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[11/30/07 - 06:20 PM]
Development Update: Week of November 26-30
By The Futon Critic Staff (TFC) |
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LOS ANGELES (thefutoncritic.com) -- The latest development news, culled from recent wire reports:
Looking to keep track of all the various projects in development? Click here to visit our signature "Devwatch" section. There visitors can view our listings by network, genre, studio and even development stage (ordered to pilot, cast-contingent, script, etc.). It's updated every day!
CSI: MIAMI (CBS)/STEP IT UP AND DANCE (A.K.A. STEP IT UP) (Bravo) - Elizabeth Berkley has booked a pair of gigs - a multi-episode arc on CBS's "CSI: Miami" as well as hosting duties on Bravo's upcoming series "Step It Up and Dance" (previously known as "Step It Up"). On "Miami," she'll play Julia Winston, the ex-wife of David Caruso's character and mother of his recently discovered teenage son, Kyle (Evan Ellingson). It's understood her character becomes part of an investigation when her billionaire husband is murdered. As for "Step," Broadway choreographer Jerry Mitchell has also signed on as mentor/house choreographer to the show's contestants. The series, currently in production in Los Angeles, features contestants trying to master a range of dance styles - from ballet and ballroom to Broadway and burlesque - for a cash prize. Gunnar Wetterberg created the project, which comes from Magical Elves producers Jane Lipsitz and Dan Cutforth ("Project Runway," "Top Chef").
FRINGE (FOX) - Alex Graves ("Journeyman") is set to helm the two-hour drama pilot, about a young female FBI agent who, forced to confront the spread of powerful and unexplained phenomena, must work with an institutionalized scientist whose life's work might be at the center of the coming storm. He'll work from a script by co-creators J.J. Abrams, Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci as well as executive produce alongside the trio and Bad Robot's Bryan Burk. Production on the Warner Bros. Television/Bad Robot-based pilot, which was written on spec, is scheduled to begin in February.
KNIGHT RIDER (NBC) - Bruce Davison, Wayne Kasserman and Greg Ellis will round out the cast of the two-hour movie/backdoor pilot, a sequel to the 1980s series of the same name featuring Justin Bruening as Mike Tracer, Michael Knight's (David Hasselhoff) son. Davison will play Charles Graiman (previously Kamen), an eccentric physicist who created the second-generation KITT, an artificially intelligent car. Kasserman then is set as Dylan, the loyal roommate of Mike's who joins the Knight Rider team. And finally, Ellis will play Welther, one of the bad guys who's out to murder Graiman and steal KITT. His role is billed as a guest star with the potential to recur. Sydney Tamiia Poitier and Deanna Russo also star.
LEVERAGE (TNT) - Beth Riesgraf and Gina Bellman are the latest additions to the drama pilot, about a former insurance investigator-turned-thief (Timothy Hutton) who is the brains behind a team of accomplished hooligans and high-tech outlaws. The former will play Parker, an accomplished burglar who exudes dorkiness, eccentricity and sexuality, with the latter as Sophie Devereaux, a dreadful community theater actress who doubles as a con artist. John Rogers and Chris Downey are behind the project, which comes from Dean Devlin's Electric Entertainment. Devlin himself is directing from a script by Rogers and Downey.
THE MORE THINGS CHANGE... (ABC) - Chris Johnson ("South Beach"), Aimee Garcia ("The George Lopez Show"), Tom Parker ("What About Brian"), Paulo Costanzo ("Joey"), Reno Wilson ("Life") and Sasha Barrese ("Carpoolers") have all been named as the principal cast members of the pilot, a single-camera comedy about a quartet of male friends who explore how male friendships endure through change. Johnson will play the lead character of Rick, a young man who suddenly has an astounding revelation in his life that turns his friendships upside down. Garcia, Parker, Costanzo, Wilson and Barrese then will play Diana, Blair, Nesby, Wayne and Madeline respectively. Production on the Regency Television-based half-hour is set to begin in the next few weeks with Todd Phillips ("Old School") directing from a script by Allan Loeb ("Things We Lost in the Fire"). Phillips and Loeb will also executive produce alongside Scarlet Fire Entertainment's Steve Pearl.
THE WEEK THE WOMEN WENT (Lifetime, New!) - The cable channel has ordered a pilot for a new reality series in which three neighbors who essentially go on strike leaving their lazy husbands to run the household and keep routines in check. BBC Worldwide is behind the project, which is being eyed for the network's Friday lineup. As for specifics, said wives will be sent on vacation while their husbands are put through various challenges - the winner of which gets to join his wife and family on vacation. Production is underway with BBC Worldwide's John Hesling serving as executive producer.
