or


[04/09/08 - 12:00 AM]
Development Update: Wednesday, April 9
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!


AUSTIN GOLDEN HOUR (The CW) - Michael Trevino ("Cane") and newcomer Cassidy Freeman have been cast in the pilot, a real time medical drama set in Austin, Texas. The former will play Charlie, an easy-on-the-eyes but tough country girl in her first day as a paramedic in the Shock Trauma Unit, while Trevino will play an aspiring musician who works as a part-time medic. Sanford Bookstaver ("Jericho") recently signed on to direct the CBS Paramount Network Television/19 Entertainment-based project, which was created by Lance Gentile and Mal Young.


CAPTAIN COOK'S EXTRAORDINARY ATLAS (ABC) - Thomas Schlamme ("Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip") has come on board to direct and executive produce the drama pilot, about a young girl who finds a magical atlas that reveals a secret world. He'll work from a script by creator Tom Wheeler. Warner Bros. Television is producing.


FAMILY GUY (FOX) - Gary Janetti ("Will & Grace") is returning to the animated comedy for the first time since its original 2003 cancellation. Said development is the result of a new overall deal the writer/producer has inked with producer 20th Century Fox Television. The two-year pact, which has an option for a third, also calls for him to develop new series projects for the studio. It's understood he and "Family Guy" creator Seth MacFarlane are looking to create a traditional multi-camera comedy together however no specifics were given.


FRINGE (FOX) - Jeff Pinkner ("October Road") has been tapped to run the upcoming drama, about an FBI agent (Anna Torv), who teams with a guy (Joshua Jackson) and his scientist father (John Noble), to confront the spread of unexplained phenomena. There he'll serve as an executive producer alongside J.J. Abrams, Bryan Burk and co-creators Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci. Warner Bros. Television is behind the project, which recently completed production on its two-hour pilot.


THE INN (FOX) - Molly Stanton ("Twins"), Jesse Tyler Ferguson ("The Class"), Jolene Purdy ("Donnie Darko") and Brando Eaton ("Zoey 101") have all joined the cast of the comedy pilot, about the staff of a hip Manhattan hotel. They'll play Nicole, Larry, Molly and Jason respectively, all presumably staffers at the hotel. The casting of Stanton comes as the result of a talent holding deal the actress inked with producer 20th Century Fox Television last year. Niecy Nash also stars in the half-hour, which Jason Bateman is helming off a script by creator Abraham Higginbotham. Principato-Young Entertainment and Reveille are also co-producing.


THE TOWER (CBS) - Cole Hauser ("K-Ville") and CCH Pounder ("The Shield") have both been cast on the drama pilot, about a group of Chicago reporters who treat breaking news as cases to be both investigated and solved. Hauser will play Sean Castleman, a crime reporter, while Pounder is set as the paper's managing editor. Meredith Stiehm is behind the CBS Paramount Network Television-based hour, which Davis Guggenheim is directing.


UNTITLED MEHMET OZ PROJECT (Syndication, New!) - "The Oprah Winfrey Show" fixture Dr. Mehmet Oz is set to be the focus of a potential syndicated talk show executive produced by the daytime queen. The health and wellness series is being eyed for a fall 2009 launch as Winfrey's Harpo Productions is talks with various distributors. CBS Television Distribution, who currently distributes Harpo's "Dr. Phil" and "The Rachael Ray Show," is widely seen as the most logical fit however said company has its own medical talk show in the works, "The Doctors," due this fall. Other options include Disney-ABC Domestic Television, who has carried "Oprah" on its sister owned-and-operated stations from the very beginning, and Twentieth Television, whose sister company HarperCollins publishes the books Oz co-authors. Any resulting deal is expected to include an option for Harpo to repeat the show on the forthcoming OWN: The Oprah Winfrey Network. Oz, head of the cardiovascular program at New York's Columbia Presbyterian Hospital, also hosts "Second Opinion With Dr. Oz" on the Discovery Channel.


UNTITLED TRICIA HELFER PROJECT (FOX, New!) - "Battlestar Galactica" co-star Tricia Helfer has inked a talent holding deal with the network. The one-year pact calls for FOX to cast her in one of its upcoming projects. Last season, Helfer starred in the pilot "Them" for the network.


