Series News: Series!

J.J. Abrams jumps into bed for Undercovers

Fri, 6 Nov 2009 11:05:00 GMT

J.J. Abrams looks like he needs a duvet day as he buries himself in the production of new Warner Bros./ NBC pilot Undercovers which could be the script we reported as sparking a bidding war. Having already got the greenlight on a medical comedy , Abrams is getting involved with this new project as well as continuing work on Lost and his film work.
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Although he is currently only signed on as executive producer for Undercovers, he is in talks to direct the opening episode, as he did with Lost, to great applause - opening up films such as Mission: Impossible III and Star Trek in the process.

Abrams is also responsible for shows such as Fringe, but despite the success of 2004's Lost pilot, he rarely gets behind the small screen lens - exceptions being one episode The Office: An American Workplace in 2007 and guest directing an episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live in 2006.
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Should Abrams direct more small screen adventures? Or do we prefer him to spend his time on film exploits? Or perhaps there is a music career ahead of him?

E.Phillips

>> Real the whole article | on Screenrush - Friday 6 November 2009

HBO For Gender Op Show 'T'

Fri, 6 Nov 2009 10:17:00 GMT

Dan Futterman and Anya Epstein make more than a cute couple, the new showrunners for 2010 third season of award winning series In Treatment have pitched an idea to HBO for a show called T about a man becoming a woman. They are planning on writing the pilot and have got Ira Glass and Alissa Shipp onboard to exec produce.

Epstein has previously worked on HBO's Tell me you love me and Futterman was Oscar nominated for his screenplay of Capote. You may also have seen him as Charlotte's is-or-isn't-he-gay date in the early days of Sex and The City plus a long stint in Judging Amy.

HBO have presented gender change issues before in telepic Normal which starred Jessica Lange and Tom Wilkinson. The idea for this new pilot apparently came from popular Ira Glass radio show This American Life which was aptly titled The Architecture of Inequality: Sex and Gender.

So T, the new show for gender transformation at its best?

H. Hemblade

>> Real the whole article | on Screenrush - Friday 6 November 2009

Colin Hanks Joins Jack & Dan

Wed, 4 Nov 2009 11:00:00 GMT

The under-used talent that is Colin Hanks is set for a come back, with a brand new starring role in Jack and Dan, a 13-episode hourlong action-comedy written by Burn Notice's Matt Nix for Fox.

The show will also star Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip's Bradley Whitford , and follows Jack (Hanks), the straight-up ambitious but self-deprecating detective whose lack of confidence sees him partnered with drunken leer-bag Dan (Whitford) in a

Hanks, known well for his role in teen sci-fi drama Roswell, and stint on glossy advertising drama Mad Men , is up next on the big screen in High School with Adrien Brody.

So will Jack and Dan be the new buddy sensation - and can they match up to the likes of iconic couplings Crockett and Tubbs and ?

E.Phillips

>> Real the whole article | on Screenrush - Wednesday 4 November 2009

Flight Of The Conchords May Not Return

Wed, 4 Nov 2009 10:12:00 GMT

Jemaine Clement has warned that comedy genius Flight of the Conchords may not return for a third season due to the unmanageable work load the show entails.

The cult hit starring the two New Zealanders Jemaine and co-creator Bret McKenzie living in NYC and trying to make it big with their "folk band", gained over 3 million viewers during its second season on HBO and was nominated for an Emmy this year, not to mention a Grammy win for lyrical amazingness The Distant Future.

Jemaine, who was nominated for the Best Comedy Actor Emmy, is currently in Jared Hess's Gentlemen Broncos has dubbed the potential curtain call "bittersweet" as the show is "so hard" to produce.

The end of the Conchords would be the sad departure of a true original bash at offbeat comedy - but then again, they would be ending on a high (as with all the best TV comedies) and will leave us begging for one-off Christmas specials.

H. Hemblade

>> Real the whole article | on Screenrush - Wednesday 4 November 2009

Doctor Who Turns To Law

Tue, 3 Nov 2009 10:31:00 GMT

Still warm from filming his exit episode of Doctor Who , David Tennant has moved stateside - landing a starring role in legal drama pilot Rex Is Not Your Lawyer.

Tennant will play a prestigious Chicago litigator in the hour-long show for NBC, marking his debut on US TV screens

The Scotsman is best known for the playing the titular Timelord in BBCs rejuvinated sci-fi show, but has filled the gaps between series with stints on the stage, most notably in Shakespeare's Hamlet earlier this year.
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Rex is written by Andrew Leeds of and David Lampson, and follows legal eagle Rex Alexander (Tennant), whose career is threatened when he begins suffering panic attacks. In a unique course of action, Rex coaches his clients to represent themselves in court so he doesn't have to.
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Renowned pilot helmer David Semel, who did the honours for both Heroes and Damian Lewis starrer Life, is set to direct the blackly comic legal drama which should be due on screens in the new year.
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So, do you wish Tennant was your lawyer? Or do you prefer him hurtling through time than charging for it?

