or


[03/20/09 - 06:13 PM]
Development Update: Friday, March 20
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!


THE BEAUTIFUL LIFE (The CW) - Supermodel Elle Macpherson is set to guest star on the drama pilot, about a group of models living together in a co-ed residence in New York. She'll play Claudia, a potentially recurring role, "the owner of Focus Models, the top modeling agency in New York" and "an '80s supermodel who is still in great shape and runs her business with the efficiency and toughness of a dictator." Mischa Barton, Ben Hollingsworth, Sara Paxton, Ashley Madekwe and Nico Tortorella also star in the hour, which comes from creator Adam Giaudrone and helmer Christian Duguay. CBS Paramount Network Television and Katalyst Films are co-producing.


BROTHERS (FOX) - Colton Dunn has scored a role on the comedy pilot, about a retired football player (Michael Strahan) who returns to his hometown and starts working to reconnect with his family. His role wasn't specified. Darryl Mitchell also stars in the half-hour, which comes from the Sony Pictures Television-based Tantamount. Ted Wass is directing from a script by Don Reo.


COP HOUSE (FOX) - Brett Ratner has signed on to direct and executive produce the comedy pilot, about a halfway house for troubled cops. He'll work from a script by creator Adam Resnick. In addition, Rachael Harris and Ajay Naidu have joined the cast of the half-hour, which is based at 20th Century Fox Television. She'll play "the only female cop at the house, sent there for posing nude in Hustler," while Naidu is set as "a cop with a drinking problem." Tony Hale also stars.


THE EASTMANS (CBS) - David Wilson Barnes has joined the cast of the drama pilot, about a complicated family of doctors. He'll play one of the five siblings, a cardiologist. Margaret Nagle penned the hour, which is based at Warner Bros. Television.


THE GOOD WIFE (CBS) - Christine Baranski and Chris Noth have both landed roles on the drama pilot, which revolves around a politician's wife (Julianna Margulies) who gets a job as a junior associate at a top law firm. Noth will guest star as the woman's husband, a former DA in jail because of a sex scandal. Baranski then is set as "the top litigator at the firm and in all of Chicago." Charles McDougall is helming the CBS Paramount Network Television-based hour from a script by Michelle and Robert King.


THE LAW (ABC) - Newcomer Mercedes Masohn has joined the cast of the comedy pilot, which revolves around reserve police officers for the LAPD. Her role wasn't indicated. Cedric the Entertainer and Bob Fisher co-created the half-hour, which comes from ABC Studios.


THE NEISTAT BROTHERS (HBO, New!) - The pay channel has acquired the broadcast rights to a new "innovative" documentary series from filmmakers Casey and Van Neistat ("iPod's Dirty Secret"). The project revolves around the lives and careers of the siblings, who also serve as co-executive producers. It's understood the first episode features "Van Neistat meeting his biological father while his brother makes a movie with his 9-year-old son." No premiere date was specified for the series, which has completed eight episodes. Tom Scott is the executive producer.


OFF DUTY (NBC) - Scot Armstrong and Ravi Nandin have inked a two-year first-look deal with Universal Media Studios. The pact gives the studio first crack at any of the pair's American Work banner's output. Already in the works: "Off Duty," a pilot from writer Jason Mantzoukas, as well as the script "Privates," about a dysfunctional family of Burbank-based private eyes who spend more time investigating each other than they do others, both of which are at NBC. The duo are also executive producing the pilot "Walorsky" at FOX, from creators Alessandro Tanaka and Brian Gatewood.


V (ABC) - "Lost" co-star Elizabeth Mitchell has reportedly been cast in the drama pilot, a revival of the 1980s cult franchise of the same name. It's understood she'll be playing the lead role of Erica Evans, a Homeland Security agent who discovers the Visitors' true intentions. It's not clear how said casting will affect her duties on "Lost," however speculation suggests she'll no longer continue as a series regular should the pilot move forward. Yves Simoneau is helming the Warner Bros. Television-based hour from a script by Scott Peters.


WASHINGTON FIELD (CBS) - Adam Jamal Craig has landed a role on the drama pilot, about the FBI's elite National Capital Response Squad. He'll play an unspecified character in the hour, which comes from co-creators Edward Allen Bernero, Jim Clemente and Tim Clemente. Jon Cassar is directing for CBS Paramount Network Television.


THE WHOLE 19 YARDS (CBS, New!) - Endemol USA has booked a pilot order for a new reality series in which contestants race an intense obstacle course and then answer trivia questions. Chris Hardwick ("Attack of the Show") has been tapped to host the hour, which begins production next week. Scott Einziger is the executive producer. No other specifics were released.


