or


[11/03/09 - 06:05 PM]
Development Update: Tuesday, November 3
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!


APPETITE FOR SELF-DESTRUCTION (HBO, New!) - Steve Knopper's book, subtitled "The Spectacular Crash of the Record Industry in the Digital Age," is being developed as an original movie by the pay channel. Playwright Victoria Stewart is penning said adaptation, which chronicles the past 30 years, "beginning with the crash of the disco craze in the late 1970s, through the CD boom in the late 1980s and 1990s, the music industry's battle with Napster and other free file-sharing online services in the 2000s and the sharp decline in sales of CDs, which have been replaced by digital downloads." Bob Cooper is producing.


DELTA BLUES (TNT) - Clark Johnson ("The Shield") has been tapped to direct the drama pilot, about "an outstanding but unusual Memphis cop who moonlights as an Elvis impersonator and lives with his mother." He'll work from a script by Liz Garcia and Josh Harto. Smokehouse Pictures's George Clooney and Grant Heslov are executive producing the Warner Horizon Television-based hour with Henry Bronchtein and Abby Wolf-Weiss serving as co-executive producers.


IT'S ALWAYS SUNNY IN PHILADELPHIA (FX) - Twentieth Television has cleared repeats of the cable comedy on 23 stations covering about 45% of the country. Tribune stations in New York, Los Angeles and Washington, D.C.; Fox stations in Chicago, Phoenix and Minneapolis; CBS stations in Philadelphia, Atlanta and Dallas; and Sunbeam's Boston's station are all on board to carry the show's off-cable run, which begins in the fall of 2011.


JERSEYLICIOUS (Style, New!) - Endemol USA has landed an eight-episode order for a new reality series which tracks the intertwined professional and romantic lives of six stylists at a Central New Jersey beauty salon. Alex Duda ("The Tyra Banks Show") is executive producing the project, which will also feature "intrinsically Garden State makeovers and hairstyles." The series is expected to roll out in the spring of 2010.


THE MARRIAGE REF (NBC) - Tom Papa ("Come to Papa") has been tapped to host the Jerry Seinfeld-produced series, in which a panel of comedians and celebrities serve as advocates during marital disputes. Papa then will serve as the "ref" who ultimately judges which spouse is correct. Production on its six-episode order is set to begin in January. Ellen Rakieten is executive producing alongside Seinfeld.


REX IS NOT YOUR LAWYER (NBC) - "Doctor Who" alum David Tennant has been tapped for the lead role on the drama pilot, about "a top Chicago litigator who begins suffering panic attacks and takes up coaching clients to represent themselves in court." He'll play the title role of Rex Alexander. In addition, David Semel has been tapped to direct the hour from a script by co-creators Andrew Leeds and David Lampson. He'll likewise executive produce alongside showrunner Barry Schindel and non-writing executives Gail Berman, Lloyd Braun and Gene Stein. Leeds and Lampson will then serve as supervising producers.


SHAMELESS (Showtime) - Mark Mylod ("Entourage") has been tapped to direct the drama pilot, about the working-class Chicago Gallagher family. William H. Macy is toplining the hour as the clan's alcoholic patriarch who "usually ends up passed out on the living room floor." Mylod previously helmed the pilot to the show's original U.K. incarnation. John Wells is behind the U.S. take and is executive producing alongside original creator Paul Abbott.


UNTITLED KRISTIE ALLEY PROJECT (A&E, New!) - The cable channel has ordered 10 half-hour episodes of a new reality series about the life of actress/tabloid fodder Kirstie Alley. FremantleMedia North America is behind the project, which will track her life as a single mom and her efforts to lose weight as well as launch a weight loss program. Alley previously toplined the short-lived Showtime series "Fat Actress," which took a comedic take on her weight struggles. George Moll ("Rock the Cradle") and Alley are executive producing alongside A&E's Robert Sharenow and Colleen Conway.


V (ABC) - "Chuck" executive producer Scott Rosenbaum has been tapped as the new showrunner of the freshman drama, which launches tonight on the Alphabet. Said development is the result of a new two-year, seven-figure overall deal Rosenbaum has inked with producer Warner Bros. Television. He'll take over from Scott Peters, who in turn took over from original showrunner Jeffrey Bell. Just four installments have been completed of its 13-episode order, the remaining installments of which will roll out in March. Peters nevertheless will continue as executive producer alongside Jason Hall while Bell is expected to depart.


