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[05/09/08 - 05:13 PM]
Development Update: Friday, May 9
By The Futon Critic Staff (TFC) |
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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!
EDDIE GRIFFIN: GOING FOR BROKE/UNTITLED SCOTT BAIO PROJECT (VH1, New!) - VH1 has commissioned two new "celebreality" projects for next season. First up is "Eddie Griffin: Going for Broke," which chronicles the comedian's life and how he juggles being a player and a family man at the same time. The Greif Co. ("Gene Simmons Family Jewels") is behind the project, which has an eight-episode commitment. Leslie Greif, Adam Reed and Griffin himself are the executive producers with Griffin's manager, Artistry's Dan Spilo, producing. Then there's an untitled effort from Scott Baio in which eight male teen idols of the 1980s and '90s get together to examine what life is like after idol-dom and what it will take to get their careers back on track. Jason Hervey, JD Roth, Eric Bischoff, Michael Swerdlick and Todd A. Nelson are the executive producers via their respective companies Bischoff Hervey Entertainment and 3 Ball Productions. Hervey and Roth, former child stars themselves, are also expected to appear on camera in some capacity in addition to Baio. Casting is underway for a winter 2009 premiere.
LOST (ABC) - Co-creator/executive producer Damon Lindelof has confirmed the series will produce 17 hours in 2009 and 2010. The additional installments are designed to "make up" for the two hours that were cut this season following the WGA strike. Said development means the series will produce the exact number of installments - 48 - as promised as part of its landmark three-season commitment last year (read the story).
MEDIA RIGHTS CAPITAL (The CW, New!) - The netlet is set to team with Media Rights Capital to outsource its problematic Sunday night lineup. The block, due this fall, will feature two comedies and two dramas developed in house by the indie studio/media buyer. The pact is likened to UPN's original arrangement with the WWE for its "Smackdown" franchise or NBC and FOX's Saturday morning time buys. As for specifics, The CW's sales team will still oversee said area with MRC taking home a percentage. Tribune Broadcasting, home to several major CW affiliates, will also serve as MRC's partner in handling the block, which will target adults 18-49 rather than the network's core base of adults 18-34. Not surprisingly exact details will be announced during the netlet's upfront presentation on Tuesday. MRC already has several series in the hopper, including ABC's "The Goode Family," Comedy Central's "Krod Mandoon" and HBO's "The Life & Times of Tim." On the pilot front, MRC has the Lifetime efforts "Rita Rocks" and "Libertyville" as well as "Outnumbered" at FOX.
HUNG (HBO) - Alexander Payne ("Sideways") has been tapped to direct and executive produce the project, about a well-endowed man who is plodding along in middle age as a struggling father and high school coach whose luck changes when he figures out a way to use his best asset. Colette Burson and Dmitry Lipkin penned the pilot script and are executive producing alongside Blueprint Entertainment's Michael Rosenberg, Noreen Halpern and John Morayniss. Casting is underway.
THE OAKS (FOX) - Various sources have confirmed the network has passed on the high-concept drama, about three different couples who inhabit the same house at three different times - a young couple who just lost a child in 1967 (Matt Lanter, Shannon Lucio), a family of four in 1987 (headed by Michael Rispoli and Romy Rosemont) and a pregnant couple in 2007 (Bahar Soomekh, Jeremy Renner) - but are connected by mysterious spirits that appear to haunt it. David Schulner penned the pilot, which was directed by Michael Cuesta. The pair also served as executive producers alongside Gina Matthews, Grant Scharbo and Shawn Ryan for 20th Century Fox Television. The studio reportedly is shopping the project around to other networks.
THE PHONE (MTV, New!) - The cable channel has ordered a new series from Justin Timberlake and "American Idol" producers FremantleMedia North America which pits two contestants in a race against time to accomplish a mission together and win a cash prize. The project, which is based on the Dutch format by Park Lane Productions, opens with two strategically hidden cell phones ringing at opposite ends of a major city. The two that answer then are given five seconds to decide if they wish to play said game, which is being likened to "The Amazing Race" meets "The Bourne Identity." Exact format details - including the length and number of episodes - are still being worked out. Timberlake, David Schiff and Cecile Frot-Coutaz are the show's executive producers with Tony DiSanto and Maira Suro overseeing the project for MTV. It's expected to bow this fall.
PRIVATE PRACTICE (ABC) - Robert Rovner and Jon Cowan ("Bionic Woman," "Crossing Jordan") have been tapped as the day-to-day showrunners of the series, which returns for its second season this fall. The pair will take over for Marti Noxon who is now moving on to other projects. There they'll work alongside creator Shonda Rhimes, who will remain the lead creative voice.
UNTITLED VICTOR FRESCO PROJECT (ABC) - Portia de Rossi ("Nip/Tuck") has joined the cast of the single-camera comedy pilot, about a moral guy trying to do right in an amoral world. She joins the previously cast Andrea Anders in the project, which comes from 20th Century Fox Television and creator Victor Fresco.
