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)





[08/11/26 - 02:45 PM]
FOX Saturday Baseball Delivers #1 MLB Telecast of the Week on Any Network
2,223,000 viewers tuned-in to a three-game slate that featured the White Sox's 6-3 victory over the Guardians in most of the country.

[08/11/26 - 02:43 PM]
ESPN Delivers Its 2nd Most-Watched WNBA Game Ever for the Second Consecutive Week!
The Indiana Fever-Chicago Sky matchup averaged 2.6 million viewers on ABC on Saturday, August 8.

[08/11/26 - 02:08 PM]
"Trespasses" Starring Lola Petticrew, Tom Cullen & Gillian Anderson Debuts on Sunday, September 20 on PBS Platforms
The series follows Cushla (Petticrew), a young Catholic schoolteacher whose life in 1975 Northern Ireland is shadowed by the Troubles.

[08/11/26 - 01:01 PM]
Filming Wraps on Paramount+ Australian Original Drama, "Who the Hell Is Hamish?"
The gripping new six-episode drama starring Dominic Cooper and Claire van der Boom was filmed in Queensland with the support of Screen Australia and Screen Queensland and is set to premiere exclusively on Paramount+ globally later this year.

[08/11/26 - 12:01 PM]
Netflix Top 10: Week of August 3 - "The Last House" Invites You to Stay at No. 1 in This Week's Top 10
"The Idaho Murders: College Nightmare" held the top spot on the English TV list with 10.6 million views.

[08/11/26 - 10:23 AM]
OWN's "Love & Marriage: Huntsville" Returns September 12 for a High-Stakes New Season of Emotional Breakthroughs, Shocking Revelations and Unexpected Turns
This season, the group faces major life changes that will test their relationships, families and careers.

[08/11/26 - 09:35 AM]
Lifetime Announces the New Original Movie, "Surviving the Silence: The Roxane Gay Story" Premiering September 5th
Narrated by Gay herself, the film stars Hilda Martin as young Roxane and Sunnii E. Bartee as Roxane as an adult.

[08/11/26 - 09:01 AM]
Chip Gaines Is Ready to Give Some "Pretty Good Advice" in New Magnolia Network YouTube Series, Premiering Aug. 17
In the series, Chip will set up his advice booth at the Silos to offer guidance, and occasionally a little tough love, to guests who stop by.

[08/11/26 - 09:01 AM]
Video: "Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story" - Official Teaser - Netflix
The first female monster from Ryan Murphy's famed anthology series is coming to Netflix September 17.

[08/11/26 - 08:52 AM]
Video: CNN Films and Time Studios Release Trailer and Key Art for Documentary Short "Top of the World" from Julie Cohen & Betsy West
Produced in association with Montalto Pictures, Tribeca Studios and Storyville Films, the film opens in New York for a limited theatrical engagement at DCTV Firehouse Cinema from August 28 through September 3, before premiering on CNN on Monday, September 7 at 8:00/7:00c.

[08/11/26 - 08:01 AM]
PBS Announces September 16 Premiere of "Ages of Ice," Narrated by David Tennant
The hour-long series is a high-stakes journey into the planet's frozen wilderness, revealing the extraordinary wildlife, breathtaking landscapes, and rapidly changing ecosystems of Earth's polar regions.

[08/11/26 - 08:01 AM]
Video: "Dang!" - Official Trailer - Netflix
After their sister Ruthie blows up her perfect life, Andrew and Eunice show her the fun in being flawed as she helps them adult in this animated sitcom.

[08/11/26 - 08:01 AM]
Actress and Comedian Retta Finds More Frights in Season Three of HGTV's "Scariest House in America" Premiering Friday, Sept. 18, at 9 p.m. ET/PT
Attracting over 10.9 million viewers across linear and streaming to her sophomore run, the actress, comedian and home design enthusiast will brave 20 tours of petrifyingly paranormal or horrifically hideous houses whose owners say are haunted by scary stories and hair-raising sights.

[08/11/26 - 07:16 AM]
Netflix's "A Different World" Reveals Brandy Theme Song
Today, Netflix announced that Grammy Award winner, Brandy Norwood, is bringing her voice to the theme song for "A Different World," releasing September 24, only on Netflix.

[08/11/26 - 06:57 AM]
Disney+ Revs Up as the Global Streaming Home of Formula E
Spanning 21 rounds across 13 events in some of the most iconic cities around the world, the upcoming season kicks off on December 18 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, and with stops in Austin, Miami, Monaco and Mexico City, culminating in the final round on July 25, 2027, in Tokyo.