Witness the birth of Bad Television
Last Updated – 02/23/04
Begun – 01/12/04
Compiled from Zap2It.com & The Futon Critic
If you have any additions/corrections to this list, please send Bert an e-mail.
Relive the horror that was the 2003-2004 Television Pilot Season
Witness the 2002-2003 Television Pilots
Network – ABC
“DEMARCO AFFAIRS“: Selma Blair (“Zoe, Duncan, Jack & Jane,” “Cruel Intentions”) is the first to join the cast of David E. Kelley and Jason Katim’s drama pilot. Blair will play the middle child of three sisters who inherit their family’s full-service wedding planning business, who is a pillar of strength on the outside but vulnerable on the inside.
UNTITLED JENNIFER LOVE HEWITT PROJECT: – Jennifer Love Hewitt’s (“Party of Five”) will play an up-and-coming sports producer and single mom who unwillingly becomes an on-camera reporter. Gabe Sachs and Jeff Judah (“Freaks and Geeks”) will write and executive produce the project which is based on an idea by Hewitt.
UNTITLED EARTHQUAKE PROJECT: Comedy starring the single-named comedian. The project, which is loosely based on Earthquake’s experiences, centers on a father of four (Earthquake) and self-proclaimed unluckiest man alive who tries to make ends meet with his wife.
“First Family“: Focus on a working-class family in Queens, N.Y. An adaptation of the BBC show “The Royle Family.” If it sticks to the premise of its ancestor, that family will rarely leave the house and interact pretty much only when there’s a lull in whatever’s on TV.
“UNTITLED“: Sitcom starring pop singer Jessica Simpson, in which she’ll play “Jessica Sampson,” a fictionalized version of her tuna-and-chicken-confusing self. (Yes folks, we are in the end times here. Ditzy blond playing ditzier blond!? – Bert.)
“UNTITLED“: Starring John Stamos as a guy on a daylong first date with a woman. The show is set up so that the entire season will chronicle that one date.
“Thank God It’s Monday“: Looks at families through the lens of how men talk about their home lives while at work.
“The Savages“: Partly inspired by Mel Gibson’s role as a father to six boys, the show will focus on a single dad raising five sons.
“UNTITLED“: Based on the life of Time columnist Joel Stein from the magazine’s corporate sibling, Warner Bros. TV. Stein wrote the script, about the youngest reporter at a national publication, and will executive produce.
“HARRY GREEN AND EUGENE“: Jason Segel (“Freaks & Geeks”) will star opposite Mark Valley in the drama pilot. Segel will play the inept brother of Mark Valley’s character, a private investigator in Los Angeles.
“BLIND JUSTICE“: Ron Eldard (“ER”) will topline a new drama pilot at the Alphabet about a blind detective. The pilot is being targeted for a midseason 2004-05 debut. (Sounds like “Daredevil” to me! – Bert.)
“Plan B“: Comedy about a stressed thirtysomething single woman who juggles romance, career, an intrusive mother and weight problems. Starring Caroline Rhea.
“UNTITLED“: Set in San Antonio revolves around the tight bond between an unlucky-in-love Asian American advertising executive and her wilder, single mother, a 40-ish firecracker who co-owns a local restaurant. From writer Pang-ni Landrum (“Malcolm in the Middle”).
“We Are Family“: About a man and his estranged father who reconnect when they both become new dads.
“THE CATCH“: J.J. Abrams’ bounty hunter drama has been given the green light to produce a pilot. Stars Greg Grunberg (“Alias”).
“LOST“: – Drama which follows a group of people stuck on a Pacific island and are forced to build a new society after surviving a plane crash. From J.J. Abrams (“Alias”) and Damon Lindelof (“Crossing Jordan”). The project is actually a revamped take on “Nowhere,” a drama from executive producer Aaron Spelling and writer Jeff Lieber, which ultimately did not go forward.
