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[12/21/07 - 06:31 PM]
Development Update: Week of December 17-21
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!
AMC ORIGINAL SERIES (AMC, New!) - The cable channel has added four new projects to its development slate. Said efforts will eventually result in one of two pilots the network plans to order next year. The other pilot will be based off its previously announced projects. As for the newcomers, they are: "Fort Smith," from "24's" Robert Cochran, about Isaiah Parker, who polices the Five Points - comprised of five different Indian tribes - with his posse in the lawless post-Civil War West; an untitled hour from Alison Anders and Terry Graham, about Comanche leader Quanah Parker, who fights the U.S. Army for the rights to his tribe's land; "Greenfields," from playwright Nicky Silver ("Raised in Captivity"), about a psychiatrist who breaks his patient out of jail; and "Uninvited Guest," from "Less Than Zero" screenwriter Harley Peyton and Mandalay's Peter Guber and Elizabeth Stephens, about a character who suffers from multiple personality disorder.
THE AMERICAN MALL (MTV, New!) - MTV is teaming with "High School Musical" producers Bill Borden and Barry Rosenbush for a romantic comedy/musical set at a mall in the vein of the Disney Channel sensation. Nina Dobrev and Rob Mayes will topline the project, about Ally, a high school grad/singer-songwriter (Dobrev), who battles to save her mother's music store and to keep the boy she loves (Mayes), a musically gifted young janitor who fronts a garage band. Autumn Reeser also stars as Ally's mean-girl adversary Madison, the spoiled and ruthless heiress to the owners of the mall, while Wade Allain-Marcus, Bianca Collins, Rodney To, Neil Haskell, Brooke Lyons, David Baum, Blythe Auffarth, Yassmin Alers, Bresha Webb, Neil Haskell and Al Sapienza round out the cast. Production is set to begin next month at a mall in Provo, Utah with Shawn Ku ("Pretty Dead Girl") directing. Borden is producing "Mall," which was originally set up as a feature at Columbia Pictures prior to "Musical's" release, with Rosenbush and Arata Matsushima serving as executive producers. "Mall" then will premiere this summer with a DVD release a couple of days later.
BACKYARDS & BULLETS (NBC) - The Peacock has opted not to move forward with the drama pilot, about a suburban Neighborhood Watch group gone awry. The news comes as a result of the network letting its options on the cast expire. The show's ensemble included Abigail Spencer, Billy Burke, Casey LaBow, Enuka Okuma, Jessalyn Gilsig, Kristen Lehman, Lou Diamond Phillips, Mathew St. Patrick and Richard Ruccolo. Charles McDougall directed the Sony Pictures Television/Pariah-based hour from a script by Ed Decter and John J. Strauss. Pariah's Gavin Polone and Jamie Tarses also served as executive producers.
COCO CHANEL (Lifetime, New!) - The cable channel is developing a biopic/mini-series about the famed fashion icon featuring Barbora Bobulova and Shirley MacLaine as the designer in the early and later periods of her life, respectively. Christian Duguay ("Human Trafficking") is on board to direct the Alchemy Television Group-based project, which is currently filming. Enrico Medioli ("Once Upon a Time in America") penned the script while Lux Vide SpA, Pampa Productions, Rai and France 2 are co-producing alongside Alchemy. The two-part effort, which is being done in cooperation with Chanel's estate, tracks her upbringing in an orphanage outside Paris through her move to reinvent herself in her 70s, after spending years in exile.
KAYA (MTV) - MTV development chief Tony DiSanto confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter this week the series, the network's first scripted effort in more than five years, won't be returning for a second season. "Kaya" opened its 10-episode run on Monday nights following "The Hills" before being banished to Saturday nights after failing to capitalize on said lead-in. DiSanto however was quick to note the network still plans to push forward in the scripted genre as several projects are in the works, including an untitled effort from Adam Ripp and Steven Wolfson as well as "Darius," from "Law & Order" veteran Michael S. Chernuchin.
SAINT OF CIRCUMSTANCE (FOX, New!) - "The Office" alum David Denman is set to topline a new single-camera comedy pilot for FOX about a man going through a midlife crisis who quits his dead-end office job to be a paramedic on the night shift. "Scrubs" star Zack Braff is in talks to direct the ABC Studios-based half-hour, which was created by Braff's brother, Adam ("Andrew Henry's Meadow"). Denman then will play the lead role of Wayne with the Braffs executive producing alongside Emile Levisetti. Production on the pilot is expected to begin after the WGA strikes concludes.