Sources: Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Reuters





  [april 2008]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S
  


· AUSTIN GOLDEN HOUR (CW)
· BATTLESTAR GALACTICA (SCI FI)
· CANE (CBS)
· CAPTAIN COOK'S EXTRAORDINARY ATLAS (ABC)
· CLASS, THE (CBS)
· DEVELOPMENT UPDATE (TFC)
· DO NOT DISTURB (FOX)
· DOCTORS, THE (SYNDICATION)
· DR. OZ (SYNDICATION)
· DR. PHIL (SYNDICATION)
· FAMILY GUY (FOX)
· FRINGE (FOX)
· JERICHO (CBS)
· K-VILLE (FOX)
· OCTOBER ROAD (ABC)
· OPRAH WINFREY SHOW, THE (SYNDICATION)
· RACHAEL RAY (SYNDICATION)
· SHIELD, THE (FX)
· STUDIO 60 ON THE SUNSET STRIP (NBC)
· THEM (FOX)
· TOWER (CBS)
· TWINS (WB)
· UNTITLED TRICIA HELFER PROJECT (FOX)
· WILL & GRACE (NBC)





[08/15/25 - 09:33 AM]
Disney Branded Television Greenlights "Coven Academy" for Disney+ and Disney Channel
Set against the moody backdrop of New Orleans, "Coven Academy" follows a trio of teenage witches-in-training who are bound by destiny to guard their city against dangerous, ancient forces.

[08/15/25 - 09:30 AM]
"Dance Moms: A New Era" Premieres on Lifetime Monday, September 8th
The reboot of Lifetime's pop culture phenomenon "Dance Moms" introduces beloved dance coach, Glo Hampton, who wants to take her students and prestigious dance school Studio Bleu to the next level, competing nationally every week.

[08/15/25 - 07:01 AM]
Netflix Celebrates Mexican Cinema Day by Announcing the Production of More National Films
This Mexican Cinema Day, Netflix celebrates those who make it possible for our stories to reach the screen and announces a new selection of national films that will premiere soon, only on Netflix.

[08/14/25 - 04:19 PM]
"The Traitors" Comes to NBC with All-New Civilian-Led Version of the Emmy Award-Winning Peacock Series Hosted by Alan Cumming
Instead of the guest list of celebrities and socialites, this time Emmy-winning host Alan Cumming is opening the doors to his now infamous castle in the Scottish Highlands to everyday people.

[08/14/25 - 01:33 PM]
With 5 Million Cross-Platform U.S. Viewers in Its First Three Days, Sunday's Season Finale Episode of "The Gilded Age" Is the Fifth Consecutive Episode to Clinch a Series High
This season is well on track to become the most watched of the series.

[08/14/25 - 12:31 PM]
NBC Sports Announces Its Complete 2025-26 NBA Regular-Season Schedule, Featuring 100 Games Across NBC and Peacock
All NBA games presented by NBC Sports will stream live on Peacock.

[08/14/25 - 12:31 PM]
ESPN & ABC's Star-Studded 2025-26 NBA Regular Season Broadcast Schedule
Marking ESPN's 24th consecutive season broadcasting NBA games, the 2025-26 campaign promises to deliver the most star-studded schedule yet - underscoring ESPN's position as the premier national home of the NBA.

[08/14/25 - 12:31 PM]
Prime Sports Unveils Inaugural 2025-26 NBA on Prime Schedule
NBA on Prime tips off with a doubleheader on Friday, October 24.

[08/14/25 - 12:01 PM]
Next on Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN - September 2025
Upcoming premieres include "Andrew Santino: White Noise" on Hulu; and "Cleopatra's Final Secret," "Dolphins Up Close with Bertie Gregory," and Top Guns: The Next Generation" on Disney+.

[08/14/25 - 12:00 PM]
Prime Video Debuts New Stand-Up Comedy Special "Larry the Cable Guy: It's A Gift"
The one-hour special will premiere September 12 on Prime Video.

[08/14/25 - 11:06 AM]
Magnolia Network Announces New Series, "The Last Wright: Building the Final Home Design of America's Greatest Architect"
The four-part limited series follows mother-daughter team Debbie Dykstra and Sarah Dykstra as they take on the ambitious challenge of building a home based on the last set of plans created by legendary architect Frank Lloyd Wright before his death in 1959.

[08/14/25 - 11:04 AM]
Prime Video Orders "Joseph of Egypt" to Series Starring Adam Hashmi, Written, and Executive Produced by Craig Wright, From 5&2 Studios
In this iconic Old Testament story, betrayed by jealous brothers, Joseph (Adam Hashmi) defies all expectations and rises to incredible power in Egypt, second only to Pharaoh. But when his past catches up with him, he is confronted with the ultimate test.

[08/14/25 - 11:03 AM]
Boyd Holbrook Joins Omar Sy in the Upcoming Action Thriller Series Set in the "Extraction" Universe
The series comes from showrunner Glen Mazzara and is also executive produced by The Russo Brothers and Sam Hargrave.

[08/14/25 - 11:00 AM]
Say Hello to the Supes of "Vought Rising" - A New Origin Story Set in the World of "The Boys" - In Production This Month
Prime Video unveils first looks at Jensen Ackles as Soldier Boy; Mason Dye as Bombsight; Elizabeth Posey as Private Angel; and Will Hochman as Torpedo.

[08/14/25 - 10:37 AM]
Lifetime Greenlights Season 2 of "Dr. Pimple Popper: Breaking Out"
Production begins top of September on the new season.