“THE MIDDLEMAN“: Oscar-winning writer Chris McQuarrie (“The Usual Suspects”) has landed a premium script commitment at ABC for a new drama about a man who straddles the line between good and evil. The project, which has a substantial penalty attached should it not go to pilot, is described a 21st century take on “The Equalizer” in which the lead is viewed as a crook by the cops and a cop by the crooks. McQuarrie and wife Heather will executive produce the series with Oscar-nominated producer Matthew Gross for Touchstone Television.
“YOUTH CRIME UNIT“: Drama which revolves around a New York undercover police squadron devoted to catching criminals under the age of 25.
“HARRY GREEN AND EUGENE“: Dramedy about Harry Green, a Los Angeles private investigator whose life is complicated when his inept brother Eugene comes to town. From the team behind FOX’s short-lived “Keen Eddie” – actor Mark Valley, writer Joel Wyman, director Simon West.
“KAT PLUS ONE“: – Revolves around a New York publicist who must suddenly raise a 6-year-old boy when her sister and brother-in-law die. From writer Maggie Friedman (“Dawson’s Creek”) and “Everwood” executive producers Greg Berlanti and Mickey Liddell.
“Countdown (A.K.A. 41 MINUTES, 43 Minutes)“: Drama following a SWAT team. Each episode would play out in real time over the final 43 minutes of a crisis situation. From Graham (“Boomtown”) and Christopher Yost. (I wonder if it’ll be renamed “39 Minutes” if ABC wants ton insert more commercials? – Bert)
“THAT’S MY RODNEY“: Standup comic Rodney Carrington’s comedy pilot is being redeveloped for consideration. Ric Swatzlander (“Eight Simple Rules,” “Hidden Hills”) is on board to write the revamped project which has been given the go ahead to produce a pilot. Swartzlander and David Himmelfarb will executive produce the project, which comes from Touchstone Television.
UNTITLED HENRY CHO PROJECT: Revolves around standup comic Henry Cho’s experiences as a Korean-American born and raised in Tennessee. Matt Goldman (“Ellen,” “Luis”) is on board to write and executive the pilot to the project, which will David Janollari will also executive produce.
UNTITLED JASON KATIMS/DAVID E. KELLEY PROJECT: Romantic drama which tracks three sisters who run a wedding palace on Long Island that they have inherited from their bitterly divorced parents. David E. Kelley is once again back at ABC where the prolific writer/producer has teamed with Jason Katims (“Roswell,” “Boston Public”). The Alphabet has greenlit production of a pilot for the project, which The pickup marks the first project to ever come from the 20th Century Fox Television-based David E. Kelley Productions that Kelley himself didn’t create. FOX reportedly offered a series commitment to Kelley but the producer opted to go with ABC’s pilot order instead.
“THE FIVE PEOPLE YOU MEET IN HEAVEN“: Small screen version of Mitch Albom’s bestselling novel “The Five People You Meet in Heaven.”
“CHARLIE’S ANGELS“: Carlton Cuse (“Black Sash,” “Nash Bridges”) and John Wirth (“The District”) have been tapped to bring the 1970s series back to the small screen. ABC has given a script commitment to Sony Pictures Television for the project along with a hefty penalty attached should it not go to pilot. It’s not clear how or if the producers plan to fit into the movie franchise’s continuity.
“GRAMERCY PARK (A.K.A. 111 GRAMERCY PARK, 111 Gramercy Street)“: Originally developed for the 2003 pilot season, but the network determined that while the “Upstairs, Downstairs” themes were interesting, the actual concept needed improvements. The new version focuses on three nannies and their employers in an upscale New York apartment building. From Sally Robinson (HBO’s “Iron Jawed Angels”). (2003’s description of then titled “111 Gramercy Park”; Detailing the lives of residents and staff members at a posh New York apartment building.)
“Eyes“: Centers on a high-end, high-tech security firm. ABC executives describe it as big and splashy. From John McNamara (“Profit,” “Fastlane”). OR – A high-tech security firm that operates along the fringes of the law in order to affect the outcome of a host of civil and criminal matters. Or about the owner of a “risk management” firm, a company that operates along the fringes of the law in order to affect the outcome of a host of civil and criminal matters.
