or


[09/19/08 - 07:02 PM]
Development Update: Friday, September 19
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!


BOLDLY GOING NOWHERE (FOX) - Jonathan M. Goldstein ("The New Adventures of Old Christine") has been tapped as an executive producer on the pilot, a high-concept comedy set in the future and focused on the mundane world of a spaceship captain when he's not on a mission. RCG's Rob McElhenney, Glenn Howerton and Charlie Day ("It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia") are all behind the 20th Century Fox Television-based half-hour, which is set to film this fall. FOX has also commissioned five additional scripts for the project, which is based on an idea from "Sunny" writers' assistant Adam Stein. 3 Arts Entertainment's Michael Rotenberg and Nick Frenkel also serve as executive producers.


DR. OZ (Syndication) - Sony Pictures Television has cleared the "Oprah" spin-off on stations covering 40% of the country for a fall 2009 launch. Said clearances including 13 of the top 20 TV markets, such as the Fox owned-and-operated stations in New York (WNYW), Los Angeles (KTTV) and Chicago (WFLD). Other station groups on board include Gannett, Post-Newsweek, Belo, Scripps Howard, Fisher, McGraw Hill and Hearst-Argyle. Oprah Winfrey's Harpo Productions is producing the project, which is being targeted for late afternoons.


FLASH FORWARD (ABC, New!) - "Threshold's" David S. Goyer and Brannon Braga have booked a pilot at the Alphabet for a new drama which chronicles the chaos that ensues after everyone in the world blacks out for two minutes, 17 seconds and has a mysterious vision of the future that changes lives forever. The network has also given a series penalty to the project, which is based on Robert J. Sawyer's novel of the same name. Goyer and Braga penned the hour, which was originally developed by HBO (who retains a piece of the backend), on spec with Goyer attached to direct. Braga however won't be involved with the day-to-day operations of the series due to his commitment to the current season of FOX/20th Century Fox Television's "24." Jessika Borsiczky Goyer ("Revelations") will also executive produce alongside Vince Gerardis and Ralph M. Vicinanza ("Jumper"), who own the rights to the book. ABC Studios is in negotiations to produce.


GOSSIP GIRL (The CW) - Wade Allain Marcus ("American Mall") has scored a multi-episode arc on the much buzzed about soap. He'll play Max, an attractive (but manipulative) 19-year-old hipster photographer with ties to the New York fashion and art world. It's not clear when his first episode will air.


LETTERS TO SANTA: A MUPPETS CHRISTMAS (NBC) - Uma Thurman and Jesse L. Martin have both joined the cast of the holiday special, in which "Kermit, Fozzie, Gonzo and the rest of the gang mistakenly avert three letters from making their way to Santa Claus." Thurman will play Joy, a ticket clerk for the North Pole Airlines who also serves as Santa's flight attendant, with Martin as a singing and dancing postal worker. The pair join the previously cast Whoopi Goldberg, Tony Sirico, Steve Schirripa, Richard Griffiths and Madison Pettis. Muppets Productions is behind the hour (airing December 17), which will also feature songs by "The Muppet Movie" songwriter Paul Williams.


KATHY GRIFFIN: MY LIFE ON THE D-LIST (Bravo) - The cable channel has ordered a fifth season of the two-time Emmy winning reality series. The news comes despite rumblings Kathy Griffin would take the show elsewhere due to her at times tenuous relationship with the network. While no air date was specified for the new season, "D-List" historically has rolled out each summer since 2005.


SAVE US THEN THE WHALES (FOX, New!) - Asad Gardezi ("Mind of Mencia") has landed a cast-contingent pilot order from the network for a new comedy set at a politically incorrect nonprofit organization. 20th Century Fox Television and Peter Engel ("Last Comic Standing") are behind the half-hour, which centers on Herbie Grueber, a middle-aged wheeler-dealer who works for a nonprofit that's trying to stay current. Gardezi will pen the pilot and presumably executive produce alongside Engel.


Sources: Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Reuters





  [september 2008]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S
 


· 24 (FOX)
· AMERICAN MALL, THE (MTV)
· BOLDLY GOING NOWHERE (FOX)
· DEVELOPMENT UPDATE (TFC)
· DR. OZ (SYNDICATION)
· FLASH FORWARD (ABC)
· GOSSIP GIRL (CW)
· IT'S ALWAYS SUNNY IN PHILADELPHIA (FXX)
· KATHY GRIFFIN: MY LIFE ON THE D-LIST (BRAVO)
· MIND OF MENCIA (COMEDY CENTRAL)
· NEW ADVENTURES OF OLD CHRISTINE, THE (CBS)
· OPRAH WINFREY SHOW, THE (SYNDICATION)
· REVELATIONS (NBC)
· SAVE US THEN THE WHALES (FOX)





[01/27/26 - 01:47 PM]
"America's Culinary Cup" Announces the Award-Winning Chefs Invited to Compete for the Biggest Prize in Culinary Television History
The ultimate culinary showdown premieres with a 90-minute episode following "Survivor 50" on Wednesday, March 4.

