You are viewing the archive: “20th Century Fox TV”

Mike Scully Signs Overall Deal With 20th TV, Joins ‘The New Normal’ As Co-EP

By NELLIE ANDREEVA | Thursday May 24, 2012 @ 3:04pm PDTTags: 20th Century Fox TV, Big Deals TV, Mike Scully, The New Normal
Nellie Andreeva

EXCLUSIVE: The Simpsons veteran Mike Scully has signed a multi-year overall deal with 20th Century Fox TV. Under the seven-figure pact, he will join 20th TV’s upcoming Ryan Murphy-Ali Adler NBC comedy series The New Normal and will develop new live-action or animated projects for the studio. Additionally, Scully will continue his part-time gig working one day a week on The Simpsons where he has been for the past two decades. 20th TV chairman Dana Walden, who first joined the studio in 1992 said, “I can’t remember a time when Mike wasn’t part of one show or another at the studio.”

After a decade as a full-time writer-producer on The Simpsons, Scully segued to development for 20th TV with several projects, including comedy pilot The Pitts, which Walden said she loved. He went on to work on shows elsewhere, including CBS’ Everybody Loves Raymond and NBC’s Parks & Recreation, but never cut his ties with 20th TV through his gig on The Simpsons. Scully also recently worked on the studio’s Fox animated comedy series Napoleon Dynamite. “He is an incredibly funny and hugely talented guy who is great in the room and as part of a production,” Walden said. UTA-repped Scully has shared in six best series Emmy awards, five for The Simpsons and one for Raymond.

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‘Homeland’ Co-Executive Producer Alex Cary Signs New Overall Deal With 20th TV

By NELLIE ANDREEVA | Wednesday April 18, 2012 @ 5:00pm PDTTags: 20th Century Fox TV, Alex Cary, Big Deals TV
Nellie Andreeva

Writer-producer Alex Cary has signed a new two-year overall deal with 20th Century Fox Television. Under the new pact, Cary will continue as a co-executive producer on the acclaimed Showtime drama series Homeland, which is produced by 20th TV’s cable … Read More »

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Writer-Producer Jennifer Johnson Signs Overall Deal With 20th Century Fox TV

By NELLIE ANDREEVA | Thursday March 29, 2012 @ 2:06pm PDTTags: 20th Century Fox TV, Alcatraz, Big Deals TV, Jennifer Johnson
Nellie Andreeva

Jennifer Johnson AlcatrazEXCLUSIVE: Jennifer Johnson, executive producer/showrunner of Fox’s freshman drama Alcatraz, has signed an overall deal with 20th Century Fox TV after a five-year stint at Warner Bros TV, which produces Alcatraz. 20th TV chairman Dana Walden noted … Read More »

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Fox Greenlights Drama About Teen Spy

By NELLIE ANDREEVA | Thursday January 19, 2012 @ 1:12pm PSTTags: 20th Century Fox TV, 21 Laps/Adelstein Productions, Fox, Karyn Usher
Nellie Andreeva

Fox has given a pilot order to a spy drama written by Karyn Usher (The Playboy Club). The procedural thriller centers on the orphaned 17-year-old daughter of a CIA operative who is recruited to become an operative herself. She encounters … Read More »

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Ken Kwapis To Helm NBC’s Sarah Silverman Pilot, Ink First-Look Deal With Universal TV

By NELLIE ANDREEVA | Thursday December 15, 2011 @ 2:22pm PSTTags: 20th Century Fox TV, Imagine TV, Ken Kwapis, NBC, Sarah Silverman, Universal TV
Nellie Andreeva

EXCLUSIVE: Director/producer Ken Kwapis has come on board to direct NBC’s untitled Sarah Silverman comedy pilot, from Imagine TV and 20th TV. Additionally, Kwapis’ company, In Cahoots, has signed a one-year, first-look deal with NBC’s  sister studio Universal Television, which … Read More »

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Two More Comedy Pitches Land At Nets

By NELLIE ANDREEVA | Friday December 2, 2011 @ 5:30pm PSTTags: 20th Century Fox TV, CW, Fox
Nellie Andreeva

