or


[11/30/07 - 06:20 PM]
Development Update: Week of November 26-30
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!


CSI: MIAMI (CBS)/STEP IT UP AND DANCE (A.K.A. STEP IT UP) (Bravo) - Elizabeth Berkley has booked a pair of gigs - a multi-episode arc on CBS's "CSI: Miami" as well as hosting duties on Bravo's upcoming series "Step It Up and Dance" (previously known as "Step It Up"). On "Miami," she'll play Julia Winston, the ex-wife of David Caruso's character and mother of his recently discovered teenage son, Kyle (Evan Ellingson). It's understood her character becomes part of an investigation when her billionaire husband is murdered. As for "Step," Broadway choreographer Jerry Mitchell has also signed on as mentor/house choreographer to the show's contestants. The series, currently in production in Los Angeles, features contestants trying to master a range of dance styles - from ballet and ballroom to Broadway and burlesque - for a cash prize. Gunnar Wetterberg created the project, which comes from Magical Elves producers Jane Lipsitz and Dan Cutforth ("Project Runway," "Top Chef").


FRINGE (FOX) - Alex Graves ("Journeyman") is set to helm the two-hour drama pilot, about a young female FBI agent who, forced to confront the spread of powerful and unexplained phenomena, must work with an institutionalized scientist whose life's work might be at the center of the coming storm. He'll work from a script by co-creators J.J. Abrams, Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci as well as executive produce alongside the trio and Bad Robot's Bryan Burk. Production on the Warner Bros. Television/Bad Robot-based pilot, which was written on spec, is scheduled to begin in February.


KNIGHT RIDER (NBC) - Bruce Davison, Wayne Kasserman and Greg Ellis will round out the cast of the two-hour movie/backdoor pilot, a sequel to the 1980s series of the same name featuring Justin Bruening as Mike Tracer, Michael Knight's (David Hasselhoff) son. Davison will play Charles Graiman (previously Kamen), an eccentric physicist who created the second-generation KITT, an artificially intelligent car. Kasserman then is set as Dylan, the loyal roommate of Mike's who joins the Knight Rider team. And finally, Ellis will play Welther, one of the bad guys who's out to murder Graiman and steal KITT. His role is billed as a guest star with the potential to recur. Sydney Tamiia Poitier and Deanna Russo also star.


LEVERAGE (TNT) - Beth Riesgraf and Gina Bellman are the latest additions to the drama pilot, about a former insurance investigator-turned-thief (Timothy Hutton) who is the brains behind a team of accomplished hooligans and high-tech outlaws. The former will play Parker, an accomplished burglar who exudes dorkiness, eccentricity and sexuality, with the latter as Sophie Devereaux, a dreadful community theater actress who doubles as a con artist. John Rogers and Chris Downey are behind the project, which comes from Dean Devlin's Electric Entertainment. Devlin himself is directing from a script by Rogers and Downey.


THE MORE THINGS CHANGE... (ABC) - Chris Johnson ("South Beach"), Aimee Garcia ("The George Lopez Show"), Tom Parker ("What About Brian"), Paulo Costanzo ("Joey"), Reno Wilson ("Life") and Sasha Barrese ("Carpoolers") have all been named as the principal cast members of the pilot, a single-camera comedy about a quartet of male friends who explore how male friendships endure through change. Johnson will play the lead character of Rick, a young man who suddenly has an astounding revelation in his life that turns his friendships upside down. Garcia, Parker, Costanzo, Wilson and Barrese then will play Diana, Blair, Nesby, Wayne and Madeline respectively. Production on the Regency Television-based half-hour is set to begin in the next few weeks with Todd Phillips ("Old School") directing from a script by Allan Loeb ("Things We Lost in the Fire"). Phillips and Loeb will also executive produce alongside Scarlet Fire Entertainment's Steve Pearl.


THE WEEK THE WOMEN WENT (Lifetime, New!) - The cable channel has ordered a pilot for a new reality series in which three neighbors who essentially go on strike leaving their lazy husbands to run the household and keep routines in check. BBC Worldwide is behind the project, which is being eyed for the network's Friday lineup. As for specifics, said wives will be sent on vacation while their husbands are put through various challenges - the winner of which gets to join his wife and family on vacation. Production is underway with BBC Worldwide's John Hesling serving as executive producer.


