or


[03/30/11 - 11:05 PM]
Development Update: Wednesday, March 30
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!


AMERICAN HORROR STORY (FX) - Denis O'Hare ("True Blood") is the latest addition to the top-secret drama pilot, which stars Connie Britton and comes from co-creators Brad Falchuk and Ryan Murphy. He'll play Larry, also referred to as "Larry the burn guy." Production on the 20th Century Fox Television-based hour begins shortly for a potential fall premiere.


FAMILY BONDING (A&E, New!) - Stuart Krasnow ("The Janice Dickinson Modeling Agency") is developing a new reality series at the network in which a parent and teen are handcuffed together for 45 hours. Said effort, from Krasnow's self-titled banner and Fox 21, plays on the idea that the average family spends just 45 minutes a day together. No other details were given.


GEEK MEETS GIRL (Syndication) - The dating strip - in which a beautiful woman has two dates with a nerdy guy, who receives a makeover in between - has reportedly been cleared in 80% of the country. Fox 21, Katalyst Films and Trifecta Entertainment are all behind the half-hour project, originally announced back in May.


IN TREATMENT (HBO) - The pay channel has passed on a fourth season of the Gabriel Byrne-led serial, at least in its current format. "It's true that we have no plans to continue with In Treatment as previously formatted," the network said in a statement. "However, we are in continued conversations with the executive producers to find another way to continue telling these rich stories." The show's third season, featuring Amy Ryan, Dane DeHaan, Debra Winger and Irrfan Khan, averaged a very modest 237,000 viewers and a sub-0.1 rating among adults 18-49. Anya Epstein, Dan Futterman, Hagai Levi, Mark Wahlberg, Paris Barclay and Steve Levinson were the executive producers.


THE LAST DAYS OF MAN (ABC) - Hector Elizondo ("Monk") has scored a role on the comedy pilot, about Tim (Tim Allen), a married father of three who tries to maintain his manliness in a world increasingly dominated by women. He's set as Ed, Tim's boss who wants him to take over as president of the demolition company but still report to the CEO - Nikki (yet to be cast), his twentysomething granddaughter. Nancy Travis also stars in the 20th Century Fox Television-based half-hour, from writer Jack Burditt and director John Pasquin.


LOVELIVES (NBC) - Stella Maeve ("Gossip Girl") has booked the final principal role on the comedy pilot, about a couple - Tim (Ryan Hansen) and Holly (Amanda Loncar) - and their challenges of love and fidelity. She'll play Maddie, Tim and Blake's (Sean Maguire) younger sister, in the Chris Sheridan-penned half-hour, which also stars Smith Cho. 20th Century Fox Television is producing.


MODEL APARTMENT (A&E, New!) - "Glee's" Ryan Murphy and Dante Di Loreto are set to team with "Unzipped" director Douglas Keeve for a potential reality series at the cable channel set in the world of competitive modeling in Manhattan. Fox 21 is behind the project, additional details of which weren't released.


POWERS (FX) - Kyle Chandler ("Friday Night Lights") is reportedly being courted for the drama pilot, about a pair of homicide detectives in a world where superheroes are commonplace. He'd play one of them, Christian Walker, who secretly used to be a superhero. Michael Dinner is directing the FX Productions/Sony Pictures Television-based project from a script by Charles H. Eglee. Said hour is based on Brian Michael Bendis and Michael Avon Oeming's comic book of the same name.


SECRET CIRCLE (The CW) - Ashley Crow ("Heroes") has scored a role on the drama pilot, about Cassie Blake (Britt Robertson), a California teen who moves to her mom's hometown of New Salem, Maine and discovers that she comes from a family of witches. She'll play Jane Blake ("a proper, New England dame in her 50s"), Cassie's grandmother, in the hour, which comes from CBS Television Studios, Warner Bros. Television, writer Andrew Miller and director Liz Friedlander. Gale Harold, Jessica Parker, Louis Hunter, Natasha Henstridge, Phoebe Tonkin, Shelley Hennig and Thomas Dekker also star.


UNTITLED EMILY SPIVEY PROJECT (NBC) - Will Arnett ("Running Wilde") has been cast in the comedy pilot, an irreverent look at parenthood through the point of view of an acerbic working mother, Reagan (Christina Applegate), along with her stay-at-home husband and opinionated parents. He'll play the aforementioned husband, coincidentally also named Will ("sweetly handsome with a friendly, open face"). Maya Rudolph also stars in the half-hour from Broadway Video Television and Universal Media Studios.


UNTITLED SUSANNAH GRANT PROJECT (CBS) - Margo Martindale ("Justified") has joined the cast of the drama pilot, about Michael Halstead (Patrick Wilson), an ultra-competitive surgeon whose life is changed forever when his ex-wife, Anna Lindberg (Jennifer Ehle), dies and begins teaching him what life is all about from the hereafter. She'll take over for S. Epatha Merkerson as Rita, Michael's "don't cross her" assistant. No reason was given for the change. Production is underway on the CBS Television Studios-based hour, from director Jonathan Demme. Afton Williamson and Julie Benz also star.


WHITE COLLAR (USA) - Co-stars Matthew Bomer and Tim DeKay have inked new deals with producer Fox Television Studios to continue on the series for the foreseeable future. Said pacts include pay bumps from the $50,000 per episode range to the $80,000-$100,000 per episode range. Renegotiations of this type - which also include an additional year on their contracts - are custom following the sophomore years of successful series.