Fox has bought Move Over, a relationship comedy from writer/executive producer Timothy Stack (Son Of The Beach), while the CW has bought The Makery, an ensemble multi-camera/hybrid comedy written by Jason Benoit and executive produced by Teri Weinberg and Scott Aversano. Move Over, from 20th Century Fox TV, centers on … Read More »

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‘Last Man Standing’ Creator Jack Burditt To Leave, Kevin Abbott Poised To Replace Him

By NELLIE ANDREEVA | Monday November 14, 2011 @ 12:43pm PSTTags: 20th Century Fox TV, ABC, Jack Burditt, Kevin Abbott, Last Man Standing
Nellie Andreeva

Last Man Standing creator Jack Burditt is leaving the freshman ABC comedy series. Veteran comedy showrunner Kevin Abbott is expected to take over the reins of the show after Thanksgiving if he gets a sign-off from TV Land, where he is under contract. For 20th Century Fox TV, which produces Last Man Standing, Abbott was the top choice to replace Burditt as he successfully stepped in for the departing creator of another 20th TV comedy, Reba, several years ago. Coincidentally, Abbott is now writing a new comedy project starring Reba McEntire, which has a put pilot commitment at ABC. If it goes to series and Last Man Standing is renewed for a second season, Abbott will run both series concurrently. In addition to shepherding the McEntire-starring project Malibu Country, Abbott also has a deal with TV Land, where serves as a consulting producer on Retired At 35. He is now in the process of getting out of his contract at the cable network to join Last Man Standing. Burditt, on whose life Last Man Standing is based, suffered a family tragedy earlier this fall. He took an extended leave of absence, and when he eventually returned on the show, he felt he couldn’t stay on for the long haul. Read More »

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Fox Buys Mike Royce Comedy Project

By NELLIE ANDREEVA | Tuesday November 1, 2011 @ 11:00am PDTTags: 20th Century Fox TV, Fox, Mike Royce
Nellie Andreeva

Fox is doubling its bet on Mike Royce. A month after the network handed out a cast-contingent pilot order to Little Brother, a multi-camera comedy written by the former Everybody Loves Raymond executive producer, the network has bought a … Read More »

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FX Renews ‘American Horror Story’ for Second Season

By NELLIE ANDREEVA | Monday October 31, 2011 @ 10:55am PDTTags: 20th Century Fox TV, American Horror Story, Brad Falchuk, FX, Ryan Murphy, TV Renewal
Nellie Andreeva

Very appropriately for Halloween, FX’s breakout new horror drama American Horror Story today was renewed four episodes into its freshman run. The series, created by Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk, has received a 13-episode second-season order. “It’s one thing … Read More »

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NBC To Reboot Stephen Cannell’s ‘Wiseguy’

By NELLIE ANDREEVA | Tuesday October 25, 2011 @ 5:45pm PDTTags: 20th Century Fox TV, Alex Cary, Chernin Entertainment, NBC
Nellie Andreeva

EXCLUSIVE: Stephen J. Cannell’s 1980s series Wiseguy is getting a contemporary reboot at NBC. The peacock network has bought a new take on the crime drama, which will be written by Alex Cary (Homeland). The project, from 20th Century Fox TV and studio-based Chernin Entertainment, has received a script commitment with penalty.

A re-imagening of the original series, which Cannell co-created with Frank Lupo, Wiseguy centers on a disgraced former cop who, while serving time in prison, cuts a deal to work undercover for time off his sentence. The show begins as he’s being released — now he’ll put the connections he made behind bars to good use in the field as he helps the police take down a criminal organization. Cary, who is under an overall deal at 20th TV, will executive produce with Peter Chernin and Katherine Pope. The original series, which ran on CBS for 4 seasons from 1987 to 1990, starred Ken Wahl as Vincent “Vinnie” Terranova, an undercover agent of the Organized Crime Bureau, a fictional division of the FBI, whose cover was working as syndicate enforcer after a stint in the New Jersey penitentiary. The show, which had a lead change in the final season with Steven Bauer replacing Wahl and featured a standout performances by Kevin Spacey and Jerry Lewis, was an early pioneer in the introduction of serialized elements to a crime procedural, with each season consisting of several arcs, and in the use of runaway production for cutting costs. Read More »

