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‘Mad TV’s Michael McDonald Joins Paul Feig’s ‘The Heat’

By MIKE FLEMING JR | Wednesday August 1, 2012 @ 8:19am PDTTags: Melissa McCarthy, Michael McDonald, Paul Feig, Sandra Bullock, The Heat
Mike Fleming

Michael McDonald, a standout performer for a decade on the Fox series Mad TV, has joined the cast of the 20th Century Fox Paul Feig-directed buddy comedy The Heat, which stars Sandra Bullock and Melissa McCarthy. He will play a villain. Peter Chernin, Jenno Topping and Dylan Clark are producing. This comes after McDonald signed a new blind script deal to develop a one hour show with ABC Studios. After his Mad TV run, McDonald has been working behind the scenes, creating and exec producing the hourlong drama spec script pilot Beautiful People for NBC last season. McDonald worked as a director, co-executive producer and writer on ABC’s Cougar Town and will continue directing episodes of the show this season after it moved to TBS. He will also helm episodes of the new ABC sitcoms Family Tools and How To Live With Your Parents For the Rest of Your Life. He’s repped by UTA.

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Stephen Hopkins To Direct NBC Drama Pilot ‘Beautiful People’

By NELLIE ANDREEVA | Tuesday December 13, 2011 @ 6:50pm PSTTags: Beautiful People, Michael McDonald, NBC, Stephen Hopkins
Nellie Andreeva

EXCLUSIVE: Emmy-winning helmer Stephen Hopkins has been tapped to direct NBC’s futuristic drama pilot Beautiful People. The project, written by Cougar Town co-executive producer/director/actor Michael McDonald, is set in the near future in a society where humans co-exist … Read More »

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NBC Greenlights Futuristic Drama Pilot

By NELLIE ANDREEVA | Monday November 14, 2011 @ 12:14pm PSTTags: Michael McDonald, NBC, Pilot
Nellie Andreeva

EXCLUSIVE: NBC has given a pilot order to Beautiful People, a character-driven futuristic drama spec by Cougar Town co-executive producer/director (and occasional actor) Michael McDonald. ABC Studios and Universal TV are producing. Beautiful People is described as an imaginative and … Read More »

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Michael McDonald To Be Named Head Of Drama Development For ABC Studios

By NELLIE ANDREEVA | Wednesday August 31, 2011 @ 11:48am PDTTags: ABC, ABC Studios, Dustin Davis, Michael McDonald
Nellie Andreeva

EXCLUSIVE: After Paul Lee rearranged his top programming executives in June, ABC and ABC Studios have now made more tweaks to their teams. The biggest one — Michael McDonald is being promoted to SVP drama development for ABC Studios and will head the studio’s drama department. The post had been vacant since June when previous drama topper Patrick Moran was elevated to Head of Creative Development for the studio as part of the executive restructuring. McDonald, whose deal is still being finalized, most recently served as VP drama current series for ABC Studios. With his promotion, both ABC’s drama and comedy departments are heading into the new development season with new leaders. Amy Hartwick was named SVP comedy development for the studio in June.

ABC Studios’ drama department is getting additional reinforcement: Emily Cummins, formerly of Akiva Goldsman’s Weed Road, is joining as VP drama development. Spike TV’s highest-ranking scripted executive, Dustin Davis, will be joining ABC as director in the network’s current department. (Spike’s other scripted exec, Laurence Sullivan, already left for Conan O’Brien’s Conaco production company as the cable network is putting scripted development on hold.) Also in ABC’s current department, Karin Dubiel is being promoted from coordinator to manager. Meanwhile, Zack Olin, executive director current programming for ABC, has moved to ABC Studio’s comedy development department as executive director. Read More »

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