or


[01/22/09 - 06:55 PM]
Development Update: Thursday, January 22
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!


MERCY (NBC, New!) - Elizabeth Heldens ("Friday Night Lights") has received a pilot order for the Peacock for a new drama about three nurses bound together in friendship by the highs and lows of their personal and professional lives. The project is set up at Universal Media Studios with Heldens executive producing.


RHI ENTERTAINMENT PROJECTS (Various) - TV movie mogul Robert Halmi Sr., who's currently celebrating his 85th birthday and his 30th year in the television business, has lined up a slew of new projects at Sci Fi and ABC. The former has already commissioned three efforts: "The Phantom," based on Lee Falk's adventure comic strip about a costumed crimefighter operating from the African jungle, is slated to begin filming in Montreal in late winter/early spring (with Paolo Barzman directing); "Riverworld," a new take on Philip Jose Farmer's book in which the human race is resurrected as illness-free immortal beings on an Earthlike planet, will begin filming in Vancouver in March (with Stuart Gillard directing); and "Alice," a contemporary retelling of "Alice in Wonderland," is on track for a May start in Vancouver (with Nick Willing directing). Meanwhile at the Alphabet, Halmi is developing "Planet Earth Conspiracy," a thriller set against the backdrop of our planet in peril because of climate change, and "Grapes of Wrath," a long-in-the-works adaptation of John Steinbeck's infamous novel. And finally, Halmi is also eyeing a sequel (or even a weekly series) based on NBC's "The Last Templar," premiering this weekend, this time set in India. Halmi is executive producing all the aforementioned projects alongside his son Robert Halmi Jr.


THE WITCHES OF EASTWICK (ABC) - The Alphabet has ordered a pilot for its small screen take on the John Updike novel, best known as the 1987 feature that starred Cher, Susan Sarandon, Michelle Pfeifer and Jack Nicholson. Maggie Friedman ("Related") is behind the Warner Bros. Television-based hour, which will center on three women who discover they have supernatural powers after a mysterious man comes to their small town. Friedman penned the pilot and will executive produce.


Sources: Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Reuters





  [january 2009]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S
    


· ALICE (SYFY)
· DEVELOPMENT UPDATE (TFC)
· EASTWICK (ABC)
· FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS (DIRECTV)
· GRAPES OF WRATH (ABC)
· LAST TEMPLAR, THE (NBC)
· MERCY (NBC)
· PHANTOM, THE (SYFY)
· PLANET EARTH CONSPIRACY (ABC)
· RELATED (WB)
· RIVERWORLD (SCI FI)
· RIVERWORLD (SYFY)
· RIVERWORLD (SCI FI)





[01/16/26 - 01:08 PM]
"20/20" Is the Most-Watched Program Across Broadcast and Cable on Friday Night - Scoring Largest Viewership in Over 7 Months
For the second week in a row, "20/20" posted Total Viewers increases versus the previous week and the corresponding year-ago telecast.

[01/16/26 - 12:04 PM]
All-New Season of "Naked and Afraid" Premieres Sunday, February 15 at 8PM ET/PT on Discovery Channel
This season, survivalists face hell on Earth and the ultimate test of body, mind, and spirit as they are dropped into five of the world's most brutal and diverse locations, armed only with their determination and without water, food or clothing.

[01/16/26 - 09:01 AM]
Michelle Pfeiffer and Kurt Russell Star in "The Madison" Premiering on Paramount+ March 14
The series is Taylor Sheridan's most intimate work to date, unfolding across two distinct worlds - the beautiful landscape of Montana and the vibrant energy of Manhattan - as it examines the ties that bind families together.

[01/16/26 - 09:00 AM]
Video: We TV Releases a Sneak Peek of the Highly Anticipated New Season of "Mama June"
This season, as Jessica and Shyann plan their wedding, June and Shyann's mother, Trina, battle it out butting heads on just about everything.

[01/16/26 - 08:22 AM]
"The Tonight Show" Goes for Gold with Special Post-Olympic Opening Ceremony Episode on Friday, Feb. 6
The episode will feature a guest lineup worthy of the podium, including Chris Hemsworth, MrBeast and a musical performance from Lil Uzi Vert.

[01/16/26 - 08:09 AM]
Video: Oxygen Unveils Premiere Date and Official Trailer for "Love, Ted Bundy"
As America's most notorious serial killer Ted Bundy awaited execution, he exchanged a series of death row letters with the woman who loved him like a brother - his cousin, Edna Martin.

[01/16/26 - 07:02 AM]
Video: "A Father's Miracle" - Official Trailer - Netflix
A devoted father is wrongfully imprisoned for a crime he didn't commit, leaving his daughter to fend for herself as he fights to prove his innocence.

[01/16/26 - 07:01 AM]
Video: "Star Search" - Official Trailer - Netflix
The reimagined talent competition series returns as a live, five-week event hosted by Anthony Anderson, featuring an all-star judging panel with Jelly Roll, Sarah Michelle Gellar, and Chrissy Teigen.

[01/16/26 - 06:31 AM]
Video: NBC Releases First Official Promo and Key Art for New Comedy Series "The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins"
Tracy Morgan, Daniel Radcliffe, Erika Alexander, Bobby Moynihan, Precious Way, and Jalyn Hall star in the series.

[01/15/26 - 05:01 PM]
"Culinary Class Wars" Returns for Season 3, Raising the Stakes with a Team-Based Showdown
Building on two consecutive seasons of global success, Season 3 raises the stakes with four-person teams representing a single restaurant, transforming the competition into a collective fight for pride, reputation, and survival.

[01/15/26 - 03:22 PM]
Next on Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN - February 2026
Highlights include "The Muppet Show," "The Artful Dodger," and "Paradise."

[01/15/26 - 02:01 PM]
Video: Tubi Debuts Chaotic Trailer for New Original Film "Terri Joe: Missionary in Miami"
In this wild farce, Southern Belle Terri Joe ventures to Miami to outrun wacky criminals and find a new church where she can atone for her sins.

[01/15/26 - 02:01 PM]
NBC Commissions Drama Pilot from Dean Georgaris and John Fox
Professor Georgia Ryan is a trailblazing psychologist who challenges the field of criminology by shifting the investigative focus to the victim rather than just the perpetrator in order to uncover the crucial clues that more traditional methods leave behind.

[01/15/26 - 01:38 PM]
"Live with Kelly and Mark" Christmas Week Shoots to a Season High Among Total Viewers - Scoring Show's Best Performance in 10 Months
"Live" has now ranked as the No. 1 talk show in syndication for 152 consecutive weeks across all key measures.

[01/15/26 - 12:39 PM]
Apple TV Lands New Thriller Starring and Executive Produced by Dakota Fanning, and Created by Emmy Award-Winner Alex Cary
Fanning will star as an undercover Treasury agent in a multi-billion dollar international conglomerate who becomes conflicted between her mission and a belief that her principal target is at his core a good man and worthy of her love.