 |
 |
[02/25/11 - 10:49 PM]
Development Update: Friday, February 25
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) - "Chelsea Lately" staple Jo Koy is the latest addition to the comedy pilot, about Chelsea Hanson (Laura Prepon), "a fresh-faced single cocktail waitress highly opinionated and open about her love to drink and have sex." The comedian, who is in the middle of a talent holding deal with producer Warner Bros. Television, will play Mark ("handsome and very familiar with pot"), a bartender at the sports bar where Chelsea works. Angel Laketa Moore, Lauren Lapkus and Natalie Morales are also featured in the half-hour, as is Chelsea Handler (as her sister Sloane), whose book the project is based upon. Dottie Zicklin and Julie Ann Larson
co-wrote the adaptation while Gail Mancuso will direct.
BAD MOM (ABC) - Jennifer Crittenden ("The New Adventures of Old Christine") and Gabrielle Allan ("Miss/Guided") have inked a two-year, seven-figure overall deal with ABC Studios. The pact, which starts in June, calls for the newly formed duo to develop new series projects for the studio. They'll already supervising the studio-based pilot "Bad Mom," about Julia, a single mother of two, who's forced to actually raise her kids once her mother, Marian - who had been filling said void, decides she wants her life back. Jenna Elfman is in talks to star. Sharon Horgan penned the half-hour while Chris Koch will direct.
DAMAGE CONTROL (A.K.A. IN CRISIS) (ABC) - Tony Goldwyn has landed a role on the drama pilot, about Olivia Price (Kerry Washington), a professional fixer and her dysfunctional staff. He'll play Fitzgerald Grant ("handsome, charismatic, brilliant and humble; Kennedy-esque"), an old friend of Price's who's now the President of the United States in the ABC Studios-based hour. He reaches out to her after Julia Tannen, a young aide, starts saying she's sleeping with him. Columbus Short, Guillermo Diaz, Henry Ian Cusick and Katie Lowes also star in the project, from writer Shonda Rhimes and director Paul McGuigan.
GOOD CHRISTIAN BITCHES (ABC) - Jennifer Aspen ("Glee") is the first to board the drama pilot, about Amanda Vaughn, a widowed mother of two who - to get a fresh start - moves back to the affluent Dallas neighborhood where she grew up. Aspen will play Sharon Pevy (who's likened to "Designing Women's" Suzanne Sugarbaker circa season three), a former beauty queen who's now a compulsive eater. Robert Harling penned the ABC Studios-based hour, which is based on Kim Gatlin's book of the same name. Alan Poul is directing.
GRIMM (NBC) - Russell Hornsby ("In Treatment") and Bitsie Tulloch ("quarterlife") are the latest additions to the drama pilot, about Nick Burckhardt (David Giuntoli), a police detective who discovers fairy tale creatures live among us and is tasked with defending humans from these mythical beasts. She'll play Juliette Lambert ("a bundle of beauty and energy" with a red pea coat, a la "Little Red Riding Hood"), Nick's girlfriend who works at a French bakery, with Hornsby as Hank Green, Nick's dutiful partner. Silas Weir Mitchell also stars in the hour, from director Marc Buckland and co-creators David Greenwalt and Jim Kouf. Universal Media Studios is producing.
HALLELUJAH (ABC) - Frances O'Connor ("Cashmere Mafia") has scored a role on the drama pilot, about a tiny town in Tennessee which finds itself being torn apart by the forces of good and evil.
She's set as Ruth Turner, whose family welcomes Jared O'Neal (Jesse L. Martin) - a mysterious stranger who arrives to restore faith to the town's residents - into their home. Michael Apted is directing the ABC Studios-based hour from a script by creator Marc Cherry.
ICELAND (FOX) - Kerry Bishe ("Scrubs") and John Boyd ("24") have both scored roles on the comedy pilot, about a woman whose life is shaken after her fiance passes away. Bishe will play said woman, Mackenzie ("mid-20's, pretty, a young Maura Tierney type"), with Boyd presumably as Todd ("mid-20's, a wiry, geeky guy with poor interpersonal skills"). Andy Bobrow penned the Sony Pictures Television-based half-hour, which Will Gluck is attached to direct.
