 |
 |
[10/13/11 - 10:48 PM]
Development Update: Thursday, October 13
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!
CONFESSIONS OF A CONTRACTOR (FOX) - Richard Murphy's novel - "a soap about the combustible mix that results when you blend desire, jealousy, and home renovation" - is being redeveloped by the network. Tom Spezialy ("Chaos") is spearheading the project, which has a script commitment plus a penalty attached, and will executive produce alongside Marshall Herskovitz and Ed Zwick for 20th Century Fox Television. CBS previously took a stab at the property in 2008, which Murphy penned under the supervision of Shawn Ryan. (Deadline.com)
DOUCHEBAG (CBS, New!) - Limp Bizkit frontman Fred Durst is set to star in a potential comedy at the Eye about "a rock legend looking for balance between his high profile lifestyle and trying to raise a family." Matthew Carlson ("Mr. Sunshine") is penning the half-hour and will executive produce alongside Eric and Kim Tannenbaum for CBS Television Studios. Durst and his manager John Schneider will also receive producing credits. (Deadline.com)
THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT (HBO, New!) - Screenwriter Lisa Cholodenko is developing a small screen take on the Oscar-nominated film, about "same-sex partners, their son and daughter and the biological father of the kids/sperm donor who surfaces and tears the family apart." Cholodenko and co-writer Stuart Blumberg likewise received Oscar nominations, as did co-stars Annette Bening and Mark Ruffalo. It's understood the TV incarnation - an hour-long drama - will continue the adventures of the five main characters however no other specifics were given. Antidote Films' Jeffrey Levy-Hinte, Gilbert Films' Gary Gilbert and Maven Pictures' Celine Rattray then will executive produce alongside Cholodenko. (Deadline.com)
LATE BLOOMER'S REVOLUTION (ABC, New!) - Amy Cohen ("Spin City") is looking to bring her memoir of the same name, about "a father and daughter who are both trying to navigate the dating world at the same time after the passing of the respective wife and mother," to the small screen. The multi-camera comedy, which has a script commitment at ABC, comes from Warner Bros. Television and Alloy Entertainment with Michelle Nader, Leslie Morgenstein and Gina Girolamo also serving as executive producers. (THR.com)
LOW WINTER SUN (AMC, New!) - Endemol USA is looking to import the U.K. drama - "the modern gothic tale of murder, high-level corruption, deception and cold-blooded revenge in which the difference between cop and criminal is anything but straightforward" - at the cable channel. BBC America aired the original incarnation, from writer Simon Donald and director Adrian Shergold, in 2007. Endemol's Jeremy Gold then will executive produce alongside a yet-to-be-determined writer. (THR.com)
MERRY GO ROUND (FOX, New!) - Steve Faber ("Wedding Crashers") has booked a new semi-autobiographical comedy at the network about "five inseparable best friends in college (two women and three men) who by chance are reunited ten years later and, in spite of themselves, resume their old college personas - good and bad, normal and odd, due to the fact that all three guys were madly in love with one of the women... and perhaps still are." Said effort is set up at Sony Pictures Television with Alan Gasmer and Peter Jaysen executive producing alongside Faber. (Deadline.com)
SACRED GAMES (AMC, New!) - Kerry Williamson ("Fork in the Road") has booked a potential drama at the cable channel about "the spidery links between organized crime, local politics and Indian espionage that lie below the surfaces of its economic renaissance." Said hour is based on the novel of the same name by Vikram Chandra with Williamson penning the adaptation and executive producing. (THR.com)
TWO CROWNS (ABC, New!) - Andrew Chapman ("A House Divided") has scored a script commitment from the Alphabet for a new drama about "two powerful families who fight for control of the country." ABC Studios and Brillstein Entertainment Partners are behind the hour, which Joanne Alfano will executive produce alongside Chapman. (THR.com)
UNTITLED AASIF MANDVI PROJECT (CBS, New!) - "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart" correspondent Aasif Mandvi is set to write and star in a potential comedy at the Eye about "a recently divorced marriage counselor who dispenses relationship advice." The untitled half-hour is set up at CBS Television Studios with Mandvi, his manager Lillian LaSalle and Tagline Television's Kelly Kulchak and J.B. Roberts executive producing. (Deadline.com)
UNTITLED CRAIG KILBORN PROJECT (ABC, New!) - Craig Kilborn's proposed comedy, about "an eccentric mystery writer (Kilborn) who has mastered the art of living and finds his way of life altered when he meets the woman of his dreams," has found a home at the Alphabet. The single-camera project comes from ABC Studios, where the former "Late Late Show" recently inked an overall deal. Mark Torgove and Paul Kaplan ("Outsourced") will co-write the script with Kilborn and executive produce. (THR.com)
