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[maxcriden]

Cameron Crowe is probably going to ruin the show though, seeing as he has lost his touch since that god-awful Elizabethtown. So, there is that consolidation prize.

Please don't talk about one of my all-time faves like this. (Aloha was weirdly bad, though. WBAZ was okay.)

 

[dead souls]

I didn't want Christina Hendricks trapped on a Showtime comedy anyway.

What? Showtime has great comedies like...um...and...well...

If you could combine HBO's comedies and Showtime's dramas you'd have my favorite premium channel by far.

 

[WarrenMax007]

Roadies is going to be one hour, like Shameless. So a mix of drama and comedy.

 

[dead souls]

Roadies is going to be one hour, like Shameless. So a mix of drama and comedy.

Cool. If it's even half as good as Shameless it will be great.

 

[RatskyWatsky]

FX Orders Pamela Adlon Comedy, FXX Picks Up Animated Cassius and Clay

FX has ordered a 10-episode first season of Better Things, starring Pamela Adlon (Louie, Californication). Co-created Adlon and Louis C.K., the comedy centers around Sam (Adlon), a working actress struggling to raise her three daughters by herself. According to a press release from FX, “Her life is funny to watch, but you wouldn’t want to live it (except sometimes).”

FXX, meanwhile, has ordered the animated comedy Cassius and Clay to series; it stars Kaitlin Olson (It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia) as Cassius and Lake Bell (Children’s Hospital) as Clay, two women forced to become bandits in a post-apocalyptic America. Additional voices include Susan Sarandon and Jeffrey Tambor.

 

[RatskyWatsky]

Drama From Common, Comedy From Jim Carrey Get Showtime Pilot Orders

Written on spec by writer-producer-actress Lena Waithe (Dear White People), the untitled drama is described as a relevant, timely and distinctive coming-of-age story of a young African-American male in which just growing up can be a matter of life and death.

Based on the nonfiction book by William Knoedelseder, I’m Dying Up Here is written and executive produced by former stand-up comedian-turned-TV writer Dave Flebotte (Will & Grace) and actor-comedian Jim Carrey, and is set against the background of the Los Angeles stand-up comedy scene of the 1970s, considered the golden age of comics in L.A. that launched the careers of a slew of comedy superstars, including Carrey.

Patti Smith's Just Kids Memoir to Become Showtime Limited Series

Showtime is developing Just Kids, rocker Patti Smith’s memoir about her complicated relationship with photographer Robert Mapplethorpe, as a series.

 

[RatskyWatsky]

WGN America Eyes ‘Debt’ Drama Series Starring Vincent Kartheiser

In a competitive situation, WGN America has bought Debt, a spec script written by Ian MacDonald, which has Mad Men alum Vincent Kartheiser set to star and Neil LaBute to direct.

Debt centers on a man who, having lost everything important to him, decides to partner with the head of a somewhat-fraudulent collection agency and get back at the rich who steal from the poor.

 

[torre_avenue]

DC Comics sells new series to NBC, with put pilot commitment.

And it's not what you expect...

The project evokes NBC’s signature comedy series The Office, but with superheroes. Based on characters from DC Comics, Powerless is a workplace comedy set at one of the worst insurance companies in America — with the twist being that it also takes place in the universe of DC Comics. The show is about the reality of working life for a normal, powerless person in a world of superheroes and villains.

It hasn’t been determined yet exactly which DC characters will appear on the show, but I hear the list is not expected to include the biggest DC brands like Batman and Superman.

 

[beat]

DC Comics sells new series to NBC, with put pilot commitment.

And it's not what you expect...

Pro: Ben Queen's last show, A to Z, was reasonably watchable.

Con: It was nominally a comedy but the good points about the show were pretty much not the comedy.

 

[RatskyWatsky]

Anne Hathaway To Star In ‘The Ambassador’s Wife’ Limited Series

Hathaway will also produce the project, which is inspired by Steil’s personal experiences as the wife of the British Ambassador to Yemen. The book is a harrowing tale about the kidnapping of an American woman in the Middle East and the heartbreaking choices she and her husband each must make in the hope of being reunited.

 

[beat]

NBC developing a legal soap called "Miranda's Rights" http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/nbc-mirandas-rights-816100

The drama is described as a legal soap that centers on 28-year-old Miranda Coale, who, six years after a sex scandal upended her life, gets a shot at redemption when she's hired by a group of millennials living and lawyering together in a start-up law firm.

