 |
 |
[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 |
| | |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
 |
|
[07/03/26 - 07:05 AM]
"Return to Fox Hollow: New Victims, Darker Secrets," A New Chapter in the Investigation of Serial Killer Herb Baumeister, Streams July 8 on Hulu
The original four-part series, "The Fox Hollow Murders: Playground of a Serial Killer," was nominated for an Emmy Award for Outstanding Crime and Justice Documentary and was ABC News Studios' most-watched docuseries on Hulu in 2025 (based on hours streamed).
|
[07/03/26 - 06:39 AM]
FOX Sports Presents Its First-Ever "MLB All-Star Game Selection Show Presented by Konami eBaseball" Live from Philadelphia on Fourth of July
World Series champion and two-time All-Star Dontrelle Willis, alongside veteran host Chris Myers, broadcast live from Independence Hall for the reveal on Saturday, July 4, at 7:30 PM ET on FOX.
|
[07/03/26 - 06:00 AM]
The Final Season of Starz's "Power Book III: Raising Kanan" Introduces Young Jarita, Played by Asjha Cooper
Cooper has been confirmed as a series regular in the next chapter of the "Power" Universe, "Power: Origins," which is currently filming in New Jersey.
|
[07/02/26 - 06:15 PM]
Video: "Star Wars: Visions Presents - The Ninth Jedi" - Official Trailer - August 5 on Disney+ and Hulu
Witness the Jedi in a new light.
|
[07/02/26 - 06:09 PM]
ESPN Delivers Most-Watched Wimbledon Day 2 Coverage on Record
Serena Williams' Wimbledon return on Tuesday, June 30, delivered record viewership.
|
[07/02/26 - 03:18 PM]
FOX Sports' Strong FIFA World Cup 2026 Viewership Continues with 10.43 Million viewers Tuning in for Mexico-Ecuador
The telecast reached a peak viewership of 13.087 million viewers from 10:30-10:45 PM ET.
|
[07/02/26 - 02:49 PM]
ABC News Is No. 1 in Total Viewers for the Second Quarter on Sunday Morning and Friday Evening
"20/20" ranked as Friday's No. 1 newsmagazine during the 2nd Quarter 2026 in Total Viewers (3.806 million) and Adults 18-49 (473,000).
|
[07/02/26 - 02:31 PM]
Disney's "Dragon Striker" Season 2 Coming Early 2027 & First Look Revealed at Anime Expo
A first look at the new chapter, consisting of 11 episodes, was released today during the series panel at Anime Expo in Los Angeles.
|
[07/02/26 - 01:48 PM]
FOX Sports Soars Into the Record Books with Most-Watched Soccer Telecast in English-Language U.S. History
24.429 million viewers watched the USMNT's historic FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 32 victory Wednesday on FOX.
|
[07/02/26 - 01:30 PM]
Queen Latifah, The Roots and Jill Scott Added to the Performance Lineup for CBS' "The Great American Block Party 250"
Hosted from the nation's capital, the special will feature musical performances from celebrations across the country, grill sessions with TV personality and Washington chef Rock Harper and a highly anticipated fireworks show.
|
[07/02/26 - 01:21 PM]
HBO's "Life, Larry, and the Pursuit of Unhappiness" and KidSuper Unveil Limited-Edition Capsule Collection
Designed exclusively for the series, the capsule collection features a custom letterman jacket, baseball cap, keychain, and other apparel and accessories.
|
[07/02/26 - 09:00 AM]
"Camp Rock 3" Sets Out on the "All Roads Lead to Camp" Bus Tour, Visiting Cities Across America Starting July 3
The latest installment premieres August 13 on Disney Channel.
|
[07/02/26 - 08:27 AM]
"BET Awards" 2026 Grows Across Every Platform with First-Time Host Druski, Cementing BET as the Epicenter of Black Culture
The telecast was the highest-rated "BET Awards" on BET since 2019 among P18-49, with P18-49 impressions up +50% year-over-year.
|
[07/02/26 - 07:08 AM]
"Impractical Jokers," Cable's Reigning #1 Original Series of 2026, Returns for Hilarious New Season Thursday, July 23 at 10PM ET/PT on TBS
Season 13 will feature classic Jokers laugh-out-loud mayhem and madness as the trio pose as diner managers, dating etiquette instructors, aggrieved focus group attendees, forgetful dog owners, robotics engineers, and even scheming corpses at a funeral parlor.
|
[07/02/26 - 06:01 AM]
"Nando Between Two Worlds - A Sintonia Film": Netflix Unveils Official Poster for Feature-Length Spin-Off Ahead of Its August 12 Release
The film delivers the long-awaited conclusion to the journey of one of the most iconic characters in the "Sintonia" universe.
|
|
|
|
