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[09/21/05 - 12:00 AM]
Development Update: September 20-21
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 revamped "Series in Development" charts. Visitors can now filter our listings by network, genre and even development stage (ordered to pilot, cast-contingent, script, etc.). It's updated every day!

101 OCEAN (FOX, New!) - Jeff Rake's failed dramedy is being redeveloped by FOX, 20th Century Fox Television and New Wave Entertainment. The project, about an upscale apartment building in Santa Monica populated by a number of men in the midst of getting divorced, is getting a new script from Matt McGuinness ("Pepper Dennis") with Matt Walden and Debbie Gruber remaining on board as non-writing executive producers. Rake ("Head Cases") wrote the original script, which apparently wasn't ordered to pilot during FOX's 2005-06 season development cycle.

BARABOO 2010 (A.K.A. BEARABOO 2012) (NBC) - The Peacock has confirmed it has indeed given a cast-contingent pilot order to the project, about a small town that has aspirations of hosting an upcoming Winter Olympics. Cheryl Holliday ("King of the Hill") is behind "Baraboo," which is set up at NBC Universal Television-based Dreamworks Television with Darryl Frank and Justin Falvey executive producing. Allison Jones ("The 40-Year-Old Virgin") is understood to have signed on as the casting director.

EVERWOOD (The WB) - ABC Family has purchased the off-network rights to the veteran WB drama for a reported $350,000-per episode license fee. Said deal with Warner Bros. Domestic Cable Distribution, valued in the $35-40 million range, will include at least 89 episodes of the series as well as options on any future seasons. ABC Family is no stranger to the WB's dramas, having also acquired the rights to "7th Heaven," "Gilmore Girls" and "Smallville" in recent years. While no launch date was specified, "Everwood" repeats are expected to join the network's schedule next fall.

EVERYBODY LOVES RAYMOND (CBS) - Emmy-winner Brad Garrett's off-the-cuff remark about an "Everybody Loves Raymond" spin-off on Sunday might not turn out to be a joke after all. Industry insiders have confirmed talks have resumed on the long-rumored vehicle, which would most likely track Garrett's character, Robert Barone, and his wife (Monica Horan). Nevertheless, any deal appears to be months away from happening (if at all) as specifics such as the involvement of "Raymond" co-creators Ray Romano and Phil Rosenthal, Garrett's contract and the Eye's overall schedule needs are worked out.

FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS (NBC, New!) - Peter Berg, the director of the 2004 feature, about a small-town high school football team during the 1980s, has signed a deal with NBC and NBC Universal Television to develop a small screen version of the project. Imagine Television, whose feature arm co-produced the film with Universal, is also on board the TV version, which is targeting a fall 2006 bow - just in time for the return of the NFL to NBC. Berg himself plans to write and direct the pilot as well as executive produce along with his producing partners Sarah Aubrey and John Cameron of Film 44. As for plot specifics, "Lights" will take place in the present day and likewise feature an underdog coach like the one played by Billy Bob Thornton in the film.

MADE IN THE U.S.A. (USA) - A subpar 1.1. million viewers tuned into Wednesday's premiere of the series, in which "America's undiscovered inventors and entrepreneurs will compete for an unparalleled chance of a lifetime to sell their invention on HSN."

NINE LIVES (Sci Fi) - The long-in-the-works supernatural-themed mini-series is understood to still be in the works at the cable channel as Leslie Bohem ("Taken") is currently writing the first two hours of the planned 12-hour project. No other details were given other than it focuses on "life, death and the world beyond." Dreamworks Television is producing "Lives" with Darryl Frank and Justin Falvey executive producing along with Bohem.

SECRET LIVES OF THE PLAYERS WIVES (NBC, New!) - Writer/producers Chris Peterson and Bryan Moore ("That '70s Show") have booked a script commitment at NBC for a new half-hour comedy about the lives and loves of women married to fictional football players. Not to be confused with the British series "Footballers Wives," said project (which has a small penalty attached should it not go to pilot) is understood to have a "Sex and the City"-esque tone.

THE SHOWBIZ SHOW WITH DAVID SPADE (Comedy Central) - The David Spade-hosted half-hour opened to just 854,000 viewers on Thursday.

SUPER SIZEMORE (New!) - Troubled actor Tom Sizemore ("dr. vegas") has pacted with Terence Michael Productions to develop a reality/documentary project about his struggles with the law and sobriety in general. Most recently, the actor was sentenced to another 30 days in a live-in drug-treatment center following an arrest for drug possession. It's understood said project will be composed of footage Sizemore himself has assembled over the past two years as well as current material. Sizemore himself will executive produce the series, which will begin pitching the various broadcast and cable networks in the coming weeks, along with Terence Michael and Gordon Gilbertson.

THAT GUY (FOX) - Regency Television has come aboard to co-produce the comedy pilot, about a 35-year-old man who decides to embrace a "second puberty" and start living his life like a 21-year-old. Josh Lobis ("The Tracy Morgan Show") and Darin Moiselle ("Special Unit 2") created the project with Ivan Reitman (and his Montecito Pictures) executive producing.