Can I point out that "millennials" are those born between 1980 and 2000 and as such, she is herself a millennial?

Also, "NBC is looking to do for legal soaps what Grey's Anatomy did for medical soaps." -- y'know, there have been legal soaps before. Shonda Rhimes is EP'ing one right now, albeit about law students.

 

[Dan]

Also, "NBC is looking to do for legal soaps what Grey's Anatomy did for medical soaps." -- y'know, there have been legal soaps before. Shonda Rhimes is EP'ing one right now, albeit about law students.

What Grey's Anatomy did for medical soaps... wasn't that more or less taking David E. Kelley's sexy law shows and putting them in a hospital?

Next you'll tell me Ryan Murphy was the first person to think of combining horror and comedy.

 

[beat]

What Grey's Anatomy did for medical soaps... wasn't that more or less taking David E. Kelley's sexy law shows and putting them in a hospital?

Also, DEK created Chicago Hope, for what that's worth, not that I saw it.

 

[RatskyWatsky]

Hulu Orders ‘Future Man’ Comedy Pilot From Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg

Future Man originated as a feature script Hunter and Shaffir wrote for frequent collaborators Rogen and Goldberg. The high-concept comedy centers on a janitor by day, world-ranked gamer by night, who is tasked with preventing the extinction of humans after mysterious visitors from the future proclaim him the key to defeating the imminent super-race invasion.

 

[Cornballer]

- EW: Sons of Anarchy spin-off in the works at FX

The world of Sons of Anarchy could ride again at FX.

After years of hinting that Sons might get a spin-off, EW has learned that series creator Kurt Sutter is now in the preliminary stages of developing a new show set in the Northern California motorcycle club scene.

Details about the project are scarce. In fact, we only know one thing for certain about the proposed storyline: The project focuses on the Mayans — the Oakland-based Hispanic MC gang that had quite a rocky history with SAMCRO across seven seasons. In the original series, the Mayans run heroin factories and are also involved in prostitution. Their cuts bear the legend “Los Asesinos de Dios” — Assassins of God.

Sutter had previously teased the idea of doing an SoA prequel as recently as last month at Comic-Con, possibly as a limited series. FX won’t officially confirm whether the new series will be a prequel or not. Either way, creating a new drama set in the SoA-verse makes plenty of sense for FX as Sons ranks as the most popular show in the network’s history. Last December’s Sons finale was seen by a whopping 9.2 million viewers.

Sutter will executive produce the as-yet-untitled project, and is currently hunting for a showrunner to handle the Mayan’s day-to-day management. Sutter will remain focused on running his upcoming medieval drama The Bastard Executioner, which premieres Tuesday, Sept. 15 (and stars Lee Jones, Stephen Moyer, Katey Sagal and Ed Sheeran). Sutter also wrote the screenplay for the feature film Southpaw starring Jake Gyllenhaal, which was released last month.

The Mayans project would be produced by Fox 21 Television Studios and FX Productions.

 

[WarrenMax007]

- EW: Sons of Anarchy spin-off in the works at FX

I'm not against a SoA spin-off, especially if Sutter is not a showrunner. But Mayans, really?
They should've done a 60s prequel series about young Clay, John Teller etc. as they wanted.

 

[beat]

http://deadline.com/2015/08/david-a...indie-comedy-pilot-radar-pictures-1201506151/

The Hollywood dream can come true, and the indie TV model can work. That is what Radar Pictures, David Arquette and New Artists Alliances have set out to prove with Truck'd Up, a single-camera comedy pilot starring Arquette and Keith Powell, financed by Radar Pictures, which produced it outside of the studio system with Arquette's Coquette banner and New Artists Alliance.

I mean sure, there's an established production company and some established actors, but getting a pilot done outside the studio system sounds interesting.

 

[berzeli]

Over in the UK the Edinburgh International Television Festival is under way which means that a lot of new cool things are being announced;

BBC Two announces The City And The City, an 4x60 adaptation of China Miéville's novel

Tony Grisoni (Fear And Loathing In Las Vegas, Southcliffe, The Red Riding Trilogy, The Unloved) adapts this unique thriller from one of Britain’s foremost fantasy writers. China Miéville, three-time winner of the prestigious Arthur C. Clarke Award, published The City And The City in 2009 to dazzling acclaim, drawing comparisons with Kafka, Orwell and Philip K Dick.

