CHICAGO (thefutoncritic.com) -- The latest development news, culled from recent wire reports:
EXTREME MAKEOVER (ABC) - Buena Vista International Television has licensed the show's format to Belgian commercial broadcaster VT4. The deal marks "Makeover's" first format sale abroad.
FAMILY FEUD (Syndication) - Fremantle Media and Tribune Entertainment have renewed the syndicated game show for a sixth season thanks to the show's strong showing this season. "Feud" is averaging a 2.0 rating so far this season, up 18% in year-to-year comparisons and has posted gains in women 18-34, 18-49 and 25-54. The renewal covers 60% of the country, including Fox owned-and-operated stations in New York, D.C. and Los Angeles and Tribune stations in Houston and Seattle.
HUB (NBC) - The Peacock has greenlit production on the pilot, a quirky drama set at Los Angeles International Airport. Mark Gordon and Nick Thiel are the executive producers of the project, which comes from NBC Studios.
MEDIUM (A.K.A. UNTITLED GLENN GORDON CARON PROJECT) (NBC) - Glenn Gordon Caron's ("Now & Again") drama at the Peacock has a title and a greenlight to produce a pilot. The project is based on the true story of Allison DuBois, a research medium and criminal profiler, and revolves around her struggles to balances her psychic abilities with being a wife and mother. Paramount Network Television and Grammnet Productions are behind the project which will be executive produced by Caron and Gramment's Kelsey Grammer and Steve Stark.
A MOTHER'S GIFT (ABC Family) - Lindsey Haun ("The Color of Friendship") and Virginia Madsen ("Fire With Fire") have been cast in the telefilm, which is being executive produced by Britney Spears. Production begins this week in Toronto on the project for an April air date.
ON AIR WITH RYAN SEACREAST (Syndication) - The freshman talk show bowed to a 1.5 rating and 3 share in the metered markets on Monday, making it 20th Century Fox Television's best first-day numbers since the launch of "Texas Justice" in 2001. National numbers however won't be available for another two weeks.
PEARL CITY (A.K.A. HAWAII BLUE) (NBC) - Jon Avnet ("Boomtown") is on board to direct the pilot, which received a production greenlight this week. The ensemble drama tracks a group of detectives in Oahu, Hawaii. NBC Studios is behind the the project with Jeff Eastin ("Rush Hour 3") writing and executive producing.
REDEMPTION (FX) - The cable channel has scheduled its biopic of Stan "Tookie" Williams for Sunday, April 4 at 8:00/7:00c. Jamie Foxx stars as the founder of the Crips gang who, after serving a prison sentence, began counseling inner-city youth and was eventually nominated for two Nobel Peace Prizes.
REVELATIONS (A.K.A. UNTITLED POLONE/SELTZER PROJECT) (NBC) - The Peacock has given a production greenlight to the six-hour limited series which focuses on the final showdown between God and Satan as foretold in the Bible's book of Revelations. David Seltzer ("The Omen") and Gavin Polone ("Curb Your Enthusiasm") are the executive produces of the project, which comes from the latter's Pariah Television.
SPARTACUS (USA) - USA has scheduled the four-hour mini-series for Sunday, April 18 and Monday, April 19.
TANGLED UP IN BLUE (A.K.A. UNTITLED ROSANNA ARQUETTE PROJECT) (ABC Family) - Production has completed on a pilot presentation of the project, a semiautobiographical comedy about an unconventional mom (Rosanna Arquette) balancing motherhood and her bohemian lifestyle and rock 'n' roll circle of friends. Dick Clark and Robert Downey, Jr. both made cameos in the pilot presentation.
THIS TIME AROUND: THE SERIES (ABC Family, New!) - The cable channel is considering a series version of the recent telefilm, ordering a pilot presentation for a potential spin-off. One of the telefilm's writers, Chad Hodge (also of "Tru Calling," "I Want to Marry Ryan Banks") is on board to write the pilot, which picks up six months after the movie - which tracked a group of friends as they battled their high school demons - ends. It's not clear if stars Carly Pope, Brian Austin Green and Sara Rue will be involved with the series as additional details were not revealed. Joel S. Rice ("Picking Up and Dropping Off") is also on board to executive produce.
THE WEBSTER REPORT (A.K.A. UNTITLED 25C PRODUCTIONS PROJECT) (CBS, New!) - Writer Theresa Rebeck ("Law & Order: Criminal Intent") has landed a cast-contingent pilot commitment from the Eye for a new drama about an offbeat New York private investigator. CBS Productions and Warner Bros. Television-based 25C Productions are behind the project which will be executive produced by Rebeck along with 25C's Sarah Timberman and Carl Beverly.
Sources: Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Reuters
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