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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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[02/17/26 - 03:31 PM]
Netflix Announces Adult Animated Series "Bass X Machina"
Brian Tyree Henry, Janelle Monáe, Tati Gabrielle, Cree Summer, Chaske Spencer, Currie Graham, and Starletta DuPois star in the series, due on October 6, 2026.
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[02/17/26 - 02:00 PM]
FOX Unveils Spring 2026 Premiere Dates, Anchored by Eventized Storytelling and Epic High-Profile Adventure
From high-stakes game shows and iconic culinary battles to heartfelt romance, immersive adventure, and epic event series, the spring lineup delivers must-watch programming anchored by familiar favorites and all-new original programming.
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[02/17/26 - 12:01 PM]
Netflix Top 10: Week of February 9 - "Tyler Perry's Joe's College Road Trip" Takes the Scenic Route to No. 1
Plus: "The Lincoln Lawyer" Season 4 took No. 1 on the English TV list with 9.6 million views.
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[02/17/26 - 11:48 AM]
Paramount Comments on Warner Bros. Discovery Disclosures
Paramount acknowledges the announcement from Warner Bros. Discovery that, acting with Netflix, they have decided to provide Paramount a 7-day "waiver" for negotiation.
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[02/17/26 - 11:00 AM]
All-New Series "Sugarcreek Amish Mysteries" Set to Premiere April 23 on UPtv
The series blends cozy mystery, cultural discovery and heartwarming reinvention in a series about finding family in unexpected places and uncovering the truest parts of ourselves.
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[02/17/26 - 11:00 AM]
Video: First-Look Teaser for "Sofia the First: Royal Magic" Unveiled
The new series is set to premiere this May on Disney+ and Disney Jr.
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[02/17/26 - 10:34 AM]
FOX Nation Has Launched on Prime Video
Subscribers also have the opportunity to bundle FOX Nation with the FOX One streaming service in a single subscription on Prime Video, giving them instant access to the complete portfolio of FOX's leading news, sports, and entertainment branded content all in one app for $24.99.
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[02/17/26 - 10:28 AM]
Video: Preview - "Sugar & Vice: A Hannah Swensen Mystery" - Starring Alison Sweeney and Victor Webster
The latest installment premieres Saturday, March 7 at 8:00/7:00c on Hallmark Channel, next day on Hallmark+.
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[02/17/26 - 10:06 AM]
Video: Official Series Trailer - "RJ Decker"
Investigate the new drama premiering Tuesday, March 3 on ABC.
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[02/17/26 - 10:05 AM]
Miley Cyrus Returns Home for the "Hannah Montana 20th Anniversary Special," Streaming March 24 on Disney+
The special will be filmed in front of a live studio audience and will feature an exclusive, in-depth interview with Miley Cyrus, hosted by Alex Cooper.
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[02/17/26 - 10:02 AM]
Video: Prime Video Releases Official Trailer for Season Two of Global Hit "Deadloch"
The first two episodes premiere March 20, with new episodes released weekly, culminating in the season finale on April 17.
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[02/17/26 - 08:00 AM]
Dorinda Medley to Join "The Golden Life" (w/t) Docuseries on E!
Medley joins Kelly Bensimon, Countess Luann De Lesseps, Sonja Morgan and Ramona Singer in new series set in sunny Palm Beach, Florda.
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[02/17/26 - 08:00 AM]
New Short-Form Series "Locker Diaries" Unlocks All-New Adventures from Disney's "ZOMBIES," "Phineas and Ferb," and "Descendants"
"Locker Diaries: ZOMBIES" kicks off the series with 11 short-form live-action episodes and gives viewers a glimpse into the drama unfolding in the school halls of Sunnyside & Shadyside.
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[02/17/26 - 07:01 AM]
CNN Original Series "Standoff: The FBI, Power and Paranoia" Premieres Sunday, March 22 at 9PM ET/PT
Each episode focuses on a defining confrontation that reverberated far beyond the Oval Office, starting with former FBI Director James Comey's own account of his infamous clash with President Donald Trump.
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[02/17/26 - 06:01 AM]
Most Valuable Promotions Brings Professional MMA to Netflix with Ronda Rousey vs. Gina Carano on Saturday, May 16, 2026 Live from Intuit Dome in Los Angeles, California
Rousey vs. Carano represents a historic moment in combat sports as Netflix's first-ever live MMA broadcast and MVP's inaugural MMA event.
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