or


[01/24/06 - 12:00 AM]
Development Update: January 23-24
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!

THE 12TH MAN (A.K.A. UNTITLED TIM STORY COMEDY PROJECT) (FOX) - FOX has given a pilot order to director Tim Story ("Fantastic Four") and writer Dan Fogelman's ("Like Family") comedy project for the network. The single-camera half-hour revolves around a pro basketball player who's not quite good enough to get much court time and feels marginalized as a result. Fogelman is writing the pilot script to the project, which is based on former pro basketball player Paul Shirley's blog "My So-Called NBA Career" on ESPN.com. Story then will direct and executive produce the 20th Century Fox Television-based half-hour along with Fogelman. Shirley himself will also serve as a producer.

ENEMIES (ABC) - Sean Bailey's ("Push, Nevada") long-in-the-works drama project for the Alphabet has been given the green light to produce a pilot. Said hour revolves around two Chicago-based best friends who grow up to become mortal enemies - one's a top player at the F.B.I. while the other's a mob boss. Bailey wrote the pilot and will executive produce the project for Touchstone Television along with Ken Olin ("Alias").

LOST (ABC) - The show's 11 remaining original cast members - Naveen Andrews, Emilie de Ravin, Matthew Fox, Jorge Garcia, Josh Holloway, Daniel Dae Kim, Yunjin Kim, Evangeline Lilly, Dominic Monaghan, Terry O�Quinn and Harold Perrineau - will all reportedly receive a pay bump next season, with each raking in almost $80,000 an episode. The news marks a significant jump from their current salaries, which are said to range from $20,000-$40,000 per installment. In addition, each actor is expected to agree to a one-year extension on their standard five-year contracts as part of the deal with Touchstone Television however there are no guarantees about the length of their tenure on the show. Finally, recent Golden Globe nominee Fox is also understood to have earned an extra bonus of at least $250,000. To date this season, "Lost" has averaged a whopping 16.76 million viewers as well as finished 2005 as the second-best-selling TV-DVD with 1.04 million units sold and helped drive the 1.5 million video downloads off of Apple's iTunes music store.

MY NAME IS EARL (NBC) - Production on the hit NBC comedy has been suspended as series star Jason Lee recovers from the chicken pox. The break, which is expected to last a few weeks, won't affect the show's air schedule as the Peacock is preparing to launch its 17-day coverage of the Winter Olympics starting February 10.

OCTOBER ROAD (ABC, New!) - Feature writer Scott Rosenberg ("High Fidelity") is set to team with Andre Nemec ("Fastlane") and Josh Appelbaum ("Alias") for a new drama at the Alphabet and Touchstone Television about a Manhattan-based screenwriter who moves back home to his small New England hometown, where he becomes a teacher and must readjust to life with his family and old friends. Gary Fleder ("Don't Say a Word") is also on board to direct and executive produce the project (via his Mojo Films banner), which ABC has given a pilot order.

PRIMARY (A.K.A. UNTITLED TIM STORY DRAMA PROJECT) (FOX) - Writer/producer Craig Silverstein ("The Dead Zone") has scored a pilot order for "Primary," a new drama which centers on a man and a woman who dance around their budding relationship while focusing on their jobs as hostage negotiators. Feature director Tim Story ("Fantastic Four") is on board to direct and executive produce the 20th Century Fox Television-based hour along with Silverstein.

SIX DEGREES (ABC) - Rodrigo Garcia, who's helmed the pilots to both "Big Love" and "Carnivale" at HBO, has signed on to direct the drama pilot, about a group of six young college grads whose lives intertwine in various ways. Raven Metzner, Stu Zicherman, J.J. Abrams, Bryan Burk and Thom Sherman are behind the hour, which is set up at Touchstone Television and Bad Robot. (Note: A previous version of this report indicated Garcia would direct both "Nine Lives" and "Six Degress." Said information, taken from The Hollywood Reporter, turned out to be incorrect. We apologize for the error.)

UNTITLED SHONDA RHIMES PROJECT (ABC, New!) - "Grey's Anatomy" creator Shonda Rhimes is developing a new drama at ABC and producers Touchstone Television and the Mark Gordon Co. about four female journalists from different media who travel the country. The project, which is being targeted for midseason next year, is said to be derived from a script Rhimes penned during the 2002-03 development season. Rhimes and Gordon then will executive produce the hour along with Betsy Beers and Julie Lynn.

