or


[07/31/08 - 06:55 PM]
Development Update: Thursday, July 31
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!


THE CRU (CBS, New!) - Josh Berman ("Vanished") has booked a new drama at the Eye based on Michael Bennett, the lead character from James Patterson's 2007 novel "Step on a Crack." Berman is co-creating the hour, which has a script commitment with a penalty attached, alongside Katherine Ramsland, a professor of forensics. Bennett is a homicide detective who's thrust into the role of a negotiating team leader of the "Catastrophic Response Unit" when hostages are taken at the funeral of a former first lady. A second book by Patterson, featuring the character, is due in February. Berman then will presumably executive produce alongside Ramsland for Sony Pictures Television, where he has an overall deal.


DESTROYED IN SECONDS/DOING DA VINCI (Discovery, New!) - The cable channel has ordered a pair of projects from "Ghost Hunters" executive producer Craig Piligian. First up is "Doing Da Vinci," a new series that will try to bring to life the engineering designs of Leonardo Da Vinci, the 15th century artist who conceptualized many inventions that are now considered hundreds of years ahead of their time. The network has commissioned six hourlong episodes of the project, which will attempt to build two of the master artist's designs - which include blueprints of a helicopter, a tank, a calculator and the harvesting of solar power - in each installment with the help of a rocket scientist, a Hollywood special effects expert and an everyday in-the-garage inventor. Also on tap is "Destroyed in Seconds," a new half-hour series which features video clips of disasters where man-made constructions, from the intentional implosion of Dunes Hotel in Las Vegas to a terror attack on an Israeli marketplace, were destroyed - you guessed it - in seconds. 12 episodes will roll out on Thursday nights at 9:00/8:00c starting August 21 with Fox Sports' Ron Pitts serving as host. "Doing Da Vinci" then is expected to bow later in the year. Piligan is executive producing each effort via his Pilgrim Films and Television banner.


TIME HEALS (TNT, New!) - John Masius ("Providence") has landed a pilot order from the cable channel, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Said hour revolves around Nancy Hawthorne, "the strong but caring director of nursing at Charlotte Mercy Hospital in North Carolina, a single mother who always puts the pain of others first." The project is set up at Sony Pictures Television with Masius executive producing alongside studio-based producer Jamie Tarses.


Sources: Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Reuters





  [july 2008]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S
  


· CRU, THE (CBS)
· DESTROYED IN SECONDS (DISCOVERY)
· DEVELOPMENT UPDATE (TFC)
· DOING DA VINCI (DISCOVERY)
· GHOST HUNTERS (DISCOVERY)
· HAWTHORNE (TNT)
· PROVIDENCE (NBC)
· VANISHED (FOX)





[03/09/26 - 09:37 AM]
Peacock Lands Exclusive Next-Day Streaming Rights in the US for "Saturday Night Live UK"
Premiering Saturday, March 21 on SKY One and NOW in the UK, the series will stream next day on Peacock in the US, with new episodes available weekly beginning March 22.

[03/09/26 - 09:00 AM]
"Philly Homicide" Returns to Oxygen for Season Two
The 10-episode season of its gripping original series premiering Saturday, April 11 at 8:00/7:00c.

[03/09/26 - 08:31 AM]
Video: "XO, Kitty" Season 3 - Official Trailer - Netflix
This season, Lana Condor will reprise her role as Lara Jean, making it her first time appearing in the series and officially returning to the franchise.

[03/09/26 - 08:09 AM]
AMC Networks Orders Second Season of "The Audacity" from Jonathan Glatzer Days Before World Premiere at South by Southwest
The first season of eight episodes comes to AMC and AMC+ on Sunday, April 12.

[03/09/26 - 07:01 AM]
"The Predator of Seville" Premieres on Netflix on March 27
The new docuseries reconstructs the case of a tour guide accused of assaulting several foreign students in Spain.

[03/09/26 - 07:01 AM]
Video: Apple TV Unveils Trailer for "Margo's Got Money Troubles"
The eight-episode series will premiere globally on Wednesday, April 15, 2026 with three episodes, followed by new episodes every Wednesday through May 20, 2026.

[03/09/26 - 07:00 AM]
ESPN and the Southern Conference Announce Multi-Year Media Rights Extension
The extended agreement represents an expanded commitment by ESPN, anchored by a robust slate of regular-season and championship broadcasts across ESPN, ESPN2, and ESPNU, along with comprehensive digital distribution through ESPN's direct-to-consumer services.

[03/09/26 - 06:01 AM]
Francis Ngannou Makes Highly Anticipated Return to MMA vs. Philipe Lins on MVP's Rousey vs. Carano, Ngannou vs. Lins on Saturday, May 16, 2026, from Intuit Dome in Los Angeles, California, Live Globally Only on Netflix
The bout marks Ngannou's highly anticipated return to professional MMA competition following his crossover into global boxing events and his dominant PFL Championship victory in 2024.

[03/09/26 - 03:01 AM]
Video: "Inside" Season 3 - Official Trailer - Netflix
Content creators take on a series of jaw-dropping challenges for the potential to win a huge prize fund in this reality series from viral YouTubers, the Sidemen.

[03/09/26 - 01:01 AM]
Video: "Love Is Blind: Sweden" - Season 3 - Official Trailer - Netflix
New season. New singles. New drama. As they date and get engaged sight unseen, which of these Swedish couples will discover that love is truly blind?

[03/06/26 - 12:24 PM]
FOX Entertainment Studios Signs First-Look Deal with Writer, Actor, and Creator River Gallo
Gallo is the star, writer and creator of "Ponyboi," the inaugural feature film produced under FOX Entertainment Studios' new independent film label, Tideline.

[03/06/26 - 10:51 AM]
Shudder Announces Four All-New Specials of the Cult Favorite "The Last Drive-In with Joe Bob Briggs" in 2026
The announcement comes ahead of the Shudder original's celebratory series finale, airing live tonight, Friday, March 6 at 9pm ET on Shudder and AMC+.

[03/06/26 - 10:01 AM]
Video: "Boarders" Season 3 - Official Trailer - Tubi Original
The coming-of-age comedy drama returns March 15.

[03/06/26 - 09:31 AM]
Video: "The Rise of the Red Hot Chili Peppers: Our Brother, Hillel" - Official Trailer - Netflix
An in-depth look at the formative years of the Red Hot Chili Peppers and the profound influence of original guitarist, Hillel Slovak.

[03/06/26 - 09:31 AM]
Paramount+ Announces New Original Series, "Garfield" (w/t), from Nickelodeon Animation Studios, Starring Emmy Award-Winning Lamorne Morris
Inspired by the original comic strip by Jim Davis, the series features the chonky feline at his finest, with each episode featuring the pop culture icon's signature sarcasm and hilarious lackadaisy.