or


[09/14/09 - 06:15 PM]
Development Update: Monday, September 14
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!


18 YEARS (ABC, New!) - Cathy Yuspa and Josh Goldsmith ("'Til Death") have booked a new comedy at the Alphabet about "a young urbanite couple who must adjust to their new life as parents - trading their fast-paced existence for a more domesticated lifestyle." The project is set up at Sony Pictures Television, where the pair's overall deal is based. Yuspa and Goldsmith will pen the multi-camera half-hour as well as executive produce.


THE BEAUTIFUL LIFE (The CW) - Eric Balfour is set to recur on the freshman drama, Entertainment Weekly reports. He's play Eric, "a charming rival to Claudia (Elle Macpherson) at a competing modeling agency." No other details about the role were given.


GAVIN & STACEY (ABC, New!) - Stacy Traub ("Notes From the Underbelly") and Hayes Jackson ("According to Jim") are looking to import the BBC comedy for U.S. audiences. Ruth Jones and James Corden are behind the U.K. incarnation, which revolves around "a young man (Mathew Horne) from England who strikes up a relationship over the phone with a young woman from Wales (Joanna Page)." BBC Worldwide is behind the new version, which didn't list a studio as attached. Traub and Jackson then will write and executive produce.


THE JANICE DICKENSON MODELING AGENCY (Oxygen) - Reality guru Stuart Krasnow has inked a first-look deal with Fox 21. The pact gives the studio first crack at Krasnow's unscripted output. The prolific Krasnow, who was also behind NBC's "The Weakest Link," "Dog Eat Dog" and "Average Joe," and his company Krasnow Productions had been based at FremantleMedia North America since 2005.


TRUE BLOOD (HBO) - Tony-winner Denis O'Hare is set to join the cast of the show's third season. He'll play the vampire king of Mississippi, according to a report from Entertainment Weekly. No other details about his role were given.


TRUE LOVE (CBS, New!) - Matt Tarses has landed a pilot commitment from the Eye for a new comedy about "four people in their 20s in New York looking for love." The multi-camera half-hour comes from Sony Pictures Television, where Tarses will write and executive produce alongside his studio-based sister Jamie Tarses.


UNTITLED DONALD TODD PROJECT (ABC, New!) - "Samantha Who?" executive producer Don Todd has scored a script order from the Alphabet for a new comedy about "a thirtysomething woman who's promoted to a new job managing a bunch of young twentysomething workers." The multi-camera project is set up at ABC Studios with Peter Traugott of Brillstein Entertainment Partners also serving as an executive producer.


UNTITLED CLARK ROCKEFELLER PROJECT (Lifetime, New!) - Emmy-winner Eric McCormack ("Will & Grace") is set to topline a new original movie at the cable channel about the true story of German con artist Christian Karl Gerhartsreiter who eventually went on to pass himself off as Clark Rockefeller, an heir to the famous dynasty. Gerhartsreiter, to be played by McCormack, came to the U.S. in 1979 as a foreign exchange student where he used a series of aliases to impersonate everything from a talk show host to a Pentagon adviser. Gerhartsreiter would go on to marry Sandra Boss, "a millionaire with a Harvard MBA and a partner at the prestigious business consulting firm McKinsey & Co," and subsequently kidnap their daughter after losing custody during the divorce. The abduction drew nationwide attention and led to the discovery of his real identity. Production on the untitled project is set to begin next month for a March premiere. Mikael Salomon will direct from a script by Edithe Swensen with Ilene Kahn Power and Judith Verno executive producing for Sony Pictures Television.

Separately, McCormack is attached to a comedy pilot from Alex Barnow and Marc Firek ("'Til Death") set to go out to the broadcast networks shortly. In said half-hour he plays Kris Jacobs, "a recent widower surrounded by an eccentric cast of family and friends who tries to put his life back together." The pair will pen and executive produce the Sony-based project alongside Jamie Tarses and Aaron Kaplan with McCormack himself earning a producing credit.