A MANN'S WORLD (NBC) - Don Johnson ("Just Legal") has been tapped for the title role on the drama pilot, about a straight Beverly Hills hairdresser in his 50s who is struggling to stay young and relevant in a place where looks are everything. He'll play said hairdresser, Allan Mann ("a sexy, knock-out at thirty, now late fifties, but still sexy"), who doubles down on his beauty empire by opening a day spa next door to his salon. Writer/director Michael Patrick King is behind the Warner Bros. Television-based hour, which also stars Taylor Kinney.
PARTNERS (ABC) - Frances Fisher ("Eureka") has landed a role on the drama pilot, about half-sisters - Mattie (Scottie Thompson) and Jess (Annie Wersching) - who work together as police detectives. She's on board as their incarcerated mother, Colleen Scott, who confessed to killing Mattie's abusive father 20 years ago. Also cast in the ABC Studios-based hour is Nester Serrano as Captain Ben Wolford ("a man with a gentle soul"), Jess and Mattie's boss. Kenneth Mitchell, Larry Gilliard Jr. and Michael Beach also star in the project, from writer Edward Allen Bernero. Yves Simoneau is directing.
PLAYBOY (NBC) - David Krumholtz ("NUMB3RS") has reportedly joined the cast of the pilot, a period drama set at the Playboy Club in Chicago in 1963. He'll play Billy Morton ("all business, ZBT president, young Albert Brooks"), said club's General Manager in the 20th Century Fox Television-based project. Alan Taylor is directing from a script by Chad Hodge while Amber Heard, Jenna Dewan-Tatum, Laura Benanti, Leah Cudmore and Naturi Naughton also star. Separately, Krumholtz is developing "Igotchaback," about "an up-and-coming music industry manager tasked with representing an aging rap star mired knee-deep in existential crisis," at FX. Said half-hour is loosely based on the life of Wu Tang Clan founding member GZA and his publicist Heathcliff Berru. No other auspices were given.
SMASH (NBC) - Raza Jaffrey ("MI-5") has scored a role on the drama pilot, a show-within-a-show vehicle about a group of people who come together to put on a Marilyn Monroe-themed Broadway musical. He's on board as Dev ("a handsome, contemporary Indian"), "the live-in boyfriend of the musical's star, Karen (Katharine McPhee), who works in the mayor's office." Christian Borle, Debra Messing, Jack Davenport and Megan Hilty co-star in the project, from creator Theresa Rebeck. Michael Mayer is directing for Universal Media Studios.
TILDA (NBC) - The pay channel has reportedly passed on the Diane Keaton-led comedy pilot, about a powerful and reclusive Hollywood blogger likened to Deadline.com's Nikki Finke. David Harbour, Ellen Page, Jason Patric, Leland Orser, Sanaa Lathan and Wes Bentley also starred in the project, from co-creators Bill Condon and Cynthia Mort. The latter departed the project back in August over creative differences while Alan Poul, Alexa Junge and John Hoffman were subsequently brought in to spearhead the potential series. Ultimately with actors' options set to expire in mid-March, the network passed. Said report adds that HBO is still interested in a show about Finke, "this time with her on board from the beginning."
|
|
|
 [february 2011]  |
S |
M |
T |
W |
T |
F |
S |
| | |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
 |
|
[03/30/26 - 01:00 PM]
CBS Announces Season Finale Airdates for 2025-2026
The network today announced season finale dates for its original primetime comedies, dramas and unscripted series for the 2025-2026 broadcast season.
|
[03/30/26 - 12:42 PM]
NBC Sports Delivers Largest MLB Opening Day Audience on Record for Multi-Game Presentation
The two-game presentation averaged 2.7 million viewers across NBC and Peacock, based on official Nielsen Big Data + Panel and digital data from Adobe Analytics.