Sources: Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Reuters





  [march 2009]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S


· BEAUTIFUL LIFE, THE (CW)
· BROTHERS (FOX)
· COP HOUSE (FOX)
· DEVELOPMENT UPDATE (TFC)
· EASTMANS, THE (CBS)
· GOOD WIFE, THE (CBS)
· LAW, THE (ABC)
· LOST (ABC)
· NEISTAT BROTHERS, THE (HBO)
· OFF DUTY (NBC)
· OFF DUTY (NBC)
· V (ABC)
· WALORSKY (FOX)
· WASHINGTON FIELD (CBS)
· WHOLE 19 YARDS, THE (CBS)





[02/06/26 - 12:49 PM]
TBS Unveils First Superstar Guests for "Foul Play with Anthony Davis" with More A List Names to Come
LeBron James, Draymond Green, Jordan Chiles, and Rickea Jackson will kick off series premiere on Monday, April 6.

[02/06/26 - 09:16 AM]
Netflix's "Untamed" Heads to Hawaii for Season 2
Season two of the hit mystery thriller series will take place in Hawaii, as a new case brings Eric Bana's Kyle Turner to Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park.

[02/06/26 - 08:00 AM]
All Six Seasons of "Schitt's Creek" Arrive on HBO Max Tomorrow in the U.S.
The beloved comedy follows rich video-store magnate Johnny Rose, his soap-star wife Moira, and their two kids, son David and socialite daughter Alexis.

[02/06/26 - 07:36 AM]
Peacock Exclusively Streams "Wicked: For Good" Beginning March 20
The feature's Peacock debut will be accompanied by a sing-along version of the film and a full collection of bonus content.

[02/06/26 - 07:12 AM]
"Disaster: The Chernobyl Meltdown" Coming Soon from CNN Original Series, National Geographic International and Windfall Films
Co-produced by CNN Original Series, National Geographic EMEA and Windfall Films, the series will premiere with two episodes on Sunday, March 1 at 9:00/8:00c.

[02/06/26 - 07:01 AM]
NHL on ESPN Networks: Viewership Up Nearly 40% Year-Over-Year Through First Four Months
Through 22 games, the NHL on ESPN networks is averaging 795K viewers, +39% YoY.

[02/06/26 - 06:01 AM]
Video: "Strangers in the Park" - Official Trailer - Netflix
A former communist militant and a "live and let live" man form an unlikely friendship on a park bench, sharing their life stories with humor and heart.

[02/06/26 - 12:31 AM]
Next on Netflix Thailand 2026: The Widest Variety of Thai Stories, All in One Place
Netflix is deepening its commitment to Thai storytelling with its most ambitious slate to date: three new series, four films, and Netflix's first local documentary feature.

[02/05/26 - 04:01 PM]
Video: "Pavane" - Official Trailer - Netflix
Three lonely strangers meet at their department store jobs and find solace in each other's company while they explore connection and the nature of love.

[02/05/26 - 02:03 PM]
Great American Media Signs Exclusive Multi-Picture Deal with Fan-Favorite Actress, Merritt Patterson
The company also announces the first film of the new deal is "Meet Me in the Margins," adapted from bestselling author Melissa Ferguson's novel of the same name.

[02/05/26 - 12:42 PM]
"20/20" Ranks No. 1 in the Two-Hour Time Period Across the Board
Hitting new season highs on January 30, "20/20" grew from the previous week in Total Viewers and Adults 18-49.

[02/05/26 - 11:31 AM]
Apple Original Films Lands Global Rights to Sundance Film Festival Selection "The Last First: Winter K2"
Director Amir Bar-Lev tells a complex, harrowing and moving story that unpacks the industry of extreme mountain climbing and its changing culture.

[02/05/26 - 11:01 AM]
HBO Original "Murder in Glitterball City," A Two-Part Documentary, Debuts February 19
Inspired by the non-fiction book "A Dark Room in Glitter Ball City" by David Dominé, the film chronicles a 2010 murder case that starts with a 911 phone call that leads police to the gruesome discovery of a body buried in the basement of a Victorian mansion.

[02/05/26 - 11:01 AM]
Video: ALLBLK Releases Trailer and Key Art for New Original Feature Film, "Deb Is Boss" Premiering Thursday, March 5
Before becoming a powerhouse music executive who launched Gucci Mane, Nicki Minaj, and French Montana, Deb Antney (Lil Mama) was a street-smart survivor navigating the dangerous underworlds of Queens, NY and Boston, MA.

[02/05/26 - 10:31 AM]
Nicolette van Dam and Bas Smit Present the Dutch Version of "Love Is Blind"
"Love Is Blind: Netherlands" arrives on Netflix in 2026.