“Doing It“: D.B. Sweeney (“Strange Luck”), Lisa Darr (“Popular”) and Jessica Lucas have joined the cast of drama pilot, a coming-of-age drama about the sexual antics of three teen boys in Seattle. Sweeney and Darr wil play parents to Sean Faris’ character while Lucas will join Kelly Osbourne and Missi Pergrym as the teen female leads. Gabe Sachs and Jeff Judah are behind the project, which comes from Touchstone Television.
“Secret Service“: Sarah Wayne Callies (“Tarzan”) has landed the lead role in the drama pilot, which comes from “Alias” executive producers Alex Kurtzman-Counter and Roberto Orci. Callies will play Laura, a young woman who struggles to balance her marriage with the demands and dangers of her career in the Secret Service.
“Naked Hotel” Synopsis unknown.
“DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES“: Darkly comic and offbeat soap that opens with the show’s narrator, a female resident of a neighborhood cul-de-sac, committing suicide. She then tells the story of the amoral, insidious and incredibly secretive lives of the inhabitants (as well as her own dark secret) from beyond the grave. Touchstone Television and writers Chuck Pratt (“Melrose Place”) and Marc Cherry (“Some of My Best Friends”) are behind the project.
“ONCE A DOG“: Writer Jill Franklyn (“Seinfeld”) and producer/director Gil Junger (“Hope & Faith”) are set to team for a new comedy about a 40-ish bachelor who ends up having a baby with a woman he hardly knows thanks to a one-night stand. The duo say the project is loosely based on Junger’s own experiences.
NBC
“MEDIUM“: Drama about a woman who struggles to balance her psychic abilities with her family life.
UNTITLED: Comedy about a romance between an unlikely couple whose biggest obstacle is themselves.
UNTITLED: About a doctor who unravels medical mysteries.
“BEVERLY HILLS S.U.V.“: Comedy from “The Bernie Mac Show” co-creator Larry Wilmore (also of NBC’s “Whoopi”) for a new workplace comedy revolving around salespeople at an upscale car lot in Beverly Hills.
“NEVER IN MY WILDEST“: Romantic comedy.
“WEEKENDS“: Comedy about an Orange County couple with a kid who still long for the carefree days of their youth.
“NEVER MIND NIRVANA“: Comedy about what happens when an Indian-American doctor’s immigrant parents move in with him and his Caucasian wife.
UNTITLED: Comedy. Revolves around a 33-year-old guy who decides to go back to college after his wife leaves him for his best friend.
“EDEN“: Centers around a group of young people from a mosaic of wildly different backgrounds who are thrown together on a summer study cruise that goes horribly wrong during a major storm. After being marooned, they have to re-build their own world on a remote island.The drama unfolds as the characters deal with the fact that their status in the past has nothing to do with the status in the new world. And in a twist, there is one person on the island who should never have been on the cruise to begin with and has a dark secret.
“Everday Life“: A semi-improvised comedy from executive producer Rob Reiner. The series focuses on a pair of married shrinks. From Mary Gallagher (“Friends”) and Josh Radnor (“The Court”).
“Untitled“: A procedural show about solving medical mysteries. (OR) Drama about a man who unravels medical mysteries. Jason Horwitch (“The Pentagon Papers”) wrote the pilot script and will serve as an executive producer with Bob Cooper and Scott Vila.
“Home & Hardware “: – Alyson Hannigan (“Buffy the Vampire Slayer”) is officially on board the comedy pilot, which comes from NBC Studios. She’ll play the eldest of two siblings who ends up reuniting with her brother after not speaking for 18 months. (OR) Comedy which revolves around the relationship between two siblings, a workaholic ex-dork older sister (Hannigan) and her slacker brother, both single, who haven’t spoken in 18 months.