The series has been commissioned by Kim Shillinglaw, Controller BBC Two and Polly Hill, Controller BBC Drama Commissioning and is produced by Mammoth Screen (Poldark, Parade's End).

Channel 4 Orders Sex-Scandal Drama ‘National Treasure’

A four-part serial drama, National Treasure examines accusations of sexual misconduct against a fictional public figure and explores their impact on the accused and those most closely associated with him as he is brought to trial. Channel 4 has ordered the timely drama that’s created by Jack Thorne and is due to air next year.

Not sure which of these I'm more excited about, they both sound amazing and has some seriously talented writers behind them.

 

[oatmeal]

I wrote about a pilot I was working on awhile ago...we just released the teaser for it. Pilot is almost done (10m web series pilot).

Take a look:

https://vimeo.com/137621990

And here's a BTS of how we did that shot...

https://vimeo.com/137619785

 

[BluWacky]

Over in the UK the Edinburgh International Television Festival is under way which means that a lot of new cool things are being announced;

BBC Two announces The City And The City, an 4x60 adaptation of China Miéville's novel

YES YES YES YES YES OMG OMG OMG OMG.

This is one of my favourite books ever, and I had thought it almost unadaptable (it's about a murder that takes place over the borders of two cities, except both cities are located in the same geographical space; it's a matter of where you perceive yourself to be that determines which city you're in...). I LOVE that the BBC are doing this, having just adapted Jonathan Strange.

Cannot wait. Hurray!

 

[TheOddOne]

I wrote about a pilot I was working on awhile ago...we just released the teaser for it. Pilot is almost done (10m web series pilot).

Take a look:

https://vimeo.com/137621990

And here's a BTS of how we did that shot...

https://vimeo.com/137619785

Awesome stuff!

Can't wait to see the finished pilot.

 

[RatskyWatsky]

HBO Developing Dark Comedy ‘The Loop’

The project is about a couple who downsizes everything and chooses to sail the Loop — a nautical course that cuts through the heart of America. All goes wrong when they become entangled in a smuggling ring.

Keith David To Star In OWN Drama Series ‘Greenleaf’

The straight-to-series drama focuses on the unscrupulous world of the Greenleaf family and their sprawling Memphis megachurch, where scandalous secrets and lies are as numerous as the faithful. Emmy winner David will play Bishop James Greenleaf, the charming and charismatic but brilliantly manipulative leader of Greenleaf World Ministries.

SundanceTV Acquires Genre Drama ‘Cleverman’

SundanceTV has become the U.S. home for the Australian-New Zealand series, which Red Arrow is distributing worldwide. The six-part high concept drama is slated to premiere in 2016.

Cleverman is set in the near future where a group of nonhumans battle for survival in a world where humans feel increasingly inferior and want to silence, exploit and kill them. It’s based on an original concept by Ryan Griffen and focuses on two estranged indigenous brothers who are forced together to fight for their own survival. Otherworldly creatures also emerge into this “real world” dystopian landscape.

 

[RatskyWatsky]

Showtime Sets Teddy Roosevelt Limited Series in Development

The project, in early development, will be penned by “American History X” screenwriter David McKenna, who will also serve as an exec producer.

Insiders tell Variety that the series will be a “brilliant take” on Roosevelt’s life, presented as a big epic. McKenna is said to be adapting “the real-life heroic story” of the 26th U.S. president for television in a moment in time when there is significant interest in larger-than-life political figures.

 

[RatskyWatsky]

EPIX Spy Drama Casts Lead

Fresh off his toothy stint on Hannibal, Richard Armitage is pulling into Berlin Station, EPIX’ upcoming 10-part contemporary spy drama, TVLine has learned.

Additionally, Michelle Forbes (The Killing, True Blood) has joined the ensemble.

The pair join previously announced cast members Richard Jenkins (Olive Kitteridge) and Rhys Ifans (Elementary).

Armitage will play the starring role of Daniel Meyer, the cerebral, newly-anointed CIA case officer who goes from being an analyst at Langley to an undercover agent in Berlin tasked with finding an informant. Forbes, meanwhile, will portray Valerie Edwards, the no-nonsense administrator who serves as a Berlin Station Section Head.