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NBC Buys Comedy About The First Family From Josh Gad, Jason Winer & Jon Lovett

By NELLIE ANDREEVA | Monday October 24, 2011 @ 12:00pm PDTTags: 20th Century Fox TV, Jason Winer, Josh Gad, NBC
Nellie Andreeva

From NBC, the network that brought us The West Wing, comes 1600 Penn, a family comedy set at the White House. The network bought pre-emptively the single-camera comedy — from Book Of Mormon star Josh Gad, Modern Family director Jason Winer and former speechwriter to President Barack Obama Jon Lovett — with a put pilot commitment. Gad, Winer and Lovett co-created the project, about a dysfunctional family that just happens to live at the most famous address in America, 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. 20th Century Fox TV, where Winer is under an overall deal, is producing. The premise originated with Winer and longtime friend Gad bouncing around possible series ideas until they settled on the First Family comedy setup. They knew they needed a writer and turned to 20th TV. Conveniently, the studio had signed a script deal with former Obama speechwriter Lovett, who had taken meetings indicating that he wanted to get into the half-hour scripted comedy business. 20th TV got the trio together and they honed the idea for 1600 Penn. All three will executive produce, with Lovett writing the script and Winer attached to direct. Read More »

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Fox Buys CIA Drama From Imagine, Family Comedy From ‘Big Bang’ Recurring Duo

By NELLIE ANDREEVA | Tuesday October 18, 2011 @ 5:09pm PDTTags: 20th Century Fox TV, Imagine TV, Joe Weisberg, Principato-Young Entertainment, Sony TV
Nellie Andreeva

Fox has bought a CIA drama from writer Joe Weisberg (Falling Skies) and a multi-camera comedy from actor-writers John Ross Bowie and Kevin Sussman, best known for their recurring roles on CBS’ hit comedy The Big Bang Theory. The hourlong … Read More »

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Comedies Produced By Aaron Kaplan And Doug Liman Find Homes

By NELLIE ANDREEVA | Monday October 17, 2011 @ 4:10am PDTTags: 20th Century Fox TV, Fox, Hypnotic, NBC, Universal Cable Productions
Nellie Andreeva

NBC has bought 33 1/3, a single-camera musical comedy from The Cleveland Show co-executive producer Kirker Butler. The project, from 20th Century Fox TV, centers on a 33-year-old aspiring rock singer and single mother of a teenage girl who, after a humiliating failed marriage proposal, moves back into her mother’s basement where she must learn to deal with her opinionated gay slacker brother, an old crush who still lives next door, a mother with a medical marijuana card, and a head filled with a never-ending playlist of some of the best songs ever written. This marks the first network development for Butler, who worked on Family Guy before segueing to spinoff The Cleveland Show and penned the famous Star Wars parody episode. ICM-repped Butler is writing 33 1/3 and is executive producing with Aaron Kaplan. Read More »

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Steven Bochco & David Milch To Create Legal Drama For NBC, 20th TV & Imagine

By NELLIE ANDREEVA | Thursday October 13, 2011 @ 7:00pm PDTTags: 20th Century Fox TV, Brian Grazer, David Milch, Imagine TV, NBC, Steven Bochco
Nellie Andreeva

Almost 2 decades after they created ABC’s groundbreaking cop drama NYPD Blue, Steven Bochco and David Milch have reunited to create a new drama series, this time for NBC. The … Read More »

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Comedy From Ryan Murphy & Allison Adler Lands At NBC With Big Commitment

By NELLIE ANDREEVA | Thursday October 13, 2011 @ 11:00am PDTTags: 20th Century Fox TV, NBC, Ryan Murphy
Nellie Andreeva

In what has been hailed as the biggest comedy sale this season, NBC has nabbed a single-camera project from Glee creator/executive producer Ryan Murphy and the show’s co-executive producer Allison Adler. The project, a heartwarming comedy about a blended family of a gay couple and the woman who becomes a surrogate to help them start a family, will be co-written by Murphy and Adler and directed by Murphy. 20th Century Fox TV, where Murphy is based with a rich multi-year deal, is producing. The pitch created waves in the marketplace when it was taken out on Friday. It sparked a three-way bidding war among NBC, ABC and Fox, ultimately landing at NBC. The keys to that were NBC’s willingness to step up at the end of a very active buying season when networks’ war chests’ are nearly depleted, its great needs and Murphy’s close relationship with NBC’s new entertainment president Jennifer Salke, who was his day-to-day executive at 20th TV. Read More »