“THE FRIENDLYS“: Offbeat comedy that revolves around the fight between a dead candy mogul’s trophy wife and his daughter over the business. From producers Robb and Mark Cullen (“Lucky”).
“Untitled“: Comedy about a romance between an unlikely couple. From DeAnn Heline and Eileen Heisler (“Three Sisters”).
“HUB“: A quirky drama set at Los Angeles International Airport. Mark Gordon and Nick Thiel are the executive producers of the project, which comes from NBC Studios. Starring Blair Underwood.
UNTITLED ROB REINER PROJECT: Comedy about a newlywed couple who are both shrinks who end up moving in with the husband’s family, which includes more psychiatrists and other eclectic characters. NBC has given a production green light to produce a pilot for the project, Will be executive produced by Rob Reiner, Alan Greisman and Dan and Sue Paige (“Once and Again”).
UNTITLED MARSH MCCALL PROJECT: The project centers on the relationship between a father, a professor at Stanford, and his son. From writer/executive producer Marsh McCall (“My Big Fat Greek Life,” “Just Shoot Me”).
“My 11:30“: Comedy about a shallow fortysomething Los Angeles businessman and his no-nonsense therapist. Paul Reiser’s NBC Studios-based Nuance Productions has received a cast-contingent pilot pickup. Or Jeff Goldblum will play Jeff Sharpe, a shallow playboy New York financial consultant, in the project, who, after his high-pressure job and hectic lifestyle send him into a meltdown, begins to see a no-nonsense therapist.
“THE OFFICE“: NBC’s makeover of the Britcom hit “The Office.” Millions pray that it is nothing like NBC’s makeover of the Brotcom hit “Coupling.”
“MEDIUM“: Based on the true story of Allison DuBois, a research medium and criminal profiler, and revolves around her struggles to balances her psychic abilities with being a wife and mother. (She’s a psychic and this is a TRUE story!? Isn’t that an oxymoron? – Bert) Glenn Gordon Caron’s (“Now & Again”) drama at the Peacock has a title and a greenlight to produce a pilot.
“PEARL CITY“(A.K.A. HAWAII BLUE): The ensemble drama tracks a group of detectives in Oahu, Hawaii. Jon Avnet (“Boomtown”) is on board to direct the pilot, which received a production greenlight this week. Jeff Eastin (“Rush Hour 3”) is writing and executive producing.
“REVELATIONS“: Six-hour limited series which focuses on the final showdown between God and Satan as foretold in the Bible’s book of Revelations. David Seltzer (“The Omen”) and Gavin Polone (“Curb Your Enthusiasm”) are the executive produces of the project.
FOX
“MR. ED“: Comedy update of the 1960’s talking horse series.
“LUCKY US“: Revolves around a couple forced together due to an unintended pregnancy. Leigh will play Lucy Reed, a conservative architect who gets pregnant after a blind date. Holly Hester (“Sabrina, the Teenage Witch”) is behind the project, which is set up at 20th Century Fox Television-based Original Television. Or about a mismatched couple who wind up permanently linked after their blind date results in an unexpected pregnancy
“UNTITLED“: About parents having trouble cutting the cord with their kids.
“Johnny Zero“: Based on a screenplay by Ken Sanzel, a former New York detective. Franky G (“The Italian Job”) is set to star.
“POINT PLEASANT“: Drama. A cross between “Peyton Place” and “The Omen.” Centers on a beachside community that is turned upside down when a mysterious girl washes ashore. From John McLaughlin (“The Last Good Time,” A&E’s “The Great Gatsby”) and Marti Noxon (“Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” “Still Life”).
“UNTITLED“: Comedy. The series will track a clean-cut Catholic family who moves from Brooklyn to Sin City and wind up living across the street from their morally challenged relatives. Writers Elizabeth Beckwith (“Ladies’ Man”) and John Rogers (“The Core,” “Cosby”) are developing an untitled comedy at FOX based on the former’s life growing up in Las Vegas.