|
[03/30/26 - 12:10 PM]
"Greys Anatomy" Returns for Season 23 on ABC
The network confirmed the news on social media today.
|
[03/30/26 - 11:02 AM]
Investigation Discovery's "Hollywood Demons" Returns with Season 2 Premiere on April 20, 2026
New episodes will continue to pull back the glamorous curtain of fame and dissect pivotal moments in popular culture to expose the hidden sacrifices, struggles, and scandals that accompany life in the spotlight.
|
[03/30/26 - 10:36 AM]
"Dr. Pimple Popper: Breaking Out" Returns for Season 2 Premiering Mondays at 9P/8C Starting April 20 on Lifetime
As the 2025 Critics Choice Real TV Award winner for Female Star of the Year, Dr. Lee continues her relationship with Lifetime as she mentors up-and-coming protégés and helps more patients suffering from painful, complex, and often life-altering dermatological conditions.
|
[03/30/26 - 10:14 AM]
BET Launches the Creator Studio with "The Jason Lee Show" to Premiere April 8 as Flagship Series from New Digital-First Platform
With new episodes dropping every Wednesday, the series combines access to Lee's day-to-day life with sit-down conversations alongside his celebrity guests.
|
[03/30/26 - 10:03 AM]
FOX Sports and The Workshop Content Studios Announce New Original College Basketball Documentary "March in the Garden" Premiering April 1 on FS1
The film, presented by Pacific Life, offers an all-access look at the tradition, stakes and legacy surrounding the 2026 Men's Big East college basketball tournament at Madison Square Garden.
|
[03/30/26 - 10:01 AM]
Ready, Set, "Danny Go!" The Beloved Children's Show Is Coming to Netflix
Starting April 6, five episodes packed with fan-favorite songs like "'Ka-Pow!' Superhero Dance" and action-filled adventures like "Escape from Tiger Island!" are coming to Netflix.
|
[03/30/26 - 10:01 AM]
Video: HBO Releases Second Trailer for Season Three of the HBO Original Drama Series "Euphoria," Debuting April 12
A group of childhood friends wrestle with the virtue of faith, the possibility of redemption, and the problem of evil.
|
[03/30/26 - 09:01 AM]
The 90th Masters Tournament Begins on Amazon Prime Video, Thursday April 9th
Teeing off at 1:00 p.m. ET on both days, Prime Video will open this year's first and second rounds with two additional hours of live Tournament coverage on Thursday, April 9 and Friday, April 10, as the best players in the world converge to compete for a coveted Green Jacket.
|
[03/30/26 - 08:31 AM]
Emmy-Winning Comedy Superstar Wanda Sykes Celebrates Her Legacy for Her Third Netflix Comedy Special
"Wanda Sykes: Legacy" premieres globally on Netflix on May 19.
|
[03/30/26 - 08:15 AM]
CBS News Boosts Its Investigative Unit with Five New Award-Winning Journalists
Joining the investigative unit immediately are: former Washington Post journalist Daniel Gilbert; The Free Press writer Gabe Kaminsky; and CBS News' Laura Geller, Jake Rosenwasser and Callie Teitelbaum.
|
[03/30/26 - 08:03 AM]
Video: "This First House" - Official Trailer - The Roku Channel
From the producers of "This Old House," a team of young experts guide two millennial families through the process of buying, fixing up, and moving into their first home.
|
[03/30/26 - 07:01 AM]
BritBox Announces Second Season of "Lynley," Now in Production
Leo Suter returns as DI Tommy Lynley and revealed news of the second season, along with details of new and returning cast members, during an appearance on "On the Box: The BritBox Podcast."
|
[03/30/26 - 07:01 AM]
Video: "Vitrerie Joyal" - Official Trailer - Prime Video
Dive into the world of "Vitrerie Joyal," the new series by Martin Matte, following the daily life of a Quebec family-run business in the 1990s.
|
|
|
|
