or


[01/12/09 - 06:10 PM]
Development Update: Monday, January 12
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!


BARELY LEGAL (NBC, New!) - Hilary Duff has been tapped to star in a new half-hour comedy based on the true story of Kathleen Holtz, who in November 2007 passed the notoriously difficult California bar at age 18 to become the state's youngest lawyer. Elisa Bell ("Little Black Book") is behind the project, which comes from actor/producer Rob Morrow's ("NUMB3RS") Bits and Pieces Productions and Universal Media Studios. Duff's involvement is the result of a talent holding deal the actress recently inked with the network and studio. Bell then is penning the script and executive producing alongside Morrow.


LIGHT YEARS (The CW) - Shiri Appleby ("ER"), Kristoffer Polaha ("Valentine") and Kerr Smith ("Justice") have all joined the cast of the drama pilot, about Lux (Brittany Robertson), a foster child who, on her 16th birthday, decides to track down her slacker biological father and mother, who haven't spoken since high school when their one-night stand resulted in pregnancy. Appleby then will play said mom, morning radio host Cate Campbell (Appleby); with Polaha as her dad, bar owner Nick "Baze" Basile; and Smith as Ryan, Campbell's boyfriend and co-host on the show. Liz Tigelaar is behind the CBS Paramount Network Television-based hour, which Gary Fleder is directing.


MEN OF A CERTAIN AGE (TNT) - The cable channel has ordered 10 episodes of the Ray Romano-led/produced drama about three fortysomething college buddies (Romano, Andre Braugher and Scott Bakula) who are each coming to terms with a midlife that doesn't live up to their previous expectations. Romano and Mike Royce co-created the hour, which they'll also executive produce alongside Rory Rosegarten and Cary Hoffman for TNT Original Productions. Scott Winant directed the pilot, while Brian White and Richard Gant also star. Production is expected to begin in time for a January 2010 premiere.


STARZ AT THE TCA - The pay channel has confirmed newcomer "Party Down" and the third season of "Head Case" will both roll out on Friday, March 20. "Down," from executive producers Dan Etheridge, John Enbom, Paul Rudd and Rob Thomas, follows a Los Angeles catering team - a sextet of Hollywood wannabes (Adam Scott, Jane Lynch, Ken Marino, Lizzy Caplan, Martin Starr and Ryan Hansen) stuck working for tips while hoping for their "big break." Jerry Seinfeld, Tori Spelling, Geri Halliwell and Hugh Hefner have already signed on to make cameos on the series. Fellow freshman entry "Spartacus," a green screen remake of the Roman slave revolt tale, then is expected to bow this summer, while no decision has been made about the fate of recently wrapped "Crash."


THE WENDY WILLIAMS SHOW (Syndication) - Debmar-Mercury is officially moving forward with a national rollout of the syndicated talk show, which aired a six-week test run over the summer on Fox owned-and-operated stations in New York, Los Angeles, Dallas and Detroit. The series is a go in more than 70% of the country, including stations in all the top 20 markets. Rob Dauber will return as executive producer with Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia alum Liz Koman serving as executive VP of branded marketing for the show. "Williams" will also remain in New York, home to her popular "Wendy Williams Experience" daily radio show on R&B station WBLS-FM.


Sources: Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Reuters





  [january 2009]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S
    


· BARELY LEGAL (NBC)
· CRASH (STARZ)
· DEVELOPMENT UPDATE (TFC)
· ER (NBC)
· HEAD CASE (STARZ)
· JUSTICE (FOX)
· LIFE UNEXPECTED (CW)
· MEN OF A CERTAIN AGE (TNT)
· NUMB3RS (CBS)
· PARTY DOWN (STARZ)
· SPARTACUS (STARZ)
· VALENTINE (CW)
· WENDY WILLIAMS SHOW, THE (SYNDICATION)





[03/23/26 - 01:17 PM]
Sky Katz and Case Walker to Headline New Tubi Original YA Romantic Comedy Film "Game On"
The film will be a highlighted topic at Tubi's IAB Newfronts presentation on Tuesday, March 24 alongside other breaking news.

