Exclusive: A high-concept comedy, which drew interest from all major broadcast networks, has landed at Fox with a put pilot commitment. Titled The Henchman, the single-camera comedy project was written on spec by Dan Kopelman (Rules Of Engagement, Malcolm In The Middle), with feature writer-director John Hamburg (Meet The Parents franchise, I Love You, Man) set to direct and Aaron Kaplan of Kapital Entertainment executive producing. Described as a live-action, grounded comedy in the vein of Despicable Me, The Henchman centers on a henchman to the world’s worst super-villain who deals with single parenthood and impending middle age. The project is yet to be laid off at a studio, with Fox sibling 20th Century Fox and Warner Bros. TV considered strong possibilities. Kopelman penned The Henchman on spec, which he further developed with Kaplan. The two also are developing a comedy at Nickelodeon loosely based on actress Tia Mowry-Hardrict‘s upbringing.
- 8/12/2013
- by NELLIE ANDREEVA
- Deadline TV
Exclusive: Comedy continues to be hot this selling season with another single-camera pitch sparking a bidding war. Gates, from writers Cathy Yuspa and Josh Goldsmith, Kapital Entertainment and 20th Century Fox TV, was pursued by all four major networks, landing at NBC with a pilot production commitment. Based on the British comedy of the same name, which premiered on Sky Living two weeks ago, Gates is an adult ensemble comedy set at the front gates of an elementary school drop-off. It revolves around the parents, the school staff and the 15-minute social minefield they have to navigate at the beginning and end of each school day. Yuspa and Goldsmith will write the script and executive produce with Kapital Entertainment’s Aaron Kaplan (MTV’s The Inbetweeners, ABC’s The Neighbors) as well as Laurence Bowen and Philip Clarke of Feelgood Fiction, the UK production company behind the original series. Gates,...
- 8/28/2012
- by NELLIE ANDREEVA
- Deadline TV
Sophia Mitri Schloss has signed a talent holding deal with Universal TV. Despite her young age, Schloss already has a history with NBC and Universal TV. This past season, she played the title role in the NBC single-camera family comedy pilot Isabel, which Uni TV produced with Kapital Entertainment. Before that, she guest starred in the pilot for NBC’s drama series Grimm. Schloss is with Koopman Management.
- 8/3/2012
- by NELLIE ANDREEVA
- Deadline TV
In a few short weeks, the broadcast networks will storm Madison Avenue with a whole new crop of shows that will either have the power to blow the roof off Nielsen — or give cable another opportunity to crow about their greatness. Will the (near) future of broadcast TV rest on the shoulders of more beauties and beasts? Do viewers want an updated Sherlock Holmes?
Here is the complete list of pilots that are currently under consideration for fall. As usual, not every project will make the cut — but we certainly have our suspicions about the ones that will (here’s looking at you,...
Here is the complete list of pilots that are currently under consideration for fall. As usual, not every project will make the cut — but we certainly have our suspicions about the ones that will (here’s looking at you,...
- 4/27/2012
- by Lynette Rice and James Hibberd
- EW - Inside TV
In a few short weeks, the broadcast networks will storm Madison Avenue with a whole new crop of shows that will either have the power to blow the roof off Nielsen — or give cable another opportunity to crow about their greatness. Will the (near) future of broadcast TV rest on the shoulders of more beauties and beasts? Do viewers want an updated Sherlock Holmes?
Here is the complete list of pilots that are currently under consideration for fall. As usual, not every project will make the cut — but we certainly have our suspicions about the ones that will (here’s looking at you,...
Here is the complete list of pilots that are currently under consideration for fall. As usual, not every project will make the cut — but we certainly have our suspicions about the ones that will (here’s looking at you,...
- 4/25/2012
- by Lynette Rice and James Hibberd
- EW - Inside TV
In less than one month, the five broadcast networks will storm Madison Avenue in New York with a whole new crop of shows that will either have the power to blow the roof off Nielsen — or give cable another opportunity to crow about their greatness. Will the (near) future of broadcast TV rest on the shoulders of more beauties and beasts? Do viewers want an updated Sherlock Holmes? Is primetime really the place for Hannibal Lecter?