[01/27/26 - 01:46 PM]
CBS Announces Landmark Crossover Event Between Hit Daytime Dramas "Beyond the Gates" and "The Young and the Restless"
The ambitious storyline will transport six iconic residents from Y&R's Genoa City into BTG's posh gated community, Fairmont Crest, and will air on "Beyond the Gates" in June.

[01/27/26 - 01:45 PM]
CBS Announces the 10 Iconic "Survivor" Episodes Paving the "Road to 50"
Beginning Monday, February 9, the network will present 10 encore episodes from the Emmy-winning series' ground-breaking history showcasing players from the "Survivor 50" cast.

[01/27/26 - 01:23 PM]
NBC Sports' Star-Studded Cast to Present Super Bowl LX Sunday, Feb. 8 on NBC and Peacock, Headlining Biggest Day in Sports on Opening Weekend of "Legendary February"
Super Bowl LX marks NBC's 21st Super Bowl broadcast, and the second on Peacock.

[01/27/26 - 01:01 PM]
Apple TV Renews "Shrinking" for Season Four Ahead of Its Season Three Premiere
Bringing more heart and humor, the series will also see the return of cast members Christa Miller, Emmy Award nominee Jessica Williams, Luke Tennie, Emmy Award nominee Michael Urie, Lukita Maxwell and Ted McGinley.

[01/27/26 - 12:01 PM]
Netflix Top 10: Week of January 19 - "The Rip" Is Right on the Money at No. 1 in This Week's Top 10
Audiences kept the suspense going as they streamed the murder-mystery thriller "His & Hers," putting the series at No. 1 on the English TV list with 17.2 million views.

[01/27/26 - 11:59 AM]
Hulu Sets Premiere Date and Title for Upcoming Nikki Glaser Comedy Special
"Nikki Glaser: Good Girl" will stream Friday, April 24 on Hulu and Hulu on Disney+ for bundle subscribers and internationally.

[01/27/26 - 11:30 AM]
Starz Acquires Critically-Acclaimed Drama Series "The Listeners" Starring Rebecca Hall
Based on the novel by Jordan Tannahill, who also wrote the adaptation, the provocative, haunting drama premiered on BBC One in the U.K. to broad critical acclaim and will premiere in the U.S. exclusively in 2026.

[01/27/26 - 11:01 AM]
Richard Dormer Returns to BAFTA-Winning Drama "Blue Lights" for Season Four
Three years into their jobs as response officers, Constables Grace Ellis, Tommy Foster, and Annie Conlon are operating at their limit, facing a new threat on the streets that the police can barely control.

[01/27/26 - 10:30 AM]
Caitlin Clark to Join NBC Sports as Special Contributor for "Basketball Night in America" Before "Sunday Night Basketball" Debuts February 1 at Madison Square Garden
"I'm really excited to be part of the Basketball Night in America crew this season," said Clark. "Carmelo, Vince, and Tracy are legends of the game and Maria is a true professional. It will be really fun to join them a few times this season."

[01/27/26 - 10:10 AM]
FOX Sports and NASCAR Studios Announce New Original Documentary "We've Lost Dale Earnhardt: 25 Years Later" Premiering February 12 on FS1
The film is told through exclusive first-person accounts, rare home video, archival broadcast footage, and cinematic storytelling, revisiting the death of seven-time NASCAR champion Dale Earnhardt and examining the profound ripple effects that continue to shape the sport and its culture 25 years later.

[01/27/26 - 10:01 AM]
Video: "Love Is Blind" Season 10 - Meet the Singles - Netflix
Come for the meet cutes, stay for the wedding bells. Hopeful romantics fall in love based solely on their inner beauty in this hit dating experiment.

[01/27/26 - 09:48 AM]
Zorro Is Coming to MHz Choice
Broadly appealing with a light comedic touch, the eight-episode limited series is set to premiere on MHz Choice this summer, launching June 30.

[01/27/26 - 09:24 AM]
CBS News Significantly Expands Its Roster with 19 New Contributors Covering the Worlds of Politics, National Security, Medicine, Health, Happiness, Food, Style and Much More
The new hires were announced today by Bari Weiss, editor-in-chief of CBS News, during an all-hands meeting.

[01/27/26 - 09:01 AM]
"Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen" on March 26th - First Look & Date Announcement
Netflix's limited series comes from the executive producers of "Stranger Things" and the director of "Baby Reindeer."