or


[09/17/08 - 06:46 PM]
Development Update: Wednesday, September 17
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!


BORED TO DEATH (HBO) - Comedian Zach Galifianakis has joined the cast of the pay channel pilot, about Jonathan (Jason Schwartzman), an alcoholic writer who pretends to be a private detective. He'll play Ray, a struggling comic book artist and Jonathan's best friend. Ted Danson also stars in the project, which comes from writer Jonathan Ames and director Alan Taylor.


GEORGE NOORY (Sci Fi, New!) - George Noory is returning to the cable channel for a weeklong stunt beginning Sunday, November 16 at 11:00/10:00c. Noory is best known as the host of "Coast to Coast AM," a radio program nationally syndicated by Premiere Radio Networks. Last June, Noory toplined a backdoor pilot special on the network called "Into the Unknown With George Noory." It's not clear if this new effort, which runs November 16 to November 20 at 11:00/10:00c, will feature the same format as "Unknown."


GEORGIA & THE SEVEN ASSOCIATES (FOX, New!) - Feature writers David Weissman and David Diamond, director Ken Kwapis and producers Chris Brancato and Bert Salke are set to team for a contemporary take on the classic Walt Disney tale of "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs." Currently dubbed "Georgia and the Seven Associates," the project tells the story of Georgia Burnett, "a young lawyer who is banished from a top law firm run by her stepmother and forced to team up with seven quirky lawyers [who will have the personalities of the Seven Dwarfs] at a storefront legal office." ABC Studios is producing the hour, which Brancato is writing with Weissman and Diamond. In addition, some of their cases will be modernized fairy tales, such as one about three people whose homes were taken away by Wolf Corp. FOX has issued the project a put pilot order with the aforementioned quintet executive producing. Kwapis, who helmed the pilot to "The Office," is set to direct.


HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER (CBS) - Fox owned-and-operated stations in New York, Los Angeles and Chicago were among the winning bidders for the show's off-network run. While not quite the rainmaker Twentieth Television expected, "Mother" nevertheless drew cash license fees of $70,000 a week from New York's WNYW, $50,000 a week from Los Angeles's KTTV and $65,000 a week from Chicago's WFLD. Other stations landing the show were WPSG Philadelphia, KTXA Dallas, WLVI Boston, KQCA Sacramento and KCPQ/KMYQ Seattle. Additional clearances are expected to be announced in the coming weeks.


OPERATING INSTRUCTIONS (USA) - The cable channel has added the medical-themed drama to its expanding pilot roster. Judd Pillot and John Peaslee are behind the project, which centers on a top female trauma surgeon who returns home from two tours in Iraq to take a post as head of surgery at a military hospital - only to find herself quickly entangled the absurd, bureaucratic minefields of the stateside health system. Said order is actually cast-contingent, as is custom for USA's efforts. Pillot and Peaslee are also executive producing alongside Conaco's Conan O'Brien and David Kissinger for Universal Cable Productions. "Instructions" joins previously announced pilots "White Collar" (starring Matthew Bomer with Bronwen Hughes directing from a script by Jeff Eastin for Fox TV Studios) and "Royal Pains" (starring Mark Feuerstein and Jill Flint starring with Jace Alexander directing from a script by Andrew Lenchewski for The Firm).


Sources: Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Reuters





  [september 2008]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S
 


· BORED TO DEATH (HBO)
· DEVELOPMENT UPDATE (TFC)
· GEORGIA & THE SEVEN ASSOCIATES (FOX)
· HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER (CBS)
· INTO THE UNKNOWN WITH GEORGE NOORY (SCI FI)
· OPERATING INSTRUCTIONS (USA)
· ROYAL PAINS (USA)
· WHITE COLLAR (USA)





[04/24/26 - 12:00 PM]
What's New on HBO Max This May
Highlights include season two of "On The Roam," comedy special "Josh Johnson: Symphony," documentary series "U.S. Against The World: Four Years With The Men's National Soccer Team," new episode of "The Yogurt Shop Murders," and documentary "The A List: 15 Stories From Asia And Pacific Diasporas."

