LOS ANGELES (thefutoncritic.com) -- The latest development news, culled from recent wire reports:
24 (FOX) - Twentieth Television has confirmed the series is now up to an 85% clearance rate for weekend syndication on local stations across the country beginning this fall. Among the 109 stations clearing the show (all of whom won't pay cash but rather give up seven minutes ad time) are WCBS New York, KCBS/KCAL Los Angeles, WBBM Chicago, WCVB Boston, KSTP Minneapolis, KPRC Houston and KSDK St. Louis. All 96 episodes are set to air Saturdays and Sundays on most stations while cable channel A&E has the exclusive weekday window.
AMERICAN CRIME (CBS) - Jerry Bruckheimer's latest has been given the green light to produce a pilot. The project, which was created by Jim Leonard ("Skin") and is set up at Bruckheimer's Warner Bros. Television-based company, revolves around a female prosecutor who juggles the world of suburban crime with the challenges of being a new mother. Bruckheimer and Leonard will executive produce the project, which originally had a put pilot commitment, with Jonathan Littman.
THRESHOLD (CBS) - Bragi Schut's drama pilot about a female government contingency analyst who leads a team of scientists and military personnel to respond to the threat of a mysterious alien lifeform has been given the go ahead to produce a pilot by the Eye. David Goyer ("Batman Begins," "Blade 3") is set to direct and executive produce the pilot, which is set up at Paramount Network Television. Schut, Mark Rosen and David Heyman ("Harry Potter") will also serve as executive producers on the project, which received a put pilot commitment last year.
TRIANGLE (UPN, New!) - Writer/producers John Sakmar and Kerry Lenhart ("Boston Public") have scored a production order from the netlet to produce a pilot for a new drama series about a young doctor's investigation of his wife's mysterious disappearance during their Caribbean honeymoon. The project is set up at Perry Simon's Paramount Network Television-based Shore View Entertainment with Sakmar, Lenhart and Simon all executive producing.
UNTITLED MARIA LOPEZ PROJECT (Syndication, New!) - Former Massachusetts Superior Court judge Maria Lopez is reportedly meeting with several major distributors about being the focus of a new court series. No other details however were given.
WILDLIFE (UPN, New!) - Writer/producers Michael Gans and Richard Register ("Spy Groove") have booked a new one-hour dramedy at the netlet, about a group of twentysomethings living in the hip Hollywood community of Silver Lake. The project, which has been given the green light to produce a pilot, is set up at Jonathan Axelrod and Kelly Edwards' Paramount Network Television-based banner with Axelrod, Edwards, Gans and Register all executive producing.
Sources: Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Reuters
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