or


[06/13/08 - 05:14 PM]
Development Update: Friday, June 13
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!


24 (FOX) - Jon Voight has been tapped for his first series role in nearly 40 years. He'll play the show's seventh season "big bad" that's introduced in the upcoming prequel event and subsequently turns up later in the actual season. Details about his character however remain under wraps. Production is underway in South Africa on the prequel, which is set to air on November 23. Voight's last TV series role was a three-episode arc on "Gunsmoke" in the late 1960s.


FOURPLAY (ABC) - Ayda Field ("Back to You") has joined the cast of the comedy pilot, about two men - Derek (Josh Cooke), who is straight, and Drew (Alan Tudyk), who is gay - who are lifelong best friends and business partners. She'll take over for Sarah Lafleur as Audrey, Derek's stylish but emotionally messy girlfriend. Said recasting was made following the pilot's table read. It's understood Lafleur will move onto another ABC project as a result of her talent deal with the network. Rizwan Manji and fellow "Back to You" alum Ty Burrell also star in the half-hour, which comes from Warner Bros. Television and co-creators David Kohan and Max Mutchnick.


LAPD (NBC, New!) - John Wells has booked his first post-"ER" project, a drama centering on the Los Angeles Police Department. "ER" veteran Christopher Chulack is set to direct the project - which has a put pilot commitment from the network - from a script by feature writer Ann Biderman ("Primal Fear"). Wells, Biderman and Chulack then will executive produce via Wells's Warner Bros. Television-based banner.


SIT DOWN, SHUT UP (FOX) - The writers of the upcoming animated series have walked off the show in pursuit of WGA representation. Said event was reportedly the result of Sony Pictures Television informing them they were covered by the Writers Guild when if fact they had made arrangements with another union, IATSE. The news marks the latest spat over which union should cover primetime animation. Under IATSE, writers do not receive get new-media revenues or residuals of any kind - a key strike point for the WGA earlier this year. Nevertheless with Sony's animation division, Adelaide Productions, having a deal with the IATSE in place for the past 10 years, industry insiders suggest the "Sit Down" staff doesn't have much leverage. Nevertheless their rallying cry is that all the other FOX-aired/20th Century Fox Television-produced animated shows fall under the WGA umbrella. ("Sit Down" is a co-production with 20th however Sony is the production lead.) It's not clear how long production will be delayed on the series, which is being targeted for midseason, as the result of the walkout.


UNTITLED OFFICE SPIN-OFF PROJECT (NBC) - Aziz Ansari (MTV's "Human Giant") is the first to be cast on the much-ballyhooed spin-off. No details about his character however were released other than he'll be part of a larger ensemble. Greg Daniels and Michael Schur are shepherding the project, which remains a hot topic of speculation. It's not clear if any of the parent show's characters will be part of the spin-off or if the sibling characters will initially be planted in the mothership before heading to the new show. In any case, Ansari has inked a one-year talent deal with producer Universal Media Studios as part of his involvement while Tucker Cawley, Dan Goor, Paul Feig, Charlie Grandy and Alan Yang have been tapped to be part of the writing staff. And separately, "Office" alum Rashida Jones has likewise inked a talent holding deal with the studio - leading many to speculate about her involvement with the show - while Paul Lieberstein, who doubles as Toby on the show, has been upped to executive producer on "The Office" proper.


Sources: Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Reuters





  [june 2008]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S


· 24 (FOX)
· BACK TO YOU (FOX)
· DEVELOPMENT UPDATE (TFC)
· ER (NBC)
· FOURPLAY (ABC)
· HUMAN GIANT (MTV)
· OFFICE, THE (NBC)
· PARKS & RECREATION (NBC)
· SIT DOWN, SHUT UP (FOX)
· SOUTHLAND (TNT)





[04/19/24 - 07:04 AM]
Video: Prime Video Releases Official Trailer for "Maxton Hall - The World Between Us"
Produced by UFA Fiction, the German series tells the modern love story of James Beaufort and Ruby Bell, an upper-class boy and a working-class girl in a world of glamor, prestige, secrets, and drama.

