or


[09/18/09 - 06:03 PM]
Development Update: Friday, September 18
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 BORGIAS (Showtime, New!) - Feature helmer Neil Jordan is developing a new historical drama at the pay channel about the infamous Borgia clan, "the notorious Italian noble family that ran amok during the Renaissance." Showtime is said to be close to a pilot commitment for the project, which also comes from DreamWorks Television and Robert Zemeckis's ImageMovers banner. Jordan penned the script on spec and has completed a story bible for the series. He'll also executive produce alongside Justin Falvey and Darryl Frank of DreamWorks and Zemeckis, Jack Rapke and Steve Starkey of ImageMovers. As for specifics, the series will revolve around Rodrigo Borgia, "who served as Pope Alexander VI from 1492-1503 before dying suddenly, and his murderous and larcenous children Lucrezia, Cesare and Juan."


CHUCK (NBC) - Vinnie Jones ("X-Men: The Last Stand") is set to guest star on the show's third season. He'll play Karl Stromberg, "an expert hit man with a soft side." No other details were given about said role.


IN PLAIN SIGHT (USA, New!) - John McNamara ("Eyes") has been tapped as the showrunner of the series, which returns for its third season next year. He'll take over for David Maples and Paul Stupin, who announced their departure earlier this year. The news is the result of a new overall deal the prolific writer/producer has inked with Universal Media Studios. In addition to his "Sight" duties, he'll develop new series projects for the studio. Production on the new season of "Sight" begins in January in Albuquerque.


LEAPFROG (ABC, New!) - Shana Goldberg-Meehan ("Joey") has landed a pilot commitment from the Alphabet for a new multi-camera comedy about "two sisters at different stages in their romantic relationships - one sister is in a happy, long-term relationship but isn't married; the other gets pregnant and winds up quickly marrying her new beau." Warner Bros. Television is the studio attached.


PREGNANCY PACT (Lifetime) - Thora Birch and Nancy Travis are the first to be cast in the original movie, which is inspired by "the true story of the boom of teen pregnancies at Gloucester High School in Massachusetts." Birch will play Sidney Bloom, "an opinionated blogger who returns to her hometown to investigate the sudden spike in teenage pregnancies at her old high school." Travis then is set as Lorraine Dougan, "head of a local conservative-values group and mother of Sara, a pregnant 15-year-old." The Gloucester story drew national attention after a Time magazine story suggested the pregnancies were the result of a pact among the girls. Robert M. Sertner and Frank von Zerneck are behind the project, which Rosemary Rodriguez will direct from a script by Pamela Davis and Teena Booth.


UNTITLED BRETT PAESEL/MARSH MCCALL PROJECT (ABC, New!) - Brett Paesel and Marsh McCall have booked a script commitment from the Alphabet for a new comedy about Megan McPhee, "a newly divorced woman who, in an attempt to rebuild her life, takes a rather unusual job." ABC Studios is behind the multi-camera half-hour with Warren Littlefield also executive producing.


UNTITLED PENN & TELLER PROJECT (ABC, New!) - Vegas magicians/comedians Penn and Teller ("Penn & Teller: Bullshit") are set to topline a potential new dramedy at the network about a pair of "magicians by night and reluctant detectives by day." Leonard Dick ("House") is writing the Warner Bros. Television-based project and will executive alongside the duo. Peter Golden is also onboard as a co-executive producer.


Sources: Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Reuters





  [september 2009]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S
  


· BETTER WITH YOU (ABC)
· BORGIAS, THE (SHOWTIME)
· CHUCK (NBC)
· DEVELOPMENT UPDATE (TFC)
· EYES (ABC)
· HOUSE (FOX)
· IN PLAIN SIGHT (USA)
· JOEY (NBC)
· PENN & TELLER: BULLSHIT (SHOWTIME)
· PREGNANCY PACT (LIFETIME)
· UNTITLED MCCALL & PAESEL PROJECT (ABC)
· UNTITLED PENN & TELLER PROJECT (ABC)





[04/16/26 - 01:11 PM]
"Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" Renewed for Season 28 by NBC
The network confirmed the news on social media this afternoon.

[04/16/26 - 12:01 PM]
NBC Sports Adds to Game and Studio Teams for WNBA Coverage Beginning May
Zora Stephenson, Noah Eagle, and Michael Grady will call games as the play-by-play voices, with LaChina Robinson as both studio host and game analyst, and Sarah Kustok as a game analyst.

[04/16/26 - 12:01 PM]
Next on Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN - May 2026
Highlights include "Travis Japan Summer Vacation!! in the USA," "The Punisher: One Last Kill," and "The Nightmare Upstairs: What Happened to Ty and Bryn."

[04/16/26 - 10:36 AM]
"American Idol" Rocks to a 5-Week High
Among Adults 18-49, "American Idol" grew over the prior week, delivering its best performance in 7 weeks.

[04/16/26 - 10:01 AM]
"Couples Therapy" Season Five Premieres Friday, May 15, Exclusively on Paramount+
On linear (Paramount+ with Showtime), the first three episodes will debut back-to-back on Sunday, May 17, starting at 10 p.m. ET/PT.

[04/16/26 - 10:01 AM]
Video: "Man on Fire" - Official Trailer - Netflix
Haunted by his past and hunted by his enemies, a Special Forces veteran fights to keep a teenage girl alive on the deadly streets of Rio de Janeiro.

[04/16/26 - 09:31 AM]
"Calabasas Confidential" Premieres Only on Netflix May 29
After graduating college, a group of lifelong friends, foes, and exes return to Calabasas for a summer they'll never forget.

[04/16/26 - 09:30 AM]
Video: Starz Releases Emotionally-Charged First Look at New Season of "Outlander: Blood of My Blood," Ahead of Next Month's "Outlander" Series Finale
The epic prequel series returns for season two this fall, only on Starz.

[04/16/26 - 09:01 AM]
Neil Patrick Harris, Tituss Burgess and Ellie Kemper to Star in Forthcoming Mo Willems Children's Book Adaptions for Paramount+
Burgess and Kemper will reunite in "The Elephant & Piggie Show!," while four-time Emmy-winner Neil Patrick Harris is slated to voice "The Pigeon Show! Starring The Pigeon."

[04/16/26 - 09:01 AM]
HBO Originals "Euphoria" and "DTF St. Louis" Viewership Performance
"Euphoria" made its much-anticipated season 3 return to amass 8.5 million U.S. viewers in its first three days of availability.

[04/16/26 - 09:00 AM]
First Look: Hulu Original Film "Never Change!"
Directed by Marty Schousboe, the film will have its world premiere screening at Tribeca Film Festival on June 9 ahead of a summer debut on Hulu, and Hulu on Disney+ for bundle subscribers, in the U.S. and Disney+ internationally.

[04/16/26 - 09:00 AM]
The CW Sets Premiere Date for Eighth and Final Season of Groundbreaking Drama Series "All American"
The highly anticipated eighth and final season of the award-winning drama will air a special two-hour premiere on Monday, July 13.

[04/16/26 - 08:30 AM]
"SkyMed" Season 4 Takes Flight May 21 on Paramount+
Not your typical medical drama, the eight-episode fourth season features daring rescues across dense wilderness, raging rapids, and isolated terrain where help is hard-to-reach.

[04/16/26 - 08:12 AM]
"Maigret" Starring Benjamin Wainwright Renewed for Season 2 on "Masterpiece"
Filming started this month in Budapest.

[04/16/26 - 08:01 AM]
Video: "Mating Season" - Official Trailer - Netflix
In the search for love, we're all animals.