UNTITLED CEDRIC THE ENTERTAINER PROJECT (ABC) - ABC Studios has extended the options on the entire cast of the multi-camera comedy pilot, about a family man (Cedric the Entertainer) who always has been the proud breadwinner but has difficulty adjusting when his wife's (Regina Hall) hobby turns into a multimillion-dollar enterprise. Production on the project, which also stars Charles Malik Whitfield, Jasmine McNeal, Melissa Peterman, Peter Mackenzie and Steven Wash, Jr., was completed in October. Ken Whittingham directed from a script by co-creators Cedric the Entertainer, Michael Soccio and Rock Reuben.
WIFE SWAP (ABC) - Lifetime's purchase of the show's off-network rights from Disney-ABC Domestic Television on Tuesday (read the story) is said to be valued at $250,000 per episode. The four-year pact, which begins in October, gives the cable channel the right to play reruns of the series twice a day.
Sources: Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Reuters
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[11/19/25 - 04:01 PM]
Video: "The Price of Confession" - Official Trailer - Netflix
A mystery thriller about Yun-su, a woman accused of murdering her husband, and Mo Eun, a mysterious woman called a witch, and the secrets between them.
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[11/19/25 - 01:52 PM]
Video: "Everybody Loves Raymond: 30th Anniversary Reunion" Premiere Preview
The 90-minute special, hosted by Emmy Award-winning actor Ray Romano and series creator Phil Rosenthal, looks back on the timeless show, which premiered on September 13, 1996, and aired for nine seasons on CBS.
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[11/19/25 - 01:00 PM]
HBO Original Comedy Special "Sarah Squirm: Live + In the Flesh" Debuts December 12
Sarah Sherman's unholy alter ego, Sarah Squirm, slithers onto your screen in her first stand-up comedy special.
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[11/19/25 - 12:31 PM]
Next on Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN - December 2025
Highlights include season two of "Percy Jackson and the Olympians"; the original film "Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw"; and the premiere of "Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour | The End of an Era."
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[11/19/25 - 12:26 PM]
MLB Forms New Three-Year Media Rights Agreements with ESPN, NBCUniversal and Netflix
FOX/FS1, TBS, Apple TV, and MLB Network will continue their existing packages.
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[11/19/25 - 12:26 PM]
ESPN, Major League Baseball Reach Innovative New Agreement Featuring Significant Collection of National and Local Rights
ESPN to produce new exclusive package of 30 regular season games for its linear networks and direct-to-consumer offering.
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[11/19/25 - 12:24 PM]
Major League Baseball Returns to NBC and Peacock in 2026 with Three-Year Media Rights Partnership Featuring Extensive Exclusivity
"Sunday Night Baseball" on NBC/Peacock now joins NBC Sports' presentations of "Sunday Night Football" (NFL) and "Sunday Night Basketball" (NBA) to deliver year-round primetime sports programming on the same night each week - a broadcast network first.
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[11/19/25 - 12:01 PM]
MLB on Netflix Live in 2026: Opening Night, the T-Mobile Home Run Derby, and Field of Dreams
From 2026 to 2028, Netflix will kick off each MLB season with a singular game on Opening Night, the evening prior to a full slate of traditional Opening Day matchups.
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[11/19/25 - 11:03 AM]
Romantic Drama Series "Heated Rivalry" Debuts November 28 on HBO Max
New episodes of the six-episode season will debut weekly leading up to the finale on Friday, December 26.
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[11/19/25 - 11:01 AM]
Comedy Central Announces "The Daily Show Presents: Jordan Klepper Fingers the Pulse: Give the Man a Prize"
The latest special is set to premiere directly after "The Daily Show" on Monday, December 8 at 11:30pm ET/PT and will be available on Paramount+, "The Daily Show's" YouTube Channel, and VOD starting December 9.
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[11/19/25 - 11:00 AM]
Maria Zuckerman Enters Into Multi-Year First-Look Producing Deal with FOX Entertainment Studios to Develop Slate of Premium Scripted Content and Prestige Non-Fiction
An Emmy Award-winning producer and respected industry leader, Zuckerman is known for her ability to identify and champion brand-defining stories and talent that balance artistic excellence with commercial success.
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[11/19/25 - 11:00 AM]
AMC Networks' December Highlights Include "Sanctuary: A Witch's Tale," "Midsomer Murders," "Bridezillas," "Best Christmas Ever" and More
"Sanctuary: A Witch's Tale" returns Thursday, December 25 with new episodes through January 29.
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[11/19/25 - 09:18 AM]
Peacock Announces January 15 Premiere Date for "Ponies"
The espionage thriller series starring Emilia Clarke and Haley Lu Richardson will premiere on Thursday, January 15.
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[11/19/25 - 09:05 AM]
The CW Network Sets 2026 Midseason Premiere Dates for Returning Hit Series
Highlights include the season premiere of "Wild Cards" on Monday, January 26 at 8:00/7:00c.
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[11/19/25 - 09:02 AM]
Video: "Stargate" Announcement - Prime Video
Amazon MGM Studios has greenlit a new "Stargate" series for Prime Video.
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