or


[01/11/06 - 12:00 AM]
Development Update: January 10-11
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 newly branded "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!

BLACK. WHITE. (FX) - Promos currently running on the cable channel indicate the series will premiere Wednesday, March 8 at 10:00/9:00c. Here's how the network's press materials describe the project: "Black. White. examines race with an extraordinary approach by putting new faces on an African-American family, the Sparks, and Caucasian family, the Wurgels. Through the transformative power of make-up by Academy Award� nominated make-up effects artist Keith VanderLaan (The Passion of the Christ), the Wurgels become black and the Sparks become white, which challenges their beliefs and core values in ways they could have never imagined. The make-up process for each family member took 3 to 5 hours for every day of transformation."

FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS (NBC) - The Peacock is moving forward with its small-screen adaptation of the 2004 Universal/Imagine feature, about the tumultuous 1988 season of the famed Odessa, Texas high school football team. The network has officially lifted the cast-contingency off the project's production, despite no casting announcements. Peter Berg, the director/co-writer of the original film, is on board to pen the pilot script, which will move the focus to present day. Sarah Aubrey, John Cameron, Brian Grazer and David Nevins will also executive produce the NBC Universal Television/Imagine Television-based hour.

SIMPLY SKETCH (LOGO, New!) - Former talk show host Rosie O'Donnell reportedly is developing a sketch comedy series for the fledgling cable channel. The project, which will feature a cast of up-and-comers, will be filmed in front of a live studio audience as well as include taped segments, musical numbers and commercial/movie parodies incorporating political satire. Oh Really! Productions, headed by former Disney executives Dan MacDonald and Joe Del Hierro, is on board to executive produce along with O'Donnell. It's not clear however if O'Donnell herself will appear on camera.

THE WEST WING (NBC) - Actor/singer Jon Bon Jovi has signed on to appear in an upcoming episode of the series, set to air on Sunday, March 26. He'll play himself in the installment, where he'll perform his song "Welcome to Wherever You Are" during a rally to support the fictional campaign of Sen. Matt Santos (Jimmy Smits). No other details were given.

UNTITLED DAN MCDERMOTT PROJECT (A.K.A. SURVEILLANCE) (Lifetime) - Dan McDermott's drama project, about a tough-as-nails F.B.I. agent in her mid-20s with the ability to sniff out liars, has found a third home - this time at Lifetime where it's expected to receive an eight-episode order. Previously set up at FOX then USA (where it's since deviated from it's original premise - about the son of a fallen F.B.I. agent who ends up running the agency's elite surveillance unit), the procedural would track said agent, whose parents were C.I.A. operatives now serving time for treason, as she rights her parents' wrongs. It's understood Lifetime is targeting a summer premiere for the project, which is set up at NBC Universal Television and Tom Nunan's Bull's Eye Entertainment. McDermott will pen the pilot script and executive produce along with Nunan and fellow Bull's Eye principal Cathy Schulman.

UNTITLED PAUL REISER PROJECT (CBS, New!) - Former "Mad About You" star Paul Reiser has booked a pilot order at the Eye for a new comedy about an ambitious young man who takes over the family car dealership in Queens, New York. Reiser will write and executive produce the Paramount Network Television-based half-hour, which is the result of a first-look deal the actor/writer signed with the studio.

UNTITLED RODRIGUEZES PROJECT (UPN, New!) - Comedian Paul Rodriguez and his skateboarding champ son, Paul Rodriguez, Jr., are developing a new comedy at the netlet about the relationship between a father and son, who reunite after a lengthy estrangement. David Goetsch ("Game Over") is behind the project, which is set up at Joe Roth's Paramount Network Television-based banner with both Rodriguezes attached to play the lead roles.

UNTITLED SONNY GROSSO PROJECT (AMC, New!) - Former New York police detective-turned-producer Sonny Grosso, the focus of William Friedkin's Oscar-winning 1971 feature "The French Connection," has inked a development deal with the cable channel to develop a limited series about the infamous 1961 drug bust. The news marks Grosso's second attempt in recent memory to bring the French Connection case to the small screen, the first being last season's failed NBC drama pilot "NY-70," featuring Bobby Cannavale and Donnie Wahlberg. As for the AMC version, Grosso and his producing partner Larry Jacobson will executive produce the project through their Grosso Jacobson Communications Corp. banner. A search is currently underway for a writer.

Sources: Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Reuters





  [january 2006]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S


· ANGELA'S EYES (LIFETIME)
· BLACK WHITE (FX)
· FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS (DIRECTV)
· GAME OVER (UPN)
· NY-70 (NBC)
· UNTITLED PAUL REISER PROJECT (CBS)
· UNTITLED RODRIGUEZES PROJECT (CW)
· UNTITLED SONNY GROSSO PROJECT (AMC)
· WEST WING, THE (NBC)





[02/06/25 - 12:36 PM]
ESPN NBA Schedule Update: Minnesota Timberwolves Visit Houston Rockets on February 21
This matchup replaces the previously scheduled New Orleans Pelicans vs. Dallas Mavericks game.

