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[12/26/08 - 06:43 PM]
Development Update: Week of December 22-26
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!
BITCHES (FOX, New!) - Feature writer Michael Dougherty ("Superman Returns") has scored a hefty script commitment from the network for a new drama about a quartet of female friends in New York who are werewolves. The project, which has a penalty attached should it not move forward to pilot, is set up at Warner Bros. Television. Writer/producers Gretchen Berg and Aaron Harberts ("Pushing Daisies") have been tapped to supervise Dougherty and executive produce. No other specifics were given.
GILMORE GIRLS (The CW) - One day after filing a lawsuit against CBS over "Two and a Half Men" (see below), Warner Bros. Television itself has been sued by producer Gavin Polone over "Gilmore Girls." The breach-of-contract lawsuit, filed Wednesday in Los Angeles Superior Court, claims the vertically integrated Time Warner companies Warner Bros. Television and The WB "have colluded to defraud the originator of hit 'Gilmore Girls' television series with a scheme that rivals the greed and bravado of any story line defendants could script." Hofflund/Polone, Polone's company with Judy Hofflund, alleges the "modified adjusted gross," the money the show earns after costs are deducted, for "Gilmore's" first six seasons was modified by the studio - through "collusion among defendants to set below-market license fees" and a series of improper charges - which cut into Hofflund/Polone's profits as a result. A third-party audit commissioned by Hofflund/Polone in October 2006 alleges that number was understated by $45.5 million and the company has asked for "tens of millions of dollars" in damages as a result. Warner Bros. has yet to comment on the suit.
LOST & FOUND (NBC) - Australian actor Damon Herriman ("All Saints") has joined the cast of the drama pilot, which centers on Tessa Cooper (Katee Sackhoff), an offbeat LAPD detective who, after butting heads with higher-ups, is sent as punishment to the basement to work on John and Jane Doe cases. He'll play Anthony Yeckel, an oddball civilian consultant to the police's lost-and-found department who has an obsessive love of old detective TV shows. Brian Cox and Josh Cooke also star in the Universal Media Studios/Wolf Films-based hour, which Michael Engler is directing from a script by creator Chris Levinson.
TWO AND A HALF MEN (CBS) - Warner Bros. Television filed a $49 million breach of contract lawsuit against CBS on Tuesday. Said suit, filed in Los Angeles Superior Court, claims the network owes Warner Bros. additional fees toward the production deficit carried by the studio. The "deficit recoupment" was understood to be tied to "Men" hitting certain ratings milestones as specified by the show's original four-year license agreement signed in 2003. The suit indicates the studio incurred a $61.1 million deficit over the course of the first four years of the show (for instance CBS paid $750,000 per episode during "Men's" first season while Warner Bros. actual cost to produce the show came in at $1.22 million), a cost which CBS would cover should "Men" finish as a top 10 show. Additionally, should "Men" finish in the top five in its fourth season, CBS would pay an additional $650,000 more per episode in the fifth and sixth seasons (with a downward scale from there). "CBS has reaped the benefits of the tremendous success of 'Two and a Half Men" but wants to deny Warner Bros. the right to its agreed-upon share," Warner Bros. said in a statement. CBS countered with simply, "Wow, I wonder what they got the other networks for Christmas."
UGLY BETTY (ABC) - "Dexter" co-star Lauren Velez has booked a multi-episode arc on the Thursday dramedy. She'll play Elena, a nurse that enters the lives of the Suarez family, whom reports speculate will be linked to a major plot development. It's not clear when her first episode will air.
UNTITLED MARIA BELLO PROJECT (HBO, New!) - Maria Bello ("The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor") is set to topline a potential new drama at the pay channel about a woman who's forced into a life of crime to support her three teenage sons after her husband is killed. Gary Lennon ("The Shield") is penning the hour, which sees the woman using her sons as henchmen, leading them all down a destructive road. Bello herself will executive produce alongside Lennon, Gavin Polone and John Carrabino.
Sources: Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Reuters
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[07/29/14 - 01:27 PM]
Syfy's "12 Monkeys" to Commence Series Production in Toronto
The network also confirms additional casting, inking Tom Noonan and Emily Hampshire for recurring roles.
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[07/29/14 - 12:57 PM]
VH1's "Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta" Is on Fire! All-New Episode Airing on a Special Night: Thursday, July 30th 8:00 PM ET/PT
Said installment will then encore in its regular time period on Monday, August 4 at 8:00/7:00c.
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[07/29/14 - 12:52 PM]
Shawn Doyle Tapped as a Recurring Guest Star in USA Network's Globe-Trotting Espionage Drama "Covert Affairs"
He'll play Aleksandre Belenko, a Georgian diplomat educated in the U.S. and celebrated for his work with charitable organizations worldwide.
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[07/29/14 - 12:35 PM]
FXX Sets Premiere Date for "The League" Season 6
The series will return on Wednesday, September 3 at 10:00/9:00c followed by new episodes of "Ali G Rezurection."
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[07/29/14 - 12:02 PM]
Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers to Perform on "Jimmy Kimmel Live" Thursday, July 31 on ABC
That evening, Kimmel will also welcome actress Kerry Washington from ABC's "Scandal."
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[07/29/14 - 11:33 AM]
"The World Dog Awards" Makes Its Television Debut in January, 2015 on The CW
For the first time, dogs will be celebrated for their work in entertainment, health services and the military, along with everyday dogs who found fame on the internet.
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[07/29/14 - 10:45 AM]
"Does Someone Have to Go?" Will Air on CNBC on August 20
The short-lived FOX series will rebroadcast on the network beginning on said Wednesday at 9:00/8:00c.
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[07/29/14 - 10:34 AM]
NBC's Summer Hit "America's Got Talent" Adds Voting and Instant Save on Google Search Starting Tonight July 29 and 30
The new "Snapple Save" in the results shows completely changes the game in how fans choose the fate of the acts.
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[07/29/14 - 10:34 AM]
"Anger Management" Partners with "Partners" Beginning Monday, August 4 on FX
Both Lionsgate-produced comedies will air back-to-back episodes for five consecutive weeks.
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[07/29/14 - 10:28 AM]
Original Unscripted Series "Parents Just Don't Understand" to Premiere August 23 on the Hub Network
The unique reality series gives real kids and their parents a chance to find out what it feels like to be in the other person's shoes.
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[07/29/14 - 10:25 AM]
American Heroes Channel Celebrates Best July Ever in Prime and Total Day Delivery Among P2+ and HH
American Heroes Channel spins the numbers for the month to date.
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[07/29/14 - 10:00 AM]
VH1 Picks Up "Hit the Floor" for a Third Season
Season 3 of VH1's "Hit the Floor" is expected to premiere in May 2015 with 10 new episodes.
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[07/29/14 - 09:17 AM]
NBC Will Present Thrilling Three Hour Special "American Ninja Warrior: USA vs. The World" Monday, September 15 (8 - 11 PM ET/PT)
Five of the top competitors from "American Ninja Warrior" will go head-to-head against competitors from Japan and from Europe in a high-stakes competition on the show's famed four-stage finals course.
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[07/29/14 - 09:06 AM]
Does Bad Blood Breed Better Art? Find Out On The New Season of "Ink Master" Starting Tuesday, September 2 at 10 PM, ET/PT
This season it is not just about the rivalries you create on the show, each contestant is coming into this competition with a personal tattoo rival.
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[07/29/14 - 08:54 AM]
"Running Wild with Bear Grylls" Is the #2 New Reality Show Premiere This Summer on the Big 4
NBC spins the numbers for Monday, July 28.
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