Sources: Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Reuters





  [november 2007]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S
    


· CARPOOLERS (ABC)
· CSI: MIAMI (CBS)
· DEVELOPMENT UPDATE (TFC)
· FRINGE (FOX)
· GEORGE LOPEZ SHOW, THE (ABC)
· JOEY (NBC)
· JOURNEYMAN (NBC)
· KNIGHT RIDER (NBC)
· LEVERAGE (TNT)
· LIFE (NBC)
· MORE THINGS CHANGE… (ABC)
· PROJECT RUNWAY (FREEFORM)
· SOUTH BEACH (UPN)
· STEP IT UP & DANCE (BRAVO)
· TOP CHEF (BRAVO)
· WEEK THE WOMEN WENT, THE (LIFETIME)
· WHAT ABOUT BRIAN (ABC)





[07/11/25 - 12:45 PM]
ABC Concludes September to May Season with Top Five Shows Among Adults 18-49 Including "High Potential," "Abbott Elementary," "The Rookie," "Shifting Gears" and "9-1-1"
Continuing to lead among broadcast series, ABC's "High Potential" stood as the No. 1 new drama among Total Viewers (16.41 million) and No. 1 new show among Adults 18-49 (3.85 rating).

[07/11/25 - 11:28 AM]
"Big Brother: Summer of Mystery" Premiere Up +10% from Last Summer
Last night, season 27 premiered to nearly 3 million viewers.

[07/11/25 - 10:01 AM]
FX's "Alien: Earth" Takes Fandom to New Heights with Premium Exclusive Content Including a Companion Podcast and Innovative Immersive Experiences
"Alien: Earth," a new drama series from Noah Hawley inspired by the acclaimed feature film franchise, will premiere on Tuesday, August 12.

[07/11/25 - 10:01 AM]
CBS Unveils Fall Primetime Premiere Dates for the 2025-2026 Season
Highlights include an early return for "Watson" on Monday, October 13 in place of the previously announced "FBI" spin-off "CIA."

[07/11/25 - 10:00 AM]
The "Outlander" Universe Expands in Hall H, as Starz Returns to San Diego Comic-Con
Look for can't miss panels for "Outlander" and "Outlander: Blood of my Blood" in Hall H on Friday, July 25 and an in-depth preview of the newest saga in the Spartacus franchise, "Spartacus: House of Ashur" on Saturday, July 26 in the Indigo Ballroom.

[07/11/25 - 10:00 AM]
Adult Swim Returns to San Diego Comic-Con with "Pirate Purrrty on the Green," Must-See Panel Events, and Exclusive First Looks and Giveaways
Adult Swim will bring its famed pirate ship outside the San Diego Convention Center (5th Avenue Landing and Convention Way), this time with a feline twist!

[07/11/25 - 09:01 AM]
HBO Max to Host Fan Experiences for Upcoming Seasons of "Peacemaker" and "It: Welcome to Derry" in San Diego
The festivities include a panel in Hall H, where showrunner/writer/director and Co-Head of DC Studios James Gunn and the cast of "Peacemaker" will share new details about the upcoming season and premiere the global trailer for season two.

[07/11/25 - 08:01 AM]
Video: "Billy Joel: And So It Goes" - Official Trailer - HBO Max
There's always a message in the music.

[07/11/25 - 06:00 AM]
"Love Island (UK)" 10th Anniversary Special Date Announcement
The special premieres in the US on Friday, July 11.

[07/11/25 - 02:01 AM]
Netflix Will Release "Death Inc." Seasons 1, 2 and 3
The series is a comedy centered around a family-run funeral home and the relationships between the eccentric characters who inhabit it.

[07/11/25 - 12:01 AM]
"Too Hot to Handle: Italy" Is Coming on July 18 Only on Netflix
A special guest will guide the contestants in the first Italian edition of the reality show.

[07/10/25 - 07:01 PM]
Video: "The Winning Try" - Official Trailer - Netflix
After his career fell apart, a disgraced rugby star finds purpose coaching his old school's team - driving them and himself toward growth and redemption.

[07/10/25 - 07:01 PM]
Video: "The Nice Guy" - Teaser Trailer #3 - Disney+
He wants out for good. But the past comes with strings.

[07/10/25 - 05:03 PM]
Meagan Good Returns to Lifetime to Executive Produce and Star in the Alluring New Thriller "I'll Never Let You Go" Alongside Antonio Cupo and Thomas Cadrot, Premiering August 16 on Lifetime
Good stars as Emily Westover, a poised and successful art gallery director whose life takes a dark turn after a brief, impulsive affair with a magnetic Italian artist, Carlo (Cupo).

[07/10/25 - 12:01 PM]
"Virgin River" Is Returning for Season 8
"On behalf of myself and the whole 'Virgin River' family, we're eternally grateful to Netflix and to the fans for allowing us to continue on this journey with these beloved characters," said showrunner Patrick Sean Smith.