[04/19/24 - 06:45 AM]
ESPN Delivered Top Two Most-Watched SoFi NBA Play-In Tournament Eastern Conference Games Ever on April 17
The 76ers 105-104 victory over the Heat averaged 3,403,000 viewers, peaking with 5,490,000 viewers at 9:30 p.m. ET.

[04/19/24 - 06:00 AM]
Video: "Welcome to Wrexham" - Season 3 Official Trailer - FX
The Emmy award-winning series returns May 2 on FX.

[04/18/24 - 05:01 PM]
Video: First Look at Season 2 of "Gordon Ramsay's Food Stars" Premiering Wednesday, May 22, on FOX
Gordon Ramsay and Lisa Vanderpump each bring their expert knowledge and unique leadership styles to the second season of the competition series.

[04/18/24 - 04:09 PM]
"Fallout" Has a Blast of a Debut: Amazon MGM Studios and Kilter Films' Hit Series to Return for Season Two
In its first four days, the high-octane fueled series has become a hit with its global audience, ranking among the service's top three most-watched titles ever and the most-watched season globally since "Rings of Power."

[04/18/24 - 04:01 PM]
Netflix Announces Production of "Last Samurai Standing": An Epic Battle Royale for Survival in Historic Japan
Based on the novel "Ikusagami" by Shogo Imamura, winner of the 166th Naoki Prize in 2021, the series features the multi-talented Junichi Okada in the lead role.

[04/18/24 - 01:31 PM]
"Call Me Country: Beyonce & Nashville's Renaissance" from CNN FlashDocs Comes to Max April 26
As Beyoncé recently became the first Black woman to ever top Billboard's Hot Country Songs chart, a larger conversation about what defines country music has exploded into the zeitgeist.

[04/18/24 - 11:59 AM]
Starz Releases First-Look Photos for the Highly Anticipated Fourth and Final Season of "Power Book II: Ghost"
Additionally, Golden Brooks will join the upcoming season in a recurring role as Janet Stewart, Monet Tejada's cousin.

[04/18/24 - 11:33 AM]
New TLC Medical Series "Botched Bariatrics" Premiering on Wednesday, May 15th
The new medical transformation series features patients whose lives have been turned upside down after suffering complications from their bariatric surgery.

[04/18/24 - 11:09 AM]
Lifetime Extends Relationship with Garcelle Beauvais
Following the critically acclaimed "Black Girl Missing" movie in which Beauvais starred in and executive produced in 2023, Lifetime extends the franchise with two new movies with Beauvais set to executive produce.

[04/18/24 - 11:00 AM]
CBS Renews Critically Acclaimed Hit "Elsbeth" for Second Season
"'Elsbeth' has charmed audiences with its singular blend of delightful humor, distinctive 'how-done-it' storytelling, and the inventive, brilliant quirkiness of Elsbeth Tascioni," said Amy Reisenbach, president of CBS Entertainment.

[04/18/24 - 10:11 AM]
ABC's "9-1-1" 100th Episode Propels Series to No. 1 Drama in Primetime in Adults 18-49
The milestone 100th episode was the top program of the night, scoring a season-high on linear after 7 days of viewing in Adults 18-49 (0.91 rating), marking the show's best L7 rating since its season finale last year.

[04/18/24 - 10:00 AM]
HBO Original Comedy Special "Nikki Glaser: Someday You'll Die" Debuts May 11
"I'm so grateful that once again, HBO has put their trust in me to say what I feel into a microphone while wearing a tiny dress," Glaser said. "Someday I'll die, and when I do, I hope I'm remembered for this performance (and this dress)."

[04/18/24 - 09:31 AM]
Video: Paramount+ with Showtime Releases the Official Trailer and Key Art for "The Chi"
The series recently wrapped production in Chicago on the remaining eight episodes of the supersized 16-episode season.

[04/18/24 - 09:07 AM]
TNT Sports Announces Commentators for 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs Presented by GEICO First Round Games on Saturday, April 20
TNT Sports will drop the puck on its coverage of the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs with up to 28 First Round games, starting Saturday, April 20 with Game 1 of New York Islanders vs. Carolina Hurricanes on TBS, truTV and Max's B/R Sports Add-On.