or


[11/03/10 - 06:12 PM]
Development Update: Wednesday, November 3
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!


ARE YOU THERE VODKA? IT'S ME CHELSEA (NBC, New!) - Chelsea Handler's autobiography is being developed as a multi-camera comedy at the Peacock. Dottie Zicklin ("Dharma & Greg") and Julie Ann Larson ("Ruby & the Rockits") are penning the adaptation, which won't feature the comedian herself in the title role. Said half-hour, which has a put pilot commitment, will instead track "a twentysomething woman named Chelsea who won't have the same profession as comedian/author Handler but will carry a lot of the traits in her character." Handler will nevertheless executive produce alongside her Borderline Amazing Productions partner Tom Brunelle as well as Werner Entertainment's Tom Werner and Mike Clements for Warner Bros. Television.


COMMUNITY (NBC) - The Peacock has ordered two additional episodes for the show's sophomore season. Said pickup brings its season total to 24 episodes. Last week the series posted a season high 2.4 rating among adults 18-49 with its Halloween-themed episode.


DOCUMENTAL (HBO, New!) - "Tropic Thunder" alums Justin Theroux and Steve Coogan are set to topline a potential comedy at the pay channel about "a documentary filmmaker (Theroux) who tracks down his idol, an equally inept filmmaker (Coogan), and documents his return to his craft." Theroux is writing and directing the half-hour, which will be shot in London. Paul Simms ("Bored to Death"), Red Hour Films's Ben Stiller and 3 Arts Entertainment's Michael Rotenberg and Nick Frenkel will executive produce alongside Theroux and Coogan. Stuart Cornfeld, Stiller's producing partner, will also serve as a consultant.


FOURTH ESTATE (AMC, New!)/LONG GRAY LINE (ABC, New!) - Former MTV News correspondent Gideon Yago has sold a pair of drama projects, both of which he'll write and executive produce. The latter - "a sudsy drama set at West Point" - also comes from director/executive producer Gary Fleder. The former - a drama centering on an investigative journalist whose "world is upended when he takes on a major scandal - and some truths about the reporter himself are in danger of being exposed" - likewise comes from Landscape Entertainment's Robert Cooper and JJ Jamieson. No studios were listed as attached.


LUCK (HBO) - Three-time Oscar nominee Joan Allen ("The Contender") is set to recur on the upcoming Dustin Hoffman-led drama, "a provocative look at horse racing - the owners, gamblers, jockeys and diverse gaming industry players." She'll play "a woman who runs a program that uses prison inmates to care for broken-down racehorses." Production on the series is underway for a premiere date sometime in 2011.


REST (NBC, New!) - Milo Ventimiglia ("Heroes") is set to topline a potential new drama at the Peacock based on his comic of the same name, "a pulse-pounding sci-fi thriller" that "tells the tale of John Barret, a white-collar New Yoker whose life changes when he becomes addicted to a drug that prevents him from falling asleep!" Said hour comes from Storyline Entertainment's Craig Zadan and Neil Meron and Top Cow's Marc Silvestri and Matt Hawkins all of whom will executive produce alongside Ventimiglia and his Divide Pictures partner Russ Cundiff. Philip Levens ("Knight Rider") is on board to pen the hour and will likewise executive produce. The "Rest" comic was created by Mike O'Sullivan, written by Mark Powers and produced by Ventimiglia and Cudiff. No studio was indicated.


ROCCO'S DINNER PARTY (Bravo) - The Rocco DiSpirito-led project, "in which DiSpirito sizes up some of the country's most promising aspiring chefs to see if they have the chops to impress at a private dinner party attended by his discriminating guests," has reportedly been ordered to series. Chachi Senior, Dave Noll and Linda Lea are the executive producers with DiSpirito himself serving as a producer.


UNTITLED JOHN HAMBURG/IAN HELFER PROJECT (FOX, New!) - Feature writer/director John Hamburg ("I Love You, Man") has booked a single-camera comedy at the network about "a father and son, both recently divorced, who become roommates and explore the dating world together." 20th Century Fox Television and Chernin Entertainment are behind the half-hour, which Hamburg will co-write with Ian Helfer. Hamburg, Helfer, Peter Chernin and Katherine Pope then will executive produce the project, which was the result of a blind script deal Hamburg inked with the studio over the summer.


UNTITLED MICHAEL PATRICK KING PROJECT (NBC, New!) - "Sex and the City" franchise steward Michael Patrick King is reportedly close to a pilot commitment from the Peacock for a new "Shampoo"-esque dramedy about "a straight Beverly Hills hairdresser in his 50s who is struggling to stay young and relevant in a place where looks are everything." King wrote the project on spec and will executive produce for Warner Bros. Television, where is overall deal is based.