[02/06/25 - 11:07 AM]
ESPN and Major League Rugby Announce Multiyear Media Rights Agreement
Under the agreement, all regular season and playoff games will stream live on ESPN+, with a select number of matches presented on ESPN2.

[02/06/25 - 11:01 AM]
A Star-Studded Lineup of A-List Celebrities and Music Icons Will Participate in NBC's Highly Anticipated "SNL50: The Anniversary Special"
The special will feature appearances by Adam Driver, Ayo Edebiri, Bad Bunny, Dave Chappelle, John Mulaney, Kim Kardashian, Martin Short, Miley Cyrus, Paul McCartney, Paul Simon, Pedro Pascal, Peyton Manning, Quinta Brunson, Robert De Niro, Sabrina Carpenter, Scarlett Johansson, Steve Martin, Tom Hanks and Woody Harrelson, with additional names to be announced.

[02/06/25 - 11:00 AM]
Video: "Shoresy" Season 4 Trailer - Hulu
Shoresy (Jared Keeso) explores life after hockey, and the Sudbury Blueberry Bulldogs contend with the distractions of summer in Sudbury.

[02/06/25 - 10:00 AM]
Hulu Presents: "Last Take: Rust and the Story of Halyna" - Feature Documentary Premieres March 11
The new documentary film is directed and produced by Rachel Mason, from Story Syndicate, Anonymous Content and Concordia Studio.

[02/06/25 - 09:37 AM]
Shudder Presses Play on Season Two of "The Creep Tapes," from Executive Producers Mark Duplass and Patrick Brice
Season two will continue to unravel the mind of this secluded serial killer (Duplass) who lures videographers into his world with the promise of a paid job documenting his life.

[02/06/25 - 09:01 AM]
Disney Branded Television's Emmy-Nominated "Kiff" Renewed for a Third Season Ahead of Its March 15 Season Two Debut on Disney Channel and Disney XD
Season two premieres on Disney Channel, Disney XD and Disney XD on Demand on Saturday, March 15, at 10:00 a.m. EDT/PDT with two episodes.

[02/06/25 - 09:00 AM]
Chef Anna Gass Puts a Spin on Beloved Dishes in "Instant Italian" Premiering March 10 on FYI
In each half hour episode, "Instant Italian" works to take favorite Italian dishes and make them quick and easy for modern home cooks.

[02/06/25 - 08:43 AM]
New FYI Series "Tiny House Nation: Memory Lane" Premieres on February 18 at 9pm
Everyone's favorite Tiny House experts John Weisbarth and Zack Giffin take a trip down memory lane where they'll count down their top 10 builds in each episode of this exciting new series.

[02/06/25 - 08:30 AM]
Animated Comedy Set in Futuristic South Central Los Angeles, "Oh My God... Yes! A Series of Extremely Relatable Circumstances" Debuts March 9 on Adult Swim
The series will debut on Adult Swim with two back-to-back episodes, followed by one new episode every Sunday.

[02/06/25 - 08:29 AM]
"United States of Scandal with Jake Tapper" Returns for Season Two on Sunday, March 9 at 9pm ET/PT
Across six captivating episodes, Tapper sits down with perpetrators of America's most bewildering and sordid controversies, along with the brave whistleblowers who challenged the corrupting forces of greed and power.

[02/06/25 - 08:01 AM]
Investigation Discovery Sets February 17 Premiere Date for "Who Is Luigi Mangione?"
With commentary from experts throughout, including executive producer Dan Abrams, criminologist Casey Jordan, NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny, as well as Eric Adams, Mayor of New York City, the special aims to unpack Mangione's background and track his trajectory to understand what led him to land behind bars.

[02/06/25 - 06:12 AM]
Video: "Umjolo: There Is No Cure" - Official Trailer - Netflix
After losing her title for publicly exposing a scandal, a former pageant queen works on a tell-all book - all while her love life remains unwritten.

[02/06/25 - 06:04 AM]
BritBox Greenlights "A Taste for Murder" Starring Warren Brown and BAFTA Winner Phyllis Logan
Set amidst the steep cliffs and fast tides of Capri, "A Taste for Murder" features classic Italian cuisine as the main ingredient to each episode's central murder mystery, revealing the power of food to foster connection, community, and healing after devastating loss.

[02/06/25 - 04:26 AM]
Video: "Love Is Blind: Sweden: After the Altar" - Official Teaser - Netflix
The unique dating experiment lands in Sweden as local singles seek true love and propose marriage - all before seeing each other in person.