Sources: Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Reuters
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[03/04/26 - 11:31 AM]
"Disney Animation's Songs in Sign Language" to Debut on Disney+ April 27
Directed by veteran Disney animator/director Hyrum Osmond, the featured songs are "The Next Right Thing" (from Frozen 2), "We Don't Talk About Bruno" (from Encanto) and "Beyond" (from Moana 2).
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[03/04/26 - 11:03 AM]
Video: HBO Max Releases First Teaser from the DC Studios Series "Lanterns," Starring Kyle Chandler, Aaron Pierre, and Kelly Macdonald
The series is slated to debut later this August on HBO and available to stream on HBO Max.
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[03/04/26 - 10:01 AM]
Netflix's "Untamed" Season 2 Production Kicks Off in Hawaii
The series will film on location on O'ahu and the island of Hawaii.
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[03/04/26 - 10:01 AM]
MTV Announces the Final 18 Episodes of "Jersey Shore Family Vacation," One of TV's Most Influential Reality Franchises, Premiering on Thursday, May 7 at 8PM ET/PT
This farewell season marks the culmination of a franchise that entertained millions with major life milestones, laugh-out-loud chaos, and the unfiltered chemistry that defined an era of reality television.
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[03/04/26 - 09:46 AM]
"The Verdict," Hosted by Christopher "Mad Dog" Russo, Returns to Vice TV For Season Two, Taking on the Biggest Debates in Sports
In each episode, Russo and a lineup of sports insiders, journalists, and analysts get to the bottom of the hottest debates in sports history, presenting both sides through a fast-paced documentary debate format.
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[03/04/26 - 09:45 AM]
Lifetime Raises the Bar by Expanding Into Premium Vertical Storytelling with "Tides of Temptation," A Micro Drama Feature Executive Produced by Taye Diggs
Serving as a digital offshoot of the just announced upcoming original movie "Terry McMillan Presents: Paradise with You," the project expands the film's universe through a cinematic, mobile-first format designed with feature-level production value.
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[03/04/26 - 09:44 AM]
Lifetime Greenlights Three New Original Movies for 2026 Love of a Lifetime Slates Featuring All-Star Casts
Valerie Bertinelli, Henry Czerny, Eric McCormack, Taye Diggs, Heather Hemmens, and Cynthia Bailey are among the featured talent.
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[03/04/26 - 09:43 AM]
Lifetime Reteams with Robin Roberts for "Angel in the Rubble" Starring Sherri Shepherd in Remembrance of the 25th Anniversary of 9/11
Slated to premiere in September in remembrance of the 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks, the movie is based on Genelle Guzman-McMillan's memoir "Angel in the Rubble: The Miraculous Rescue of 9/11's Last Survivor."
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[03/04/26 - 09:42 AM]
Lifetime Expands Roster of Powerhouse Creatives with New Movie Projects Helmed By Queen Latifah and Taraji P. Henson
"Queen Latifah and Taraji P. Henson are extraordinary talents and dynamic producers who share Lifetime's passion for telling powerful stories about women," said Elaine Frontain Bryant, Executive Vice President and Head of Programming, A&E, Lifetime and LMN.
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[03/04/26 - 09:41 AM]
A+E Global Media Greenlights Two New Digital-First Series Under the History Brand
"Mistakes That Made America" and "Cracking Up" are both due later this year.
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[03/04/26 - 09:40 AM]
The History Channel Marks the 25th Anniversary of September 11 with New Two-Hour Special "102 Minutes Inside the Towers"
The documentary offers a deeply immersive and unique perspective through firsthand accounts from those who were inside the Twin Towers.
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[03/04/26 - 09:39 AM]
The History Channel Taps Internationally Acclaimed Action Icon Dolph Lundgren to Executive Produce and Host New Series "History's Greatest Machines with Dolph Lundgren"
Produced by Superluna Studios in association with 3BMG, the eight-episode series takes viewers on a thrilling journey through the gears, guts, and genius behind the machines that reshaped our world.
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[03/04/26 - 09:38 AM]
The History Channel Greenlights New Nonfiction Series "Crime and Justice with Tom Selleck" (w.t.)
The 10-episode, one-hour series examines the true stories behind some of the most consequential crimes and investigations in American history.
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[03/04/26 - 09:37 AM]
The History Channel Orders "Extraordinary Origins with Ted Danson" (w.t.) A New Series Hosted and Executive Produced by the Multi-Award-Winning Actor
The 10-episode series examines the stories behind some of history's most significant innovations, inventions, and discoveries that helped shape the modern world.
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[03/04/26 - 09:36 AM]
The History Channel Greenlights New Nonfiction Series "History's Strange Fortunes with Kevin Bacon" (w.t.)
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