[03/23/26 - 01:16 PM]
Mahershala Ali Joins "Task" Season 2
Welcome to Delco.

[03/23/26 - 01:04 PM]
Simon Williams and Trevor Slattery Will Return for Marvel Television's "Wonder Man" Season 2
Co-created by Destin Daniel Cretton and Andrew Guest, the new season is coming to Disney+.

[03/23/26 - 11:16 AM]
Emmy Award-Winning "Baby Reindeer" Creator Richard Gadd Stars Alongside Jamie Bell in the New Limited Series "Half Man," Premiering April 23 on HBO Max
Some bonds may break you.

[03/23/26 - 11:08 AM]
ESPN Announces MLB Game of the Day Schedule Through May
The Game of the Day schedule is an out of market offering and is subject to local blackout restrictions.

[03/23/26 - 11:00 AM]
Survival Icon Bear Grylls Takes Eight Celebrities on the Journey of a Lifetime on "Bear Grylls Is Running Wild"
Elizabeth Banks, Rhys Darby, Colman Domingo, Tiffany Haddish, Matthew McConaughey, MGK, Michelle Monaghan, and Uma Thurman are featured in the series, due April 21 on FOX.

[03/23/26 - 10:01 AM]
Love Returns to the Lake: Prime Video's "Every Year After" Reveals First Look at a Story of Second Chances
The series will debut all episodes on June 10 with an eight-episode season and will premiere exclusively on Prime Video in more than 240 countries and territories around the world.

[03/23/26 - 09:30 AM]
CBS Renews "CIA" for Second Season
The series premiere on February 23 was seen by 8.4 million multiplatform viewers within seven days.

[03/23/26 - 09:30 AM]
Prime Video Announces April 16 Premiere Date and Releases Key Art for "Jerry West: The Logo"
The feature-length documentary, from Propagate and Khalabo Ink Society, traces the life and career of NBA icon Jerry West, whose lifelong pursuit of winning was paved in sacrifice and loss.

[03/23/26 - 09:04 AM]
AMC Networks' April Highlights Include "The Audacity," "The Brokenwood Mysteries," Shudder's "Halfway to Halloween" and HIDIVE's Exclusive Simulcasts
Other premieres include IFC's "SisterS"; Shudder's "Night Patrol"; and Sundance Now's "Original Gangsters with Sean Bean."

[03/23/26 - 09:01 AM]
"Hacks" Returns for Its Fifth and Final Season April 9 on HBO Max
The 10-episode season will debut new episodes weekly, with two new episodes on April 30 and May 7, leading up to the series finale on Thursday, May 28.

[03/23/26 - 08:16 AM]
Tubi Serves Up Scares with the First Look at "Hive," A New Thriller Starring Xochitl Gomez and Aaron Dominguez, Premiering Friday April 17th
The horror-thriller is about a strict, anxious teenager (Xochitl Gomez) who loses the child she's babysitting and must brave a sinister force hiding in plain sight among the children in the playground.

[03/23/26 - 08:01 AM]
Video: "Dutton Ranch" Premieres May 15 on Paramount+ - Your First Look Is Here
As Beth and Rip fight to build a future together - far from the ghosts of Yellowstone - they collide with brutal new realities and a ruthless rival ranch that will stop at nothing to protect its empire.

[03/23/26 - 08:00 AM]
New Season of "America Says" Hosted by John Michael Higgins - Premieres Monday April 13 at 6 PM EST on Game Show Network
The fast-paced studio game show features two teams of friends and family facing off to guess America's responses to fill-in-the-blank survey questions covering every topic under the sun.

[03/23/26 - 07:30 AM]
Madelyn Burke Joins ESPN as a "SportsCenter" Anchor
For nearly a decade, Burke has been a multi-platform host and on-air talent covering the New York Giants, most recently with MSG Network and Giants.com, while also hosting for CBS Sports HQ.