or


[10/21/09 - 06:29 PM]
Development Update: Wednesday, October 21
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!


BOYFRED (ABC, New!) - Newcomers Blake Silver, Jarrod Zimmerman, Alan Schmuckler and Michael Mahler have landed a script order from the Alphabet for a new comedy about six twentysomething friends who use a web site to keep in touch after one of them moves overseas. The project, which has a penalty attached, is based on a 15-minute presentation the quartet shot last summer for $6,000. Thomas Schlamme has subsequently come on board to executive produce the half-hour, which is set up at Sony Pictures Television. As for specifics, said effort revolves around Fred, "a Web designer in Chicago whose girlfriend goes overseas, so he creates a Web site for their circle of friends to keep in touch." In addition, "many of the show's characters are involved in Chicago's music scene, and their music blogs are central to the shared Web site, Boyfred.com." Silver directed the presentation with Schmuckler, Mahler and Zimmerman starring and Schmuckler and Mahler providing original music.


FLASH FORWARD (ABC) - Marc Guggenheim has stepped down as co-showrunner of the freshman drama. The move comes as production wraps on the show's original 13 episode order, which Guggenheim was brought in to supervise alongside co-creator David Goyer. Goyer then will fly solo for the remaining 12 episodes of its 25-installment freshman run. As for Guggenheim, he'll transition to development through his overall deal with producer ABC Studios.


I'M WITH STUPID (ABC, New!) - Judy Greer ("Miss/Guided") is set to topline a new multi-comedy at the network about Kas Sienkiewicz, "a Manhattanite who has a fling with a park ranger while on safari in South Africa" who returns home to find the ranger has tracked her down where his "limited intellectual capabilities" are ultimately revealed. Elaine Szewczyk, whose novel upon which the show is based, is penning the half-hour alongside Allan Loeb. Loeb, Steven Pearl and Richard Lewis then are executive producing the project, which has a script commitment, with Szewczyk serving as a co-executive producer. ABC Studios is producing the half-hour, which was originally developed by Lionsgate Television.


OLIVE PRODUCTIONS PROJECTS (Various, New!) - Steve Buscemi, Stanley Tucci and Wren Arthur's Olive Productions has booked a pair of projects around town. At HBO there's an untitled hour from Stu Zicherman ("Six Degrees") about "a brilliant, one-time powerful politician struggling to rebuild his career and relationships with his family and friends after being brought down by a scandal." Tucci is attached to play said role. Meanwhile, TBS has ordered "Good and Evel," an animated comedy about twin brothers Jack Good and Bo Evel who were "stolen by gypsy cab drivers at birth and taught how to behave and drive badly, Bo is a career petty criminal, and Jack bends over backward to mend his brother's ways and help his dysfunctional family." "Daria" co-creator Glenn Eichler penned said half-hour, which also comes from The Gotham Group's Lee Stollman and Ellen Goldsmith-Vein. Both projects are set up at Lionsgate Television where Olive has a first-look deal. Buscemi, Tucci and Arthur then will executive produce alongside the aforementioned creators.


UNTITLED PAUL RUST PROJECT (NBC, New!) - Paul Rust ("I Love You, Beth Cooper") is set to write and star in a new comedy at the Peacock based on his stint as a Wal-Mart employee. Universal Media Studios and Conan O'Brien's Conaco banner are behind the half-hour, which will track Rust's story of graduating from the U. of Iowa, returning to his hometown of LeMars, Iowa and taking a job at Wal-Mart (to be replaced by a fictional big-box store) - "only to find that his co-workers included his former high school principal." Rust, O'Brien and David Kissinger will then serve as executive producers.


WE ARE HERE (ABC, New!) - Hilary Winston ("My Name Is Earl") is developing a new comedy at the Alphabet about "four friends from the U. of Texas, all of whom still live in Austin, but deal with the arrival of adulthood in different ways." Anthony and Joe Russo ("Community") are also on board to executive produce the half-hour for Sony Pictures Television. The network has given a script commitment to the project with a penalty attached.