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Fox Buys Jonah Hill/Hannibal Buress Sitcom With Penalty

By NELLIE ANDREEVA | Tuesday October 11, 2011 @ 8:35am PDTTags: 20th Century Fox TV, 3 Arts, Fox, Jonah Hill
Nellie Andreeva

EXCLUSIVE: Fox has bought a comedy project to be co-written by Jonah Hill and standup comedian/writer Hannibal Buress with a blind script commitment plus penalty. The project, whose concept and … Read More »

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Fox Renews ‘The Simpsons’ For Two More Seasons After Actors Sign New Deals

By NELLIE ANDREEVA | Friday October 7, 2011 @ 5:23pm PDTTags: 20th Century Fox TV, Fox, The Simpsons
Nellie Andreeva

Prospects For New Deal With ‘Simpsons’ Actors Looking Good
Would ‘The Simpsons’ Be Worth More Dead Or Alive?

It’s over: the cast members of The Simpsons have agreed to new two-year deals with series producer 20th Century Fox TV and, with them locked in, Fox has renewed the veteran series for two more seasons. Both sides reportedly made concessions from their original demands, with the cast abandoning their quest for a piece of the series’ lucrative back-end and the studio upping their previous final offer for a 45% salary reduction. As we reported earlier in the day, the salary cut is in the range of 30% from the actors’ current paychecks of $440,000 per episode). The license fee for the show paid by Fox was also trimmed as The Simpsons has been sliding in the ratings. Here is Fox’s release announcing the renewal:

FOX has renewed THE SIMPSONS, the longest-running comedy in television history, for an incredible 24th and 25th season, bringing the series total to an astonishing 559 episodes. THE SIMPSONS airs Sundays (8:00-8:30 PM ET/PT) on FOX.

In the words of Homer Simpson, “Woo Hoo! I outlasted Andy Rooney!”

The longest-running scripted show in television history, THE SIMPSONS exploded into a cultural phenomenon in 1990 and has remained one of the most groundbreaking and innovative entertainment franchises, recognizable throughout the world. Matt Groening created the iconic family: Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie. In February 2012, THE SIMPSONS will celebrate its historic 500th episode.

Read More »

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Prospects For New Deal With ‘Simpsons’ Actors Looking Good

By NELLIE ANDREEVA | Friday October 7, 2011 @ 2:47pm PDTTags: 20th Century Fox TV, Harry Shearer, The Simpsons, TV syndication
Nellie Andreeva

The reports of The Simpsons‘ imminent death were once again greatly exaggerated. It happens during every cast renegotiation — the voice actors and the producing studio 20th Century Fox TV go through a very public standoff, triggering a slew of headlines about the certain end of the beloved animated series, before the two sides ultimately reach an agreement. This seems to be the case again this time as people close to the negotiations are optimistic that there would be new contacts with the the cast that will seal The Simpsons’ renewal by Fox for a 24th and possibly 25th season. The deals are not done and may or may not close today as talks continue, but it looks like the actors would return with a pay cut in the 30% range they offered the studio but sans the lucrative back-end participation they were seeking. One of the cast members, Harry Shearer, even proposed to take a pay cut of more than 70% in exchange for points on the show, but I hear that the option of giving the actors any profit participation was a non-starter for the studio. Read More »

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Fox Buys Kate Robin/Jake Kasdan Female-Driven Drama With Penalty

By NELLIE ANDREEVA | Friday October 7, 2011 @ 10:53am PDTTags: 20th Century Fox TV, Fox, Jake Kasdan, Kate Robin
Nellie Andreeva

EXCLUSIVE: Playwright-screenwriter Kate Robin, former writer-producer on HBO’s Six Feet Under, and director-producer Jake Kasdan have sold a drama project to Fox with penalty. 20th Century Fox TV, where Kasdan … Read More »

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