“Untitled“: The series focuses on the hilarity that ensues when the blunted rappers move into a big house in a New Jersey suburb. Starring former “Daily Show” correspondent Beth Littleford (“Spin City”). David Henry, Lahmard Tate and Peter Jacobson co-star in the pilot.
“THE QUINTS“: The project revolves around a group of 15-year-old quintuplets who must forge their own identities and stay sane while living in a three-bedroom house in the suburbs. Mark Reisman (“Frasier”) will write and executive produce the project.
“OAHU” OR “THE BIG ISLAND“: Drama which tracks a group of twentysomething employees who work at a luxury hotel on Hawaii’s Big Island. From Peter Elkoff’s (“Mr. Beautiful”). OR – An “Upstairs, Downstairs”-esque drama about the guests and staff at a luxury hotel in Hawaii.
“RICOCHET“: Takes a “Memento”-like backward approach to storytelling as each episode starts out with the climax, with the rest of the show retracing the steps that led to said moment. Dondre Whitfield (“Hidden Hills”) has been cast in the drama pilot, which which Whitfield will play a second-generation police officer, a street-savvy, fast-talking charmer. Rene Echevarria (“Star Trek: The Next Generation”) and Jeff Kline (“That Was Then”) are the executive producers of the project.
“UNTITLED“: Feature writer Sheldon Turner (“The Longest Yard”) has landed a blind script commitment from 20th Century Fox Television to develop a new drama series for the network and studio.
“RELATED BY FAMILY“: Amy Yasbeck (“Wings”) will play the mother in the comedy, which focuses on two very different teenagers forced to live under the same roof when their parents remarry. From writer/producer Victor Fresco (“Andy Richter Controls the Universe”) and Paramount Network Television.
UNTITLED: Based on a Playboy article, about a woman who goes undercover at a high school to investigate a drug ring. Brothers Todd and Glenn Kessler wrote the pilot and will executive produce with director Kathryn Bigelow (“Strange Days”).
“Hollywood Division“: Drama pilot, which revolves around young undercover detectives who infiltrate a Hollywood high school posing as students (a la “21 Jump Street”). D.J. Cotrona (“Skin”) is the first actor to sign on to the Cotrona will play a police cadet sent to investigate a drug trafficking ring. Barry Schindel (“Law & Order,” “Robbery Homicide Division”) and Rob Port (“10-8”) are behind the project.
UNTITLED DAVID SHORE PROJECT: Drama which focuses on a team of doctors charged with solving complicated medical mysteries that mystify other health-care professionals. Paul Attanasio and David Shore are behind the Universal-based project. Or revolves around a group of doctors who diagnose the toughest medical cases that have baffled the rest of the medical community.
“Confidence“: Based on the 2003 Lions Gate grifter drama starred Ed Burns and Dustin Hoffman.
“One Big Happy“: Takes a lighthearted tone as it follows the life of a blended family with five kids. Gretchen Berg and Aaron Harberts, who’ve worked on FOX’s upcoming “Wonderfalls,” “John Doe” and “Roswell,” are writing the pilot and executive producing with Levy (“Cheaper by the Dozen”). Or a man named Jack Denny who falls in love with and marries his wife’s best friend Ellie, and now must blend their families together.
“Untitled“: Will focus on a team of doctors who diagnose cases that baffle other medical professionals. Paul Attanasio (“Homicide: Life on the Street”) will executive producing with Katie Jacobs and writer David Shore (“Family Law,” CBS’ Attanasio-produced “Century City”).
“THE TEENAGE INVESTOR“: Domestic comedy about an ordinary family coming to grips with the financial genius of their teenage son. Produced by Kevin Spacey (“The Usual Suspects”) and based on the book “The Teenage Investor: How to Start Early, Invest Often & Build Wealth.”
CBS
UNTITLED: Melanie, a sophisticated single New Yorker who makes the move from a small, edgy fashion house to a large corporation.
“Washington Street“: Revolves around a group of tenants who form family-like bonds, with a single mother at the center.
