or


[11/17/10 - 06:31 PM]
Development Update: Wednesday, November 17
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!


AMBULANCE CHASERS (FX, New!) - Jason Mantzoukas ("The League") has sold a potential comedy to the cable channel about personal injury attorneys. The actor/writer was behind the 2009 NBC pilot "Off Duty," starring Bradley Whitford and Romany Malco, that didn't move forward. Director Adam Bernstein and American Work's Scot Armstrong and Ravi Nandan, all of whom worked on the aforementioned half-hour, are also on "Chasers," which will "focus on street-mall attorneys featured in local TV commercials." On the acting front, Mantzoukas has booked multi-episode arcs on both NBC's "Parks & Recreation" and HBO's "Enlightened."


THE GREAT STATE OF GEORGIA (ABC Family) - Raven Symone has snagged the title role on the comedy pilot, about an "exuberant plus-sized performer from the south and her science geek best friend who try to make headway in New York City." Jennifer Weiner ("In Her Shoes") and Jeff Greenstein ("Desperate Housewives") are behind the ABC Studios-based half-hour, which has also cast Brock Cuchna ("Melrose Place") as "Georgia's Southern ex-boyfriend who, still madly in love with her, comes to New York to bring her back home." Symone previously toplined "Revenge of the Bridesmaids" for the cable channel and had been attached to star and produce a different potential half-hour from Yvette Lee Bowser ("Half & Half").


MAGICAL LAW (FOX, New!) - "Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl" screenwriter Terry Rossio and director Gore Verbinski are developing a new legal drama at the network "set in a world where the existence of supernatural beings is commonplace and follows the specialized cops and lawyers who face the unique challenges of prosecuting otherworldly crimes." 20th Century Fox Television and Verbinski's Blind Wink Productions are behind the hour, which has a penalty attached should it not go to pilot. Rossio will pen the hour under the supervision of Jeff Rake, who's also attached to executive produce alongside Verbinski and Jonathan Krauss.


MEET JANE (Lifetime) - Molly Parker ("Swingtown") has been tapped for the title role on the drama pilot, about Jane Bilinski, "an unhappily married mother of two daughters in the Washington, DC area [who] is suddenly re-energized and empowered when the FBI enlists her to spy on her husband, a computer technician the government suspects is selling top-secret information to Russia." Andi Bushell is behind the hour, which also comes from Warner Horizon Television and Mark Pedowitz's Pine Street Entertainment.


ONE POLICE PLAZA (ABC) - Angela Bassett ("ER") has signed onto the potential drama, about New York City's first female commissioner. She'd play the aforementioned role in the hour, which comes from ABC Studios and the Mark Gordon Co. Linda Fairstein and Kenneth L. Solarz co-wrote the script and are executive producing alongside Gordon and Deborah Spera.


OUTLAW (NBC) - John Eisendrath has inked a two-year, seven-figure overall deal with Sony Pictures Television. The pact, set to begin in June, sets the formerly Universal Media Studios-based writer/producer at the studio where he'll develop new series projects.


PATITO FEO (MTV) - Hayley Erin ("The Young and the Restless") has joined the cast of the comedy pilot, which "chronicles the struggles of a Mexican girl (Benita Robledo) from a small town thrown into the glitz and glamour of Los Angeles." She'll play Josie in the project, which comes from director Andy Fickman and writer Bert V. Royal. Grupo Televisa, Hip TV and Yellow Brick Road Productions are co-producing.


TEEN MOM (MTV) - Executive producer Morgan J. Freeman told The USA Today that the popular reality series will return with a brand new cast on Tuesday, January 11. "We're doing some continuous-type shooting with the original Teen Mom (cast: Maci Bookout, Catelynn Lowell, Farrah Abraham and Amber Portwood), but nothing's been announced yet about what we'll do with that," he said. As for "Teen Mom 2," the new group of girls will once again be culled from the latest "16 and Pregnant" cast members.


TREME (HBO) - James Ransone ("Generation Kill") has joined the cast of the show's upcoming second season. He'll play a New York City restaurant worker in a recurring role however no other details were given about the character.


UNTITLED KATHRYN HAHN PROJECT (FOX) - Kathryn Hahn ("Hung") has once again inked a talent holding deal with the network. The actress previously starred in pair of pilots for the network: "AbFab" in 2009 and "Most Likely to Succeed" this past development cycle, neither of which went forward to series. The new pact will once again see FOX develop a new series project for the actress.


UNTITLED PIERCE BROSNON/JACK ORMAN PROJECT (New!) - Actor Pierce Brosnan, writer Jack Orman and Sony Pictures Television are developing a potential drama about a "private investigator specializing in international crisis intervention who is called in to help solve homicides, abductions, financial schemes and other crimes anywhere in the world." Said hour - based on the real-life experiences of international P.I. Logan Clarke - is initially being pitched to the international marketplace with an eye towards a straight-to-series commitment before approaching U.S. broadcasters. Brosnan, who's expected to recur in a small role on the series, and Beau St. Clair are executive producing the project via their Irish DreamTime banner alongside Orman and Keri Selig.