Here is the complete list of pilots that are currently under consideration for fall. As usual, not every project will make the cut — but...
Here is the complete list of pilots that are currently under consideration for fall. As usual, not every project will make the cut — but...
- 4/25/2012
- by Lynette Rice and James Hibberd
- EW - Inside TV
Talk about thinking ahead. With most pilots of this development cycle still gearing up for production, ABC has already bought a project that will be in consideration for the next one. Drama Infection was written on spec by Soo Hugh (The River). It was developed by Aaron Kaplan who will serve as an executive producer, with ABC Studios coming on board to produce. In the vein of Contagion, Infection chronicles a deadly pandemic ravaging the nation. A desperate President orders a border that divides the nation to halt the spread of the virus. Now, five years later, survivors on both sides fight to bring the country back together. Indie producer Kaplan has successfully taken the spec route for three of his four broadcast pilot orders this season — comedies Isabel and Daddy’s Girls at NBC and the Dan Fogelman half-hour at ABC. The deal for Infection expands Kaplan’s relationship...
- 3/15/2012
- by NELLIE ANDREEVA
- Deadline TV
Showtime Announces Premiere Date for Weeds and Episodes
Shortly after giving out the premiere date for Dexter and Homeland, Showtime has announced more returns, this time for Weeds and Episodes. Both will be airing Sundays this summer, beginning July 1st. The eighth season of Weeds will kick things off at 10:00, with Episodes following at 10:30.
There'll be thirteen episodes in what is rumored to the final season for Nancy Botwin and family, following a cliffhanger finale last season. Multiple members of the Weeds bunch have been cast in pilots this year, notably Justin Kirk in NBC's Animal Kingdom and Kevin Nealon in NBC's Isabel, but all will be in attendance for this season.
When we pick back up with the Botwins, we'll be finding out who pulled the trigger, if they connected, and who they connected with. Could Esteban's men be exacting revenge or did one of Nancy's many...
Shortly after giving out the premiere date for Dexter and Homeland, Showtime has announced more returns, this time for Weeds and Episodes. Both will be airing Sundays this summer, beginning July 1st. The eighth season of Weeds will kick things off at 10:00, with Episodes following at 10:30.
There'll be thirteen episodes in what is rumored to the final season for Nancy Botwin and family, following a cliffhanger finale last season. Multiple members of the Weeds bunch have been cast in pilots this year, notably Justin Kirk in NBC's Animal Kingdom and Kevin Nealon in NBC's Isabel, but all will be in attendance for this season.
When we pick back up with the Botwins, we'll be finding out who pulled the trigger, if they connected, and who they connected with. Could Esteban's men be exacting revenge or did one of Nancy's many...
- 3/14/2012
- by Shilo Adams
- TVovermind.com
NBC's slate of pilots run the gamut from hospitals and fire department to trailer parks and prison and even the White House. Here are the NBC pilots of the 2012-13 television season.
Dramas
"Bad Girls": Amy Smart ("Shameless") and Jurnee Smollett ("Friday Night Lights") star in this drama about women in federal prison and their scandalous female warden. John Wells ("Shameless," "The West Wing") is the executive producer. It's based on a British series.
"Beautiful People": This drama set in the near future features a society where humans co-exist with mechanical androids, who are treated as second-class citizens. Until the androids begin to awaken. Frances Conroy, David Conrad and Ernie Hudson have been cast.
"Chicago Fire": A new action drama that focuses on the men and women of the Chicago Fire Department, starring "House" alum Jesse Spencer, "Vampire Diaries" Taylor Kinney and executive-produced by "Law & Order's" Dick Wolf.
Dramas
"Bad Girls": Amy Smart ("Shameless") and Jurnee Smollett ("Friday Night Lights") star in this drama about women in federal prison and their scandalous female warden. John Wells ("Shameless," "The West Wing") is the executive producer. It's based on a British series.
