or


[06/03/08 - 04:42 PM]
Development Update: Tuesday, June 3
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!


24 (FOX)/SONS OF ANARCHY (FX) - Sprague Grayden ("Jericho") has scored multi-episode arcs on both series. On the former, she'll recur as Olivia Taylor, the president's (Cherry Jones) daughter. As for "Anarchy," she's set as Donna Lerner, a biker's wife who puts pressure on her husband to stay away from the motorcycle club since his release from prison.


CHUCK (NBC)/SAMANTHA WHO? (ABC) - "Arrested Development" alum Tony Hale likewise has landed a pair of multi-episode arcs. On the latter, he'll play Andy Adams, Samantha's (Christine Applegate) new doctor. As for "Chuck," he set to appear as Emmett, an efficiency expert sent in by Buy More corporate who decides to stay on after realizing how poorly run the store is.


FINNEGAN (ABC) - Billy Zane has joined the cast of the drama pilot, about the organized crime/vice unit in Los Angeles, which is led by a tough female detective named (Teri Polo). He'll play Brian Clark, who's detailed via the casting notice as follows: "37-45, Male, same age or slightly older than the actress we cast for Finnegan, a smart, charming and WASPy-handsome guy's-guy, Clark is Finnegan's strongest ally, a Deputy District Attorney who rates as much respect in his own office as Finnegan does in hers. There's a friendly-tense relationship between the two of them: he's clearly willing to bend the rules to help her in her path to justice, but he's never willing to actually break the law; he calls her "Erin," she calls him "Clark"; he covers for her whenever he can, and works her cases first. All this is due to a simple reason: Clark is her ex-husband, and still hopeful for a reconciliation, though he understands better than anyone that her complicated personality and internal demons make relationships almost impossible for her." Domenick Lombardozzi, Jacob Vargas, Malachi Weir, Tasha Smith and Tzi Ma also star in the hour, which comes from ABC Studios, creator Trent Jones and director Gary Fleder.


FOURPLAY (ABC) - Rizwan Manji ("Charlie Wilson's War") has booked a role on the comedy pilot, about two men - Derek (Josh Cooke), who is straight, and Drew (Alan Tudyk), who is gay - who are lifelong best friends and business partners. He'll play Quan, their office's shy IT guy. David Kohan and Max Mutchnick are the executive producers of the project, which is based at Warner Bros. Television.


THE SIMPSONS (FOX) - The show's principal voice cast members - Dan Castellaneta, Julie Kavner, Nancy Cartwright, Yeardley Smith, Hank Azaria and Harry Shearer - are all on track to sign new four-year deals with producer 20th Century Fox Television. The news, which was announced concurrently with the show's 20th season pick-up (read the story), will bring each actor's salary from the mid-$300,000 range to about $400,000. In addition, Castellaneta has been named a consulting producer where he'll now serve as a writer in addition to his voice duties. It's also believed only 20 of the usual 22 episodes will be completed as part of the season 20 cycle due to the lengthy negotiations.


WEEDS (Showtime) - Mexican actor Demian Bichir (Steven Soderbergh's upcoming "Che") is set to appear in nine upcoming episodes of the show's fourth season. He'll play Esteban, the mayor of Tijuana. It's not clear when his first episode will air.


Sources: Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Reuters





  [june 2008]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S


· 24 (FOX)
· ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT (NETFLIX)
· CHUCK (NBC)
· DEVELOPMENT UPDATE (TFC)
· FINNEGAN (ABC)
· FOURPLAY (ABC)
· JERICHO (CBS)
· SAMANTHA WHO? (ABC)
· SIMPSONS, THE (FOX)
· SONS OF ANARCHY (FX)
· WEEDS (SHOWTIME)





[12/06/25 - 04:01 PM]
Video: "The Boys" Explosive Final Season Premiere Date & Teaser Drop at CCXP Brazil
The fifth and final season will premiere exclusively on Prime Video on April 8, 2026.

[12/06/25 - 02:46 PM]
Paramount and UFC Announce New Seasons of "Dana White's Contender Series" and "The Ultimate Fighter"
Beginning in 2026, Paramount+ in the U.S., Latin America, and Australia will become the exclusive home for all episodes of both series.

[12/06/25 - 02:27 PM]
Video: "School Spirits" Returns - Paramount+ Drops First Look at Season Three Premiering January 28
The date was unveiled alongside first look images at today's Paramount+ CCXP panel in São Paolo, Brazil featuring series lead and executive producer Peyton List.

[12/06/25 - 02:12 PM]
Video: Oscar-Nominee Paul Giamatti Surprises Fans at CCXP and Reveals Exclusive Scene from "Star Trek: Starfleet Academy"
The series will premiere globally with two episodes on Thursday, January 15 on Paramount+, and in Japan on Tuesday, January 23.

[12/06/25 - 10:47 AM]
Hulu Debuts First-Look Images from "The Testaments" Out of Brazil Comic Con
"The Testaments," a new chapter from the showrunner and executive producers of "The Handmaid's Tale," is coming in April 2026 to Hulu.

[12/06/25 - 10:31 AM]
Video: Date Announcement & Teaser Debut - Hulu's "Paradise" Season 2
The second season of the Emmy Award-nominated series premieres Monday, February 23 with three episodes, followed by new episodes weekly on Hulu and Hulu and Hulu on Disney+ for bundle subscribers in the US and Disney+ internationally.

[12/05/25 - 03:31 PM]
ABC News' "Nightline" Ranks No. 1 in Total Viewers
"Nightline" improved on the previous week in Total Viewers and Adults 18-49, hitting nine-week highs in both measures.

[12/05/25 - 03:30 PM]
In Anticipation of "Avatar: Fire and Ash," ABC News to Premiere Two New Specials This December
First up: "Avatar: A New Era - Special Edition of 20/20" premieres Friday, December 12 on ABC.

[12/05/25 - 02:05 PM]
ESPN Networks Deliver Best College Football Regular Season Since 2011; "College GameDay Built by The Home Depot" Scores Most-Watched Season Ever
ESPN networks aired the most-watched game in 34 of 42 key Saturday windows, including seven of 14 noon windows, 13 of 14 late afternoon windows and all 14 prime windows.

[12/05/25 - 12:35 PM]
2025 CFB Viewership Surges on FOX & FS1
The 2025 regular season wrapped with big numbers for "Big Noon Saturday," "Big Noon Kickoff" and more - including year-over-year gains across the board.

[12/05/25 - 11:00 AM]
CBS Premiere Week Episodes Post Gains and Lead In Live Plus 35-Day Multiplatform Viewership
"Tracker" delivered 17.3 million viewers, up +6% versus its year-ago premiere.

[12/05/25 - 10:05 AM]
"Landman" Booms Into a Third Season Renewal and Breaks Viewing Records on Paramount+
The second season is set to be a top three series among all original content the week of November 17 and a top two series for the week of November 24 according to Nielsen preliminary data.

[12/05/25 - 09:45 AM]
Video: "Taylor" - A CW Documentary Special - Trailer
The special - airing Saturday, December 13 - explores the global phenomenon of Taylor Swift and digs deep across the musician's 20-year career, a period that has seen her transcend the realm of pop star to become a cultural icon like no other.

[12/05/25 - 08:45 AM]
ESPN Delivered Most-Watched Women's College Volleyball Season on Record
Said coverage averaged 190,000 viewers, up 36% from the 2024 season.

[12/05/25 - 08:31 AM]
Peacock Exclusively Streams Monkeypaw Productions' "Him" Beginning December 19
The film stars Marlon Wayans, Tyriq Withers, Julia Fox, Tim Heidecker, Jim Jefferies and more.