or


[02/01/07 - 12:34 AM]
Development Update: Thursday, February 1
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 BEAST (FOX) - Tucker Cawley's sitcom project, based on the British series of the same name, has been ordered to pilot. The workplace comedy centers on a charming and womanizing veterinarian who hates animals but loves the perks his job provides. Cawley penned the pilot script and is executive producing the hour for CBS Paramount Network Television and FremantleMedia North America, who holds the rights to the U.K. original.

Commitment: Ordered to pilot (previously put pilot)
Cast: TBA
Writer: Tucker Cawley
Director: TBA
Executive Producers: Tucker Cawley
Studio: CBS Paramount Network Television, FremantleMedia North America


CANTERBURY'S LAW (FOX) - Feature helmer Mike Figgis ("Leaving Las Vegas") has been tapped to direct the hour, about a rebellious female defense attorney who pushes the boundaries of the law to protect innocent clients. The news mark Figgis' first pilot for television.

Commitment: Ordered to pilot
Cast: TBA
Writer: Dave Erickson
Director: Mike Figgis
Executive Producers: Denis Leary (Apostle Productions), Jim Serpico (Apostle Productions)
Co-Executive Producer: Dave Erickson
Studio: Sony Pictures Television


JUDY'S GOT A GUN (ABC) - Sheree Folkson ("Ugly Betty") has signed on to direct the drama pilot, about Judy Lemen, a detective who struggles to balance her personal life as a single mother with her job investigating the unusual crimes that take place in suburbia.

Commitment: Ordered to pilot
Cast: TBA
Writers: Michelle King, Robert King
Director: Sheree Folkson
Executive Producers: Michelle King, Robert King, Stu Bloomberg (Cabloom!)
Studio: Touchstone Television


MR. & MRS. SMITH (ABC) - Jordana Brewster ("The Fast and the Furious") has been cast as Jane Smith in the network's small screen take on the feature film, about a married couple who are spies. Her character is described as "cool, tough and smart as she is gorgeous and can disarm a horde of thugs without breaking a sweat."

Commitment: Ordered to pilot
Cast: Jordana Brewster (Jane Smith)
Writer: Simon Kinberg
Director: Doug Liman
Executive Producers: Dave Bartis (Dutch Oven Productions), Doug Liman (Dutch Oven Productions), Simon Kinberg
Studio: Regency Television


THE OFFICE (NBC) - Ed Helms ("The Daily Show with Jon Stewart") has been upped to series regular on the Emmy-winning comedy. He'll continue in his role of Andy Bernard, an employee of paper supply company Dundler Mifflin's now-defunct Stamford, Connecticut, office. Said development is tied to a talent holding the deal the actor has with producer NBC Universal Television.


PLAYING CHICKEN (FOX) - John Pasquin ("Miss Congeniality 2: Armed and Fabulous") has come aboard to direct the comedy pilot, about a loud-mouthed conservative and his brother, an intellectual leftie, who are forced to live together after the former suffers an accident that leaves him wheelchair-bound.

Commitment: Ordered to pilot
Cast: TBA
Writers: John Morris, Sean Anders
Director: John Pasquin
Executive Producers: Eric Gold (Werner-Gold-Miller), Jimmy Miller (Werner-Gold-Miller), Tom Werner (Werner-Gold-Miller)
Co-Executive Producers: John Morris, Sean Anders
Studio: Warner Bros. Television


SEE JAYNE RUN (ABC, New!) - The Alphabet has booked a pilot order for a new comedy about a tough and accomplished investment banker who tries to balance her career and motherhood. Alana Sanko ("Just for Kicks") is behind the single-camera half-hour, which is based at Peter Traugott's Brillstein-Grey Television and Touchstone Television.

Commitment: Ordered to pilot
Cast: TBA
Writer: Alana Sanko
Director: TBA
Executive Producers: Alana Sanko, Peter Traugott (Brillstein-Grey Television)
Studio: Touchstone Television


UNTITLED ELIZABETH MERIWETHER PROJECT (FOX, New!) - Newcomer Elizabeth Meriwether has scored a pilot commitment from FOX for a new single-camera half-hour about four single women as they adjust to life after college. The 20th Century Fox Television-based project, which was developed through the network's Creative Writer Development Initiative, will be executive produced by Dawn Parouse and Jeff Richman with Meriwether serving as a supervising producer.

Commitment: Ordered to pilot
Cast: TBA
Writer: Elizabeth Meriwether
Director: TBA
Executive Producers: Dawn Parouse, Jeff Richman
Supervising Producer: Elizabeth Meriwether
Studio: 20th Century Fox Television


UNTITLED SHANA GOLDBERG-MEEHAN PROJECT (ABC) - "Joey" alum Shana Goldberg-Meehan's latest comedy project has received a pilot order from the network. The Warner Bros. Television-based half-hour revolves around a man and woman who fall in love, despite working for rival Democrat and Republican congressmen who attempt to keep the lovebirds apart.

Commitment: Ordered to pilot (previously put pilot)
Cast: TBA
Writer: Shana Goldberg-Meehan
Director: TBA
Executive Producers: Shana Goldberg-Meehan
Studio: Warner Bros. Television


THE VIRGIN OF AKRON, OHIO (Lifetime) - Laurie Metcalf ("Desperate Housewives") is the first to be cast in the drama pilot, about a model who returns home to Ohio and her dysfunctional family before surviving a brutal car crash leading townspeople to believe she was sent from God. She'll play Lydia, the girl's mother. In addition, Randy Zisk ("Prison Break") has come aboard to direct the hour.

