or


[08/20/12 - 11:21 PM]
Development Update: Monday, August 20
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!


THE FRANCHISE (Showtime) - The pay channel is trimming the show's second season by one week, with the finale now set for this Wednesday, August 22 at 10:00/9:00c. To date its sophomore run, featuring the Miami Marlins, has averaged a very modest 77,000 viewers and a 0.0 rating among adults 18-49. Last summer's inaugural season, showcasing the San Francisco Giants, averaged 106,000 viewers and a 0.0 adults 18-49 rating. (Sun-Sentinel.com)


PAGING DR. FREED (USA) - Kyle Howard and Joel David Moore have booked the lead roles on the long-in-the-works single-camera comedy pilot, about David (Howard) and Jonathan (Moore) Freed, two gynecologist brothers who inherit their father's thriving medical practice after he suffers a heart attack during an attempt at "playing" doctor with his young secretary. Their casting lifts said contingency on the half-hour, which comes from Fox 21, Universal Cable Productions and Watson Pond Productions. Marc Buckland is attached to direct from a script by Michael Feldman with Katy McCaffrey and Brad Johnson also serving as executive producers. (Deadline.com)


RED WIDOW (ABC) - Goran Visnjic ("ER") has joined the cast of the midseason drama, about a woman, Marta Walraven (Radha Mitchell), who must take over her late husband's illegal drug business to protect her three young children. He'll take over for Thomas Kretschmann as mob boss Christian Schiller in the project, from writer Melissa Rosenberg. Clifton Collins Jr., Erin Moriarty, Jaime Ray Newman, Jakob Salvati, Lee Tergesen, Luke Goss, Rade Serbedzija, Sterling Beaumon, Suleka Mathew and Wil Traval also star in the ABC Studios-based project. (Deadline.com)


UNTITLED DIGGY SIMMONS PROJECT (BET, New!) - 17-year-old rapper/blogger Daniel "Diggy" Simmons III, son of Joseph "Reverend Run" Simmons, is set to star in a new original movie at the cable channel about Blake, a blogger with a "close group of loyal friends who hold him down on his rise to the top." Also cast in the project, a backdoor pilot for a potential series, are Allen Maldonado as Blake's best friend Manny; Teyana Taylor as Manny's twin sister/Blake's ex-girlfriend Tae; Chris Brew as tech geek/fellow pal Dot; Bria Murphy as Manny's girlfriend Nia; and Stephanie Charles as Dot's ex-girlfriend Sheri. Salim Akil ("Sparkle") will direct from a script by Kenya Baris with Mara Brock Akil, Chris Lighty, Laurie Dobbins and James Dubose also among the executive producers. Simmons and Kevin Liles will also serve as co-executive producers. Production is set to begin later this year. (Deadline.com)


UNTITLED JONATHAN SHAPIRO PROJECT (FX, New!) - Jonathan Shapiro ("The Firm") has booked a potential drama at the cable channel about a former police detective who now works as a fixer. Ryan Seacrest Productions and The Weinstein Co. are behind the hour, which Shapiro will executive produce presumably alongside Seacrest, Harvey Weinstein, Bob Weinstein, Nina Wass and Adam Sher. No other details were given. (Deadline.com)


AND IN OTHER NEWS... - "Saturday Night Live" will kick off its 38th season on Saturday, September 15 (NBC.com); Sundance Channel has commissioned a second season of its summer series "Push Girls" (Deadline.com); Bryan Cranston is set to direct an episode of "The Office" this season (@RainnWilson); Nicki Minaj is the latest name being tossed around as a judge for "American Idol" (THR.com); Rob Corddry will guest on FOX's freshman entry "Ben & Kate" (EW.com); Ed Skrein and Jacob Anderson have been cast as Daario Naharis and Grey Worm, respectively, on "Game of Thrones" (WinterIsComing.net); Marco Pennette has been tapped as the new showrunner of "Animal Practice," succeeding Gail Lerner beginning with the show's fourth episode (Deadline.com); Jayson Blair has been upped to series regular on "The New Normal" as Goldie's (Georgia King) cheating husband Clay (Deadline.com); Chuck Lorre is finalizing a new four-year overall deal with Warner Bros. Television, which includes a feature component (Deadline.com); Rob Huebel will drop by "Up All Night" as "Chris's (Will Arnett) annoying roommate from college that he can't seem to get rid of" (TVGuide.com); and Super Bowl XVII winner Joe Theismann will make a cameo on "Necessary Roughness" as himself (THR.com).