 

[Cornballer]

Ooooh, that's a good cast.

 

[FoneBone]

Warrior (the wire-fu show that NBC passed on last season) is going to be redeveloped at Fox.

 

[RatskyWatsky]

‘Rogue Warrior: Robot Fighter’-Based TV Series Set

Pacific Coast Entertainment, the production company behind upcoming sci-fi feature Rogue Warrior: Robot Fighter starring Tracey Birdsall, is prepping a 6-8-episode television series based on the film, with Birdsall set to reprise her role.

Titled Gods Of War, the series, described as a cross between Star Wars and Mad Max, is set in the distant future depicting the struggles of humanity forced to merge with machine intelligence.

 

[RatskyWatsky]

Starz Acquires ‘Close To The Enemy’ Miniseries

Starz has acquired exclusive U.S. premium rights to Close To The Enemy, a six-episode original miniseries written and directed by Stephen Poliakoff (Dancing On The Edge). It’s slated to premiere on BBC Two in the UK and Starz in the U.S. in 2016.

Set in a bomb-damaged London hotel during the aftermath of World War II, thriller Close To The Enemy stars Jim Sturgess (One Day) as British intelligence officer Captain Callum Ferguson, whose last task for the Army is to ensure that a captured German scientist, Dieter (August Diehl, Inglourious Basterds), hands over secret cutting-edge military technology crucial to national security. Callum employs unorthodox methods in his attempt to convince Dieter to work for the British, developing a friendship with him, which is soon threatened as the German’s involvement in the Nazi war machine may be more than it initially seems.

 

[RatskyWatsky]

Neil Marshall To Direct, Jordan Hayes To Star In ‘Poor Richard’s Almanack’ Pilot

Weaving between modern day and a possible future where characters have changed radically, Poor Richard’s Almanack is described as an edge-of-your-seat character thriller about a cadre of heroes who emerge as the new “Founding Fathers” after America is pushed to the brink of collapse. Hayes will play Madison Fischer, a paranoid schizophrenic who sees patterns where others don’t. When she stumbles upon a plan for a series of terrorist attacks, she has to convince her CIA agent brother to look past her affliction and trust her.

 

[Dan]

Not exactly pilot stuff, but very cool HBO news coming out of a Q&A with Denzel Washington right now.

- Shadow and Act / Indiewire: Denzel Washington Is Bringing August Wilson's Entire American Century Cycle Plays to the Screen Via HBO

Via a live stream of a conversation between Denzel Washington and Dr Todd Boyd happening at USC School of Cinematic Arts as I type this, Washington just revealed that, in addition to the below previously-announced film adaptation of August Wilson's "Fences" (which he'll star in - along with Viola Davis - and direct), he's inked a deal with HBO that will see him bring to the screen, Wilson’s American Century Cycle series, which consists of 10 plays portraying the 20th century African American experience, from the early 1900s, just after slavery and the Civil War, to the 1990s, which saw a large and increasingly influential black middle class still having to contend with persistent racial tensions.

Viola Davis dropped the news about a Fences movie happening a couple weeks ago, but now we know it's coming with HBO's help and that's just part of a much bigger commitment. Washington will direct Fences, and then EP the other nine adaptations.

The ten plays:
- Gem of the Ocean
- Joe Turner’s Come and Gone
- Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
- The Piano Lesson
- Seven Guitars
- Fences
- Two Trains Running
- Jitney
- King Hedley II
- Radio Golf

 

[RatskyWatsky]

Showtime Sets 1980s Mafia Drama From ‘Ray Donovan’ Duo & Leonardo DiCaprio

Set in 1980s Brooklyn, the drama traces a decade-long relationship between an unstable mafia captain and a rogue federal agent, each violating the strict codes of their respective organizations. It examines the corrosive power the Wall Street era had on both the Mafia and the FBI. Johnson and Zuriff are executive producing alongside Appian Way’s Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Davisson as well as Charles Pacheco and Jennifer Erwin.

 

[RatskyWatsky]

Mila Kunis & Rob Zombie To Produce Horror Comedy Series ‘Trapped’ For Starz

Starz has put in development Trapped, a half-hour horror comedy series from Mila Kunis’ Orchard Farm Productions. Kunis is executive producing alongside filmmaker-musician Rob Zombie (Halloween), who also will direct.