Sources: Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Reuters





  [september 2009]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S
  


· 18 YEARS (ABC)
· ACCORDING TO JIM (ABC)
· AVERAGE JOE (NBC)
· BEAUTIFUL LIFE, THE (CW)
· DEVELOPMENT UPDATE (TFC)
· DOG EAT DOG (NBC)
· GAVIN & STACEY (BBC AMERICA)
· JANICE DICKINSON MODELING AGENCY, THE (OXYGEN)
· MAD LOVE (CBS)
· NOTES FROM THE UNDERBELLY (ABC)
· SAMANTHA WHO? (ABC)
· 'TIL DEATH (FOX)
· TRUE BLOOD (HBO)
· UNTITLED DONALD TODD PROJECT (ABC)
· US & THEM (SONY CRACKLE)
· WEAKEST LINK, THE (NBC)
· WHO IS CLARK ROCKEFELLER? (LIFETIME)
· WILL & GRACE (NBC)





[05/06/26 - 02:01 PM]
FOX Hits the Road with Return of Beloved Global Sensation "Highway to Heaven"
Slated to debut during the 2027-28 season, the series will introduce longtime fans and a new generation to the franchise's timeless themes of compassion, humanity, and second chances.

[05/06/26 - 01:31 PM]
Apple TV Lands "Disavowed," New Action Thriller Starring and Executive Produced by James Marsden
Marsden will play legendary CIA Case Officer Brad Griffin, who is abruptly fired in the middle of a global hunt for an elusive assassin responsible for killing his colleague.

[05/06/26 - 12:02 PM]
Oscar Isaac Is Hitting the Casino in Martin Scorsese's New Vegas Series
The Netflix series hails from showrunners/executive producers/writers Brian Koppelman and David Levien, who are no strangers to the world of gambling.

[05/06/26 - 11:34 AM]
FOX Sports, Big Machine Racing Productions and Chassy Media Announce "Bobby Rahal: True American Racer" Premiering May 8 on FS1
The compelling new documentary celebrates the life and legacy of Bobby Rahal, one of American motorsports' most legendary champions.

[05/06/26 - 11:26 AM]
Video: Official Trailer for New Animated Fantasy Series "Dragon Striker" Revealed
Blending European fantasy with Japanese animation influences, the series follows an underdog hero's journey, brought to life through high-stakes battles, visually stunning action and expansive mythology.

[05/06/26 - 11:05 AM]
"Mystery at Blind Frog Ranch" - Tune-In to the Season Premiere on Wednesday, May 27 on Discovery Channel
Fueled by clues in a cryptic Mormon journal, an all-new team of treasure hunters, Josh Feldman and his father Ron, take over the search for the Aztec lost gold on Blind Frog Ranch and uncover a series of hidden chambers they believe contain the fortune they have been searching for.

[05/06/26 - 11:02 AM]
"The Season" Is Exclusively Streaming on Hulu in the US on June 17, 2026
A group of friends in Hong Kong's elite boating scene find their summer getaway descending into betrayal and power plays as hidden agendas surface.

[05/06/26 - 11:01 AM]
Hallmark's Runaway Hit Series "Hope Valley: 1874" Renewed for Season 2
Exclusively for Hallmark+, the eight-episode series will return for season two in 2027.

[05/06/26 - 10:10 AM]
Video: Hulu Releases Trailer for "Deli Boys" Season Two Ahead of May 28 Launch
Turns out inheriting a criminal empire was the easy part... and more money really does mean more problems.

[05/06/26 - 10:01 AM]
Strong Month of Sports Propels ESPN Studio Shows to Record Viewership for April
The entire lineup of ESPN studio shows was up 21% overall in viewership over April of 2025 and up 10% year-over-year (YOY) in the coveted Persons ages 18-49 demographic.

[05/06/26 - 09:32 AM]
Ken Burns's Film "The American Revolution" to Stream for Free on PBS in Lead Up to 250th Anniversary on July 4, 2026
All six episodes will be available on PBS.org and on the PBS App.

[05/06/26 - 09:01 AM]
HBO Original Comedy Special "Josh Johnson: Symphony" Debuts May 22
In his debut HBO stand-up special, Emmy-nominated comedian, writer, and actor Josh Johnson performs all new material about our shared experiences as humans.

[05/06/26 - 09:01 AM]
Final Season of FX's "The Bear" Premieres June 25 on FX and Hulu
All eight episodes will be available to stream at debut.

[05/06/26 - 09:01 AM]
Video: "Legally Blonde" Prequel "Elle" Drops Exclusive Images and Official Teaser Trailer
The series, produced by Amazon MGM Studios in association with Hello Sunshine, premieres on July 1, exclusively on Prime Video in more than 240 countries and territories worldwide.

[05/06/26 - 08:01 AM]
HGTV Reboots Popular 72-Hour Renovation Series with "Crashers" Starring NKOTB Bandmate and Home Reno Expert Jonathan Knight
The 13-episode season will follow Jonathan Knight as he ambushes folks anywhere from furniture boutiques to the hardware store or even the local paint shop to offer them a fast-paced reno with a catch.