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)





[06/23/26 - 12:31 PM]
Video: DC, Warner Bros. Animation, Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Releases Official Trailer for "Batman: Knightfall"
Part one of the trilogy premiered tonight at the 2026 edition of the Annecy International Animation Film Festival with an official release planned for later this year.

[06/23/26 - 12:01 PM]
Video: Paramount+ Releases Official Trailer for "The Real Wolf of Wall Street"
The three-part documentary event premieres on Tuesday, July 14, exclusively on Paramount+.

[06/23/26 - 12:01 PM]
Netflix Top 10: Week of June 15 - "I Will Find You" Chases Down No. 1 in This Week's Top 10
At No. 2 on the English TV list was "Outlast: The Jungle" with 3.9 million views.

[06/23/26 - 11:16 AM]
Terry Crews Will Host Macy's 4th of July Fireworks on NBC
The star-studded event will feature performances by Noah Kahan, Post Malone, Salt-N-Pepa, Bebe Rexha, Shaboozey and Blake Shelton.

[06/23/26 - 10:03 AM]
Disney+ and Hulu to Stream "Rabbit Hole" - pocket.watch Creator-Led Show Premieres July 13th
The half-hour 10-episode original series will debut as the largest ensemble of digital stars ever brought together for a premium series.

[06/23/26 - 10:02 AM]
HBO Original Documentary Series "The Man Will Burn" Debuts July 9
The series goes behind the scenes to chronicle the evolution and ethos of Burning Man, the 40-year-old cultural event and temporary city built in the Nevada desert.

[06/23/26 - 09:10 AM]
ESPN and Disney Jr. Encourage Preschoolers to Get in the Game, Team Up Again with Every Kid Sports to Expand Access to Youth Sports for Income-Restricted Families
"Me & Mickey: Let's Play Sports," a collaboration between Disney Jr., ESPN and Positive Coaching Alliance, will debut Monday, June 29, on Disney+, Disney Jr. (6:25 a.m. EDT/PDT) and Disney Jr. on Demand.

[06/23/26 - 09:06 AM]
Video: HBO Max Releases Official Trailer and Key Art for Max Original Comedy Series "Stuart Fails to Save the Universe," Debuting July 23
Comic book store owner Stuart Bloom is tasked with restoring reality after he breaks a device built by Sheldon and Leonard, accidentally bringing about a multiverse Armageddon.

[06/23/26 - 09:01 AM]
Video: Her Kingdom Has Come - Paramount+ Reveals Trailer and First Look at Season 6 of "Tyler Perry's Ruthless" Premiering June 30
The series will launch with two episodes, followed by a weekly rollout culminating in the mid-season finale on Tuesday, August 25.

[06/23/26 - 09:00 AM]
The CW Network Named Exclusive Broadcast Partner for Both Miss USA and Miss Teen USA 2026 Competitions
Both competitions will air live from the Ziff Ballet Opera House at the renowned Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts in Miami, marking the return of the two competitions to The CW for the first time since 2024.

[06/23/26 - 08:31 AM]
Netflix Unveils Upcoming Anime Slate Out of Annecy Festival
The Netflix Anime Studio Focus highlighted upcoming titles from some of Japan's most acclaimed creators and animation studios, spanning original stories, beloved manga adaptations, and returning fan-favorite franchises.

[06/23/26 - 08:23 AM]
BET Names Keke Palmer to Its Board of Advisors, Deepening a New Era of Leadership and Cultural Stewardship
Formed earlier this month under BET President Louis Carr, the Board brings together cultural icons, business leaders, and industry visionaries to help steer the ongoing growth of the 45-year-old network as a key player at the crossroads of media, community, and culture.

[06/23/26 - 07:01 AM]
A24's "The Drama" Begins Streaming Exclusively on HBO Max July 31
The film stars Zendaya, Robert Pattinson, Alana Haim, Mamoudou Athie, and Hailey Benton Gates.

[06/23/26 - 07:01 AM]
Video: 2026 MLB Home Run Derby - Official Trailer - Netflix
The best sluggers in baseball put their power to the test and chase home run glory live from Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia.

[06/23/26 - 07:01 AM]
"The Devil Wears Prada 2" Streams Exclusively on Disney+ and Hulu July 29
Gird your loins.