"Beautiful People": This drama set in the near future features a society where humans co-exist with mechanical androids, who are treated as second-class citizens. Until the androids begin to awaken. Frances Conroy, David Conrad and Ernie Hudson have been cast.
"Chicago Fire": A new action drama that focuses on the men and women of the Chicago Fire Department, starring "House" alum Jesse Spencer, "Vampire Diaries" Taylor Kinney and executive-produced by "Law & Order's" Dick Wolf.
- 3/14/2012
- by editorial@zap2it.com
- Zap2It - From Inside the Box
This season, we had Eddie Cibrian (The Playboy Club), Jason O’Mara (Terra Nova), Hank Azaria (Free Agents), Kevin Dillon (How to Be a Gentleman), Mather Zickel (Man Up!), and Amaury Nolasco (Work It).
It didn’t work out too well for those guys, did it?
Fortunately, the failures of yesterday don’t seem to be quashing hopes for the (potential) successes of tomorrow. An excellent crop of new (and familiar) male stars are hoping to follow in the footsteps of Jim Caviezel (who’s truly nailed it on Person of Interest this season) and Henry Czerny (the very underappreciated...
It didn’t work out too well for those guys, did it?
Fortunately, the failures of yesterday don’t seem to be quashing hopes for the (potential) successes of tomorrow. An excellent crop of new (and familiar) male stars are hoping to follow in the footsteps of Jim Caviezel (who’s truly nailed it on Person of Interest this season) and Henry Czerny (the very underappreciated...
- 3/13/2012
- by Lynette Rice
- EW - Inside TV
Exclusive: Another key Weeds player is set to return for the series’ upcoming eight and likely final season. I’ve learned that Justin Kirk has closed a deal for Season 8 of the dark Showtime comedy. He joins the series’ star Mary-Louise Parker, who was signed before Weeds was renewed for Season 8 in November, and Kevin Nealon, who recently finalized his deal to return for one last season. Both Kirk and Nealon have broadcast pilots — Kirk plays the lead of NBC’s single-camera comedy pilot Animal Kingdom, Nealon co-stars on another NBC comedy pilot, Isabel, with the new projects in first position to Weeds. It appears that everyone on the Jenji Kohan’s show is moving on (Kohan herself has a new series for Netflix), but not before one final hurrah with Season 8. Kirk, who was among the sought-after actors this pilot season with multiple offers, has recurred on ABC’s Modern Family.
- 2/15/2012
- by NELLIE ANDREEVA
- Deadline TV
Weeds‘ Justin Kirk is set as the lead of NBC’s single-camera comedy pilot Animal Kingdom. The office comedy centers on a House-like veterinarian (Kirk) who loves animals but usually hates their owners. Brian Gatewood and Alex Tanaka wrote the script and are executive producing with Anthony and Joe Russo, who are directing, Scot Armstrong and Ravi Nandan for Universal TV and American Work. The pilot is not expected to interfere with Kirk’s duties as a regular on the upcoming eighth season of Weeds, likely the long-running series’ last. Negotiations are still under way for him to return to the Showtime series. (The cast of the series’ contracts expired after Season 7). Kirk’s Weeds co-star Kevin Nealon, who recently booked another NBC comedy pilot, Isabel, has closed his deal for one more season of the Showtime comedy series and will do both. Kirk, who was among the sought-after actors...
- 2/9/2012
- by NELLIE ANDREEVA
- Deadline TV
When there’s two rival Beauty and the Beast projects, you gotta think a trend is forming. Following the success of ABC’s top-rated new drama Once Upon a Time (and to a lesser extent, NBC’s Grimm), broadcast-network pilot season seems to have a greater than usual number of projects with fantasy or supernatural elements — along with a ton of shows about federal agents, everyday cops, doctors, conspiracies, and cults. The magical-realism trend is partly a continuation from last year’s pilot season. This time around, however, there seems to be fewer head-turning TV reboots ideas in the mix...
- 2/2/2012
- by James Hibberd
- EW - Inside TV
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