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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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[10/21/19 - 11:00 AM]
HBO Max Orders "The Ho's" (working title) from Lionsgate TV
The inaugural season of this comedic, full-hearted doc style series in the spirit of Crazy Rich Asians will include eight 30-minute episodes.
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[10/21/19 - 10:30 AM]
Let the Not-So-Silent-Nights Begin with the All-New Comedy "The Moodys," Airing as a Special Three-Night Holiday Event Series Premiering Wednesday, December 4, on FOX
Denis Leary and Elizabeth Perkins star in the series, which follows a tight-knit, but slightly dysfunctional family of five, all of whom gather in their hometown of Chicago for the "perfect" holiday.
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[10/21/19 - 10:02 AM]
HBO Max Teams with Monica Lewinsky, Max Joseph and Six West for Thought-Provoking Documentary "15 Minutes of Shame"
Produced by Six West, the documentary features Joseph with appearances by Lewinsky as they take an in-depth look at the public shaming epidemic in our culture and explore our collective need to destroy one another.
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[10/21/19 - 10:00 AM]
"The Feed" Premieres November 22 on Amazon Prime Video
Based on the novel by Nick Clark Windo, "The Feed" is a thrilling exploration about our addiction to technology, our fear of what it's doing to our brains, and our terror of having to live without it.
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[10/21/19 - 08:48 AM]
Celebrities Share Their Terrifying Encounters with the Paranormal in the All-New Travel Channel Series "Famously Afraid"
In each episode, three celebrities tell their seriously scary tales with the paranormal and prove that no one is safe from the bizarre, unexplainable and frightening mysteries that lurk around every corner.
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[10/21/19 - 08:38 AM]
Creative Real Estate Trio Wows Clients with Amazing Renovations and Outrageous Open Houses in New HGTV Series "Hot Properties: San Diego"
The series launches Sunday, November 3 at 10:00/9:00c on the cable channel.
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[10/21/19 - 08:37 AM]
Sunday's Broadcast Ratings: NBC Rides "Sunday Night Football" to Victory
The Peacock once again takes home top honors in all categories on Sunday.
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[10/21/19 - 06:20 AM]
CNBC Prime Builds Fall Roster with Original Series, "Back in the Game," Hosted by Alex Rodriguez and Executive Produced by Michael Strahan
In the series premiere, Alex enlists the expertise of his friend, serial entrepreneur, Marcus Lemonis, aka "The Profit," to help former heavyweight champ Evander Holyfield take control of his financial future.
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[10/20/19 - 09:16 AM]
Saturday's Broadcast Ratings: ABC, College Football Top Charts
The Alphabet leads the night in both total viewers and adults 18-49.
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[10/19/19 - 08:32 AM]
Friday's Broadcast Ratings: FOX, "WWE SmackDown" Hold Onto Demo Crown
The network edges the competition among adults 18-49 while CBS remains the most-watched network.
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[10/18/19 - 11:34 PM]
Development Update: Friday, October 18
Updates include: NBC caps "Bluff City Law" run at 10 episodes; Netflix puts "Cowboy Bebop" filming on hiatus following John Cho injury; and Casey Wilson signs onto HBO Max's "Delilah."
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[10/18/19 - 12:02 PM]
Emmy Award-Nominated "Making It" Hosts Amy Poehler and Nick Offerman Return to NBC Dec. 2 with a Craftworthy and Comedy-Filled New Season
"I'm so happy to be back in the barn for season two of 'Making It' with my pal Nick, where the Makers create masterpieces and everyone continues to aggressively like each other," Poehler said.
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[10/18/19 - 12:00 PM]
Curtains Will Rise Again on a Second Season of "High School Musical: The Musical: The Series" on Disney+
Production on season two will resume early next year in Salt Lake City, Utah.
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[10/18/19 - 10:30 AM]
FOX Entertainment Renews Animation Domination's Newest Entry, "Bless the Harts," for a Second Season
The half-hour animated comedy follows the Harts, a Southern family that is always broke, and forever struggling to make ends meet.
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[10/18/19 - 10:02 AM]
Ashanti Joins Lifetime's "It's a Wonderful Lifetime" Slate with New Holiday Movie
This holiday season Lifetime is decking your halls early with its largest holiday movie slate ever.
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