or


[02/13/09 - 08:10 PM]
Development Update: Friday, February 13
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!


FUNNY IN FARSI (ABC, New!) - Firoozeh Dumas's book, subtitled "A Memoir of Growing Up Iranian in America," is set to be the focus of a potential new comedy at the Alphabet. The network has commissioned a director-contingent pilot for the project, which chronicles her upbringing as an Iranian immigrant in 1970s Newport Beach. Nastaran Dibai and Jeffrey Hodes ("Rita Rocks") penned the pilot and are executive producing for ABC Studios.


GOOD GIRLS (CBS, New!) - Sherry Bilsing-Graham and Ellen Kreamer ("The New Adventures of Old Christine") are the latest to land a pilot commitment from the Eye, this time about two women/childhood friends who are trying to reinvent themselves after making some youthful mistakes. The pair wrote the CBS Paramount Network Television-based pilot and are executive producing alongside Katalyst Films's Ashton Kutcher, Jason Goldberg and Karey Burke.


THE GOOD WIFE (CBS) - Charles McDougall ("The Tudors") has scored helming duties on the drama pilot, about a politician's wife, who takes a legal job after her husband is disgraced. Robert and Michelle King are behind the hour, which comes from CBS Paramount Network Television and Scott Free Productions. Production nevertheless is contingent on casting the lead role.


HAPPY TOWN (ABC) - Lauren German ("Hostel: Part II") is the first to be cast on the drama pilot. She'll play a newcomer to the town, which had enjoyed a seven-year peace after a series of kidnappings until it is hit by another crime. Josh Appelbaum, Andre Nemec and Scott Rosenberg are behind the ABC Studios-based project, which Gary Fleder is directing.


HOT GIRLS IN SCARY PLACES (E!, New!) - The cable channel has commissioned a pilot for a potential new reality series in which, you guessed it, hot girls are challenged to spend the night in a scary place for a $10,000 cash prize. For the inaugural installment, set to air as a special on Friday, March 13, three University of Southern California cheer squad friends will be tasked with an overnight trip to a supposedly haunted abandoned hospital. Go Go Luckey Productions ("Paranormal State") is behind the project, which is being executive produced by the company's Gary Auerbach.


NCIS (CBS) - Louise Lombard ("CSI: Crime Scene Investigation"), Peter Cambor ("Notes From the Underbelly") and Daniela Ruah have all joined the cast of the show's proposed spin-off. Lombard will play Clara, "a former major in the military police... an intelligent, sharp investigator who can look after herself"; while Cambor is set as Nate, "the team's conscience and beating heart... an operational psychologist and a walking encyclopedia of American culture"; with Ruah as Kensi, "a super bright young investigator who studied forensics and criminology in college." The trio will potentially join Chris O'Donnell and LL Cool J, who are still in negotiations with producer CBS Paramount Network Television.


UNTITLED FRANK MILITARY PROJECT (CBS) - "Jericho" alum Lennie James is the first to be cast in the drama pilot, about prosecutors in the U.S. Attorney's office in Manhattan. He'll play a former assistant DA who works as a paralegal after getting disbarred. Frank Military is behind the hour, which is set up at CBS Paramount Network Television.


UNTITLED JEFF STRAUSS PROJECT (ABC, New!) - Jeff Strauss ("All of Us") has booked a pilot order from the Alphabet for a new multi-camera comedy which examines marriage and parenthood as seen through the eyes of three couples. The untitled half-hour is set up at ABC Studios with Acme Productions's Michael Hanel and Mindy Schultheis ("Surviving Suburbia") also serving as executive producers alongside Strauss.


UNTITLED JUSTIN ADLER PROJECT (NBC, New!) - Sony Pictures Television-based Tantamount has locked in yet another pilot, this time at NBC. Justin Adler is behind the half-hour, a multi-camera family comedy featuring adult siblings. He penned the pilot and is executive producing with the Tantamount team of Mitch Hurwitz, Eric Tannenbaum and Kim Tannenbaum.


UNTITLED NEW YORK CITY PRIVATE SCHOOLS PROJECT (Bravo, New!) - Broadcasting & Cable is reporting the cable channel has begun production on a new reality series referred to as a "real life" version of "Gossip Girl." Stone & Company Entertainment is behind the project, which will track the lives of New York City private-school kids, although it won't feature Manhattan's exclusive schools specifically.


