or


[10/01/09 - 06:41 PM]
Development Update: Thursday, October 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!


THE CUBE (FOX) - All3Media is looking to import its U.K. game show "The Cube." The project, much like NBC's recent pickup "Perfect 10," features contestants as they "have to complete very simple physical challenges on stage in a limited amount of time (standing on one leg, catching a ball, etc)." FOX's commitment to the project wasn't specified. FOX and NBC faced a similar format overlap with their July 2007 launches of "Don't Forget the Lyrics!" and "The Singing Bee," respectively.


DAY ONE (NBC) - The Peacock has rolled back its commitment to the midseason drama to its original two-hour pilot plus two episodes. The decision is widely painted as a cost-cutting move in light of the current economic climate. The project, which chronicles the lives of the tenants of a Los Angeles apartment complex following a global catastrophe, has long been pegged as a potential "limited" series by the network so its reformatting to a four-hour mini-series isn't much of a surprise. NBC and Universal Media Studios executives nevertheless insist the door is open for a second season should its ratings merit. Jesse Alexander is created the series, which stars Julie Gonzalo, David Lyons, Carly Pope, Adam Campbell, Thekla Reuten, Derek Mio, Addison Timlin and Catherine Dent.


FACING KATE (USA) - The cable channel has issued a cast-contingent pilot order to the project, described as a "new spin on a legal franchise featuring a mediator from a family of corporate lawyers." Michael Sardo penned the Universal Cable Productions-based project and is executive producing alongside Steve Stark and Russ Buchholz. Producers are casting for the title character, Kate, a divorced San Francisco lawyer who leaves her job to become a moderator.


THE INBETWEENERS (BBC America) - The network has postponed the launch of the U.K. import until winter of next year. Damon Beesley and Iain Morris are behind the project, which "offers a painfully funny take on the squirming humiliations of teenage life." No reason for the delay was given.


UNTITLED ABC FAMILY PROJECTS (New!) - Two untitled comedies have scored pilot orders from the cable channel. First up is a multi-camera effort starring Melissa Joan Hart and Joey Lawrence from co-creators Bob Young and David Kendall. Hart plays Hailey, "a political dynasty wild child-turned-politician who takes in her teenage niece and pre-adolescent nephew when her sister goes to prison and her brother-in-law flees." Lawrence then is set as Jack, who "moves in and becomes the family's 'manny.'" Young and Kendall penned the half-hour and will executive produce alongside the Hart, Lawrence and Paula Hart. Meanwhile, Michael Jacobs ("Boy Meets World") is behind a single-camera comedy which "centers on a young father, recently laid off from his architecture firm, who begins to mentor his underdog middle daughter, while his veterinarian wife shares a closer bond with their Type A older daughter." Jacobs penned the script and is executive producing. Both pilots are set to begin production this fall.


UNTITLED J.J. ABRAMS/JOSH REIMS PROJECT (NBC, New!) - The Peacock has landed a new drama from J.J. Abrams and Josh Reims following a bidding war with ABC and CBS. The untitled hour revolves around two spies working together who also are husband and wife, a la "Mr. & Mrs. Smith." The pair, who penned the script on spec, will executive produce via Abrams's Warner Bros. Television-based Bad robot Productions alongside the company's Bryan Burk. NBC's hefty commitment is a pilot plus a penalty attached should it not go to series. No other details about the project were released.


Sources: Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Reuters





  [october 2009]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S
    


· BOY MEETS WORLD (ABC)
· CUBE, THE (CBS)
· DAY ONE (NBC)
· DEVELOPMENT UPDATE (TFC)
· DON'T FORGET THE LYRICS! (FOX)
· FAIRLY LEGAL (USA)
· INBETWEENERS, THE (BBC AMERICA)
· MELISSA & JOEY (ABC FAMILY)
· SINGING BEE, THE (CMT)
· UNDERCOVERS (NBC)
· UNTITLED MICHAEL JACOBS PROJECT (ABC FAMILY)





[03/11/26 - 01:44 PM]
Academy Award Winner Tommy Lee Jones Joins Season Two Cast of "The Lowdown" Coming to FX and Hulu
Jones joins previously announced Betty Gilpin in the next season, which begins production this spring in Tulsa.