  [august 2012]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S
   


· AMERICAN IDOL (ABC)
· ANIMAL PRACTICE (NBC)
· BEN & KATE (FOX)
· DEVELOPMENT UPDATE (TFC)
· ER (NBC)
· FIRM, THE (NBC)
· FRANCHISE, THE (SHOWTIME)
· GAME OF THRONES (HBO)
· NECESSARY ROUGHNESS (USA)
· NEW NORMAL, THE (NBC)
· OFFICE, THE (NBC)
· PAGING DR. FREED (USA)
· PUSH GIRLS (SUNDANCE)
· RED WIDOW (ABC)
· SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE (NBC)
· START UP, THE (BET)
· UNTITLED JONATHAN SHAPIRO PROJECT (FX)
· UP ALL NIGHT (NBC)





[11/09/26 - 10:30 AM]
FOX Entertainment Docuseries "The Well" Is Now Streaming Exclusively on Hulu
Produced by FOX Entertainment Studios, Mountain Top Pictures, Haven Entertainment and Fairvale Entertainment, "The Well" investigates more than 200 unsolved murders that continue to haunt California's San Joaquin County, including those linked to the infamous Speed Freak Killers.

[11/09/26 - 09:11 AM]
Peacock's "Here Come the Irish" Returns for Season Three Monday, Dec. 14, Chronicling the Trials and Triumphs of Notre Dame's Defining Season
"Here Come the Irish" follows Notre Dame in the aftermath of the playoffs as the team enters a new season fueled by grit, determination and brotherhood, with their sights set on reaching new heights.

[11/09/26 - 09:03 AM]
BritBox Launches "Austen Untold" Anthology Franchise with Greenlight of New Series "The Other Elliot Sister"
"The Other Elliot Sister" builds on the approach established by "The Other Bennet Sister," placing a character previously confined to the margins at the heart of her own story.

[11/09/26 - 09:01 AM]
Video: "The Trials of Karen Read" - Official Trailer - Netflix
An accident, a deadly fight or an elaborate cover-up? This true-crime series digs into the murder trials of Karen Read that sparked viral conspiracies.

[11/09/26 - 09:01 AM]
Video: Prime Video Unveils New Trailer for "Blade Runner 2099"
All eight episodes of the highly anticipated limited series will premiere on November 25, 2026, exclusively on Prime Video in more than 240 countries and territories worldwide.

[11/09/26 - 08:31 AM]
ESPN Secures Exclusive Media Rights to New Games in Expanded 24-Team College Football Playoff
The agreement runs through the 2031-32 season and builds on the six-year agreement ESPN and the CFP announced in 2024, which began with the 2026-27 season.

[11/09/26 - 07:30 AM]
Peacock to Exclusively Stream "One Night Only" Beginning December 4
The film stars Academy Award nominee Monica Barbaro and BAFTA nominee Callum Turner, alongside Maya Hawke, Julia Fox and more.

[11/09/26 - 06:31 AM]
"Darius Rucker: They Called Me Hootie" Premieres Monday, Nov. 16, on Hulu and Disney+ in Select Markets Internationally
The new feature-length documentary explores the triumphs and hardships that shaped Rucker's life, from his childhood in Charleston, South Carolina, to music superstardom around the globe.

[11/09/26 - 06:01 AM]
Video: Prime Video Releases the Trailer for the Final Season of "Maxton Hall - The World Between Us"
The first two episodes of the six-part season will be available on Prime Video starting December 9, 2026, followed by a new episode each week until the grand finale on December 23, 2026.

[11/09/26 - 05:01 AM]
Video: "The Unthinkable Daughter" - Official Trailer - Netflix
Decades after the crimes that shocked Brazil, Suzane von Richthofen speaks in exclusive interviews about the murders of her parents and their aftermath.

[11/07/26 - 07:31 AM]
Video: "Salish's 12 Games of Christmas" - Official Trailer - Netflix
Salish Matter and seven of her closest friends go head to head in 12 epic holiday challenges for a mountain of Christmas presents, with her dad, Jordan, as host.

[11/07/26 - 12:01 AM]
Video: "Ethos" Season 2 - Official Teaser - Netflix
Written and directed by Berkun Oya, "Ethos" returns for its second season of four episodes after six years, only on Netflix November 12.

[11/06/26 - 01:55 PM]
Paramount Network to Launch Original Series "American Mayhem," Hosted by Larry the Cable Guy and Produced by V10 Entertainment, on Friday, Nov. 13
With his signature heartland humor, Larry the Cable Guy guides viewers through a fast-paced collection of funny, unexpected and relatable moments captured across America.

[11/06/26 - 11:40 AM]
Romantic Epic "The Remarried Empress" Becomes The Most Viewed Local Original Premiere of All Time on Disney+ Globally
It currently ranks as the number one Korean title premiere in over 50 global markets including the US, the UK, France, Spain, Germany, Mexico, Chile, ANZ and Canada.

[11/06/26 - 10:56 AM]
ABC News Wins Across Sunday Morning, Friday Night and Late-Night
"20/20: Justice for Faith" ranked as Friday's No. 1 newsmagazine in Adults 25-54 (437,000) and Adults 18-49 (341,000) on October 30.