 |
 |
[10/30/09 - 06:09 PM]
Development Update: Friday, October 30
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!
AIRPLANE REPO (Discovery) - Craig Piligian ("Dirty Jobs") has booked yet another series at the cable channel in which repossessor Nick Popovich and his team re-acquires jets and helicopters from delinquent owners around the world, including Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Finland. Eight episodes are set to roll out early next year from Piligian's Pilgrim Films & Television banner. Popovich and Bill Rancic ("The Apprentice") are executive producing alongside Piligan.
APOSTLE PROJECTS (Various, New!) - Denis Leary and Jim Serpico's Sony Pictures Television-based Apostle Films has lined up a half-dozen series projects around town. At CBS, the company is redeveloping its Michael Rapaport-led drama about "a social worker who's good at helping others with their problems, but not necessarily his own." Peter Ocko ("Pushing Daisies") is taking over scripting duties from Bryan Goluboff. Over at FOX, Apostle continues to shepherd "Extended Family" from John Beck and Ron Hart ("According to Jim"). The multi-camera comedy is based on Beck's experiences growing up in a family that also made room for foster kids.
Newly revealed are an untitled hour for FX set in the world of televangelists. David Folwell ("Medium") is writing the project, which is set up at FX Productions. At Spike TV there's "The Rebel League," loosely based on Ed Willes's book of the same name (subtitled "The Short and Unruly Life of the World Hockey"), about "the startup of a contemporary hockey league and its out-of-control managers and players." Stephen Engel ("The Big Bang Theory") is writing the half-hour. Meanwhile, USA is developing "Partners in Crime" from Janine Sherman-Barrois and "Scales of Justice," from New York playwright Joe Sutton. The former revolves around ex-husband and wife private eyes while the latter is a New Orleans-set drama about "an overweight ex-cop who enlists his overeaters support group to fight crime." Lastly, the company is looking to bring the feature film "Gattica" to the small screen. Gil Grant ("NCIS: LA") is penning the hour, a police procedural set in the future, which will go out to networks soon.
COUGAR TOWN (ABC) - "The Unit" alum Scott Foley has landed a three-episode arc on the freshman comedy, Entertainment Weekly reports. He'll play a client of Courteney Cox's realtor character whom she begins dating. It's not clear when his first episode will air.
THE FOLLOWER (HBO, New!) - Jason Starr's novel of the same name is set to be the focus of a potential new drama at the pay channel. Said hour, which is set up at Lionsgate Television, is "described as a dark social satire chronicling the dating lives of a group of twentysomething New Yorkers as seen through the eyes of a stalker." Bret Easton Ellis ("American Psycho") is penning the adaptation with Jason Blum ("Paranormal Activity") and Vertigo Films partners Doug Davison and Roy Lee and Media Talent Group's Geyer Kosinski also executive producing. Vertigo's Gabriel Mason is likewise attached as a co-executive producer with Steven Schneider serving as an associate producer. Vertigo has a first-look deal with Lionsgate.
JOSH HEALD PROJECTS (Various, New!) - Feature writer Josh Heald (the upcoming "Mardi Gras" and "Hot Tub Time Machine") has sold a pair of projects, multi-camera comedies at NBC and FOX. The Peacock effort, "Sausagefest," is about "two very different twentysomething best friends whose lives are complicated by their clingy dads, one a thrice-divorced misogynist who means well and the other a gentle widower." Norm Macdonald is already attached as the former dad. The FOX project, "Sequestered," then revolves around "12 strangers forced to live together when they are sequestered for a lengthy jury trial." BermanBraun's Gail Berman and Lloyd Braun are executive producing the Universal Media Studios-based "Sausagesfest" while The Chernin Co.'s Peter Chernin and Katherine Pope are likewise executive producing the 20th Century Fox Television-based "Sequestered."
NCIS (CBS) - Rena Sofer ("Heroes") is set to appear on an upcoming episode of the veteran CBS drama. She'll play a no-nonsense attorney with mysterious motives, a role which is potentially recurring.
RIZZOLI (TNT) - Sasha Alexander, Bruce McGill, Jordan Bridges and Lee Thompson Young have all joined the cast of the drama pilot, based on Tess Gerritsen's popular Jane Rizzoli mystery novels about the crime-solving team of Boston police detective Rizzoli (Angie Harmon) and medical examiner Maura Isles. Alexander will play the latter role with McGill as "the gruff but lovable Detective Vince Korsak, Jane's former partner who is a bit hurt that she had taken the likable but green Barry Frost (Young), as her new partner." Bridges then is set as Franke Rizzoli Jr., "Jane's younger brother, a Boston patrol officer who worships her and hopes to make detective someday." Janet Tamaro penned the hour and is executive producing alongside Bill Haber.