E.Phillips

>> Real the whole article | on Screenrush - Tuesday 3 November 2009

HBO Adapting Novel For Music Industry Film

Tue, 3 Nov 2009 10:03:00 GMT

HBO are obviosuly feeling brave. The telly gods have signed on for an adaptation of music journalist Steve Knopper's book Appetite for Self-Destruction: The Spectacular Crash of the Record Industry in the Digital Age which will mean taking on the massive challenge of conveying thirty years or so of intense cultural change.

The intriguing project will be scripted by playwright Victoria Stewart and produced by Bob Cooper who is best known for his work on the Stargate Atlantis and Stargate SG 1.

The film will see the slump of the disco craze, moving on to the CD hype and then to the problem of Napster and other free file sharing online services for the record industry.

It will be interesting to see what form the film will take and whether it will be a welcome blast from the past tracking back through years of classic tunes, or if it will be a guilt tripping negative display of the effects of downloading in changing a once lucrative industry. We'll wait with an open mind and open ears.

H. Hemblade

>> Real the whole article | on Screenrush - Tuesday 3 November 2009

Final Season Trailer Leaves You Feeling Lost

Mon, 2 Nov 2009 10:53:00 GMT

Don't expect to be getting anything too palpable out of Lost's trailer for its penultimate season. Producers have reportedly persuaded ABC not to show any of the action until the season starts for fear of giving the slightest hint of the plot away.

You can take a look at the teaser trailer here but just a word of warning - don't expect to see anything other than flashbacks from the last 5 seasons which just winds up making you more excited for the 6th!

H.Hemblade

>> Real the whole article | on Screenrush - Monday 2 November 2009

A Sneaky Peek At Mr Tennant In Doctor Who's 'The Waters of Mars'

Mon, 2 Nov 2009 10:30:00 GMT

New pictures released from the filming of 2009's Doctor Who special 'Water of Mars' shows the Timelord and Adelaide proudly astride a robot called Gadget. Though apparently the doctor doesn't take to Gadget at first, saying "I hate funny robots" and is forced to use it in order to escape water spouting freaks - of course.

Check out the fantastic new shots below:

The special is showing on 15th November on BBC One.

H. Hemblade

>> Real the whole article | on Screenrush - Monday 2 November 2009

Taylor And Neveldine Gamer For Zeroes

Mon, 2 Nov 2009 10:23:00 GMT

Certainly something to give this week an extra kick is the news that Crank writer/director pairing Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor are moving their special blend of masochistic madness to the small screen, having put together a show called Zeroes for NBC.

Zeroes, set to be a one-hour show, will be (not to break from the boys' norm) a high-intensity drama chronicling the last hour of a crisis situation.

Detailing their decision process, Taylor said their telly outing would be "a crisis show that doesn't bore you with all of the buildup leading to the crisis. We want to drop right into it and sustain the absolute most berserk state of crisis, when all of the options have been exhausted. We want to take that last 60 minutes and sustain it for the entire show."

And the Taylor-Neveldine duo is no stranger to sustained beserk-dom, with their most recent movie Gamer putting Scottish hard-man Gerard Butler through the mill as a renegade soldier who is controlled by a teenager as part of a real-life videogame. And lest we forget their capacity to put The Stathe to the test in their Crank franchise - which has seen him tear around LA electrocuting himself and having sex in front of crowds to keep his heart ticking over.

Zeroes will follow a fictional team of guys called in to situations at the last knockings who are, according to Taylor "absolutely ruthless" in their use of force.

So who is a Zero in your eyes? And could The Stathe be paying a visit once he's all done being Expendable ?

E.Phillips

>> Real the whole article | on Screenrush - Monday 2 November 2009

90210 Answers Lesbian Love Rumers

Fri, 30 Oct 2009 10:29:00 GMT

No doubt Mrs Ashton Kutcher will have a few things to Tweet about when she hears the news that her daughter, Rumer Willis, is to be involved in a lesbian love storyline in 90210.

Producers are stepping up the raunch by introducing the plot strand which will see Willis's character, Gia, engaging in a girl-on-girl romance with Jessica Lowndes' Adrianna - a character so fraught with drama that in one single season of the show, she struggled with drug addiction and an unplanned pregnancy - and now coming to terms with her sexuality.

