: Scott Silveri
Director: Andy Ackerman
Executive Producers: Scott Silveri
Studio: Warner Bros. Television


THE WIZARD (CBS, New!) - "Late Late Show" host Craig Ferguson is eyeing a return to primetime as he's set to host a potential new game show at the Eye that will use elements of improv and sketch comedy. Ferguson (and his Green Mountain West partner Tracey Pakosta) is also executive producing the half-hour alongside Renegade 83's David Garfinkle and Jay Renfroe and David Letterman's Worldwide Pants. As for specifics, the producers are keeping details about the project purposely vague. Production then is set to begin in the next few weeks.

Commitment: Ordered to pilot
Cast: Craig Ferguson (Host)
Writer: TBA
Director: TBA
Executive Producers: Craig Ferguson (Green Mountain West), David Garfinkle (Renegade 83), David Letterman (Worldwide Pants), Jay Renfroe (Renegade 83), Tracey Pakosta (Green Mountain West)
Studio: TBA


Sources: Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Reuters





  [april 2007]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S


· ALL NIGHTERS (CBS)
· DEVELOPMENT UPDATE (TFC)
· DON'T FORGET THE LYRICS! (FOX)
· ED (NBC)
· LIFE AS A SONG (CBS)
· LOOP, THE (FOX)
· POWER OF 10 (CBS)
· QUEER EYE (BRAVO)
· STRANGE LOVE (VH1)
· SURREAL LIFE, THE (VH1)
· UNTITLED VICTOR FRESCO PROJECT (FOX)
· WHOSE LINE IS IT ANYWAY? (CW)
· WIZARD, THE (CBS)





[10/17/25 - 01:16 PM]
"Live with Kelly and Mark" Hits Season Highs with Best Audience Performance Since July
"Live" has now ranked as the No. 1 talk show in syndication for 139 consecutive weeks across all key measures.

[10/17/25 - 10:38 AM]
"Dancing with the Stars" Continues Historic Hot Streak - Rising for Fourth Straight Week Since Premiere with 6 Million Total Viewers
Plus: "High Potential" dominated the 10 p.m. hour with 4.15 million Total Viewers and a 0.33 rating among Adults 18-49.

[10/17/25 - 10:01 AM]
51st Season of "Saturday Night Live" Continues with Three Back-to-Back Shows in November
Miles Teller is on tap to host on November 1, followed by Nikki Glaser on November 8, and Glen Powell on November 15.

[10/17/25 - 09:05 AM]
All-New Season of "The Last Woodsmen" Premieres Friday, November 14 at 9PM ET/PT on Discovery
Deep in the untamed wilderness of the Pacific Northwest, veteran logger Jared Douglas returns to put everything on the line in the new season.

[10/17/25 - 09:01 AM]
Video: "Mob War: Philadelphia vs. The Mafia" - Sneak Peek - Netflix
A brutal mob war between John Stanfa and Joey Merlino plunges '90s Philadelphia into chaos and bloodshed in this captivating true-crime series.

[10/17/25 - 08:31 AM]
Video: "Me late que si" - Official Trailer - Netflix
A desperate, ordinary man, fed up with his misfortune, hatches a daring heist and assembles a very unusual group to attempt the impossible: stealing a live lottery jackpot.

[10/17/25 - 08:00 AM]
"Weapons" Begins Streaming Exclusively on HBO Max October 24
When all but one child from the same class mysteriously vanish on the same night at 2:17 a.m., a community is left questioning who or what is behind their disappearance.

[10/17/25 - 07:01 AM]
Video: "My Secret Santa" - Official Trailer - Netflix
A vivacious single-mom (Alexandra Breckenridge) in need of a job decides to disguise herself as a man in order to get hired as the seasonal Santa at a luxury ski resort.

[10/17/25 - 07:01 AM]
"Euphoria" Season 3 Is Coming Spring 2026
Newly announced cast members include Gideon Adlon, Bill Bodner, Colleen Camp, Danielle Deadwyler, Homer Gere, Jessica Blair Herman, Natasha Lyonne, Hemky Madera, Kwame Patterson, Trisha Paytas, Rebecca Pidgeon, Bella Podaras, Cailyn Rice, Eli Roth, Madison Thompson, Jack Topalian, Sam Trammell, Matthew Willig.

[10/17/25 - 06:01 AM]
Video: "Eloa the Hostage: Live on TV" - Official Trailer - Netflix
This gripping documentary explores the case of a teenage girl who was kidnapped by her ex-boyfriend in one of Brazil's most shocking hostage situations.

[10/17/25 - 06:01 AM]
Apple Is the Exclusive New Broadcast Partner for Formula 1 in the U.S.
Apple TV will deliver comprehensive coverage of Formula 1, with all practice, qualifying, Sprint sessions, and Grands Prix available to Apple TV subscribers.

[10/16/25 - 02:11 PM]
Video: National Geographic Unveils First Look at "Chris Hemsworth: A Road Trip to Remember" - A Powerful and Heartfelt Special Featuring the Global Movie Star on His Most Personal Journey Yet
The one-hour documentary, from Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Darren Aronofsky's Protozoa, Jane Root's Nutopia, and Chris Hemsworth and Ben Grayson's Wild State, premieres November 23 at 9:00/8:00c on National Geographic and streams the next day on Disney+ and Hulu.

[10/16/25 - 12:58 PM]
Lifetime Announces Annual "It's a Wonderful Lifetime" Holiday Movie Slate Kicking Off November 29th
Featured talent this year includes Brandy Norwood, Kane & Katelyn Brown, Loretta Devine, Debbi Morgan, Arielle Kebbel, Tyler Hilton, James Lafferty, Vivica A. Fox, Jackée Harry, Sy'Rai Smith, Nischelle Turner, Jeffrey Bowyer-Chapman, and others.

[10/16/25 - 12:31 PM]
Video: "The Witcher" Season 4 - Character Trailer - Netflix
Scattered to fates unknown, Geralt, Yennefer and Ciri traverse the war-torn Continent and its countless enemies in the hope of finding each other again.

[10/16/25 - 11:32 AM]
A+E Global Media and Rachael Ray's Free Food Studios Cook Up Expanded Programming Partnership with Over 100 New Episodes Ordered
The network has ordered 110 new episodes of Ray's programming, including new episodes of "Meals in Minutes," that will continue to focus on her approachable and comforting cooking style.