or


[09/15/09 - 06:28 PM]
Development Update: Tuesday, September 15
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 BLACK PANTHERS/IDA TARBELL (HBO, New!) - Oprah Winfrey's Harpo Films is developing a pair of historical mini-series at the pay channel. First up is "Ida Tarbell," about the life of the journalist who exposed the unfair practices of John D. Rockefeller and his Standard Oil monopoly. Mimosa Jones ("Wild Card") is writing the script. Also in the works is "The Black Panthers," a look at the inner circle of the 1960s movement based on David Hilliard's "Huey: Spirit of the Panther" and Elaine Brown's "A Taste of Power: A Black Woman's Story." Carl Franklin ("Devil in a Blue Dress") is attached to write and direct the project. Both efforts will be executive produced by Winfrey and Harpo's Kate Forte. Franklin, Jesse B. Franklin, Cecil Cox and Craig Rice are also attached as executive producers on "Panthers."


DOLLHOUSE (FOX) - "Reaper" alum Ray Wise has booked an arc on the sophomore drama. He'll play Howard, "an intelligent higher-up in the Dollhouse who has huge presence and humor," Entertainment Weekly reports. It's not clear when his first episode will air. Wise joins previously announced guests Jamie Bamber, Keith Carradine, Alexis Denisoff, and Summer Glau on the show's new season, due on Friday, September 25 at 9:00/8:00c.


HANK (ABC) - Jordan Hinson ("Eureka") has joined the cast of the freshman comedy, set to launch on Wednesday, September 30 at 8:00/7:00c. She'll play Maddie, the daughter of Kelsey Grammer's character. Hinson is the third actress attached to said role: Macey Cruthird played Maddie in the original pilot only to be replaced by Sasha Pieterse back in July. Hinson was subsequently brought in after producers decided to age the Maddie character. In addition, Andrew D. Weyman ("Roommates") was tapped to helm the new pilot, which was filmed last month. James Burrows directed the original pilot.


PARENTHOOD (NBC) - Oscar- and Emmy-winner Helen Hunt reportedly has been offered the role of Maura Tierney's character on the midseason drama. Last week Tierney announced she could not participate on the freshman drama due to her breast cancer treatment. The series revolves around four adult siblings (including Peter Krause, Erika Christensen and Dax Shepard) and their parents (Bonnie Bedelia and Craig T. Nelson). Jason Katims is behind the Universal Media Studios-based project and is executive producing alongside Ron Howard and Brian Grazer.


SINS OF THE MOTHER (LMN, New!) - Jill Scott ("The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency") has been tapped to star in the original movie, about "a grad student who returns home to face her abusive, alcoholic mother only to discover that her mom is sober and has a 3-year-old daughter and new life." Scott would play the mother in the project, which is based on Carleen Brice's book "Orange Mint and Honey." Paul Kaufman is directing the project from a script by Elizabeth Hunter with Damon Lee executive producing for Mother Road Productions. Production is set to begin this week.


Sources: Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Reuters





  [september 2009]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S
  


· BLACK PANTHERS, THE (HBO)
· DEVELOPMENT UPDATE (TFC)
· DOLLHOUSE (FOX)
· EUREKA (SYFY)
· HANK (ABC)
· IDA TARBELL (HBO)
· NO. 1 LADIES' DETECTIVE AGENCY, THE (HBO)
· PARENTHOOD (NBC)
· REAPER (CW)
· SINS OF THE MOTHER (LMN)
· WILD CARD (LIFETIME)





[12/08/25 - 12:01 PM]
Netflix's "My Life with the Walter Boys" Welcomes New Cast Members for Season 3
Chad Rook, Naveen Paddock, and Erin Karpluk will recur on the upcoming season.

[12/08/25 - 11:30 AM]
College Football on The CW Network Sees Double Digit Year-Over-Year Viewership Gains for 2025 Season
ACC football experienced the largest year-over-year growth, up 26% in total audience compared to 2024.