TINY LADIES IN SHINY PANTS (ABC, New!) - Writer/producer Jill Soloway ("Six Feet Under") is developing a small screen version of her just-published book "Tiny Ladies in Shiny Pants" at ABC and Regency Television. The single-camera project, which has a six-figure script commitment, will track the adventures of a single mother and a small-business owner, whose world includes crazy parents and a lesbian sister.

TOMORROW/TODAY (NBC, New!) - Feature writer Mike Werb ("Face/Off") and producer Bonnie Curtis ("Minority Report") are developing a 10-hour limited series at the Peacock about the lives of those that work at a Los Angeles news station between the years 2010 and 2030. Said project is set up at the NBC Universal Television-based Dreamworks Television with Darryl Frank and Justin Falvey also serving as executive producers.

UNTITLED DAVID SELF PROJECT (FOX, New!) - Feature writer David Self ("The Road to Perdition") has scored a pilot order from FOX and 20th Century Fox Television-based Imagine Television. The project revolves around the scientists at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory and their efforts to win the next space race, following an unspecified global crisis. Imagine's Brian Grazer and David Nevins will serve as executive producers of the untitled project in addition to Self.

UNTITLED JASON MULGREW, MARK RIZZO AND JOSH STOLBERG PROJECTS (NBC, New!) - Feature writer Josh Stolberg (the upcoming "Evan Almighty"), blogger Jason Mulgrew and Groundlings performer Mark Rizzo have all reportedly scored script orders from the Peacock. All three comedy projects are set up at the NBC Universal Television-based Dreamworks Television with Darryl Frank and Justin Falvey executive producing. Stolberg's effort is a blind script commitment for a yet-to-be-determined series while Mulgrew's is a semi-autobiographical story of his life in New York and Rizzo's is a coming-of-age story. No other specifics were given.

UNTITLED LARRY WILMORE PROJECT (New!) - "The Bernie Mac Show" co-creator Larry Wilmore is developing a one-hour dramedy for the NBC Universal Television-based Dreamworks Television. Said project, details of which weren't specified, is reportedly based on an idea by former DreamWorks partner Steven Spielberg. Dreamworks toppers Darryl Frank and Justin Falvey will executive produce the project, which has yet to go out to the broadcast networks.

UNTITLED LES BOHEM, KIRK ELLIS, CHRIS MURPHEY AND GARDNER STERN PROJECTS (NBC, New!) - Darryl Frank and Justin Falvey's NBC Universal Television-based Dreamworks Television is developing a series of drama projects targeted for NBC. Among them: a serialized drama about a "very unique corporation" from Les Bohem ("Taken"); a family drama about an American family adjusting to life overseas from Kirk Ellis ("Into the West"); an international law-themed project from Chris Murphey ("Dead Lawyers"); and an unspecified effort from Gardner Stern ("Las Vegas").

WANTED (TNT) - Sunday's summer finale of the freshman drama saw 3.4 million viewers tune in, good enough to finish among the top 10 of all cable series last week. Said number was down just 8.11% from its July 31 premiere (3.7 million). The series will return for the second half of its inaugural season in December.

Sources: Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Reuters





  [september 2005]  
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· 101 OCEAN (FOX)
· BARABOO 2010 (NBC)
· BERNIE MAC SHOW, THE (FOX)
· BEYOND (FOX)
· DEAD LAWYERS (SYFY)
· DR. VEGAS (CBS)
· EVERWOOD (WB)
· EVERYBODY LOVES RAYMOND (CBS)
· EVERYTHING IS WRONG WITH ME (NBC)
· FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS (DIRECTV)
· GILMORE GIRLS (CW)
· HEAD CASES (FOX)
· INTO THE WEST (TNT)
· KING OF THE HILL (FOX)
· LAS VEGAS (NBC)
· MADE IN THE USA (USA)
· NINE LIVES (NBC)
· PEPPER DENNIS (WB)
· SECRET LIVES OF THE PLAYERS WIVES (NBC)
· SEVENTH HEAVEN (CW)
· SEX AND THE CITY (HBO)
· SHOWBIZ SHOW WITH DAVID SPADE, THE (COMEDY CENTRAL)
· SIX FEET UNDER (HBO)
· SMALLVILLE (CW)
· SPECIAL UNIT 2 (UPN)
· STEVEN SPIELBERG PRESENTS: TAKEN (SCI FI)
· THAT '70S SHOW (FOX)
· THAT GUY (FOX)
· TINY LADIES IN SHINY PANTS (ABC)
· TOMORROW/TODAY (NBC)
· TRACY MORGAN SHOW, THE (NBC)
· UNTITLED CHRIS MURPHEY PROJECT (NBC)
· UNTITLED GARDNER STERN PROJECT (NBC)
· UNTITLED JOSH STOLBERG PROJECT (NBC)
· UNTITLED KIRK ELLIS PROJECT (NBC)
· UNTITLED LES BOHEM PROJECT (NBC)
· UNTITLED MARK RIZZO PROJECT (NBC)
· WANTED (TNT)





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