But this isn't just a fly by night liason for the girls, says producer Rebecca Sinclair: "This isn't a fling. We're coming at this [relationship] from a genuine place and not going, 'Let's do a titillating story that will grab some promotion.' This is a real aspect of teenager life that's interesting... And there's been a real void in the 90210 universe in terms of gay and bisexual characters."

90210's same-sex love-story kicks off in the US in January.

E.Phillips

>> Real the whole article | on Screenrush - Friday 30 October 2009

Disney Channel reels in 'Fish Hooks'

Fri, 30 Oct 2009 10:06:00 GMT

Disney goes back under the sea with a new high school animated series aptly named Fish Hooks. In the 21 episodes ordered by the cable channel, within a fish tank in a pet shop we see "party guy" Milo, his brother Oscar and a diva goldfish named Bea attend Freshwater High and go through the trials and tribulations of being a teen fish.

The series is set to air in autumn of next year, created by Noah Z. Jones, it will be directed by Bill Reiss of Chowder and Carl Greenblatt. Expectations are high since Gary Marsh, president entertainment at Disney Channels Worldwide has promised "one of the most original, inventive animated series on television".

So, high school drama, under water antics and and a long awaited disney animation, hope it all goes swimmingly.

H. Hemblade

>> Real the whole article | on Screenrush - Friday 30 October 2009

Syfy Is Being Human

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 09:54:00 GMT

It appears the rave reviews for BBC's Being Human have wafted over the other side of the pond, as network Syfy has ordered 13 episodes of a remake by RDF Media USA, which according to Syfy president Dave Howe won't attempt to "slavishly replicate the British version".

The series - which was a massive hit last year and consequently made the transition from BBC Three to BBC One. It followed three extraordinary young housemates, a vampire, werewolf and ghost, trying to live double lives and starred Lenora Crichlow, Russell Tovey and Aidan Turner, who have all moved on to further BBC projects, such as Material Girl and Desperate Romantics.

So the search for a scribe and stars is on, with release expected around Autumn 2010. Meanwhile us Brits will see the second season of the original (and for now, best) early next year.

H. Hemblade

>> Real the whole article | on Screenrush - Thursday 29 October 2009

Dance Dance For Me Disney

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 11:00:00 GMT

Disney takes its array of musical delights to a whole new level after ordering "Dance Dance Chicago", a new musically themed comedy series which is being written and produced by Chris Thompson who has previously worked on The Naked Truth, Action and Bosom Buddies.

The series will tell the tale of two children working as backing dancers on an "American Bandstand" type show. Currently casting presumably polished and perfected sweet young things, the pilot is hoping to be in production for January.

Alike with the success of music based shows such as Hannah Montana and Jonas ; We're thinking it's going to be hitting all the high notes with Disney viewers.

H. Hemblade

>> Real the whole article | on Screenrush - Wednesday 28 October 2009

Gabourey Sidibe Gets The C Word

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 10:39:00 GMT

Having caused a commotion with her stirringly real role in Precious, young actress Gabourey Sidibe has been lined up for a role in new comedy show The C Word.

She would play a student in summer school in the pilot for Showtime - joining Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen actor John Benjamin Hickey and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button's Phyllis Somerville alongside the show's star Laura Linney.
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Linney plays an average suburban wife, mother and teacher called Cathy who is diagnosed with cancer but looks at the lighter side of life in the face of it.
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Hickey is lined up to play her brother and Somerville will serve as neighbour and friend to Cathy.

Let's hope Sidibe can lend some of her Precious comic talents to the already stellar line-up.�

>> Real the whole article | on Screenrush - Wednesday 28 October 2009

NBC Take Idris Elba Drama To The Courts

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 09:58:00 GMT

NBC are loving a bit of Hackney boy Idris Elba, after his arc on The Office: An American Workplace, he is now teaming up with David Eick of Battlestar Galactica and Caprica to exec produce a new legal drama for NBC which shows a top lawyer defend his clients against a convoluted district attorney and city establishment.

The not yet named project has been written by Sean O'Keefe and Will Staples, who have recently scribed Universal's World's Most Wanted and did an adaptation of the book The Cruelest Miles.

For Elba, well known for his stint on The Wire and who will be next seen on the big screen in The Losers and Takers, the project marks yet another British conquest on American TV and this looks like he's here to stay.

H. Hemblade

>> Real the whole article | on Screenrush - Wednesday 28 October 2009

George Clooney's Delta Blues Gets The Go Ahead

Tue, 27 Oct 2009 11:12:00 GMT

It's now or never for Smokehouse Pictures, as TNT have given George Clooney and Grant Heslov's Delta Blues the okay to a pilot. The drama, penned by Liz Garcia of Cold Case and Joshua Harto, shows a top memphis cop who lives with his mother, leading a double life as an Elvis impersonator.