“Clubhouse“: Dean Cain along with Mare Winningham (“The Brotherhood of Poland, N.H.”) will star. The coming-of-age story centers on a New York Yankees batboy; Winningham will play the boy’s mother, while Cain (“Lois & Clark,” “Perfect Husband: The Laci Peterson Story”) will play a former all-star player.
“UNTITLED“: About a blended family whose parents have very different perspectives on how to raise kids.
“Center of the Universe“: John Goodman (“Roseanne”) as the peacemaker of an extended family living in Chicago.
“Saint Louie“: About a New York couple who overthink the way they raise their toddler. “Chris Rock Show” alumnus Louis C.K. is co-writing and starring in
“Nice Guys“: A Los Angeles private eye drama that has Thomas Schlamme (“The West Wing”) on board to executive produce and direct the pilot. Or a buddy action comedy about mismatched partners.
“The Amazing Westerbergs“: Comedy. The series focuses on two 20-something brothers coming to terms with their own personal limitations in Manhattan. Chris O’Donnell, who has a development deal with CBS, is in negotiations with the network to star. He would play one of two brothers whose parents told them they could do anything but who find that real life isn’t that simple.
“Wanted“: Athriller set in the fugitive section of the LAPD.
“Sudbury“: Revolves around a family of witches. Sandra Bullock is on board as a producer.
“Dr. Vegas“: Centers on a Las Vegas casino in-house physician.
UNTITLED TERRI HUGHES/RON MILBAUER PROJECT: Drama which revolves around a bounty hunter and his two sons, who join the family business. From writers Terri Hughes and Ron Milbauer (UPN’s “Kamelot,” “Idle Hands”). From Spelling Television, along with Aaron Spelling and E. Duke Vincent.
“C.S.I.: NEW YORK“: “New York” will focus on the lives of two main characters, a man and a woman who work together as investigators, instead of a large ensemble cast. The two yet-to-be cast characters will be featured on this season’s second-to-last episode of “C.S.I.: Miami,” set to air in May, in which investigators from “Miami” will be called to New York to investigate a murder involving a Miami resident. Franchise creator Anthony Zuiker writing the pilot and executive producing along with Ann Donahue, Carol Mendelsohn and Jerry Bruckheimer. Zuiker is also expected to remain as showrunner of the New York series with Donahue running “Miami” and Mendelsohn the original Las Vegas-based series.
“THE WEBSTER REPORT“: Drama about an offbeat New York private investigator. Writer Theresa Rebeck (“Law & Order: Criminal Intent”) has landed a cast-contingent pilot commitment. Emmy winner Stanley Tucci (“Winchell,” “Murder One”) has signed on for the lead role in the pilot, a drama about an offbeat New York private investigator. Barry Sonnenfeld (“Men In Black”) is on board to direct the pilot.
“Numbers“: From Ridley and Tony Scott’s Scott Free Productions. About an MIT mathematician who’s enlisted by the F.B.I. to help solve crimes.
THE WB
“JOINT CUSTODY“: Revolves around two young teens with divorced parents who spend part of their week living with ultrapermissive mom and the rest of the week with disciplinarian dad.
“THE MOUNTAIN“: Drama from McG. The project centers on a 25-year-old who inherits his family’s mountain resort when his grandfather dies. Stephanie Savage (“The O.C.”) wrote the script to the pilot and will executive produce along with McG and David Barrett (“Jake 2.0”), the latter of whom is attached to direct.
“Global Frequency“: Superhero show based on the DC Comics series by Warren Ellis. Frequency deals with a shadowy figure named Miranda Zero who starts a top-secret worldwide independent defense intelligence organization.
“THE ROBINSONS: LOST IN SPACE (A.K.A. LOST IN SPACE)“: Newcomer Adrianne Palicki has been cast as Judy Robinson in the Frog’s revival of the 1965-68 cult-classic, which is now being developed under the title “The Robinsons: Lost In Space.” The news marks Palicki’s first professional acting gig. Doug Petrie, John Woo, Kevin Burns, Jon Jashni, Terence Change and Suzanne Zizzi are the executive producers of “Robinsons,” which comes from 20th Century Fox Television and Fox TV Studios.