[03/11/26 - 01:22 PM]
Lifetime Announces Two New "Ripped from the Headlines" Films for Spring
Nancy Travis and Stana Katic are among the featured talent.

[03/11/26 - 01:00 PM]
FOX Entertainment Studios Signs Development Commitment with Frankie Quinones for New Comedy Series
QuiƱones is a Los Angeles-based stand-up comedian and actor known for his viral character, "Creeper" and for starring in the Hulu comedy series "This Fool."

[03/11/26 - 11:30 AM]
ESPN Delivers Most-Watched Women's College Basketball Regular Season Since 2008-09
ESPN networks were home to six of the top 10 women's college basketball regular season games across all networks this season and 29 of the top 30 on cable.

[03/11/26 - 11:01 AM]
98th Oscars Rounds Out Show Presenters
Rose Byrne, Nicole Kidman, Jimmy Kimmel, Delroy Lindo, Ewan McGregor, Wagner Moura, Pedro Pascal, Bill Pullman, Lewis Pullman, Channing Tatum and Sigourney Weaver are all on tap.

[03/11/26 - 10:05 AM]
Josh Gates Returns with an All-New Season of "Expedition Files," Revealing Striking New Revelations Behind History's Biggest Mysteries
The series is returning with a brand-new season on Wednesday, April 1 at 9pm ET/PT on Discovery Channel.

[03/11/26 - 10:01 AM]
HBO Original Comedy Special "Color Theories by Julio Torres" Debuts March 27
In his second HBO comedy special, Peabody-winner Julio Torres presents a helpful guide to understanding the world through his playful interpretations of colors.

[03/11/26 - 09:31 AM]
Video: MLB Opening Night: Yankees vs. Giants - Official Trailer - Netflix
The 2026 Major League Baseball season leads off on Netflix, with Yankees vs. Giants in a star-studded opener live at Oracle Park in San Francisco.

[03/11/26 - 09:01 AM]
Date & Cast Announcement: Hulu's "Love Overboard"
Produced by Alex Cooper's Unwell Productions and Jeff Jenkins Productions, "Love Overboard" premieres Thursday, March 26 with all nine episodes on Hulu and Hulu on Disney+ for bundle subscribers in the U.S. and Disney+ internationally.

[03/11/26 - 09:01 AM]
Nikki Glaser Returns to Host "The 84th Annual Golden Globes" Airing Sunday, Jan. 10, 2027 on CBS and Paramount+
Glaser said, "I'm thrilled to host the Golden Globes for a third time, not only because it's the greatest gig I've ever had, but because my sister has three kids and now we will be equal in the eyes of my parents and the Lord."

[03/11/26 - 07:04 AM]
"#SKYKING," the Gripping New Documentary Set to Make Its World Premiere at SXSW 2026, Premieres on Hulu April 14
The feature-length documentary tells the story of Richard "Beebo" Russell, who captured the world's attention when he stole a commercial plane and took off on a flight that would come to embody the dreams and despair of the American working class, while offering a look at the US mental health crisis.

[03/11/26 - 07:02 AM]
New Episodes of "Rick and Morty" Premiere May 24 on Adult Swim
Get ready to portal-jump back into the multiverse - Adult Swim's #1 series returns with a season that's bigger, bolder, and more ambitious than ever.

[03/11/26 - 07:01 AM]
"Friday Night Baseball" Returns to Apple TV on March 27 for Its Fifth Season
Highlights include the storied New York Subway Series matchup between the Yankees and Mets, plus multiple appearances by reigning National League MVP Shohei Ohtani and the defending World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers.

[03/11/26 - 06:47 AM]
Matt Vasgersian Joins NBC Sports as a Play-by-Play Voice for "MLB Sunday Leadoff" on Peacock and NBCSN
Vasgersian, who spent the last five years as a Los Angeles Angels TV play-by-play voice, will continue his role at MLB Network, a position he has held since its inception in 2009.

[03/11/26 - 06:31 AM]
Video: "The Hawk" - Lonnie Hawkins Character Reveal - Netflix
One of the greatest names in golf history (that you're somehow only just hearing about), American hero Lonnie "The Hawk" Hawkins is Will Ferrell's newest original character.