[04/24/26 - 11:16 AM]
"Wuthering Heights" Begins Streaming Exclusively on HBO Max May 1
The Emerald Fennell film stars Margot Robbie as Cathy and Jacob Elordi as Heathcliff, whose forbidden passion for one another turns from romantic to intoxicating in an epic tale of lust, love and madness.

[04/24/26 - 09:01 AM]
Zizians Documentary Series Set at HBO
The multi-part documentary series explores the Zizians, an enigmatic group of young technologists who garnered national attention in 2025 after law enforcement linked members of the group to a series of violent crimes across the country.

[04/24/26 - 08:59 AM]
NBA Playoffs Return to NBC Sports Delivers Big Viewership Gains Over First Three Nights
NBC Sports' first six NBA Playoff games averaged 4.9 million viewers, up 38% vs. comparable coverage last year and the most-watched for the first Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday nights of the playoffs since 1994.

[04/24/26 - 08:01 AM]
Video: New Featurette - Hulu Original Series "Rivals" Season 2
Ahead of the highly anticipated second season of the Emmy and BAFTA award-winning "Rivals," Hulu has released a new recap featurette.

[04/24/26 - 08:00 AM]
La La Anthony, Rutina Wesley, Taylor Polidore Williams, DeVaughn Nixon and Alexxis Lemire Join Season 4 of Hulu's Hit Legal Drama "Reasonable Doubt" as Recurring Guest Stars
Morris Chestnut, Joseph Sikora and Brandee Evans also return as recurring guest stars.

[04/24/26 - 07:01 AM]
"Scooby-Doo: Origins" Starts Production in Atlanta
A modern reimagining of the iconic mystery-solving group of teens and their very special dog.

[04/24/26 - 06:01 AM]
Video: "Gordon" - First Look - Netflix
Based on the novel by Marcelo Larraquy, "Gordon" arrives on Netflix in 2026.

[04/23/26 - 11:41 PM]
Prime Video Unleashes UK's Biggest Digital Stars in Highly Anticipated Comedy Reality Series, "Would You Rather: Decide to Survive"
The series will launch exclusively worldwide on Prime Video in more than 240 countries and territories in June 2026.

[04/23/26 - 09:00 PM]
The Vampire Lestat's Gritty Cover of Billy Idol's Legendary Song "Dancing with Myself" Is Now Available on All Digital Platforms
AMC Global Media and Lakeshore Records released the single on the Vampire Lestat artist profile pages at major digital music services, including Spotify, Apple Music and Amazon Music.

[04/23/26 - 03:13 PM]
"Euphoria" Season 3 Premiere Surpasses 20M Global Viewers, Up 68% vs. Season 2
Episode 2 matched the premiere with approximately 8.5 million U.S. viewers in its first three days.

[04/23/26 - 02:50 PM]
Goal! ESPN Airs Two Most-Viewed First Round Game 2's on Cable Ever, Continuing Successful Start to 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs
Monday's Philadelphia Flyers-Pittsburgh Penguins matchup (Game 2, 7 p.m. ET) delivered 1.6 million viewers and Tuesday's Boston Bruins-Buffalo Sabres matchup (Game 2, 7:30 p.m.) delivered 1.2 million viewers, setting the new Game 2 record.

[04/23/26 - 02:02 PM]
"The Cult of Natureboy," A New Four-Part Docuseries That Offers a Raw and Unfiltered Look Inside a Modern Cult, Premieres April 28 on Hulu
In 2016, a rising social media star named Eligio Bishop, also known as "NatureBoy," used his platforms to recruit followers into a group he called Carbon Nation, encouraging them to abandon their families and join his vision of a self-proclaimed Black utopia.

[04/23/26 - 01:03 PM]
Apple TV Sets New Comedy Series, Elizabeth Banks to Star and Executive Produce
The series is set to begin production in Los Angeles this year.

[04/23/26 - 12:19 PM]
USA Sports Delivers Most-Watched Match in LOVB Volleyball History to Cap Inaugural Season of Record Viewership on USA Network
The first Finals match on Thursday, April 16, which Salt Lake won 3-2 in a closely-contested fifth set, averaged 163,000 viewers, ranking as the most-watched LOVB game of all-time.