Delta Blues will be Smokehouse's first pilot, Clooney previously worked with Steven Soderbergh on HBO's K Street and Unscripted. The show will follow TNT's cop orientated selection which has included The Closer, Saving Grace and the new Dark Blue.

So let's hope the pilot to this seemingly sentimental yet equally action packed drama gets us all shook up...

>> Real the whole article | on Screenrush - Tuesday 27 October 2009

Comedy Central Signs On Ron White And Joey Kern

Tue, 27 Oct 2009 10:41:00 GMT

Comedy Central has rounded up some new talent for the channel in the shape of comedian Ron White and The Sasquatch Dumpling Gang's Joey Kern.

White - best known for his work on Blue Collar Comedy, as well as stints on Kath & Kim (US) and Reno 911! - is set for an animated project called Hounds, described as a neo-gothic Southern laugher, written by Ladies Man Chris Thompson.

White's character will be a chicken who mentors the locals of the small town like "a countrified Yoda with a bottle of Jack and a bag of weed." According to White, the chicken will be "an opinionated Southern philosopher who considers himself the centre of the universe."
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Kern - who is currently taking on the big screen as a boyband member alongside Ed Helms in The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard - takes the lead in a pilot for the network called Ghosts/Aliens, which sounds as if it could be the next installment of the Alien franchise where ghouls take on Geiger's monsters.

Looks like we'll be tuning in for some randomness very soon courtesy of these two boys.

E.Phillips

>> Real the whole article | on Screenrush - Tuesday 27 October 2009

Witness The First 8 Minutes Of V

Mon, 26 Oct 2009 10:27:00 GMT

The countdown to alien invasion is ticking, and to keep us on tenter hooks, ABC has released 8 whole minutes of their re-imagining of 1980's classic alien invasion show, V.

Much like the Summer's surprise other-worldly hit District 9 (which starred Sharlto Copely, pictured today as part of the new look A-Team), V follows the world's first encounter with an alien race when humungous spaceships hover over the world's 29 main cities. The seemingly unthreatening Visitors (otherwise known as V's) extend the hand of peace by generously sharing their advanced technology, but it soon becomes clear that their plan may not be altogether harmless.

Starring Lost's Elizabeth Mitchell, Stargate SG1's Morena Baccarin, Joel 4400 Gretsch, and Cashmere Mafia's Lourdes Benedicto, the cast also includes The Game Plan's Morris Chestnut, Smallville's Laura Vandervoort and newcomer Logan Huffman, as well as a blast from the past in the shape of Party of Five's Scott Wolf.

V comes to US screens on Tuesday November 3.

>> Real the whole article | on Screenrush - Monday 26 October 2009

Whedon Is Cool About Dollhouse Pullback

Mon, 26 Oct 2009 10:00:00 GMT

Joss Whedon, it seems, is ever the optimist. After finding out that the second series of Dollhouse is being back benched until December by Fox, Whedon euphemised the move by calling it "an Advent calendar of Episodes". On his website Whedonesque.com, he claimed not to be "as depressed as everyone else" over Dollhouse receiving some of the lowest ratings ever.

The series which shows genetically manipulated human "dolls" living a laboratory, stars Eliza Dushku and Harry J. Lennix had never hit it off with viewing rates and only just managed to win execs over for a second season. The show will continue again in December, with episodes being shown back to back in the run up to Christmas.

Despite all this, Whedon's enthusiasm still remains at a high as Glee co-creator Ryan Murphy announced the intention for the Buffy the Vampire Slayer impressario to direct an episode of his extremely popular musical comedy.

H. Hemblade

>> Real the whole article | on Screenrush - Monday 26 October 2009

NBC Signs Up Cheadle And Carolla

Fri, 23 Oct 2009 11:05:00 GMT

NBC is comedy-ing up to the hilt, with two new shows in commission - one from Adam Carolla (a.k.a. Death from Family Guy), and the other created by Don Cheadle and Les Boondocks' Aaron McGruder.

Carolla is going all blue-collar for his half-hour sitcom, which will follow a construction contractor and dad whose life descends into chaos when his wife packs her bags. The show will be co-produced by Carolla, Kevin Hench and Jimmy Kimmel who often team up for projects such as the recent pilot Ace in the Hole, and comedy movie The Hammer .

Cheadle and McGruder's show will follow a pair of mismatched brothers who reunite to open a private security company. Cue Observe & Report style antics.

So which of these two shows is going to float people's boats? You decide...

E.Phillips

>> Real the whole article | on Screenrush - Friday 23 October 2009