Commitment: Ordered to pilot
Cast: Laurie Metcalf (Lydia)
Writer: Jordan Budde
Director: Randy Zisk
Executive Producers: Cary Brokaw, Jordan Budde
Co-Executive Producer: Aaron Geller
Studio: Fox Television Studios


Sources: Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Reuters





  [february 2007]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S
    


· BEAST, THE (FOX)
· CANTERBURY'S LAW (FOX)
· DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES (ABC)
· DEVELOPMENT UPDATE (TFC)
· HILL, THE (ABC)
· HOT YEARS, THE (FOX)
· JOEY (NBC)
· JUDY'S GOT A GUN (ABC)
· MR. AND MRS. SMITH (ABC)
· OFFICE, THE (NBC)
· PLAYING CHICKEN (FOX)
· PRISON BREAK (FOX)
· SEE JAYNE RUN (ABC)
· UGLY BETTY (ABC)
· VIRGIN OF AKRON, OHIO (LIFETIME)





[11/26/24 - 03:01 PM]
Video: New Games, New Stakes - "Squid Game" Season 2 Main Trailer and Key Art "Round and Round" Unveiled
With its premiere just around the corner on December 26, the trailer delivers an electrifying glimpse into the deadly games and gripping character dynamics that await fans worldwide.

[11/26/24 - 02:34 PM]
Video: Paramount+ with Showtime Debuts Official Trailer for Showtime's "Dexter: Original Sin"
The series premieres Friday, December 13 on streaming and on demand for Paramount+ subscribers with the Paramount+ with Showtime plan, before making its on-air US debut on Sunday, December 15 at 10pm ET/PT.

[11/26/24 - 01:15 PM]
ABC News' "Nightline" Ranks No. 1 in Total Viewers, Adults 25-54 and Adults 18-49 vs. CBS' "After Midnight" and NBC's "Late Night with Seth Meyers"
"Nightline" posted double-digit gains week to week across the board, hitting a 6-week high in overall viewers and 7-week highs in both key Adult demos.

[11/26/24 - 12:03 PM]
Netflix Top 10 Week of Nov. 18: "The Merry Gentlemen" and "A Man on the Inside" Take the Top Spots
Season 2 of the animated series "Arcane" laid siege to #2 (6.4M views), while Season 1 took #5 with 2.2M views.

[11/26/24 - 11:44 AM]
TNT Sports to Debut "Evolve and Flex" with Lance Fresh Friday, Dec. 6, on truTV and Max
The show is hosted by sports-lifestyle expert Lance Fresh and features candid conversations with guests to discuss how life's events have contributed to their sense of style.

[11/26/24 - 11:19 AM]
MGM+ Announces 2025 Premiere Date for "NFL Icons" Season Four
In the upcoming fourth season, the docuseries will feature Pro Football Hall of Famers Joe Montana, DeMarcus Ware, Kurt Warner and Gale Sayers.

[11/26/24 - 10:24 AM]
Video: "Rogue Heroes" (MGM+ 2025 Series) Season 2 Tease
"Rogue Heroes" is a dramatized account of how the world's greatest Special Forces unit, the SAS, was formed under extraordinary circumstances in the darkest days of World War Two.

[11/26/24 - 10:09 AM]
Video: Acorn TV Releases Official Trailer for Second Season of Hit Australian Drama, "Darby and Joan"
The new season debuts with a two-episode premiere, exclusively on Acorn TV, on December 30, followed by weekly episodes through January 27.

[11/26/24 - 10:01 AM]
ABC News Studios Announces Fourth Season of Hit True-Crime Series "Wild Crime," Streaming Dec. 5 Only on Hulu
"Wild Crime: Eleven Skulls" delves into the haunting 2012 disappearance of Samantha Koenig, an 18-year-old Anchorage barista last seen leaving her place of work with an unknown man on a dark winter night.

[11/26/24 - 08:32 AM]
Bravo Greenlights "Vanderpump Rules" Season 12 with a New Group of SUR-vers
In addition, "Vanderpump Rules" will celebrate the past decade of heartbreaks, friendship rifts and scandals with a retrospective special highlighting the past 11 seasons.

[11/26/24 - 08:30 AM]
Video: Paramount+ and Nickelodeon Reveal Teaser, First-Look Images and Premiere Date for "Henry Danger The Movie"
"Henry Danger The Movie" will be available to stream in the U.S. on Paramount+ Friday, January 17, and premiere on Nickelodeon that same day at 7 p.m. (ET/PT).

[11/26/24 - 08:01 AM]
Video: "Makayla's Voice: A Letter to the World" - Official Teaser - Netflix
Makayla is a teenage girl who has spent her life grappling with a rare form of autism that rendered her essentially nonverbal until her parents, filled with unwavering belief in their daughter's potential, embarked on a transformative journey to discover the true depth of Makayla's inner world.

[11/26/24 - 08:01 AM]
HBO Announces Ian Bonhote & Peter Ettedgui's Award-Winning "Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story," Debuting December 7 on HBO and Max
The critically acclaimed film had its world premiere at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival and recently won six Critics Choice Documentary Awards.

[11/26/24 - 08:00 AM]
HGTV Greenlights Gutsy Las Vegas Renovation Series "Sin City Rehab" (wt) Starring Indomitable Designer Alison Victoria
The eight-episode series will document Alison, best known for her Emmy-nominated series "Windy City Rehab," taking the biggest gamble of her career as she expands her successful design business out West.

[11/26/24 - 07:01 AM]
Video: "The Manny" Season 2 - Release Date Announcement - Netflix
A busy executive hires a cowboy to care for her kids in a moment of panic. Little does she know he'll challenge her views of gender roles - and of love.