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[09/24/09 - 06:04 PM]
Development Update: Thursday, September 24
By The Futon Critic Staff (TFC) |
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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!
24 (FOX) - Stephen Root ("True Blood") is the 16th addition to the show's massive season eight ensemble, due in January. He'll play Ben Prady, an officer of the Department of Corrections looking into a parolee gone missing, in a multi-episode arc.
AMERICAN IDOL (FOX) - The network and Simon Cowell are reportedly in talks to import his U.K. series "The X Factor." Said development comes as negotiations continue with the judge to extend his current pact, which ends after the upcoming season. The "Idol" portion of the deal is said to be valued in the nine-figure range to return for two more seasons while "Factor" could net just as much per season. Cowell's existing "Idol" deal prohibited him from bringing "Factor" to the U.S., hence the added pressure to either keep Cowell exclusive or fold "Factor" under the FOX tent.
THE BILL ENGVALL SHOW (TBS) - The cable channel has pulled the plug on the sitcom after three seasons. In a statement released to the Atlanta Journal Constitution, the network said: "TBS has cancelled The Bill Engvall Show after three seasons. We had a great experience working with Bill and the cast. Bill is a terrific comic, and we have tremendous respect for him. While the show didn't attract the audience we need to renew it for another season, we're proud of the work of everyone involved."
THE CAPE (NBC, New!)/THE MYSTERIES OF OAK ISLAND (FOX, New!) - Tom Wheeler ("Empire") has landed script commitments - with penalties attached - for new dramas at FOX and NBC. The former, the Warner Bros. Television-based "The Mysteries of Oak Island," revolves around "a single mom and her two children who inherit a 200-year-old lighthouse on [a] mysterious island off the coast of Nova Scotia known for numerous quests to find treasure believed to be buried there." Meanwhile, "The Cape" centers on "a former cop framed for a crime he didn't commit who becomes the Cape, a masked hero, to clear his name and reunite with his son." Said hour, set in the fictional Jefferson City ("a Los Angeles-type city where corrupt private industries are taking over everything"), comes from Universal Media Studios and fellow executive producers Lloyd Braun and Gail Berman.
HOUSE (FOX) - Entertainment Weekly reports Jennifer Morrison is departing the series later this season. Said development is being billed as "a creative decision on the part of producers." It's understood Morrison's character, who will say goodbye during an episode in November, won't be killed off but rather exit for other reasons. Producers nevertheless reportedly will leave the door open for future appearances.
LAWMAN (FX) - "Dirty Sexy Money" alum Natalie Zea has joined the cast of upcoming drama, about "a modern-day, 19th-century-style lawman (Timothy Olyphant) enforcing his brand of justice." She'll play the ex-wife of said character after guest starring in the pilot. Sony Pictures Television and FX Productions are behind the hour, which rolls out early next year.
SKY JOCKEYS (FOX, New!) - RDF Media and UKTV, a joint venture between BBC Worldwide and Virgin Media, are set to team for a potential new animated comedy set inside an airport. Anil Gupta (U.K.'s "The Office") and Richard Pinto ("Mutual Friends") are behind the half-hour, the pilot of which has been sold to FOX. The project is a result of RDF Media's new script-development deal with UKTV's digital outlet Dave which calls for the company to develop three half-hour scripts, including "Sky Jockeys," at least one of which will be picked up for broadcast sometime in late 2010. No other details about "Jockeys" however were released.
UNTITLED JIM BREUER PROJECT (NBC, New!) - "SNL" alum Jim Breuer is set to topline a new multi-camera comedy at the Peacock about "a father who decides to stay home and raise his three daughters and at the same time take care of his elderly parents." Wil Calhoun ("What I Like About You") is penning the half-hour for Sony Pictures Television. It's understood the project, which has a script commitment, is inspired by Breuer's recent documentary "More Than This," which followed the comedian as he embarked on a stand-up tour with his father. Breuer and Calhoun then will executive produce alongside Brian Robbins and Sharla Sumpter of Varsity Pictures and Judi Brown-Marmel of Levity Entertainment Group.
