or


[09/01/09 - 06:52 PM]
Development Update: Tuesday, September 1
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!


100 QUESTIONS (NBC) - Michael Benjamin Washington has joined the cast of the midseason comedy, which stars Sophie Winkleman as Charlotte, "who, looking for love, joins an online-dating site." He'll play her dating counselor on the series, a role originated by Amir Talai in the pilot. No specific reason was given for the recasting.


BOARDWALK EMPIRE (HBO) - The pay channel has ordered the much-ballyhooed Martin Scorsese/Terence Winter project, about the dawn of Prohibition in 1920s Atlantic City, to series. 12 episodes are set to be produced for a fall 2010 premiere. The show's ensemble cast includes Aleksa Palladino, Anthony Laciura, Dabney Coleman, Kelly Macdonald, Michael Kenneth Williams, Michael Pitt, Michael Shannon, Paul Sparks, Paz de la Huerta, Shea Whigham, Stephen Graham, Steve Buscemi and Vincent Piazza. Scorsese helmed the pilot from a script by Winter with the pair executive producing alongside Mark Wahlberg, Stephen Levinson and Tim Van Patten.


CASTLE (ABC) - Debi Mazar ("Entourage") has scored a multi-episode arc on the show's second season, Entertainment Weekly reports. She'll play Paula Haas, a book agent, who "makes Castle an offer he�ll find hard to refuse." Her first installment is set for October.


THE DEEP END (ABC) - Nicole Ari Parker ("Second Time Around") has joined the cast of the midseason drama. She'll play Susan, "a sexy, smart, steely lioness of the firm's litigation department whose husband, Clifford Huddle (Billy Zane), is the firm's new managing partner." Sherri Saum played said role in the previous incarnation. No reason for the casting was mentioned.


DOUBLE WEDDING (LMN, New!) - Tamera Mowry ("Roommates") and Tia Mowry ("The Game") are set to topline a new original movie for the cable channel. The project, which begins production this month for a June premiere, revolves around twin sisters who begin dating the same man. Craig Pryce is helming the project from a script by Jennifer Maisel. Tamera, Tia and Darlene Mowry are executive producing alongside Howard Braunstein and Michael Jaffe for Automatic Pictures.


OPEN BOOKS (CBS, New!) - Gail Lerner ("Will & Grace") has scored a pilot order from the Eye for a new multi-camera comedy which "revolves around book editor June and her circle of friends." It's understood the project is semi-autobiographical - Lerner spent time as a temp in the publishing world at the beginning of her career while her sister worked as a book editor for 15 years. Warner Bros. Television is behind the half-hour, which Lerner wrote on spec.


THE REAL L WORD: LOS ANGELES (Showtime, New!) - Dan Cutforth and Jane Lipsitz ("Top Chef") are set to team with "The L Word" creator Ilene Chaiken for a new reality series about the lives of six lesbians in Los Angeles. The pay channel has ordered nine episodes of the project, contingent on casting. Chaiken will executive produce alongside Magical Elves partners Cutforth and Lipsitz.


TEEN WOLF (MTV) - The cable channel has greenlight production on a pilot presentation for the project, a small screen take on the 1980s film franchise about a teenage boy who discovers he and his family are actually werewolves. Jeff Davis ("Criminal Minds") penned the script and is executive producing with Marty Adelstein ("Prison Break") and Rene Echevarria ("Castle"). As for specifics, the MTV incarnation will likewise be set in high school, "draw from the horror genre to explore werewolf mythology and include a romantic plot line." Casting is underway.


UNTITLED ALI ADLER/JOSH SCHWARTZ PROJECT (ABC, New!) - Ali Adler ("Chuck") has booked a put pilot commitment from the Alphabet for a new drama about a lawyer "who has observed enough misery in her divorce and family law practice to vow never to take the plunge." The project is "inspired by a real-life high-powered Los Angeles-based female attorney who specializes in divorce and family law," although her identity is being kept secret. Adler is penning the hour and will executive produce alongside Josh Schwartz, Stephanie Savage, Sheldon Turner and Jennifer Klein.


WORTHY (FOX, New!) - Davey Holmes ("In Treatment") is developing a new drama at the network about "an Arizona politician named Worthy whose struggle to do the right thing takes a wrong turn after he is involved in a hit-and-run and gets blackmailed by a mob boss." The project is set up at 20th Century Fox Television, where it's on track to hire a casting director. FOX's commitment includes a penalty should it not move forward to pilot. Holmes, who penned the hour on spec, is executive producing with Gavin Polone.