Created and written by Joey Slamon (Arrested Development), Trapped takes places over a single night in the home of a wealthy family under attack by a murderous cult.

Sounds like they're prepping a companion series for the second season of Ash vs Evil Dead!

 

[RatskyWatsky]

BBC Greenlights Epic Event Series ‘Troy – Fall Of A City’ From David Farr

Described as an epic tale of love, revenge, intrigue and bloodshed, it’s set against the backdrop of the war between Greece and Troy and focuses on the collapse of one family. It will go back to the saga’s origins: the judgment of Paris, his passionate elopement with Helen, and the ill-starred prophecy surrounding his birth.

When the baby Paris is born, the omens foretell that he will bring about the downfall of the city. Queen Hecuba and King Priam are forced to choose whether to abandon their newborn son to the wolves or save him, but risk the safety of their kingdom. Their choice will decide not only the fate of their child, but the very existence of Troy.

 

[berzeli]

Auntie Beeb announced a bunch of commissions:

To Sir With Love
1x90, adapted by Hanif Kureishi, from the autobiographical novel by ER Braithwaite, made by Rainmark Films.
...
Hanif Kureishi says: "ER Brathwaite's To Sir With Love, written and set in London's East End at the end of the 1950s, is a moving, tough and informative story about an intelligent man whose only hope of work - since he is black - is to become a teacher. As a young man in the 1960s, TSWL was the only novel I was aware of which dealt with the subject of race in Britain, and I hope this dramatization provides a vivid portrayal, particularly for the young, of how Britain has changed since then, and how it has remained the same.”

The Cormoran Strike Mysteries
Based on Robert Galbraith's best-selling novels The Cuckoo's Calling and The Silkworm, and the highly anticipated Career Of Evil, due for publication this autumn, this bold series from a master storyteller will bring one of the most memorable detective duos of modern times to BBC One.
...
The series is made by Brontë Film and Television, the producers of The Casual Vacancy. Sarah Phelps will adapt The Cuckoo’s Calling and Ben Richards The Silkworm. Ruth Kenley-Letts, Neil Blair and JK Rowling are executive producers, and Lucy Richer for the BBC. Dan McCulloch will produce and Julian Farino will direct.

The Last Post
Aden, 1965. The fag-end of empire. Based on Peter Moffat's childhood memories, his father's life as an officer in the Royal Military Police and his mother's struggle between being what the army required her to be and what she felt like being, this is the story of a British army unit fighting a terrorist insurgency in the Middle East and the women and children who were there with them.
...
The series is an up-close look at soldiering and police work, but it's as much about the pressures and excitements of being married to the British army in a dangerous place at a moment in history when sex and feminism arrive in the 20th century - the sun is going down on the empire and the established order of the 1950s is disappearing.
Written by Peter Moffat, made by Bonafide Films and The Forge Entertainment.

Rush Of Blood
Adapted from the best-selling Mark Billingham novel by Matt Charman, made by Murderous Productions Limited/On the Corner Limited. 3x60 serial.
Three couples return from their holiday together in Florida and realise that one of them must have been responsible for a murder. Executive producers are Jolyon Symonds, Mark Billingham, Matt Charman and Matthew Read for the BBC.

BBC Greenlights Epic Event Series ‘Troy – Fall Of A City’ From David Farr

Only reason I'm even slightly excited about this is that David Farr wrote The Night Manager and if the BBC are this quick to hire him again it bodes well for that series.

 

[RatskyWatsky]

Amazon unveils new slate of pilots

EDGE | Set in 1868 and based on George G. Gilman’s best-selling novel series — which has been described as “the most violent Western in print” — this drama stars Max Martini (The Unit) as Josiah “Edge” Hedges, a Union officer-turned-cowboy who prowls the post-Civil War American West, doling out a peculiar/savage justice. Ryan Kwanten (True Blood) and Yvonne Strahovski (Chuck) co-star.

GOOD GIRLS REVOLT | Set in 1969 and inspired by the landmark sexual discrimination cases chronicled in Lynn Povich’s book of the same name, this series follows a group of young female newsroom researchers who simply ask to be treated fairly. The cast includes Genevieve Angelson (Backstrom), Anna Camp (Pitch Perfect), Erin Darke (We Need to Talk About Kevin), Chris Diamantopoulos (Silicon Valley), Hunter Parrish (Weeds), Jim Belushi (Show Me a Hero), Joy Bryant (Parenthood) and Grace Gummer (The Newsroom).

