Love & Money Dept – TV Writing Deals for 6/19/14

Latest News About Writers Who Are Doing Better Than We Are
by munchman

  • David Hudgins (PARENTHOOD) has a new overall deal at Sony Pictures TV. He’ll do new stuff. (And, knowing his work, even Yer Cynical Old Munchman is confident that it’ll be great. Of course, that doesn’t mean any of us will get to see it, but, hey, this munchy one lives in hope!)
  • Todd Stashwick (an actor on JUSTIFIED) is going legit with a writing gig working alongside Amy Hennig (bigtime video game writer-director) on the next STAR WARS game. (And with Amy’s brilliance and George Lucas no longer in the mix, who knows? It just might be a winner.)
  • Joe Port & Joe Wiseman (THE CRAZY ONES) are taking their box of tools and tricks to CBS for a couple of years, where they intend to write their tushies off. (Wiseman is an alum of LB’s very first television writing class back during LB’s original retirement – the one that didn’t stick – in Santa Fe, NM. And I have it from his very mouth that “Joe W is one of the best comedy writers ever. Here’s hoping that this time around he gets the support – especially the acting – that his and Joe P’s work deserves.” Yeppers, the boss actually said that. Heavy praise.)
  • Mark Fergus & Hawk Otsby (CHILDREN OF MEN) are adapting James S.A. Corey’s The Expanse series of science fiction books into a series for, natch, Syfy. (CHILDREN OF MEN on one hand, Syfy on the other – the TV gods giveth, and then they taketh away. Better cross your fingers, or whatever your preferred begging the gods sign is, on this one.)

Love & Money Dept – TV Writing Deals for 9/24/13

Latest News About Writers Who Are Doing Better Than We Are

‘Tis the season for deals, deals, everywhere. But not a drop for…alack!…the poor minions slaving at TVWriter™:

  • Janet Tamaro (RIZZOLI & ISLES) is stepping down as showrunner of the TNT hit in order to develop new projects. (Ain’t nobody here gonna argue against that. Wonder how much longer the show can last without her, though.)
  • Becky Hartman Edwards (SWITCHED AT BIRTH) is writing the drama pilot FAR FROM THE TREE for Fox. (Yes, she’s noted for comedy, but even TV development execs can see that a show about the family of a terrorist – yes, that’s what this is about – won’t be funny. Well, not too funny anyway.)
  • Damon Lindelof (LOST) has gotten a 10 episode series pickup from HBO for his drama series THE LEFTOVERS about what happens to the people who didn’t make the cut after, you know, the Rapture thing. (Leave it to TV to cash in on the Rapture long after it’s lost any value it may ever have had. We humbly submit our suggestion for the TV development model: “Forward to the past!”)
  • Lauren Iungerich (AWKWARD), who seem to be talking about here all the time, has sold BITCH OFF THE OL’ BLOCK to NBC. It’s a comedy about a professional woman whose life is disrupted when her daughter, a younger version of herself, moves in with her and her roommates. (Didn’t we write about several other versions of this just yesterday? Oh, but they were at ABC, so this is all fine. Anybody know a smiley that means >shudder<?)
  • Joe Port & LB’s former student Joe Wiseman (JOE, JOE AND JANE) are writing an untitled NBC comedy pilot about a 16 year old prodigy chef. (Cuz you know how much the TV audience loves teenagers and chefs and comedy. Well, at least NBC loves ’em – we hope.)

LB Brags About Joe Wiseman

Back in the Dark Ages also known as the early ’90s, yours truly woke up one morning and thought, “I hate this. I hate this television writing and producing thing. I’m doing everything I always wanted to do and I hate it.” And, since the last time I’d had that thought when I woke up in the morning, about 15 years earlier, I had a heart attack later that afternoon, I decided a pre-emptive strike was in order.

So I quit. read article

Cold War Spy Drama Coming to FX

Because our current political situation is so hopelessly boring. Or, more likely, because FX is afraid of slugging it out toe to toe with the contemporary spy drama HOMELAND.

Whatever the reason, FX has announced that they’re committed to 13 episodes of THE AMERICANS, created by Joe Weisberg, who also will be the Executive Producer/Showrunner. read article