Sources: Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Reuters
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[12/19/25 - 12:24 PM]
Multi Emmy-Nominated BET+ Comedy "The Ms. Pat Show" Returns for Season 5 on Wednesday, January 7
The first four seasons of the groundbreaking R-rated sitcom unpacked everything from drug addiction and abortion to sexual abuse and dysfunctional family cycles.
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[12/19/25 - 10:00 AM]
HBO Original Documentary "Critical Incident" Debuts December 29
The film revisits the 2010 death of Anastasio Hernández-Rojas, an undocumented Mexican immigrant who died while in custody at the border.
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[12/19/25 - 09:31 AM]
Laura Marcus Joins the Cast of "Assassin's Creed," The New Live-Action Series Adaptation of Ubisoft's Best-Selling Video Game Franchise
Toby Wallace, Lola Petticrew, and Zachary Hart also star in the Netflix series.
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[12/19/25 - 08:31 AM]
Peacock Exclusively Streams Focus Features' Critically Acclaimed "Bugonia" Beginning December 26
Nominated for 3 Golden Globe Awards and 3 Critics Choice Awards, Focus Features' psychological thriller stars Emma Stone, Jesse Plemons, Aidan Delbis, Stavros Halkias and Alicia Silverstone.
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[12/19/25 - 06:01 AM]
"Snoop's Holiday Halftime Party" to Feature the Singing Voices of HUNTR/X from Netflix's "KPop Demon Hunters" and Country Sensation Lainey Wilson
This Christmas, Netflix is decking the halls and the halftime stage with a spectacular celebration that's set to dazzle fans around the globe.
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[12/19/25 - 06:01 AM]
ESPN and The Heisman Trophy Trust Extend Exclusive Media Rights Agreement
The 2025 Heisman Trophy Ceremony averaged 4.3 million viewers, delivering the event's best audience since 2012 and finishing up 69% year-over-year.
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[12/19/25 - 06:01 AM]
Video: Prime Video Unveils the Teaser Trailer and Reveals the Release Month of Its Next Italian Prime Original Film Shot in English, "Love Me Love Me"
It only takes one look to fall in love. And nothing will ever be the same again.
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[12/19/25 - 02:01 AM]
"Salvador" Arrives to Netflix on February 6
"Salvador" is an action drama series in which Luis Tosar steps into the shoes of Salvador, a father and emergency medical technician who fights to leave behind his past with alcohol and make amends for the mistakes he made with his family.
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[12/18/25 - 07:01 PM]
"Last Samurai Standing" Renewed for Season 2 - A Global Sensation Proudly Made in Japan
The battle royale that captivated Japan and international audiences now turns the page to its next chapter.
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[12/18/25 - 06:01 PM]
"Dynamite Kiss" Nears Its Final Episode, Leaving Ji-hyeok and Da-rim at a Crossroads Between Romance and Goodbye
The final episode premieres December 24, just in time for Christmas, only on Netflix.
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[12/18/25 - 01:56 PM]
Apple TV Sets New Dramedy "Beat the Reaper," Starring and Executive Produced by Will Poulter
Based on the novel of the same name by Josh Bazell, "Beat the Reaper" will star Poulter as Dr. Peter Brown, an intern at Boston's worst hospital who has a talent for medicine, works a shift from hell and has a past he'd prefer to keep hidden.
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[12/18/25 - 11:01 AM]
Netflix Announces "So Far Gone" with Straight-to-Series Order After Competitive Bidding
The series, like Jess Walter's book, follows Rhys Kinnick, a journalist who's pulled out of retirement when his daughter goes missing.
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[12/18/25 - 10:15 AM]
Starz Acquires Action Drama "The Nowhere Man," Executive-Produced by and Starring "Power's" Naturi Naughton-Lewis, Set to Premiere January 16, 2026
In "The Nowhere Man," Lukas (Bonko Khoza), a former Special Forces mercenary crippled by PTSD, has turned his back on his violent past and is operating as a junk collector on the streets of Johannesburg.
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[12/18/25 - 10:11 AM]
Tubi's Original Film "Terri Joe: Missionary in Miami" Premieres Exclusively on Tubi on January 30
In this wild farce, Southern Belle Terri Joe ventures to Miami to outrun wacky criminals and find a new church where she can atone for her sins.
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[12/18/25 - 10:01 AM]
"The Wonderfully Weird World of Gumball" Exclusive Holiday Art Debut & Two More Seasons Coming Soon
As a holiday gift to fans, Hulu has announced that "The Wonderfully Weird World of Gumball" will return for two more seasons.
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