UNTITLED HOWARD KORDER PROJECT (HBO, New!) - Howard Korder ("Boardwalk Empire") has sold a new period drama set in Santa Monica in the 1950s to the pay channel about "a RAND-like think tank mission to prohibit the launch of a nuclear bomb." Allen Coulter is attached to direct the hour, which comes from Wolf Films. The company's Dick Wolf and Danielle Gelber then will presumably executive produce alongside Korder. (THR.com)
UNTITLED KELLY MASTERSON PROJECT (AMC, New!) - Kelly Masterson ("Before the Devil Knows You're Dead") has sold a new drama to the cable channel set in the world of diamond trading. No other details were given about the project, which Ridley and Tony Scott will executive produce alongside Scott Free's David W. Zucker and Masterson. (THR.com)
UNTITLED LAURA SOLON PROJECT (ABC, New!) - English comedian Laura Solon has booked a new comedy at the Alphabet about "three adult siblings whose dynamic is unsettled when their loving, but interfering mother Nancy decides to move to the city where they all live and become a reactivated presence in their daily lives." She'll write and serve as a supervising producer on the half-hour, which has a script commitment with a penalty attached. Warner Bros. Television and Alloy Entertainment are co-producing with the latter's Leslie Morgenstein and Gina Girolamo executive producing. (THR.com)
UNTITLED LIGIAH VILLALOBOS PROJECT (NBC, New!) - Ligiah Villalobos ("Go, Diego! Go!") has booked a new drama at the Peacock about "a multi-generational Hispanic family running a Latin dance studio in Miami." Kenny Ortega is on board to direct the Universal Television-based project with Todd Robinson and Steve Stark also serving as executive producers. No other details were given. (Deadline.com)
UNTITLED RYAN MURPHY/ALI ADLER PROJECT (NBC, New!) - Ryan Murphy and Ali Adler ("Glee") have booked a new single-camera comedy at the Peacock about "a blended family of a gay couple and the woman who becomes a surrogate to help them start a family." 20th Century Fox Television is behind the half-hour, which Murphy will direct from a script he'll co-write with Adler. NBC has given a script commitment to the project with a penalty attached "said to be bigger than any other commitment for a comedy project this season." Dante Di Loreto and Katherine Shaffer of Ryan Murphy Productions are also expected to receive producing credits. (Deadline.com)
UNTITLED SHARON HORGAN PROJECT (New!) - Sharon Horgan (U.K.'s "Free Agents") has inked a blind script deal with ABC Studios. The pact calls for her to write, star and executive produce a new comedy for the studio. Aaron Kaplan of Kapital Entertainment will also serve as an executive producer on the resulting half-hour. Horgan was behind the Jenna Elfman-led comedy pilot "Bad Mom" at the studio and sibling ABC this past development cycle and served as an executive producer on "Besties," an adaptation of her U.K. effort "Pulling," for said duo in 2009. (Deadline.com)
UNTITLED STEVEN BOCHCO/DAVID MILCH PROJECT (NBC, New!) - "NYPD Blue" alums Steven Bochco and David Milch are set to reteam for a new drama "set inside DC's hottest law firm, Tapman Rose, which boasts a perfect record of billion-dollar settlements [and] centers on Ted Tapman, a charismatic rainmaker lawyer with a dark secret." 20th Century Fox Television and Imagine Television are behind the hour, which has a significant penalty attached should it not go to pilot. The duo will co-write the script and executive produce alongside Brian Grazer and Francie Calfo with Bochco ultimately serving as showrunner due to Milch's commitment to HBO's "Luck." (Deadline.com)
WEITZ & WONG (ABC, New!) - Ellen DeGeneres and Alex Herschlag are developing a new single-camera comedy at the Alphabet about "a mixed race Jewish-Chinese couple and their two children trying to create their own identity in the face of their very different extended families." Warner Bros. Television and DeGeneres's A Very Good Production are behind the half-hour, which has a penalty attached. Herschlag will pen the script, inspired by the real-life experiences of his brother, and executive produce alongside DeGeneres and Lauren Corrao. (Deadline.com)
AND IN OTHER NEWS... - "The Talk" alumnus Holly Robinson Peete will recur on "Mike & Molly" as a love interest for Reno Wilson's Carl (Deadline.com); 10 of the NBC owned-and-operated stations have signed on to carry Steve Harvey's upcoming talk show from Endemol USA, due next fall (Variety.com); Eric Ladin will turn up on "Castle" as "an Atlantic City casino security expert who works for the victim at the center of the episode" (TVLine.com); Arlen Escarpeta will guest on "The Secret Circle" as the cousin of Jessica Parker Kennedy's Melissa (EOnline.com); Raymond J. Barry will return to "Justified" as the father of Timothy Olypant's Raylan Givens (THR.com); production on Cinemax's upcoming "Transporter" has been temporarily suspended following an injury to star Chris Vance (Deadline.com); plus Roy Bank, former head of Merv Griffin Entertainment, has inked a three-year overall deal with Lionsgate Television.