HIGHSTON | Newcomer Lewis Pullman plays the title role, a 19-year-old with a wide circle of celebrity friends… that only he can see. His parents (played by 24‘s Mary Lynn Rajskub and SNL vet Chris Parnell) force him to get psychiatric help, but his Uncle Billy (Revenge of the Nerds‘ Curtis Armstrong) thinks he’s just fine. The pilot guest-stars Shaquille O’Neal and Flea (The Big Lebowski) and is written by Oscar nominee Bob Nelson (Nebraska).

ONE MISSISSIPPI | Loosely inspired by writer/comic Tig Notaro’s life and co-written by her and Diablo Cody (Juno), this dark comedy follows Tig as she deals with the complex reentry into her childhood hometown of Bay Saint Lucille, Miss., to deal with the unexpected death of her mother. Noah Harpster (Transparent), John Rothman (The Devil Wears Prada) and Casey Wilson (Happy Endings) also star.

PATRIOT | This political thriller follows intelligence officer John Tavner (Australian newcomer Michael Dorman), whose latest assignment is to prevent Iran from going nuclear— all while assuming the non-official cover of a mid-level employee at a Midwestern industrial piping firm. Terry O’Quinn (Lost), Michael Chernus (Manhattan Project), Kathleen Munroe (Call Me Fitz), Aliette Opheim and Kurtwood Smith (That ’70s Show) also star.

Z | This bio-series is based on the life of Zelda Sayre Fitzgerald, the brilliant, beautiful and talented Southern Belle who becomes the original flapper and icon of the wild, flamboyant 1920s Jazz Age. Christina Ricci (Monster) stars as Zelda Sayre, while Gavin Stenhouse (Allegiance) plays F. Scott Fitzgerald. Z is written by The Killing‘s Dawn Prestwich and Nicole Yorkin, the pilot directed by Tim Blake Nelson (Anesthesia).

'Edge' and 'Z' sound the most interesting to me.

 

[Cornballer]

I'm looking forward to 'Edge' with Shane Black co-writing and directing that one.

 

[RatskyWatsky]

I'm looking forward to 'Edge' with Shane Black co-writing and directing that one.

Ah, that's the Shane Black one? :O

 

[Cornballer]

Ah, that's the Shane Black one? :O

Yessir:

Edge was developed by Shane Black (Lethal Weapon, Iron Man 3) and Fred Dekker (Tales from the Crypt, Star Trek: Enterprise), teleplay by Dekker and Black, is directed by Black, and executive produced by Black, Dekker, Barry Josephson (Bones, Turn: Washington Spies), and David Greenblatt (Battle Los Angeles).

 

[oatmeal]

Unsure if I should start a thread for this, but this is the web series pilot we just finished.

https://vimeo.com/140401654

 

[RatskyWatsky]

Unsure if I should start a thread for this, but this is the web series pilot we just finished.

https://vimeo.com/140401654

Sweet, I'll try to watch it later!

 

[Clevinger]

I need that Shane Black western in my life

 

[RatskyWatsky]

‘Robbers’ Crime Drama Picked Up To Pilot By TNT

Described as being in the literary-noir tradition of Cormac McCarthy’s No Country For Old Men, Robbers tells the story of a cop, two “running buddies” on a crime spree across Texas, and the girl who becomes the complication in a very unique love triangle. Everyone has a story.

The style of Cook’s Robbers is said to be be evocative of Elmore Leonard, a fitting comparison as the new project reunites key auspices behind the FX drama Justified, based on a Leonard short story — executive producer/director Michael Dinner, exec producers Timberman and Beverly and studio SonyTV. Robbers originated at Sony where Timberman/Beverly was based before moving to CBS TV Studios in 2010. With Justified winding down, wrapping its six-season run earlier this year, Timberman, Beverly and Dinner looked for another project they could do together.

 

[maxcriden]

NBC Explores Masculinity With ‘Manhood’ Comedy

NBC has put in development Manhood, a comedy from writers Jay Baxter & Shaun Zaken, veteran comedy showrunner Rob Long and producer David Janollari.