[12/08/25 - 10:07 AM]
Video: Peacock Releases Official Trailer, Key Art and New Imagery for "The Copenhagen Test"
Simu Liu, Melissa Barrera, Sinclair Daniel, Brian d'Arcy James, Mark O'Brien, and Kathleen Chalfant star in the series, due on December 27.

[12/08/25 - 10:01 AM]
Video: "Kidnapped: Elizabeth Smart" - Official Trailer - Netflix
In the early hours of June 5, 2002, 14-year-old Elizabeth Smart was abducted from her bedroom in Salt Lake City, Utah, igniting one of the most intense and widely covered missing-person cases in American history.

[12/08/25 - 10:00 AM]
HBO Original Comedy Series "Rooster," Starring Steve Carell, From Bill Lawrence and Matt Tarses, Debuts March 2026
A comedy set on a college campus centering on an author's (Carell) complicated relationship with his daughter (Charly Clive).

[12/08/25 - 09:58 AM]
Wonder Project Reveals First-Look Images and Premiere Date for Upcoming Family Drama Series Starring Scott Foley, "It's Not Like That"
The family drama series starring Scott Foley will premiere with the first two episodes on Wonder Project's subscription on Prime Video on January 25, with subsequent episodes of the eight-episode season debuting weekly thereafter.

[12/08/25 - 09:45 AM]
Netflix Acquires Rights to Emily Giffin's Bestseller "All We Ever Wanted" for Series Adaptation Development
A soapy and scandalous drama that uncovers the secrets and class struggles of a wealthy suburb; where a torrid love affair between a "have" Mom and "have-not" single Dad threatens to expose the sins and lies of all of those around them.

[12/08/25 - 09:02 AM]
Video: NBC Debuts Official Trailer, Key Art, and New Images for Season 2 of "The Hunting Party"
Guest stars this season include Eric McCormack, Finnigan McCormack, Kelsey Grammer, Niecy Nash-Betts, Liz Gillies, Jefferson White, and more.

[12/08/25 - 09:02 AM]
"Alaska State Troopers" Returns for All-New Season on A&E Beginning January 7 at 8pm ET/PT
The series, which ran for eight seasons on cable from 2009-2015, gives an inside look at the law enforcement teams who serve and protect the communities in Alaska's vast territory.

[12/08/25 - 08:32 AM]
ESPN Unveils More MLB Game Selections for Key Dates in 2026
ESPN will begin its new 30-game regular season slate on Wednesday, April 15 - MLB Jackie Robinson Day - when it exclusively airs the New York Mets vs. reigning World Series Champion Los Angeles Dodgers game from Dodger Stadium at 10 p.m. ET.

[12/08/25 - 08:30 AM]
Hit Acorn TV Original Crime Drama "My Life Is Murder," Starring Lucy Lawless, Returns Monday, January 5
Starring Lucy Lawless as the fearless and unapologetic investigator Alexa Crowe, the eight-episode season features a slew of puzzling cases ranging from shady aquariums and elite cheer squads to creepy dolls and deadly island getaways.

[12/08/25 - 08:01 AM]
Video: "Miss Scarlet" Season 6 - Trailer
Can Eliza juggle the demands of her personal and professional life?

[12/08/25 - 07:16 AM]
Marcello Hernandez Debuts His First Ever Stand-Up Special on Netflix
In front of a hometown crowd in Miami, Marcello shares laugh-out-loud experiences of growing up as a first-generation American.

[12/08/25 - 06:06 AM]
Nominations Announced for "83rd Annual Golden Globes"
Marlon Wayans and Skye P. Marshall presented nominees for each of the 28 award categories at a press conference at the Beverly Hilton.

[12/08/25 - 03:01 AM]
Great American Media Continues Its Legacy of Love and Pet Adoption, "Great American Rescue Bowl 2026"
The two-hour special event honoring rescue pets and the heroes across America who save lives through shelter pet adoption.