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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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[03/13/26 - 02:41 PM]
HBO Original Series "Life, Larry, and the Pursuit of Unhappiness" Debuts June 26
President and Mrs. Obama wanted to honor America's 250th anniversary and celebrate the unique history of our nation on this special occasion. ...But then Larry David called.
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[03/13/26 - 01:45 PM]
ABC News Is #1 in Total Viewers in Late Night, Friday Night and Sunday Morning
"20/20" saw week-to-week gains in Adults 25-54 and Adults 18-49.
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[03/13/26 - 11:00 AM]
Production Begins on the Final Season of "Mayor of Kingstown" for Paramount+
David Morse will join season five as a series regular playing Russell Hardy, a seasoned FBI agent sent to Kingstown.
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[03/13/26 - 10:37 AM]
Bravo's "Married to Medicine" Two-Part Reunion Begins Sunday, March 22 at 9 P.M. ET/PT
Host Andy Cohen sits down with Dr. Jackie Walters, Dr. Simone Whitmore, Dr. Contessa Metcalfe, Toya Bush Harris, Quad Webb, Dr. Mimi Sanders as well as friends Dr. Heavenly Kimes, Angel Love Davis and Brandi Milton to unpack the season's biggest moments filled with emotional revelations and shocking confrontations.
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[03/13/26 - 09:36 AM]
Peacock Renews "Love Island USA" for Season Eight and Announces Premiere Dates for Upcoming Slate
"Love Island USA" returns Tuesday, June 2; while "Love Island: Beyond the Villa" is back Wednesday, April 15.
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[03/13/26 - 09:02 AM]
Video: Key Art & Trailer Debut - Hulu's "Love Overboard"
The series premieres Thursday, March 26 with all nine episodes on Hulu and Hulu on Disney+ for bundle subscribers in the U.S. and Disney+ internationally.
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[03/13/26 - 09:01 AM]
History's "The Food That Built America" Returns for Season 7 on April 19
The series explores the origin stories of America's most inspiring - and sometimes ruthless - food pioneers, visionaries, and entrepreneurs who revolutionized the culinary landscape, and created groundbreaking products that became the biggest household names in history.
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[03/13/26 - 08:01 AM]
Video: "Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen" - Official Trailer - Netflix
A bride has a feeling that something horrifying will happen at her wedding - and the closer to the altar she gets, the worse it becomes.
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[03/13/26 - 08:01 AM]
Video: Hot Out the Oven - Hulu's "Pizza Movie" Trailer & Key Art
A shy college student and his reckless roommate set out on a simple mission to grab pizza, but after a strange dose of a mind-bending experimental drug, they're thrust into a chaotic night of absurd encounters, wild hallucinations, and unexpected revelations that could change their lives forever.
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[03/13/26 - 07:13 AM]
FOX Sports, Imagine Documentaries & Delirio Films Announce "Summer of '94" Premiering May 23 on FOX
The film highlights the wild journey of the 1994 USMNT, a unique group of players led by an unlikely coach who endured a grueling two-year training camp, with no professional league and no roadmap, hoping simply not to embarrass their nation at the first-ever modern World Cup hosted on American soil.
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[03/13/26 - 05:01 AM]
Video: "Temptation Island" Season 2 - Official Trailer - Netflix
Four couples at a crossroads test their bond by splitting up and sharing a villa with alluring singles looking for love in this steamy reality series.
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[03/12/26 - 09:01 PM]
"The Vampire Lestat" Set to Debut Sunday, June 7 on AMC and AMC+
Plus: Lestat de Lioncourt (Sam Reid) is back pleasing fledglings and fans worldwide with the debut of "All Fall Down," the second official rock single from the series.
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[03/12/26 - 03:18 PM]
FOX Sports Scores All-Time High Team USA World Baseball Classic Viewership
3,171,000 viewers on average watched the four Team USA World Baseball Classic Pool play games across FOX, FS1 and FOX Deportes.
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[03/12/26 - 03:01 PM]
CBS Midseason Premiere Week Tops Broadcast and Streaming Rankings in Live + 7-Day Multiplatform Viewership
The network scored three of the top four and 12 of the top 20 most-watched series among all broadcast and streaming competition.
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[03/12/26 - 01:02 PM]
Video: Paramount+ Releases Official Trailer for Season Eight of "FBI True"
All 10 episodes of the new season will be available to stream at launch on on Tuesday, March 31.
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