Co-written and executive produced by Baxter and Zaken, Manhood looks at what it means to be a man today, when the gender lines have never been blurrier. It centers on three men who explore different sides of masculinity in a weekly men’s group meeting, where they cry, beat drums and fire-walk to find the answer. Janollari and Long also executive produce. Universal TV, where Janollari is under an overall deal, is the studio.

Baxter & Zaken, who most recently developed the single-camera comedy Panic Years for Pivot last season, are repped by Paradigm, Brillstein Entertainment Partners, and attorney Stephen Clark.

Janollari was an EP on Six Feet Under, so that's a impressive pedigree. Long is of Cheers, Love & Money, and recent Sullivan & Son. Baxter and Zaken have worked on shows Nail File, Mystery Girls, and Team Toon, but I don't think I'm familiar with any of those. I will say the premise sounds decidedly uninspired.

 

[RatskyWatsky]

NBC Explores Masculinity With ‘Manhood’ Comedy


Janollari was an EP on Six Feet Under, so that's a impressive pedigree. Long is of Cheers, Love & Money, and recent Sullivan & Son. Baxter and Zaken have worked on shows Nail File, Mystery Girls, and Team Toon, but I don't think I'm familiar with any of those. I will say the premise sounds decidedly uninspired.

Sounds like ABC's (rightfully) forgotten 'Man Up!' from a few years ago. Hopefully this will turn out better than that did.

 

[beat]

^ No, this is NBC, and they peacock comedy. Or at least they used to. Isn't their new slogan "we give up, let's just try reality?"

---

ABC Family will make a show about Nicki Minaj as a kid:

The comedy series will revolve around the singer and her family's immigration to the United States from Trinidad some 20 years ago.

 

[RatskyWatsky]

ITV’s ‘Beowulf’ Heads To Esquire Network In 2016

The epic tale tells the story of Beowulf, a troubled warrior who experiences love and loss yet shares a deep binding comradery with his fellow kinsmen. Based on the complex protagonist of a classic poem written between the eighth and tenth century, the story takes place in a mythological place, The Shieldlands, and challenges the notions of good and evil, heroes and villains, and the rule of law against one’s moral code. Balancing the light and dark of the characters’ inner and outer worlds, Beowulf celebrates the warmth and humor of a community pulling together despite the adversities that threaten their existence. The series was filmed thoughout England’s countryside. to set the stage for the story’s fantastical land inhabited by heroes and beasts.

 

[Cornballer]

- 'Lethal Weapon' TV Reboot in the Works at Fox

Add Lethal Weapon to the list of movie-to-TV reboots.

In a competitive situation, Fox has handed out a hefty put-pilot commitment to a TV reboot of Lethal Weapon, The Hollywood Reporter has learned.

Based on the feature film franchise starring Mel Gibson and Danny Glover, the reboot — which counted NBC as a bidder — hails from Warner Bros. Television, whose film division, Warner Bros. Pictures, produced the original movies.

Like the films, the TV version centers on a Texas cop and former Navy SEAL Martin Riggs (originally played by Gibson) who, following the loss of his wife and baby, moves to Los Angeles to start anew. There, he gets partnered with LAPD detective Roger Murtaugh (Glover), who, having recently suffered a "minor" heart attack, must avoid any stress in his life.

Fox's take will be written by Matt Miller (Forever, Chuck), who will executive produce via his WBTV-based Good Session banner. Lin Pictures' Dan Lin (The Lego Movie, Suicide Squad) and television topper Jennifer Gwartz are set to exec produce. Lethal Weapon reunites Miller with Lin, who teamed for last year's ABC drama Forever, which was canceled after one season.

*shrugs*

 

[beat]

Did I miss it, or did we never talk about NBC adapting "Taken" (the Liam Neeson movies) for a prequel series? http://www.examiner.com/article/taken-comes-to-nbc-as-a-prequel-series

 

[RatskyWatsky]

‘MacGyver’ Series Remake Set At CBS, James Wan & Henry Winkler Producing

The new series will feature a 10-years younger protagonist. Twentysomething Angus MacGyver gets recruited into the clandestine organization from the original series where he uses his knack for solving problems in unconventional ways to help prevent disasters from happening. The CBS series also is expected to chronicle how MacGyver acquired some of his famous skill sets.

"Everything was reboots" - Dolan

 

[TheOddOne]

Is nothing sacred anymore? I draw the line at MacGyver.