  [november 2010]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S
 


· ARE YOU THERE, CHELSEA? (NBC)
· BORED TO DEATH (HBO)
· COMMUNITY (YAHOO)
· DEVELOPMENT UPDATE (TFC)
· DHARMA & GREG (ABC)
· DOCUMENTAL (HBO)
· FOURTH ESTATE (AMC)
· HEROES (NBC)
· KNIGHT RIDER (NBC)
· LONG GRAY LINE (ABC)
· LUCK (HBO)
· MANN'S WORLD (NBC)
· REST (NBC)
· ROCCO'S DINNER PARTY (BRAVO)
· RUBY & THE ROCKITS (ABC FAMILY)
· SEX AND THE CITY (HBO)
· UNTITLED HAMBURG & HELFER PROJECT (FOX)





[09/18/26 - 03:15 PM]
ABC News' "Nightline" Wins Late Night Across the Board
For the sixth week running, "Nightline" increased year to year in Total Viewers and Adults 25-54.

[09/18/26 - 03:11 PM]
Netflix Announces New Drama Series "Ladies of the House"
Based on Lauren Edmondson's novel of the same name, the series reunites Sheryl J. Anderson with "Sweet Magnolias" star JoAnna Garcia Swisher.

[09/18/26 - 12:58 PM]
Marking a Somber Anniversary of the September 11 Attacks, ABC News' 9/11 Special, Anchored by David Muir, Robin Roberts and Diane Sawyer, Draws Over 4 Million Total Viewers
The special was also the No. 1 non-sports program of the night in Adults 25-54 (802,000) and Adults 18-49 (559,000).

[09/18/26 - 12:21 PM]
HBO Orders New Original Drama Series "The Spread," Starring and Executive Produced by Academy Award-Winner Javier Bardem
Matthew Vaughn will direct and executive produce the project, to be written and executive produced by Bill Dubuque and Sean Sansiveri.

[09/18/26 - 10:29 AM]
OWN Greenlights Breakout Hit "Put a Ring on It: Cheathab" for Two More Seasons Ahead of Its Season One Finale
Production on the new episodes will begin this fall to air in 2027.

[09/18/26 - 09:21 AM]
New Paramount+ Limited Series "The Best of Us" Begins Production in New York City
LaChanze, Richard Schiff, Elizabeth Rodriguez, Joe Morton, Jen Tullock, William Baldwin, and Keith W. Richards also join the cast.

[09/18/26 - 09:00 AM]
Wonder Project and Amazon MGM Studios Begin Production on Season Three of "House of David" in Greece
The season brings this trilogy to an epic conclusion, completing David's (Michael Iskander) transformation from outcast shepherd to fierce warrior to his ultimate destiny as King.

[09/18/26 - 09:00 AM]
Social Categories Revealed for the "2026 MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs)" Sunday, Sept. 27 on CBS
All voting will be hosted on the @MTV Instagram Story until Sunday, September 27 at 11:00 AM, ET.

[09/18/26 - 08:18 AM]
Video: Official Trailer for New Supernatural Teen Drama "Coven Academy" Drops Ahead of Oct. 1 Premiere on Freeform, Next Day on Disney+ and Hulu
As the story unfolds in a bingeable new format, the fast-paced chapters are designed to pull audiences deeper into the magic at every turn.

[09/18/26 - 07:55 AM]
Peacock Reveals Celebrity Cast for a New Season of the Emmy Award-Winning Reality Competition Series "The Traitors," Coming in 2027
Steering the game with his unrivaled looks and signature wit is beloved host and Emmy Award-winner Alan Cumming, who also serves as executive producer.

[09/18/26 - 07:01 AM]
Chloe Sevigny Joins the Cast of "The Trial of Louise Woodward"
She will play Louise's defense attorney, Elaine Whitfield Sharp, in the HBO limited series.

[09/18/26 - 07:00 AM]
Video: All Reality and We TV Unveil a First Look at New Original Series "Love After Lockup: Relationship Rehab" Premiering Friday, October 2
The nine-episode series gathers five fan-favorite couples from the franchise as they embark on a transformative journey with psychiatrist and nationally recognized relationship expert, Dr. Ish Major, working to heal old wounds and rebuild their relationships.

[09/18/26 - 06:31 AM]
Netflix Adds Legend Andres Cantor to Broadcast Team for the FIFA Women's World Cup 2027
The addition marks a milestone moment for Netflix's historic coverage of the tournament, which will feature English and Spanish-language broadcasts in the United States, and English and French-language broadcasts in Canada.

[09/18/26 - 06:01 AM]
Video: "Therapy Done Right" - Official Trailer - Netflix
A psychoanalyst who's lost faith in traditional therapy crosses every boundary to help a blocked novelist in this cutting Argentine dark comedy.

[09/18/26 - 02:01 AM]
Video: "Seriously Single Too" - Official Trailer - Netflix
Dineo and Noni - besties meant to take on the party scene together - suddenly face their biggest fear when Noni's boyfriend spontaneously proposes.