or


[05/01/08 - 06:11 PM]
Development Update: Thursday, May 1
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!


90210 (The CW) - Jessica Stroup ("Reaper") has booked a role on the netlet's "90210" relaunch. She'll play Daphne Silver, who's detailed via the casting notice as follows: "Legal 18 to play 16. Born Daphne Silver, this true product of the 21st century has dropped the "Daphne," and - like Madonna, Cher or Paris - opts for a uni-name. Silver, like many of her peers, believes in fame for fame's sake. Her primary talent is her ability to self-promote, shock, provoke, incite. Her self-produced YouTube video series, "Answers to life's inane questions answered by a 15 years old in a bikini" garnered upwards of a half-million hits each. Her ability to pull-off such stunts owes greatly to the lack of a parental figure in the picture. Her mom and stepfather, owners of the Silver Screens movie theater chain, have been "on a cruise" for as long as anyone can remember. Silver shares a swank "above Sunset" mansion with her 24 years old brother, Max. As the friendship between Silver and Annie grows, it will become apparent that Silver is the id and Annie is the ego. Oh, and Dixon makes Silver weak in the knees. It's her Holy Grail to become the only Jewish girl at Beverly Hills High with a black boyfriend." She joins the previously cast AnnaLynne McCord, Dustin Milligan, Jessica Walter, Lori Loughlin, Ryan Eggold and Shenae Grimes in the CBS Paramount Network Television-based hour, which comes from executive producers Gabe Sachs, Jeff Judah and Rob Thomas.


NEVER BETTER (ABC) - Damon Wayans ("My Wife & Kids") is set to topline the single-camera comedy pilot, about a recovering alcoholic who's determined to be a good husband and father despite his many missteps. He'll also serve as an executive producer on the ABC Studios-based half-hour, which was created by David Walpert. Wayans's casting lifts said contingency off the pilot's production. In addition, Marc Buckland ("My Name is Earl") has been tapped to direct the project, which is also executive produced by Warren Littlefield and John Heyman. "Better" is loosely based on the recently launched BBC2 comedy of the same name from writer Sintan Ryan.


PRINCE OF MOTOR CITY (ABC) - Piper Perabo ("Because I Said So") has joined the cast of the drama pilot, a Gothic family soap inspired by William Shakespeare's "Hamlet," which centers on a young Harvard professor forced to return to Detroit and take over the family's auto company. She'll play Meg Riley, whom the casting notice details as follows: "Mid 20s-Early 30s, Caucasian, lovely and vibrant. She is Ophelia to Billy's Hamlet; his long lost childhood/teenage love who has never forgotten him. She is a talented sales rep for Hamilton Motors who travels throughout the country but remains stationed in Detroit. Though she is now dating Leo, her passion for Billy runs deep, and she's hurt and stunned when Billy momentarily lashes out at her." Aunjanue Ellis also star in the ABC Studios-based hour, which comes from co-creators Hamish Linklater and Jessica Goldberg.


THE STARTER WIFE (USA) - David Alan Basche ("Lipstick Jungle") has joined the cast of the series, a follow-up to the highly rated mini-series of the same name. He'll take over for Peter Jacobson - who subsequently became a series regular on "House" - as Kenny Kagan, the ex-husband of Debra Messing's character. He's detailed as follows: "Early 40s. Molly's ex. He is a hugely successful movie producer, high-strung, driven, narcissistic, immature but charming, charismatic even while being bombastic. Self-pitying when his latest film bombs big-time, Kenny is given a rallying pep talk by Molly and is quickly restored to all his "cheerful sociopathic glory"." Chris Diamantopoulos and Judy Davis also star in the project, which comes from 3 Arts Entertainment, McGibbon-Parriott Productions and Universal Media Studios.


SUBURBAN SHOOTOUT (HBO) - Kerri Kenney ("Reno 911") and Rachael Harris ("Notes from the Underbelly") have both been cast in the pilot, a dark comedy about a woman who escapes the city for suburban bliss only to find herself caught between two rival gangs of homicidal housewives vying for control of the town. Kenney will play Barbara, a battle-hardened gang leader, with Harris as Natalie, a member of the opposite gang who is at odds with Barbara. Barry Sonnenfeld is helming the project from a script by Michelle Ashford.


UNTITLED DAVID HEMINGSON PROJECT (ABC) - Matt Long ("Jack & Bobby"), Norbert Leo Butz ("Dan in Real Life") and Australian Ben Lawson have all signed onto the drama pilot, about a law school grad (Long) from a blue-collar background who gets lured to join a Los Angeles boutique law firm. Butz then will play the firm's smooth-as-silk, no-holds-barred recruiter, while Lawson is set as an associate at the firm. David Hemingson is behind the 20th Century Fox Television-based hour, which Dean Parisot is directing.


Sources: Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Reuters





  [may 2008]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S
    


· 90210 (CW)
· DEEP END, THE (2008 VERSION) (ABC)
· DEVELOPMENT UPDATE (TFC)
· HOUSE (FOX)
· JACK & BOBBY (WB)
· LIPSTICK JUNGLE (NBC)
· MY NAME IS EARL (NBC)
· MY WIFE & KIDS (ABC)
· NEVER BETTER (ABC)
· NOTES FROM THE UNDERBELLY (ABC)
· PRINCE OF MOTOR CITY, THE (ABC)
· REAPER (CW)
· RENO 911! (COMEDY CENTRAL)
· STARTER WIFE, THE (USA)
· SUBURBAN SHOOTOUT (HBO)





[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.