  [march 2011]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S
  


· AMERICAN HORROR STORY (FX)
· DEVELOPMENT UPDATE (TFC)
· FAMILY BONDING (A AND E)
· FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS (DIRECTV)
· GEEK MEETS GIRL (SYNDICATION)
· GIFTED MAN, A (CBS)
· GLEE (FOX)
· GOSSIP GIRL (CW)
· HEROES (NBC)
· IN TREATMENT (HBO)
· JANICE DICKINSON MODELING AGENCY, THE (OXYGEN)
· JUSTIFIED (FX)
· LAST MAN STANDING (FOX)
· LOVELIVES (NBC)
· MODEL APARTMENT (A AND E)
· MONK (USA)
· POWERS (FX)
· RUNNING WILDE (FOX)
· SECRET CIRCLE, THE (CW)
· TRUE BLOOD (HBO)
· UP ALL NIGHT (NBC)
· WHITE COLLAR (USA)





[03/04/26 - 03:01 PM]
FX's "Disinherited" - New Drama from Emmy Award Winner Peter Gould and T-Street Ordered to Series on FX and Hulu
Victoria Pedretti and Kiera Allen star as a pair of scrappy sisters thrust by an unexpected inheritance into a world of generational wealth and long-buried crimes.

[03/04/26 - 11:31 AM]
"Disney Animation's Songs in Sign Language" to Debut on Disney+ April 27
Directed by veteran Disney animator/director Hyrum Osmond, the featured songs are "The Next Right Thing" (from Frozen 2), "We Don't Talk About Bruno" (from Encanto) and "Beyond" (from Moana 2).

[03/04/26 - 11:03 AM]
Video: HBO Max Releases First Teaser from the DC Studios Series "Lanterns," Starring Kyle Chandler, Aaron Pierre, and Kelly Macdonald
The series is slated to debut later this August on HBO and available to stream on HBO Max.

[03/04/26 - 10:01 AM]
Netflix's "Untamed" Season 2 Production Kicks Off in Hawaii
The series will film on location on O'ahu and the island of Hawaii.

[03/04/26 - 10:01 AM]
MTV Announces the Final 18 Episodes of "Jersey Shore Family Vacation," One of TV's Most Influential Reality Franchises, Premiering on Thursday, May 7 at 8PM ET/PT
This farewell season marks the culmination of a franchise that entertained millions with major life milestones, laugh-out-loud chaos, and the unfiltered chemistry that defined an era of reality television.

[03/04/26 - 09:45 AM]
Lifetime Raises the Bar by Expanding Into Premium Vertical Storytelling with "Tides of Temptation," A Micro Drama Feature Executive Produced by Taye Diggs
Serving as a digital offshoot of the just announced upcoming original movie "Terry McMillan Presents: Paradise with You," the project expands the film's universe through a cinematic, mobile-first format designed with feature-level production value.

[03/04/26 - 09:44 AM]
Lifetime Greenlights Three New Original Movies for 2026 Love of a Lifetime Slates Featuring All-Star Casts
Valerie Bertinelli, Henry Czerny, Eric McCormack, Taye Diggs, Heather Hemmens, and Cynthia Bailey are among the featured talent.

[03/04/26 - 09:43 AM]
Lifetime Reteams with Robin Roberts for "Angel in the Rubble" Starring Sherri Shepherd in Remembrance of the 25th Anniversary of 9/11
Slated to premiere in September in remembrance of the 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks, the movie is based on Genelle Guzman-McMillan's memoir "Angel in the Rubble: The Miraculous Rescue of 9/11's Last Survivor."

[03/04/26 - 09:42 AM]
Lifetime Expands Roster of Powerhouse Creatives with New Movie Projects Helmed By Queen Latifah and Taraji P. Henson
"Queen Latifah and Taraji P. Henson are extraordinary talents and dynamic producers who share Lifetime's passion for telling powerful stories about women," said Elaine Frontain Bryant, Executive Vice President and Head of Programming, A&E, Lifetime and LMN.

[03/04/26 - 09:41 AM]
A+E Global Media Greenlights Two New Digital-First Series Under the History Brand
"Mistakes That Made America" and "Cracking Up" are both due later this year.

[03/04/26 - 09:40 AM]
The History Channel Marks the 25th Anniversary of September 11 with New Two-Hour Special "102 Minutes Inside the Towers"
The documentary offers a deeply immersive and unique perspective through firsthand accounts from those who were inside the Twin Towers.

[03/04/26 - 09:39 AM]
The History Channel Taps Internationally Acclaimed Action Icon Dolph Lundgren to Executive Produce and Host New Series "History's Greatest Machines with Dolph Lundgren"
Produced by Superluna Studios in association with 3BMG, the eight-episode series takes viewers on a thrilling journey through the gears, guts, and genius behind the machines that reshaped our world.

[03/04/26 - 09:38 AM]
The History Channel Greenlights New Nonfiction Series "Crime and Justice with Tom Selleck" (w.t.)
The 10-episode, one-hour series examines the true stories behind some of the most consequential crimes and investigations in American history.

[03/04/26 - 09:37 AM]
The History Channel Orders "Extraordinary Origins with Ted Danson" (w.t.) A New Series Hosted and Executive Produced by the Multi-Award-Winning Actor
The 10-episode series examines the stories behind some of history's most significant innovations, inventions, and discoveries that helped shape the modern world.

[03/04/26 - 09:36 AM]
The History Channel Greenlights New Nonfiction Series "History's Strange Fortunes with Kevin Bacon" (w.t.)
Stories about money - money made, money lost, and money spent - are woven into the fabric of our nation's history.