Sources: Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Reuters





  [january 2006]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S


· 12TH MAN, THE (FOX)
· ALIAS (ABC)
· BIG LOVE (HBO)
· CARNIVALE (HBO)
· CORRESPONDENTS (ABC)
· DEAD ZONE, THE (USA)
· ENEMIES (ABC)
· FASTLANE (FOX)
· GREY'S ANATOMY (ABC)
· LIKE FAMILY (WB)
· LOST (ABC)
· MY NAME IS EARL (NBC)
· NINE, THE (ABC)
· OCTOBER ROAD (ABC)
· PUSH, NEVADA (ABC)
· SIX DEGREES (ABC)
· STANDOFF (FOX)





[02/28/25 - 03:35 PM]
NBC Records Its Most-Watched Sunday of Entertainment Series Programming in Nearly Six Years
Including NBC, Peacock and the NBCUniversal cable networks - Bravo, E!, Syfy, USA and CNBC - the premiere episode of "The Americas" amassed 6.7 million viewers (L3) and stands as the most-watched nature documentary on linear television in more than 15 years.

[02/28/25 - 01:31 PM]
Video: Apple TV+ Debuts Trailer for "Side Quest," New "Mythic Quest" Expansion Series
Set to premiere globally on Wednesday, March 26 on Apple TV+, all four episodes of "Side Quest" will debut alongside the season four finale of "Mythic Quest."

[02/28/25 - 01:00 PM]
ABC News Announces Special Coverage of President Donald J. Trump's Address to the Joint Session of Congress and the Democratic Response on ABC, ABC News Live, Disney+ and Hulu
"World News Tonight" anchor and managing editor David Muir will lead comprehensive coverage, including previewing remarks, reporting on the highlights and providing analysis following the speeches.

[02/28/25 - 12:45 PM]
HBO Inks Two-Year First-Look Deal with Sharon Horgan and Merman, Orders New Original Comedy Series
HBO has also given a straight-to-series order for a new original comedy series, the first project under this deal, from Horgan and produced by Merman, with Horgan serving as writer, star, and executive producer.

[02/28/25 - 12:32 PM]
Hulu Celebrates Oscar-Nominated Films
"A Real Pain," "Alien: Romulus," "Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes," and "Sugarcane" are already available to stream while "Anora" is due on Monday, March 17.

[02/28/25 - 10:31 AM]
Video: "The Parenting" - Official Trailer - Max
There is something really bad happening in this house...

[02/28/25 - 09:09 AM]
A&E Announces the Return of "Accused: Guilty or Innocent?" Followed by the Premiere of New Series "Accused: Did I Do It?
Unlike the original series, "Accused: Did I Do It?" will focus on cases that have already been fully adjudicated, following the high-stakes stories of individuals who stood trial and are facing charges for serious offenses such as first-degree murder, manslaughter, domestic terrorism, and aggravated assault.

[02/28/25 - 08:53 AM]
Lifetime Greenlights New Unscripted Series "A Sorority Mom's Guide to Rush" from Vice Studios
Each one-hour episode will follow along during the most high-stakes time in a college-bound girl's life, Sorority Rush.

[02/28/25 - 08:01 AM]
Video: "Formula 1: Drive to Survive" - Season 7 - Official Trailer - Netflix
Familiar faces make a comeback, team stalwarts defect to arch rivals, and new champions emerge in one of Formula One's most tumultuous seasons yet.

[02/28/25 - 07:32 AM]
"Agatha Christie's Towards Zero" Starring Anjelica Huston and Matthew Rhys Premieres April 16
The series, led by Anjelica Huston and Matthew Rhys, features a stellar ensemble cast including Oliver Jackson-Cohen, Ella Lily Hyland, Mimi Keene, Anjana Vasan and Clarke Peters.

[02/28/25 - 07:05 AM]
"First to the Finish" - a New Docuseries Focused on the Relentless Pursuit of the MX-5 Cup Championship - Will Premiere March 25 on Prime Video
This high-stakes docuseries takes viewers inside the 2024 Mazda MX-5 Cup Championship for the triumphs and challenges that go along with getting started in racing, as seen through the unique prism of three inspiring protagonists - two drivers and a team owner.

[02/28/25 - 05:31 AM]
Paramount+ Reveals First-Look Photos for "MobLand" - Guy Ritchie's New Global Crime Series Set to Premiere on Sunday, March 30
The series stars Tom Hardy, Helen Mirren and Pierce Brosnan as the head of an organized crime family, fighting for power within a global crime syndicate.

[02/27/25 - 12:01 PM]
Sharon Stone Joins the Cast of "Euphoria" Season 3
"There is little more exciting than going to work with this team of thrilling talent," said Stone. "From the genius of Sam Levinson to the raw sophistication of this profoundly moving cast and tight crew. I am honored to be Euphoric."

[02/27/25 - 11:57 AM]
Discovery Channel March Programming Highlights
The previously announced "Filthy Fortunes" and "Naked and Afraid" will be joined by the new special "Constables on Patrol."

[02/27/25 - 11:06 AM]
A&E Announces New Series "Stadium Lockup" Following Law Enforcement & Security Teams at the Cleveland Browns Stadium in Ohio
With so much excitement comes plenty of action and the security team must stay on high alert as rule breaking and bad behavior won't be tolerated.