or


[06/28/10 - 06:14 PM]
Development Update: Monday, June 28
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!


ALPHAS (Syfy) - David Strathairn is in talks to topline the drama pilot, about "a team of ordinary citizens who possess extraordinary and unusual mental skills." He'll play "the overseer/team leader/prescribing doctor and all around mother hen to the team: an eccentric, absent-minded professor at times, who is also a cunning and manipulative power-player willing to bend the rules in pursuit of his objectives." Additionally, Ryan Cartwright has signed onto the project as "a member of the team who has Asperger's syndrome [who] can 'read' wireless transmissions passing through the ether." Jack Bender is helming the 90-minute pilot from a script by Zak Penn and Michael Karnow.


BEING HUMAN (Syfy) - Sam Witwer ("Smallville"), Meaghan Rath ("The Assistants") and Sam Huntington ("Cavemen") have reportedly been cast in the principal roles of the upcoming drama, a domestic take on the popular U.K. soap about supernatural roommates. Witwer will play vampire Aidan with Rath as ghost Molly and Huntington as werewolf Josh. Anna Fricke, Chris Coelen and Jeremy Carver are the executive producers.


BREAKING IN (FOX) - The network has asked for two additional scripts for the Christian Slater/Bret Harrison-led comedy pilot, about a group of twentysomething geniuses who are tasked with cracking security systems. Said order will give FOX extra time to mull a potential midseason order for the project, which comes from creator Adam F. Goldberg and director Seth Gordon. Producer Sony Pictures Television is expected to extend the options on Slater and Harrison while FOX makes a decision.


CINEMA VERITE (HBO) - Lolita Davidovich and Kathleen Quinlan are the latest additions to the pay channel's behind-the-scenes look at the making of the groundbreaking 1973 PBS documentary series "An American Family." Quinlan will play Mary, "one of Patty Loud's (Diane Lane) best friends who introduces Patty to producer Gilbert Craig (James Gandolfini) and talks her into letting her family be the subject of his documentary." Davidovich then is set as "Patty Loud's sexy and fashionable best friend, whom Patty accuses of having an affair with her husband Bill (Tim Robbins)." Also signing on are Willam Belli and Nick Eversman in unspecified roles. Caitlin Custer, Patrick Fugit, Shanna Collins and Thomas Dekker also star.


CRIMINAL MINDS (CBS) - Janeane Garofalo is in negotiations to join the franchise's planned spin-off, about an elite team of agents within the FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit who use unconventional methods of investigation and aggressive tactics to capture the nation's most nefarious criminals. No details were given about her character, a new addition to the team.


CSI: CRIME SCENE INVESTIGATION (CBS) - Franchise shepherds Carol Mendelsohn and Ann Donahue have inked massive four-year overall deals with CBS Television Studios. Said pacts, financial details of which weren't specified, will keep them at the helms of "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" and "CSI: Miami," respectively, for the foreseeable future. Mendelsohn will likewise do the same for the upcoming drama "The Defenders."


DEXTER (Showtime) - Departing showrunner Clyde Phillips has inked a two-year overall deal with Lionsgate Television. There he'll develop new series projects for the studio, both comedies and dramas. Specifics about the financials however weren't released.


FRIENDS WITH BENEFITS (NBC) - Andre Holland has joined the cast of the midseason comedy, about a group of twenty-something singles as they navigate the difficult, and often confusing, world of dating. He'll play Hoon, an oversexed personal trainer. Ian Reed Kesler originated the role in the pilot and was subsequently recast.


THE HARD LIFE (CMT) - Steve Hytner ("Seinfeld") has landed a role on the comedy pilot, about parents Bobby (Matthew Lillard) and Gina (Gillian Vigman) as they struggle with modern vs. old school parenting. He'll play Bobby's father as seen in 1974 flashbacks: "your typically strict 60's/70's dad - unwavering, no-nonsense and blunt, with a kids-should-be-seen-and-not-heard perspective on parenting." Bill Diamond is behind the single-camera half-hour.


LONESTAR (FOX) - Peter Horton has joined the freshman drama as an executive producer. There he'll serve as in-house director on the series, including helming the show's second and 13th episodes. Kyle Killen is behind the hour, which is also executive produced by Kerry Kohansky, Paul Weitz, Chris Keyser and Amy Lippman. In addition, Horton has inked a premium script commitment with FOX and producer 20th Century Fox Television and will also direct a pilot for the pair next season.


THE OFFICE (NBC) - Co-star Steve Carell has reaffirmed his decision to depart the series after the upcoming seventh season. "I think [season] 7 will be my last year," he told EW.com during the premiere of his new animated film, "Despicable Me." "I want to fulfill my contract. I think it's a good time to move on." Earlier this year the actor indicated during a BBC radio interview that next season "would probably" be his last.