Sources: Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Reuters





  [september 2009]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S
  


· 100 QUESTIONS (NBC)
· BOARDWALK EMPIRE (HBO)
· CASTLE (ABC)
· CHUCK (NBC)
· CRIMINAL MINDS (CBS)
· DEEP END, THE (ABC)
· DEVELOPMENT UPDATE (TFC)
· DOUBLE WEDDING (LMN)
· ENTOURAGE (HBO)
· GAME, THE (BET)
· IN TREATMENT (HBO)
· L WORD, THE (SHOWTIME)
· OPEN BOOKS (CBS)
· PRISON BREAK (FOX)
· REAL L WORD, THE (SHOWTIME)
· ROOMMATES (ABC FAMILY)
· SECOND TIME AROUND (UPN)
· TEEN WOLF (MTV)
· TOP CHEF (BRAVO)
· UNTITLED ADLER & SCHWARTZ PROJECT (ABC)
· WILL & GRACE (NBC)
· WORTHY (FOX)





[07/08/26 - 01:00 PM]
"The Cheetah Girls: Next Gen" Is Ready To Take Center Stage in Africa With Official Greenlight for Disney Channel and Disney+
A new cast of talented young actresses stars in the movie, including Leah Sava' Jeffries as Galleria's daughter Faith, Carmen Sanchez as Chanel's sister Dior, Kaileen Chang as Ruby, and Sophie Lennon as Brooklyn.

[07/08/26 - 12:01 PM]
Top 10 Most-Watched Prime Original Films & Series for the Week of June 29
"Elle," "Off Campus," "Every Year After," "Clarkson's Farm," and "Spider-Noir" led all original series worldwide.

[07/08/26 - 11:36 AM]
Warner Bros. Television Group Receives 52 Nominations for the 78th Primetime Emmy Awards
Highlights include an Outstanding Drama Series nomination for "The Pitt," and Comedy Series nods for "Abbott Elementary" and "Shrinking," and a Lead Actor nomination for Steve Carell's role in "Rooster."

[07/08/26 - 11:31 AM]
The Walt Disney Company Earns 125 Emmy Award Nominations
"The Beast in Me" and "The Oscars" led the company with nine nominations each.

[07/08/26 - 10:19 AM]
HBO Max Receives the Most Emmy Nominations with 122 Nods
"The Pitt" received 26 nominations including Outstanding Drama Series; while "Hacks" was given 25 nominations, including Outstanding Comedy Series.

[07/08/26 - 10:00 AM]
Championship June Drives Big Viewership Increases for ESPN Studio Shows
Events including the NBA Finals and Draft, the Stanley Cup Final, the Men's and Women's College World Series, FIFA World Cup and more captured the June sports scene and drove the content and discussion in ESPN's studio shows.

[07/08/26 - 09:31 AM]
Meredith Hayden Is Coming to Netflix with a New Video Podcast
"Wishbone Kitchen," a new weekly video podcast from Meredith Hayden, is coming to Netflix in August.

[07/08/26 - 08:31 AM]
78th Emmy Awards Complete Nominations List
"The Diplomat," "The Gilded Age," "A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms," "Paradise," "The Pitt," "Pluribus," "Slow Horses," and "Your Friends & Neighbors" will compete for Outstanding Drama Series.

[07/08/26 - 08:16 AM]
Video: "You+Me - Against the World" - Official Teaser - Prime Video
The adaptation of the book by Emma Green with Vittoria Di Savoia and Lucas Barski is coming September 18 on Prime Video.

[07/08/26 - 08:06 AM]
New Nova Series "Evolution," A BBC Studios Production with Nova and GBH for PBS and BBC, Traces the History of Life Itself
The series will premiere Wednesdays, October 14 - November 11 at 9pm ET/8c on PBS (check local listings) and stream at pbs.org/nova, NOVA on YouTube, and the PBS App.

[07/08/26 - 07:31 AM]
Video: We TV and All Reality Unveil Key Art and Trailer for New Original Unscripted Series "Age Inappropriate"
The new unscripted series explores the real lives of modern age-gap relationships.

[07/08/26 - 07:02 AM]
Heartstopper: "Ending on a Hi" Behind-the-Scenes Special - on Netflix July 24th
Through candid interviews and fan voices, it charts the show's creative journey, cultural impact, and lasting legacy - a love letter to the community it brought together.

[07/08/26 - 07:01 AM]
"Beyond Society", Created by J.A. Bayona, Arrives on Netflix in 2026
The story of Flight 571 did not end on the day the survivors were rescued from the Andes.

[07/08/26 - 06:31 AM]
Video: "Elize: Shadows of a Woman" - Official Trailer - Netflix
In this retelling of a real case, a former escort discovers her wealthy husband's infidelity and struggles to cope as betrayal poisons their marriage.

[07/08/26 - 06:01 AM]
Optum Golf Channel Games - Featuring Rory McIlroy And Scottie Scheffler - Return this December on Golf Channel and USA Network
Scheffler and McIlroy - the No. 1 and No. 2 men's players in the world - will return as playing team captains at the 2026 Optum Golf Channel Games, following Team Scheffler's narrow victory over Team McIlroy last year.