“Commando Nanny“: Based on “Survivor” maestro Mark Burnett’s experience as a young ex-British commando working as a live-in nanny for a Beverly Hills family.
“Dark Shadows“: By “ER” and “The West Wing” producer John Wells, based on the old vampire soap opera “Dark Shadows.”
“Raintree“: Focuses on a girl who trains a racehorse on a California ranch. It is reportedly inspired by “Seabiscuit.” From Michael Piller (“Dead Zone” and “Star Trek: Voyager”).
UPN
“SECOND TIME AROUND“: A divorced couple who decide to take another crack at marriage.
“ME, ME, ME“: Comedy about two best friends whose shallow New York ways are compromised when one of the pair’s younger sister comes to town.
“Silver Lake“: Focuses on a record story owner who can talk to the dead.
“Kevin Hill“: About a hotshot attorney who must change his life when his brother is killed in a car crash and he must raise his young niece. Or a thirtysomething playboy lawyer who suddenly finds himself charged with raising his cousin’s daughter.
“Nikki and Nora“: About two female private eyes. (OR) About two lesbian private detectives based in New Orleans. Written by Leonard Dick (“Hack,” “Fastlane”) and Nancylee Myatt (“Night Court”).
“Veronica Mars“: About a teenager who helps out at her dad’s agency. (OR) Drama about a spoiled teen girl who reunites with her estranged, down-on-his-luck father and ends up helping with his detective agency. From writer-producer Rob Thomas (“Cupid”) and Joel Silver (“The Matrix” movies).
“Beck and Call“: Follows the lives of three personal assistants living in New York. (OR) A drama set in the New York fashion world, as seen through the personal lives of the industry’s executives and assistants. Dan Bucatinsky (“All Over the Guy”) wrote the pilot.
“WHOT“: Comedy about a young white woman who gets hired as the station manager for a hip-hop radio station, WHOT. Queen Latifah (“Barbershop 2: Back in Business”) is executive producing. Buddy Sheffield (“In Living Color”) and David Sheffield (“The Nutty Professor”) will write and executive produce the project.
“Fly Girls“: Focuses on the star of a sci-fi series who somehow becomes endowed with real super powers.
“The Point“: About a ritzy community haunted by a murder.
“I DO, I DID, NOW WHAT“: Jenny Lee’s bestselling book of the same name about what happens to modern couples after they get hitched will be the focus of a new half-hour comedy at the netlet from executive producer Kate Hudson. Lee’s book takes a humorous look at contemporary marriage and the modern realities that couples discover after they survive their weddings.
FX
“RESCUE ME“: Drama with comedic elements which revolves around the lives of a crew of firefighters who live and work in post-9/11 New York. Denis Leary, along with Peter Tolan, created and will executive produce the series.
ESPN
“THE FIX“: Brian Koppelman and David Levien (“Runaway Jury,” “Rounders”) have landed script commitment from ESPN for a new drama set in the worlds of gambling and college football.
SHOWTIME
“HUFF“: Drama. Reportedly set to be the network’s most expensive original series in its history with a per episode license fee of $1.75 million to Sony Pictures Television.
“ELLIE PARKER“: Dramedy based on Scott Coffey’s short film of the same name. The actor/writer has teamed with Jill Franklyn (“Seinfeld”) on the project, which revolves around the life of a female actress struggling to make it in Los Angeles. The pay channel initially bought the short after it was screened at Sundance and has since put it under consideration for a production pickup.
“LILAC LANE“: Drama series from famed playwright/director Neil LaBute (“In the Company of Men,” “Possession”). LaBute is expected to write, produce and direct each installment of the series, which tracks a young male college professor who finds himself disgraced and unemployed after having an affair with a co-ed with things getting even darker when the woman he slept with turns up missing.