  [november 2010]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S
 


· 16 & PREGNANT (MTV)
· ABFAB (FOX)
· AMBULANCE CHASERS (FX)
· DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES (ABC)
· DEVELOPMENT UPDATE (TFC)
· ENLIGHTENED (HBO)
· ER (NBC)
· GENERATION KILL (HBO)
· HALF & HALF (UPN)
· HUNG (HBO)
· LEAGUE, THE (FXX)
· MAGICAL LAW (FOX)
· MEET JANE (LIFETIME)
· MOST LIKELY TO SUCCEED (FOX)
· OFF DUTY (NBC)
· ONE POLICE PLAZA (CBS)
· OUTLAW (NBC)
· PARKS & RECREATION (NBC)
· PATITO FEO (MTV)
· STATE OF GEORGIA (ABC FAMILY)
· SWINGTOWN (CBS)
· TEEN MOM 2 (MTV)
· TEEN MOM OG (MTV)
· TREME (HBO)
· UNTITLED KATHRYN HAHN PROJECT (FOX)





[01/16/26 - 01:08 PM]
"20/20" Is the Most-Watched Program Across Broadcast and Cable on Friday Night - Scoring Largest Viewership in Over 7 Months
For the second week in a row, "20/20" posted Total Viewers increases versus the previous week and the corresponding year-ago telecast.

[01/16/26 - 12:04 PM]
All-New Season of "Naked and Afraid" Premieres Sunday, February 15 at 8PM ET/PT on Discovery Channel
This season, survivalists face hell on Earth and the ultimate test of body, mind, and spirit as they are dropped into five of the world's most brutal and diverse locations, armed only with their determination and without water, food or clothing.

[01/16/26 - 09:01 AM]
Michelle Pfeiffer and Kurt Russell Star in "The Madison" Premiering on Paramount+ March 14
The series is Taylor Sheridan's most intimate work to date, unfolding across two distinct worlds - the beautiful landscape of Montana and the vibrant energy of Manhattan - as it examines the ties that bind families together.

[01/16/26 - 09:00 AM]
Video: We TV Releases a Sneak Peek of the Highly Anticipated New Season of "Mama June"
This season, as Jessica and Shyann plan their wedding, June and Shyann's mother, Trina, battle it out butting heads on just about everything.

[01/16/26 - 08:22 AM]
"The Tonight Show" Goes for Gold with Special Post-Olympic Opening Ceremony Episode on Friday, Feb. 6
The episode will feature a guest lineup worthy of the podium, including Chris Hemsworth, MrBeast and a musical performance from Lil Uzi Vert.

[01/16/26 - 08:09 AM]
Video: Oxygen Unveils Premiere Date and Official Trailer for "Love, Ted Bundy"
As America's most notorious serial killer Ted Bundy awaited execution, he exchanged a series of death row letters with the woman who loved him like a brother - his cousin, Edna Martin.

[01/16/26 - 07:02 AM]
Video: "A Father's Miracle" - Official Trailer - Netflix
A devoted father is wrongfully imprisoned for a crime he didn't commit, leaving his daughter to fend for herself as he fights to prove his innocence.

[01/16/26 - 07:01 AM]
Video: "Star Search" - Official Trailer - Netflix
The reimagined talent competition series returns as a live, five-week event hosted by Anthony Anderson, featuring an all-star judging panel with Jelly Roll, Sarah Michelle Gellar, and Chrissy Teigen.

[01/16/26 - 06:31 AM]
Video: NBC Releases First Official Promo and Key Art for New Comedy Series "The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins"
Tracy Morgan, Daniel Radcliffe, Erika Alexander, Bobby Moynihan, Precious Way, and Jalyn Hall star in the series.

[01/15/26 - 05:01 PM]
"Culinary Class Wars" Returns for Season 3, Raising the Stakes with a Team-Based Showdown
Building on two consecutive seasons of global success, Season 3 raises the stakes with four-person teams representing a single restaurant, transforming the competition into a collective fight for pride, reputation, and survival.

[01/15/26 - 03:22 PM]
Next on Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN - February 2026
Highlights include "The Muppet Show," "The Artful Dodger," and "Paradise."

[01/15/26 - 02:01 PM]
Video: Tubi Debuts Chaotic Trailer for New Original Film "Terri Joe: Missionary in Miami"
In this wild farce, Southern Belle Terri Joe ventures to Miami to outrun wacky criminals and find a new church where she can atone for her sins.

[01/15/26 - 02:01 PM]
NBC Commissions Drama Pilot from Dean Georgaris and John Fox
Professor Georgia Ryan is a trailblazing psychologist who challenges the field of criminology by shifting the investigative focus to the victim rather than just the perpetrator in order to uncover the crucial clues that more traditional methods leave behind.

[01/15/26 - 01:38 PM]
"Live with Kelly and Mark" Christmas Week Shoots to a Season High Among Total Viewers - Scoring Show's Best Performance in 10 Months
"Live" has now ranked as the No. 1 talk show in syndication for 152 consecutive weeks across all key measures.

[01/15/26 - 12:39 PM]
Apple TV Lands New Thriller Starring and Executive Produced by Dakota Fanning, and Created by Emmy Award-Winner Alex Cary
Fanning will star as an undercover Treasury agent in a multi-billion dollar international conglomerate who becomes conflicted between her mission and a belief that her principal target is at his core a good man and worthy of her love.