Sources: Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Reuters





  [february 2009]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S


· ALL OF US (CW)
· CSI: CRIME SCENE INVESTIGATION (CBS)
· DEVELOPMENT UPDATE (TFC)
· FUNNY IN FARSI (ABC)
· GOOD GIRLS (CBS)
· GOOD WIFE, THE (CBS)
· GOSSIP GIRL (CW)
· HAPPY TOWN (ABC)
· HOT GIRLS IN SCARY PLACES (E)
· JERICHO (CBS)
· MARRIED NOT DEAD (ABC)
· NCIS (CBS)
· NCIS: LOS ANGELES (CBS)
· NEW ADVENTURES OF OLD CHRISTINE, THE (CBS)
· NOTES FROM THE UNDERBELLY (ABC)
· NYC PREP (BRAVO)
· PARANORMAL STATE (A AND E)
· RITA ROCKS (LIFETIME)
· SURVIVING SUBURBIA (ABC)
· TUDORS, THE (SHOWTIME)
· UNTITLED JUSTIN ADLER PROJECT (NBC)
· US ATTORNEY (CBS)





[03/26/26 - 11:30 AM]
BET and Paramount+ Announce the Sixth Season Renewal of Multi-Emmy-Nominated Comedy "The Ms. Pat Show"
The upcoming season will be among the first BET originals to stream on Paramount+, which becomes the new streaming home for BET content beginning in June, bringing the beloved series to a global platform with nearly 80 million subscribers.

[03/26/26 - 11:01 AM]
"Saturday Night Live" Springs Into April with Back-to-Back Episodes
Jack Black and Colman Domingo will host on April 4 and April 11, respectively.

[03/26/26 - 10:03 AM]
Sony Pictures Television Advertiser Sales Heads Into 2026 Upfront Bringing Advertisers Branded Content Opportunities Within High Volume of Originals and a Safe Harbor of Entertainment Programming
The studio continues to elevate its media investment opportunities for advertisers through Game Show Network, a top 10 cable network and a top five general entertainment network.

[03/26/26 - 09:30 AM]
New Docuseries "Building Back America's Trades" Premieres April 11 on Magnolia Network
The series chronicles the stories of students, mentors, and teachers as they remake the trades industry and themselves.

[03/26/26 - 09:01 AM]
Video: "The Testament of Ann Lee" - Trailer - Hulu
The Amanda Seyfried-led film from writer-director Mona Fastvold streams on Hulu and Hulu on Disney+ March 31.

[03/26/26 - 09:01 AM]
ESPN and World Series of Poker Reach Multi-Year Agreement to Bring Main Event Back to ESPN Beginning This Summer
ESPN will deliver over 100 hours of comprehensive, multiplatform coverage of the WSOP Main Event ($10,000 No-Limit Hold'em World Championship) from 1A of the Main Event beginning July 2 on the ESPN App.

[03/26/26 - 09:01 AM]
Sonya Walger Signs on to Recur as Freya in Prime Video's "God of War" from Sony Pictures Television and Amazon MGM Studios
Freya is a Vanir goddess and princess who practices powerful, ancient magic.

[03/26/26 - 09:00 AM]
Hosted by Johnny Knoxville, The Iconic Reality Competition "Fear Factor" Is Coming Back with a Two-Week Special Event Designed to Push Contestants Further Than Ever
"Fear Factor: 48 Hours of Fear" premieres with Part 1 on Thursday, May 14 (9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT) and Part 2 on Thursday, May 21 (9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX.

[03/26/26 - 08:31 AM]
WWE & Tony Hinchcliffe Partner with Netflix on "Kill Tony: WrestleMania"
The comedy special will premiere exclusively on Netflix on Monday, April 20, as part of a massive double event alongside the annual Raw after WrestleMania.

[03/26/26 - 08:31 AM]
Video: "Untold: The Shooting at Hawthorne Hill" - Official Trailer - Netflix
A heated dispute between an equestrian trainer and his student spirals into a grisly act of violence in this twisty true-crime documentary.

[03/26/26 - 08:12 AM]
Video: Disney+ Releases "Raising Chelsea" Trailer, Featuring Never-Before-Seen Footage of Jamie Laing and Sophie Habboo's Parenthood Journey
The trailer provides viewers with a glimpse of the couple's world as they prepare to navigate parenthood for the first time.

[03/26/26 - 08:05 AM]
Video: Tubi Serves Up Scares with the Trailer for "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.

[03/26/26 - 08:01 AM]
Video: "Stranger Things: Tales from '85" - Official Trailer - Netflix
Winter. Hawkins. 1985. Welcome back to a town crawling with secrets, where beloved heroes are facing fresh mysteries... and an all-new breed of strange.

[03/26/26 - 08:01 AM]
Video: Prime Video Reveals Official Trailer for Highly Anticipated Series, "The House of the Spirits"
The first three episodes premiere April 29, with new episodes released weekly, culminating with the series' final three episodes on May 13.

[03/26/26 - 07:07 AM]
ESPN to Air Celebrating "Pat Summitt: Live Reunion Special," Presented by Eli Lilly and Company, on March 29
The one-hour television special, produced by Omaha Productions, celebrates the remarkable life and lasting impact of Pat Summitt, the iconic Tennessee women's basketball head coach who won eight national championships and helped transform the sport.