HBO
UNTITLED: Comedy. Still early in development, the series would follow a family of Indian immigrants as they go from first generation Americans to second generation. From “Monsoon Wedding” scribe Sabrina Dhawan
USA
“FRANKENSTEIN“: the series is expected to take place in present-day Seattle with both Dr. Frankenstein and his monster surviving the past two centuries thanks to genetic engineering on both subjects. The two are then discovered by a female cop and her partner through a routine homicide investigation. Over the course of the pilot, Frankenstein’s monster joins forces with the cops and will combat Dr. Frankenstein and his other creations in successive weeks. From Martin Scorsese and author Dean Koontz.
ABC FAMILY
“TANGLED UP IN BLUE“: Semiautobiographical comedy about an unconventional mom (Rosanna Arquette) balancing motherhood and her bohemian lifestyle and rock ‘n’ roll circle of friends. Dick Clark and Robert Downey, Jr. both made cameos in the pilot presentation.
“THIS TIME AROUND: THE SERIES“: Series version of the recent telefilm. One of the telefilm’s writers, Chad Hodge (also of “Tru Calling,” “I Want to Marry Ryan Banks”) is on board to write the pilot, which picks up six months after the movie – which tracked a group of friends as they battled their high school demons – ends.
OXYGEN
“MY BEST FRIEND IS A BIG FAT SLUT“: Comedy about a pair of Minnesota twentysomethings who move to L.A. in search of the Hollywood life. From Carsey-Werner-Mandabach (“That ’70s Show,” “Whoopi,” “The Tracy Morgan Show”). Writer Claudia Lonow (“Less Than Perfect”) created the series, which is being targeted for an April premiere date. Bree Turner (“Bring It On Again”), Joy Gohring (“Not Another Teen Movie”), Kevin Christy (“Love Don’t Cost a Thing”), Brent King (“Without a Trace”) and Nicole Hiltz (“Cold Case”) have all been cast.
LIFETIME
“INFIDELITY“: Kim Delaney (“Philly”) is set to topline a new telefilm about a woman’s battle with her own unfaithfulness from director Harry Winer (“Lucky 7”) and writer Toni Kalem (“A Slipping Down Life”). Delaney will play a married family therapist who traces her own philandering back to her father and grandfather.
NETWORK UNKNOWN
“APARTMENT 2H“: Sony Pictures Television is developing a new comedy from writer Pang-ni Landrum (“Friends,” “Malcolm in the Middle”) about a twentysomething Los Angeles woman whose life, and those of her pals, is complicated when her eccentric Chinese stepfather moves to town. Said character, Mr. Liu, is actually based on Landrum’s own experience as her own stepfather arrived unannounced on her doorstep straight from Beijing. The project was set up through the studio’s new program to develop more scripts with young and up-and-coming writers.
“THE ENFORCERS“: James Ellroy (“L.A. Confidential”) has signed on with Kerry McCluggage’s Craftsman Films to develop a new L.A.-based cop series. Ellroy and McCluggage are executive producing along with Sebastian Twardosz.
Writer/director Peter Watkins practically invented the fauxcumentary in 1965 with his film The War Game . In Watkins’ film, tensions between the U.S. and Soviet Union spill over to nuclear war, and an unprepared people of Great Britain must deal with the fallout of this shattering event.
The icon of 1970s fauxcumentaries is The Legend of Boggy Creek (1972). In this movie, a film crew documents weird happenings around Boggy Creek where some sort of creature has been terrorizing the population. The whole movie cumulates with an attack by the creature on a home of an unsuspecting family with the viewer at the center of the action. Genuine creepiness pervades The Legend of Boggy Creek even if today much of the film seems dated.
Writers/directors Daniel Myrick and Eduardo Sánchez would go onto use the concept of “found footage” in their fauxcumentary The Blair Witch Project in 1999 and, rather than having a film few in U.S. would ever see, made a movie that grossed over $140 million in theaters and would become a cult phenomena worldwide.