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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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[11/14/25 - 02:31 PM]
Video: "Kevin Hart: Acting My Age" - Official Trailer - Netflix
Older, wiser - and still hilarious. Kevin Hart opens up about his midlife mishaps, from intimacy pills to the perils of unexpected injuries.
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[11/14/25 - 01:02 PM]
Bravo Is Turning on the Mic as It Greenlights "Still Flipping Out (wt)"
In his new Bravo series, Jeff Lewis is as outspoken as ever, but this time the mic is always on.
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[11/14/25 - 12:11 PM]
Video: Bravo's "The Real Housewives of Potomac" Season 10 Midseason Trailer Brings Shocking Revelations and the Return of the Grande Dame
The tease reveals Andy Cohen's visit with Karen Huger in Potomac at her home for a deeply personal and reflective conversation that will air in the season finale.
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[11/14/25 - 12:10 PM]
Bravo Picks Up New Seasons of the "Below Deck" Franchise
Bravo has picked up "Below Deck" for a 13th season and "Below Deck Mediterranean" for an 11th season.
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[11/14/25 - 12:01 PM]
Video: The Actor Awards - Official Announcement - Netflix
The only awards show exclusively for actors enters a new era! The Screen Actors Guild Awards (SAG Awards) has a new name.
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[11/14/25 - 10:32 AM]
Bravo's New Series "The Valley: Persian Style" Premieres Jan. 8 at 9 P.M. ET/PT
A spinoff of "The Valley," this series follows a tight-knit group of Persian friends who have traded Beverly Hills for suburban life in the Valley.
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[11/14/25 - 10:30 AM]
"High Potential" Season 2 Premiere Scores Over 21 Million Total Viewers Across 35 Days
Season to date, the powerhouse drama continues to dominate, ranking as the No. 1 original broadcast series for the second season in a row among Adults 18-49 (2.42 rating), based on Nielsen cross-platform rankings.
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[11/14/25 - 10:05 AM]
AMC Networks' Sports Docuseries, "Rise of the 49ers," to Debut as a Limited Series Event on Sunday, February 1 and Monday, February 2 on AMC and AMC+
The limited series event explores the dramatic and iconic run of the San Francisco 49ers during the '80s and early '90s.
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[11/14/25 - 10:00 AM]
NBC's Annual "Christmas in Rockefeller Center" Celebrates the Holiday Season with Star-Studded Performances on Dec. 3
Audiences can expect a star-studded evening of festive performances from many musical guests, including Marc Anthony, Halle Bailey, Michael Bublé, Kristin Chenoweth, Laufey, New Edition, Brad Paisley, Carly Pearce, the Radio City Rockettes and Gwen Stefani.
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[11/14/25 - 09:35 AM]
"Dancing with the Stars" Rises Week to Week with 6.67 Million Total Viewers as Show Heads to Semi-Finals
This marks the show's best performance for its last episode before the semi-finals among Total Viewers in six years and among Adults 18-49 in eight years.
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[11/14/25 - 09:31 AM]
Video: "Squid Game: The Challenge" Season 2 - Finale Trailer - Netflix
Featuring new, unpredictable challenges and high-stakes games from the hit series, this reality competition brings the "Squid Game" phenomenon to life.
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[11/14/25 - 09:31 AM]
"Wicked: One Wonderful Night" Shines for NBC
Across all platforms, the special drew 3.6 million viewers, which was up 64% from last year's "Defying Gravity: The Curtain Rises on Wicked" special.
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[11/14/25 - 09:30 AM]
CMA and ABC Celebrate Country Music's Biggest Night with Exclusive Programming Ahead of "The 59th Annual CMA Awards"
Beginning this weekend, fans can enjoy an all-access lead-up featuring some of their favorite Country stars.
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[11/14/25 - 09:03 AM]
"Center Stage: Countdown to the CMA Awards - Special Edition of 20/20" Goes Behind the Scenes of Iconic Music City Venues, Tuesday, Nov. 18, on ABC, Streaming Next Day on Disney+ and Hulu
The one-hour special features Kenny Chesney, who brings cameras back to Nashville's famed Lower Broadway to revisit the venues where he first performed as a young man with dreams of making it big in Music City.
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[11/14/25 - 09:01 AM]
Video: "Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw" Official Trailer
This holiday season on Disney+, prepare to go where no wimpy kid has gone before.
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