Sources: Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Reuters
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[12/12/13 - 03:20 PM]
Wednesday's Cable Ratings & Broadcast Finals: "Modern Family," "Duck Dynasty" Top Demos
Plus: numbers for TNT's "Mob City," Syfy's "Haunted Highway" and TLC's "Pregnant Behind Bars."
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[12/12/13 - 02:17 PM]
Holiday Specials of ABC Family's Hit Comedies, "Baby Daddy" and "Melissa & Joey" Rank as Cable TV's #1 Telecast in Their Time Periods Across Target Demos
ABC Family spins the numbers for Wednesday, December 11.
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[12/12/13 - 02:13 PM]
Video: Check Out the "Teen Wolf" Trailer for the Season 3: Part 2 Premiere
The series returns to MTV on Monday, January 6 at 10:00/9:00c.
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[12/12/13 - 01:30 PM]
Casting Begins for a Disney Channel Original Movie Introducing the Teenage Descendants of Disney's Evil Villains
Disney's "Descendants" is scheduled to begin production next spring for a 2015 premiere on Disney Channel.
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[12/12/13 - 01:14 PM]
TBS Toasts the Much-Anticipated Return of "Cougar Town" with a Billboard-Sized Wine-Cork Mosaic and "Cougar Size Your Wine" Promotion
Said stunt is timed with the show's fifth season launch on Tuesday, January 7 at 10:00/9:00c.
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[12/12/13 - 12:58 PM]
Emmy(R)-Winning Series "Banshee" Returns for Second Season Jan. 10, Exclusively on Cinemax
New guest stars this season include Zeljko Ivanek, Tatanka Means and Julian Sands.
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[12/12/13 - 12:47 PM]
"SEC on CBS" Scores Highest Rating of Any College Football Television Package for Fifth Consecutive Year
CBS spins the numbers for its college football coverage to date this season.
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[12/12/13 - 12:15 PM]
TLC Returns South for the Winter with All-New Thursday Night Lineup Featuring "Here Comes Honey Boo Boo" and "Trailer Park: Welcome to Myrtle Manor"
Both series will air back-to-back beginning January 16 at 9:00/8:00c.
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[12/12/13 - 11:56 AM]
"Saturday Night Live" Hits a Season High in Total Viewers
NBC spins the numbers for Saturday, December 7.
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[12/12/13 - 11:54 AM]
"Mysteries of the Castle: Beyond Downton Abbey" - Special Edition of "20/20" airs Thursday, December 26, 9:00 - 11:00 pm ET on ABC
The two-hour special is a behind-the-butler look at the Downton Abbey world from inside the real-life English castle that inspired the cult series.
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[12/12/13 - 11:50 AM]
"Tonight Show," "Late Night" Encores Outperform Broadcast Timeslot Competition for Week of Dec. 2-6
NBC spins the late-night numbers for the week of December 2-6.
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[12/12/13 - 11:48 AM]
Great American Country Renews Hit Original Series "Farm Kings" For Third Season
Season three launches on Thursday, December 19 at 9:00/8:00c on Great American Country.
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[12/12/13 - 11:38 AM]
December 13 Features Veterans Coming "Home for the Holidays" on Programming Throughout the Day and Night on ABC
"The View," "Last Man Standing," "Shark Tank" and "Nightline" are among the participating series.
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[12/12/13 - 11:34 AM]
A&E's "Duck Dynasty" Christmas Special Posts Double Digit Increases from Last Year's Holiday Special
Plus: season five is set to premiere on Wednesday, January 15 with back-to-back episodes beginning at 10:00/9:00c.
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[12/12/13 - 11:01 AM]
CBS Orders 29th and 30th Editions of "Survivor" for the 2014-2015 Season
Plus: five-time Emmy Award winner Jeff Probst has signed a new agreement to return as host and executive producer.
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