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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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[12/11/25 - 03:15 PM]
ABC News' "Nightline" Ranks No. 1 in All Key Target Demos
The series also saw gains on the same week last year in Adults 25-54 and Adults 18-49.
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[12/11/25 - 11:58 AM]
Lifetime to Kick Off 2026 with Three New "Ripped from the Headlines" Movies
Kate Beckinsale, Scott Eastwood, Katie Cassidy, Luke Humphrey, Chloe Lanier, Dillon Casey, and Maddy Hillis are among the featured talent.
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[12/11/25 - 11:22 AM]
A&E's New Series "Crime in Progress" Follows the Evolution of Investigations Told Exclusively Through Raw Footage Premieres January 1 at 10pm ET/PT
The story of each crime is woven together through raw, unfiltered video from the point of view of officer body cam and surveillance footage for a first-hand look at justice in action.
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[12/11/25 - 11:01 AM]
New Netflix Doc Series About Jonestown Dives Into One of the Deadliest Mass Murders in American History
From Emmy-nominated director J.M. Harper comes a three-part documentary series about the events and ideas leading up to the Jonestown massacre.
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[12/11/25 - 10:32 AM]
Lola Petticrew Will Join the World of "Assassin's Creed" Alongside Toby Wallace in the New Live-Action Series Adaptation of Ubisoft's Best-Selling Video Game Franchise
Netflix confirmed the news on social media this morning.
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[12/11/25 - 10:31 AM]
Video: "Breakdown: 1975" - Official Trailer - Netflix
This documentary explores how a turbulent era gave rise to iconic movies like "Taxi Driver," "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" and "Network."
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[12/11/25 - 10:01 AM]
Michelle Buteau's Final Season of "Survival of the thickest" Casts New Guest Stars Wanda Sykes, D.L. Hughley, Ashley Graham, Ronny Chieng, Wyatt Cenac, Jenna Lyons, Ice-T, and More
Buteau and co-creator Danielle Sanchez-Witzel will also make their directorial debuts.
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[12/11/25 - 09:16 AM]
Paramount+ Greenlights Animated Adaptations of Acclaimed Children's Books by Mo Willems
The series orders mark the first collaborations between Paramount+ and Hidden Pigeon Company.
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[12/11/25 - 09:02 AM]
"MonsterQuest" Returns January 2 to Investigate the World's Most Chilling Monster Encounters on The History Channel
Bigfoot, UFOs, hauntings and killer beasts on land and sea -are these myths, legends, folklore or real monsters lurking in the world around us?
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[12/11/25 - 09:01 AM]
TLC's New Series "Suddenly Amish" Takes Six Individuals on a Dramatic and Life-Changing Journey Into Amish Culture
The series follows six non-Amish individuals on a rare journey as they leave behind their modern "English" lifestyle and step into a deeply traditional Amish community in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
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[12/11/25 - 09:01 AM]
"Love During Lockup" Returns to We TV with a New Season Friday, January 16, Streaming Same Day on All Reality and AMC+
The new season features six all-new couples, including the return of fan-favorite cast member, Monique.
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[12/11/25 - 09:00 AM]
Video: Prime Video Releases "Beast Games" Season Two Trailer and Reveals Epic "Survivor" Crossover
Filmed on location in Fiji - the current home of Survivor - this "Beast Games x Survivor" crossover episode marks a first-of-its-kind relationship between two global competition phenomena.
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[12/11/25 - 08:32 AM]
New Season of Discovery Channel's "Expedition X" Kicks Off Wednesday, January 7 at 9PM ET/PT
In the season premiere, special guest and paranormal investigator Jack Osbourne teams up with Heather Amaro in Vulture City, AZ - a former old west gold mining village that brings new meaning to the term "ghost town."
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[12/11/25 - 08:31 AM]
Peacock Releases Premiere Date and First Look Images for Season 2 of "Ted"
All episodes of Seth MacFarlane's record-breaking live-action comedic prequel return March 5, 2026 only on Peacock.
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[12/11/25 - 08:27 AM]
"Love Under the Christmas Tree," Begins Production in Buffalo for Great American Christmas 2026, A Heartwarming Christmas Tale About Renewal and Second Chances, Starring Katie Leclerc and Jeremy Guilbaut
The film follows Abby (Leclerc) who inherits her Aunt Helen's cherished tree farm under the condition she spends 14 days working the farm to rediscover its true meaning.
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