Sources: Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Reuters





  [june 2010]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S
  


· ALPHAS (SYFY)
· BEING HUMAN (SYFY)
· BEING HUMAN (BBC AMERICA)
· BREAKING IN (FOX)
· CAVEMEN (ABC)
· CINEMA VERITE (HBO)
· CRIMINAL MINDS (CBS)
· CRIMINAL MINDS: SUSPECT BEHAVIOR (CBS)
· CSI: CRIME SCENE INVESTIGATION (CBS)
· CSI: CRIME SCENE INVESTIGATION (CBS)
· CSI: MIAMI (CBS)
· DEFENDERS, THE (CBS)
· DEVELOPMENT UPDATE (TFC)
· DEXTER (SHOWTIME)
· FRIENDS WITH BENEFITS (NBC)
· HARD LIFE, THE (CMT)
· LONE STAR (FOX)
· OFFICE, THE (NBC)
· SMALLVILLE (CW)





[11/12/25 - 12:02 PM]
"The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins" Anchors NBC's Midseason Lineup
The series, from creators Robert Carlock and Sam Means, will debut with a one-hour premiere on Monday, February 23 at 8 p.m. ET/PT before moving to its regular timeslot the following week on Monday, March 2 at 8:30 p.m.

[11/12/25 - 12:01 PM]
TLC Sets January Premiere Date for Three-Part Docuseries Unpacking Allegations Against "The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City" Star Mary Cosby and Her Church
"The Cult of the Real Housewife" will premiere Thursday, January 1 from 8-11PM ET/PT on TLC.

[11/12/25 - 12:01 PM]
Video: Trailer Debut - "Little Disasters" with Diane Kruger Premieres December 11 on Paramount+
The six-part psychological thriller adapted from the bestselling novel by Sarah Vaughan will premiere all episodes on Thursday, December 11, exclusively on Paramount+ in the U.S., Canada, GSA, Italy and Latin America.

[11/12/25 - 12:00 PM]
"The Family McMullen," Starring Edward Burns, Connie Britton, and Tracee Ellis Ross, Debuts December 5 on HBO Max
30 years after Edward Burns' "The Brothers McMullen" wowed critics and audiences with its exploration of the lives and struggles of three Irish American brothers from Long Island, New York, the family returns in the long-awaited follow-up.

[11/12/25 - 10:02 AM]
Season Two of the HBO Original Late-Night Comedy Series "It's Florida, Man." Debuts November 28
Featuring candid accounts from everyday Floridians playfully recreated by a rotating cast of actors and comedians, this hilarious and irreverent series sheds light on the viral, wacky, and weird. With equal parts humor and heart.

[11/12/25 - 10:01 AM]
Derek Hough to Host "The Wonderful World of Disney: Holiday Spectacular" Airing Monday, Dec. 1, on ABC and Next Day on Hulu and Disney+
Featured performers include Gwen Stefani, Nicole Scherzinger, Trisha Yearwood, and more.

[11/12/25 - 09:31 AM]
Netflix Announces Michelle Monaghan Is Hitting the Ice in a New Hockey Series
For the town of South Dorothy, Minnesota, hockey is everything - until a tragic loss knocks the legs out from under the high school's legendary team.

[11/12/25 - 08:54 AM]
Here's Your First Look at "Living the Dream": A New Netflix Animated Workplace Sitcom from George Gendi and Hanna-Barbera Studios Europe
Starring George Gendi, Javone Prince, Julia Davis, Tom Stourton, Ellie White, Ambika Mod, Chris Diamontopoulos, Stavros Halkias, and more.

[11/12/25 - 08:51 AM]
TNT Sports Announces Start Times for 2026 NASCAR In-Season Challenge Races, Starting on Sunday, June 28
Highlights of the In-Season Challenge include three Sunday races under the lights.

[11/12/25 - 08:31 AM]
Video: "Masaka Kids, A Rhythm Within" - Official Trailer - Netflix
In this joyful short documentary, children at a Ugandan orphanage find healing, spread hope and achieve global acclaim - one viral dance video at a time.

[11/12/25 - 08:27 AM]
ABC Scores Top Game of the Week for the 10th Straight Week; "College GameDay" Posts Week 11 Growth and Record Season Rolls On
LSU-Alabama (7.5 million viewers) was the most-watched game of the week, followed by Texas A&M-Missouri (4.9 million) and BYU-Texas Tech (4.0 million) among the top five.

[11/12/25 - 08:05 AM]
Roku Originals Huddles Up with Eva Longoria, Skydance Sports, NFL Films, Alfred Street Industries, and Hyphenate Media Group for New Series "NFL Hometown Eats" (wt)
The three-part series will kick off with executive producer Eva Longoria alongside an NFL player from her favorite football team, the Dallas Cowboys.

[11/12/25 - 07:31 AM]
Video: Apple TV Debuts Trailer for the Final Installment of "WondLa"
Hailing from Skydance Animation and based on Tony DiTerlizzi's New York Times bestselling book series "The Search for WondLa," the series is showrun and executive produced by Bobs Gannaway.

[11/12/25 - 07:11 AM]
"USA Sports" Announced as New Brand and Division Name for Versant's Sports Portfolio
In total, USA Sports will present more than 10,000 hours of event, studio, and original sports programming across USA Network, Golf Channel, and CNBC in 2026.

[11/12/25 - 07:01 AM]
Video: "Tell Me Softly" (Dimelo Bajito) - Official Trailer - Prime Video
The Di Bianco brothers are back and nothing will ever be the same.