Sources: Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Reuters





  [november 2009]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S


· APPETITE FOR SELF-DESTRUCTION (HBO)
· CHUCK (NBC)
· COME TO PAPA (NBC)
· DEVELOPMENT UPDATE (TFC)
· DOCTOR WHO (DISNEY PLUS)
· ENTOURAGE (HBO)
· FAT ACTRESS (SHOWTIME)
· IT'S ALWAYS SUNNY IN PHILADELPHIA (FXX)
· JERSEYLICIOUS (STYLE)
· KIRSTIE ALLEY'S BIG LIFE (A AND E)
· MARRIAGE REF, THE (NBC)
· MEMPHIS BEAT (TNT)
· REX IS NOT YOUR LAWYER (NBC)
· SHAMELESS (SHOWTIME)
· SHAMELESS (SUNDANCE)
· SHIELD, THE (FX)
· TYRA BANKS SHOW, THE (SYNDICATION)
· V (ABC)





[01/23/25 - 08:01 AM]
Paramount+ to Premiere True-Crime Docuseries "Burden of Guilt" on February 4
The three-part series follows a woman's quest to solve the mystery of what or who really killed her 4-month-old baby brother.

[01/23/25 - 08:00 AM]
Max Original Four-Part Documentary Series "The Takedown: American Aryans" Debuts February 6
The four-part documentary series takes viewers inside the cult-like world of the Aryan Brotherhood of Texas from the late 2000s to the present day.

[01/23/25 - 08:00 AM]
The CBS Original "Hollywood Squares" Lands Special Week-Long Daytime Run
As announced yesterday, beginning Wednesday, January 29, CBS Wednesday game nights will kick off with original episodes of "Hollywood Squares" at 8:00/7:00c.

[01/23/25 - 07:16 AM]
Move to the Rhythm of Love on AXS TV with a Day of Rockin' Romance in the Whole Lotta Love Marathon, Airing Friday, February 14
As part of the festivities, viewers are invited to join in on the Valentine's Day fun with AXS TV's Viewer Video Valentines!

[01/23/25 - 06:35 AM]
The Walt Disney Company Earns 15 Academy Award Nominations
"The Oscars" will air live on ABC and for the first time stream live on Hulu on Sunday, March 2, at 7 p.m. EST/4 p.m. PST, with the official live red-carpet show airing at 6:30 p.m. EST/3:30 p.m. PST.

[01/23/25 - 06:31 AM]
Video: "Court of Gold" - Official Trailer - Netflix
The 1992 dream team brought basketball to the global stage. 30 years later, the world's caught up and the talent gap has closed. No one is untouchable. Witness the drama unfold in the battle to dethrone the US. It's more than a game, it's personal.

[01/23/25 - 06:02 AM]
"Berlin" Season 2 Starts Filming
Pedro Alonso once again takes on the role of the iconic Berlin, and along with him, his entire gang returns.

[01/23/25 - 06:01 AM]
Set the Sails & Hoist the Jolly Roger: The LEGO Group Embarks on a New Adventure with Netflix's "One Piece"
Fans of LEGO building and "One Piece" can prepare to embark on an adventure through the East Blue where fans will experience iconic moments and scenes from the hit live-action adaptation in a new way, ahead of the epic return of the live-action "One Piece" Season 2.

[01/23/25 - 01:01 AM]
Prime Video Announces the Launch of Groundbreaking Documentary Series "Calleja en el Espacio"
The documentary series for Spanish television will follow renowned explorer and presenter Jesús Calleja in his most ambitious adventure to date: becoming the first Spanish civilian to travel to space.

[01/22/25 - 07:01 PM]
First Crucial Clues Unveiled in "Dalah: Death and the Flowers", a Gripping Whodunit Coming Soon
As the police race to track down suspects in a high-profile murder case, the mysterious death proves to be just the beginning in a series of dark revelations waiting to be uncovered in "Dalah: Death and the Flowers."

[01/22/25 - 04:01 PM]
Spring Blooms with "When Life Gives You Tangerines", Premiering on March 7
The drama series follows the adventures of Ae-sun, "the remarkable rebel," and Gwan-sik, nicknamed "unyielding iron," through four vibrant seasons on Jeju Island.

[01/22/25 - 03:06 PM]
HBO Renews "The White Lotus" for a Fourth Season
The eight-episode third season debuts Sunday, February 16 (9:00-10:00 p.m. ET/PT) on HBO and will be available to stream on Max.

[01/22/25 - 03:01 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"
On Monday (1/13/25), "Nightline" scored its most-watched telecast (1.340 million) in over 1 year.

[01/22/25 - 01:27 PM]
College Football Playoff National Championship Presented by AT&T Tops College Football Postseason Viewership, Delivering 22.1 Million Viewers
Said broadcast peaked with 26.1 million viewers from 8:30-8:45 p.m. ET.

[01/22/25 - 12:49 PM]
PBS and BBC Release First-Look Images from the Series "Walking with Dinosaurs" Premiering Later This Year
This new six-part series will take viewers on a unique journey back through time, revealing the incredible life stories of these long-lost giants.