or


[03/19/08 - 05:19 PM]
Development Update: Wednesday, March 19
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!


BIG IN JAPAN (ABC, New!) - Arthur Smith ("Hell's Kitchen") is developing a new reality competition series at the Alphabet in which Americans go to a foreign country to compete in local challenges while trying to adapt to their culture. ABC has given a series commitment to the project, which Smith will executive produce via his A. Smith & Co. banner. It's understood said title is tentative as producers are considering several different countries, including Japan. No other format specifics were released.


ENTOURAGE (HBO) - Rob Weiss, an executive producer on the series, has inked a two-year, seven-figure overall deal with the pay channel. The pact covers his duties on the upcoming fifth season of the comedy series, which resumes shooting at the end of April for a September premiere. In addition, Weiss, who's said to be one of the inspirations for the show's bombastic director Billy Walsh, will develop new projects for the network.


GOSSIP GIRL (The CW) - Michelle Trachtenberg ("Buffy the Vampire Slayer") has landed a multi-episode arc on the freshman drama. She'll play Georgina Sparks, a troubled friend of Blake Lively's character who rolls back into Manhattan from rehab and shakes up her world. No other details were given.


HOW TO TEACH FILTHY RICH GIRLS (The CW) - Marsha Mason is the first to be cast on the drama pilot, about a Yale-educated young woman hired to be the live-in tutor/life coach to two rich heiresses in Palm Beach. She'll play the grandmother of said heiresses who becomes their guardian. Rina Mimoun is behind the project, which is set up at Alloy Entertainment and Warner Bros. Television.


UNITED STATES OF TARA (Showtime) - John Corbett ("Sex and the City") is set to star opposite Toni Collette in the comedy pilot, about a woman with a multiple personality disorder. He'll play her husband, Max Gregor, a ruggedly handsome contractor who lives a life of stress and tries to read as much as he can about his wife's condition. Craig Gillespie is directing the half-hour from a script by Oscar-winning Diablo Cody. Production is set to begin next month.


UNTITLED KIRSTIE ALLEY PROJECT (Syndication, New!) - Kirstie Alley has inked a development deal with Oprah Winfrey's Harpo Productions. The pact includes the potential development of a daily talk show hosted by the actress, who made headlines after appearing in a bikini on Winfrey's show after a major weight loss achieved via Jenny Craig. Alley previously teamed with Buena Vista Productions and Fisher Entertainment to develop a talk show back in 2002 that never got off the ground.


Sources: Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Reuters





  [march 2008]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S
      


· BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER (UPN)
· DEVELOPMENT UPDATE (TFC)
· ENTOURAGE (HBO)
· GOSSIP GIRL (CW)
· HELL'S KITCHEN (FOX)
· I SURVIVED A JAPANESE GAME SHOW (ABC)
· PRIVILEGED (CW)
· SEX AND THE CITY (HBO)
· UNITED STATES OF TARA, THE (SHOWTIME)
· UNTITLED KIRSTIE ALLEY PROJECT (SYNDICATION)
· UNTITLED KIRSTIE ALLEY PROJECT (SYNDICATION)





[03/25/26 - 03:03 PM]
ABC Programming Update: Tuesday Night Dramas
Following the Season 2 finale of "High Potential" on April 7, "R.J. Decker" will move to the Tuesday 9 p.m. time slot beginning April 14.

[03/25/26 - 02:33 PM]
ESPN Scores Second Most-Watched NCAA Women's Second Round Ever
Through two rounds (First and Second), the 2026 Women's NCAA Tournament is averaging 628,000 viewers.

[03/25/26 - 12:01 PM]
Video: HBO Original Harry Potter Series Releases First Official Teaser and Announces Christmas 2026 Debut
"Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone" will debut Christmas 2026 on HBO and will be available to stream exclusively on HBO Max where it's available, including recent launch markets Germany, Italy, and the UK & Ireland.

[03/25/26 - 11:00 AM]
CBS Media Ventures Announces Programming Slate for the 2026-2027 Broadcast Season
Said offerings include eight fan-favorite and award-winning shows and three exciting new titles.

[03/25/26 - 10:21 AM]
BET's "Love & Hip Hop: Miami" Returns for Its Explosive Midseason Premiere on Wednesday, April 8 at 8 PM ET/PT
Welcome back to the 305 - where the sun is hot, the tea is hotter, and everybody's business is everybody's business.

[03/25/26 - 10:10 AM]
Zac Brown Band to Star in "Sunday Night Baseball" Open on NBC and Peacock
The show open debuts Sunday, April 12, leading into the Cleveland Guardians-Atlanta Braves game on NBC and Peacock (7 p.m. ET) and will open "Sunday Night Baseball" each weekend for the rest of the season.

[03/25/26 - 10:01 AM]
Netflix's "A Different World" Sequel Series Adds Additional Guest Stars
The latest additions include Dawnn Lewis and Glynn Turman, who will be reprising their roles from the original series.

[03/25/26 - 09:16 AM]
Video: "The Old Stories: Moses" - Official Trailer - Wonder Project
From the creators of "House of David" - a three part companion special.

[03/25/26 - 09:05 AM]
German Political Thriller "Dangerous Truth" Debuts in U.S. Thursday, April 9 on European Streamer Viaplay
Inspired by real events surrounding the faulty intelligence that helped justify the 2003 invasion of Iraq, the six-part German thriller explores a deadly conspiracy buried within European intelligence services.

[03/25/26 - 09:04 AM]
Video: "Star City" - Official Teaser - Apple TV
Star City. Where reaching for space meant risking everything on Earth.

[03/25/26 - 07:01 AM]
Video: "Apex" - Official Trailer - Netflix
A grieving woman pushing her limits on a solo adventure in the Australian wild is ensnared in a twisted game with a cunning killer who thinks she's prey.

[03/25/26 - 05:01 AM]
Duffy to Share Her Story as She Steps Back Into the Light in New Documentary Film for Disney+
The feature length documentary film that will follow Grammy, Brit, and Ivor Novello award-winning singer, Duffy.

[03/25/26 - 04:17 AM]
Netflix Announces the Start of Production for "Reasonable Doubts"
The limited series centers on the Sellés family, who belong to the well-off bourgeoisie, are well integrated into their city, and enjoy the esteem and respect of high society.

[03/25/26 - 03:01 AM]
Video: "Flunked" - Official Trailer - Netflix
Eddy, a math genius and small-time crook, avoids jail-time by going undercover as a teacher. His mission: to identify the kid of a major criminal.

[03/25/26 - 01:01 AM]
Video: "Should I Marry a Murderer?" - Official Trailer - Netflix
A fiancée turned key witness reveals how she stayed engaged to a man accused of murder while gathering evidence against him in this documentary series.