|
|
|
 [october 2011]  |
S |
M |
T |
W |
T |
F |
S |
| | | | | | |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
 |
|
[01/22/26 - 11:01 AM]
CBS Renews 10 Additional Series for the 2026-2027 Season
This brings the total number of series ordered for the 2026-2027 season to 16.
|
[01/22/26 - 11:01 AM]
Video: "Jesy Nelson: Life After Little Mix" - Official Trailer - Prime Video
Now she's ready to tell her side of the story...
|
[01/22/26 - 10:06 AM]
TNT Sports Announces First Half of 2026 MLB Tuesday Regular Season Schedule on TBS
Come October, TNT Sports will conclude its 53rd year of baseball by providing exclusive coverage of the 2026 American League Division Series presented by Booking.com and 2026 American League Championship Series across its networks and platforms.
|
[01/22/26 - 10:01 AM]
Need Another Hockey Fix? "Shoresy" Returns for Season 5 on February 21
In addition, Hulu has announced the pickup of season 6, which will premiere in 2027.
|
[01/22/26 - 10:00 AM]
NBA on ABC: "NBA Saturday Primetime Presented by Wingstop" Returns January 24 with Rivals Week Tripleheader
In addition, ABC's "NBA Sunday Showcase presented by Popeyes" returns on February 8 and spotlights marquee Sunday afternoon matchups as the NBA regular season intensifies heading toward the playoffs.
|
[01/22/26 - 09:51 AM]
AMC Networks, The Global Leader in Targeted Streaming, Unveils Relaunch of Sundance Now as the Definitive Streaming Home of Independent Film
Following the model of AMC Networks' suite of market-leading specialty streamers, Sundance Now will provide a hand-selected, algorithm-free offering curated by and for independent film enthusiasts.
|
[01/22/26 - 09:06 AM]
Paramount+ Original Comedy Series "Can You Keep a Secret?" to Premiere on February 12
The hit British series follows a domineering granny who fakes her husband's death for the insurance money - only for her family to discover that the biggest threat isn't the law, but her.
|
[01/22/26 - 09:01 AM]
Video: "Star Wars: Maul - Shadow Lord" - Official Teaser Trailer - Streaming April 6 on Disney+
Chains can be broken. Empires can be shattered.
|
[01/22/26 - 09:01 AM]
Video: Prime Video Reveals "Invincible" Season Four Official Trailer and Key Art - The Viltrumite War Is Coming
The critically acclaimed adult-animated superhero series will return on March 18, 2026.
|
[01/22/26 - 08:18 AM]
ESPN's 2026 United Football League Schedule Revealed
A combination of ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN Deportes and the ESPN App will feature 22 games, including showcasing the league debut of the Columbus Aviators and Orlando Storm in primetime, kicking off the UFL Playoffs and presenting the UFL Championship game.
|
[01/22/26 - 08:06 AM]
Your Table's Ready! Season Four of Bravo's "Southern Hospitality" Premieres Wednesday, March 4 at 9 P.M. ET/PT
Leva Bonaparte, the Queen of King Street, and her staff - Joe Bradley, Bradley Carter, TJ Dinch, Michols Peña, Maddi Reese and Lake Rucker - are back, and this summer is one for the books.
|
[01/22/26 - 07:58 AM]
NBC Sports Delivers Its Most Watched NFL Divisional Playoff Game on Record as Rams-Bears Thriller Averages 45.4 Million Viewers on NBC & Peacock
The audience for Rams-Bears - which increased in every quarter hour from 8:15 p.m. ET until the game-winning score - peaked in the game's closing minutes, with an average of 52.6 million viewers from 9:45-10 pm ET.
|
[01/22/26 - 07:24 AM]
Bob Costas Returns to NBC Sports, to Host "Sunday Night Baseball" Pregame Show
Costas debuts as host of NBC's new primetime MLB package on Thursday, March 26, at Dodger Stadium, as the World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers host the Arizona Diamondbacks, with coverage beginning at 8 p.m. ET on NBC and Peacock in the only primetime game on MLB's Opening Day.
|
[01/22/26 - 07:02 AM]
Video: "Ella McCay" - Trailer - Hulu
From acclaimed director James L. Brooks, the film streams on Hulu February 5.
|
[01/22/26 - 07:01 AM]
USA Sports Announces WNBA Commentators Highlighted by Elle Duncan and Renee Montgomery as Studio Team
Kate Scott and Meghan McPeak will serve as play-by-play commentators; while Sarah Kustok joins USA Sports as game analyst.
|
|
|
|