Sources: Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Reuters
|
|
|
 [october 2009]  |
S |
M |
T |
W |
T |
F |
S |
| | | | |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
 |
|
[02/18/26 - 04:01 PM]
Video: "Boyfriend on Demand" - Official Trailer - Netflix
Seo Mi-rae is worn out by work. Love? It's the last thing on her mind. But a virtual dating service sparks feelings - and maybe a real shot at romance.
|
[02/18/26 - 02:34 PM]
TLC Announces the Return of "7 Little Johnstons" on Tuesday, March 17
The Johnston family is back, and this season is all about love, laughter, and one unforgettable trip down the aisle.
|
[02/18/26 - 12:28 PM]
Next on Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN - March 2026
Highlights include the return of "Daredevil: Born Again" plus the streaming premieres of "The Secret Agent," "It Was Just an Accident," "Dangerous Animals," and "Sentimental Value."
|
[02/18/26 - 11:02 AM]
AMC Networks' March Streaming Highlights Include "Dark Winds," "The City Is Ours: A Crime Family Saga," "100 Nights of Hero" and More
Other offerings include the return of "Mystery Road: Origin" and the debut of "The Feud on Shelbury Drive."
|
[02/18/26 - 11:01 AM]
New Babies, New Beginning. New Season of Bravo's "The Valley" Premieres on Wednesday, April 1 at 8 P.M. ET/PT
The season three cast includes Danny Booko & Nia Sanchez Booko, Luke Broderick & Kristen Doute, Jason & Janet Caperna, Brittany Cartwright, Jasmine Goode, Jesse Lally, Michelle Saniei and Zack Wickham.
|
[02/18/26 - 10:10 AM]
Video: Official Trailer for "The Faithful: Women of the Bible" Premiering March 22 on FOX
The highly anticipated biblical event series stars Minnie Driver, Natacha Karam, and Jeffrey Donovan.
|
[02/18/26 - 10:01 AM]
HBO Original Documentary "Fukushima: A Nuclear Nightmare" Debuts March 10
The film reconstructs the nine harrowing days following the disaster in forensic, real-time detail, from the control-room engineers fighting to prevent a total meltdown, to the political leaders confronting the unthinkable, to ordinary citizens caught in the fallout.
|
[02/18/26 - 09:17 AM]
Great American Media Launches, "40 Days of Scripture & Film," A Lenten Journey Featuring Acclaimed Faith-Based Films, Including "God's Not Dead," "The Blind," "Someone Like You," and "Just in Time"
Other highlights include the mid-winter finale of "Crossroad Springs"; the original movie "Blessings in Disguise"; and an all new season of "When Hope Calls: Brookfield."
|
[02/18/26 - 09:01 AM]
Video: "Unicorn Academy: Secrets Revealed" Teaser - Netflix Family
Follow Sophia and her friends as they embark on a glimmering quest to unlock Unicorn Island's mysteries and banish Grimoria - and Ravenzella - for good!
|
[02/18/26 - 09:01 AM]
Video: Hulu Debuts Official Key Art and Trailer for Season Four of "The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives"
The series returns with all 10 episodes on Thursday, March 12 on Hulu and Hulu on Disney+ for bundle subscribers in the U.S. and Disney+ in select international markets.
|
[02/18/26 - 09:00 AM]
Adult Swim Gives Green Light to Animated Comedy from Dan Licata and Joe Pera, "My Two Cars"
The animated quarter-hour comedy is the only show brave enough to explore what happens when a man owns two cars and all the joy and frustration that comes with it.
|
[02/18/26 - 08:31 AM]
BET Honors the Enduring Legacy of Civil Rights Trailblazer Rev. Jesse Jackson with Special Tribute, "Jesse Jackson: In His Own Words," Airing February 18 and 19 on BET
Narrated by CBS News National Correspondent Michelle Miller, this BET News special offers a rare and powerful look at Rev. Jackson's life through archival interviews and historic speeches that capture his profound national and global impact.
|
[02/18/26 - 08:06 AM]
Dawn French Sitcom "Can You Keep a Secret?" Recommissioned for a Second Series After Launch Episode Racks Up 5.3 Million Viewers
The series landed as the third biggest comedy launch on BBC iPlayer since 2024 with an audience of 3.3 million (62% of the audience) across 28-days.
|
[02/18/26 - 08:01 AM]
Video: Apple TV Debuts Trailer for "Imperfect Women," Premiering Globally March 18
The eight-episode series will make its global debut on Apple TV with the first two episodes on Wednesday, March 18, followed by new episodes every Wednesday through April 29.
|
[02/18/26 - 06:31 AM]
"Lucy Worsley Investigates: The American Revolution" - Historian Lucy Worsley Explores One of History's Most Explosive Breakups and How the British Empire Lost the War for America's Independence Against a Ragtag Band of Rebels
The new two-part series, filmed on both sides of the Atlantic, premieres Tuesday, April 7.
|
|
|
|