Sources: Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Reuters





  [october 2009]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S
    


· BOYFRED (ABC)
· COMMUNITY (YAHOO)
· DARIA (MTV)
· DEVELOPMENT UPDATE (TFC)
· FLASH FORWARD (ABC)
· GOOD & EVEL (TBS)
· IM WITH STUPID (ABC)
· MISS/GUIDED (ABC)
· MY NAME IS EARL (NBC)
· SIX DEGREES (ABC)
· UNTITLED PAUL RUST PROJECT (NBC)
· UNTITLED STU ZICHERMAN PROJECT (HBO)
· WE ARE HERE (ABC)





[07/07/26 - 07:01 AM]
Catch a First Look at Netflix's "Crew Girl"
16-year-old Teagan Tao (Miku Martineau) was a rising star in single sculls rowing until a family scandal capsized her future.

[07/07/26 - 07:01 AM]
Apple TV's New Crime Drama "Nocturne" to Make Global Debut on Friday, October 30
"Nocturne" stars and is executive produced by Tony Award winner, Actor Award winner, Emmy Award nominee and Golden Globe nominee Liev Schreiber, as well as Emmy Award nominee Zazie Beetz.

[07/07/26 - 06:09 AM]
BritBox Announces Casting, Start of Production for New Period Drama Series, "The Cadburys" (fka "Chocolate Wars")
Toby Regbo, Harry Gilby and Jessica Barden will lead the six-part drama series.

[07/07/26 - 06:01 AM]
"The Final Problem" Arrives on Netflix on September 25
An island off the coast of Mallorca, 13 guests trapped in a hotel by a storm, and a death that changes everything.

[07/07/26 - 02:01 AM]
Video: "Umthetho" - Official Teaser - Netflix
To keep their youngest brother alive, an idealistic state prosecutor is forced to become a double agent in her imprisoned older brother's gang.

[07/07/26 - 01:01 AM]
Video: "Love in Slow Motion" - Official Trailer - Netflix
When Haya's best friend Jawad gets engaged, her chronically-single world unravels - because who knew true love could be hiding in the friend zone?

[07/06/26 - 02:25 PM]
26.395 Million Viewers: FOX Sports' Final Tally for USMNT Round of 32 Win - The Most-Watched Soccer Telecast in English-Language U.S. History
Said coverage reached a peak audience of 34,823,000 viewers from 9:45-10:00 PM ET.

[07/06/26 - 02:01 PM]
Apple TV Announces New Thriller "Guilty Creatures" with Julia Garner Set to Star
The series delves into the psyche of a torrid romance and subsequent act of murder between two young, adulterous but God-fearing lovers, unraveling their complex lives and the emotional toll of living as killers for 18 years.

[07/06/26 - 02:00 PM]
"Big Brother" Debuts Two New Live Fan Experiences Available on Its Official YouTube Channel
Season 28 Houseguests will be announced exclusively in the inaugural "Big Brother: Broveal" tomorrow, Tuesday, July 7 live at 12:00 PM, ET/9:00 AM, PT.

[07/06/26 - 11:01 AM]
Video: "WWE: Unreal" Season 3 - Official Trailer - Netflix
John Cena says goodbye, a fan favorite returns, and the next generation of Superstars rise to the occasion.

[07/06/26 - 09:16 AM]
Colin Woodell Cast as Titular Role in Netflix's "Myron Bolitar"
KJ Apa and Diane Guerrero will also star in the project, inspired by Harlan Coben's most iconic and longest-running series spanning 12 books.

[07/06/26 - 09:04 AM]
All-Star Survivalists Are Stranded at Sea in New Series "Naked and Afraid: Shipwrecked" Premiering Sunday, August 2 at 8PM ET/PT on Discovery Channel
Under the impression that they are entering a standard 35-day group challenge at dawn, the survivalists instead begin their insertion adrift at sea overnight.

[07/06/26 - 08:31 AM]
"This Is UFC: McGregor vs. Holloway" to Air Live on CBS Friday, July 10
The special debuts in advance of UFC 329: McGregor vs. Holloway 2 streaming on Saturday, July 11 from the T-Mobile Arena exclusively on Paramount+.

[07/05/26 - 07:01 PM]
Video: "The Apartment Job" - Official Trailer - Netflix
Desperate for cash, a former gang boss teams up with an aspiring lawyer to steal an apartment complex's reserve fund - only to uncover deep corruption.

[07/05/26 - 06:49 PM]
Macy's July 4 Fireworks Special on NBC Registers Highest Viewer Total Since 2018
In its original 8-10 p.m. telecast on NBC, the fireworks drew 5.1 million viewers, which was up 42% from last year and the best since 2019.