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[01/18/08 - 06:11 PM]
Development Update: Week of January 14-18
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!
CIRCUS OF THE STARS (ABC, New!) - ABC is in "serious negotiations" to land a potential revival of the 1980s series, which has also drawn interest from CBS and FOX. Michael Dempsey (MTV's "Video Music Awards") and original executive producer Bunny Stivers are behind the project, which is said to involve a new competitive aspect much like "Dancing With the Stars." Not surprisingly, exact format details have yet to be released as they are still being worked out.
DANCE MACHINE (ABC) - E! News correspondent Jason Kennedy has been named the host of the Alphabet's upcoming reality series, a weekly dance competition featuring non-professionals competing for a cash prize. The network has given the RDF USA-based project a five-episode order. Greg Goldman, Chris Coelen and Metro Entertainment's Brian A. Veskosky are the executive producers. No premiere date however has been announced.
FRINGE (FOX) - Kirk Acevedo ("The Black Donnellys") and Mark Valley ("Boston Legal") are the latest additions to the drama pilot, about a female FBI agent who ends up paired with a troubled scientist and his estranged son in a hunt for paranormal phenomena. Acevedo is believed to be playing Charlie Francis, a good-natured FBI agent, with Valley reportedly set as John Scott, another agent with whom the lead character is involved. J.J. Abrams, Roberto Orci, Alex Kurtzman, Bryan Burk and Alex Graves are all behind the Warner Bros. Television/Bad Robot-based hour, which Graves is directing from a script by the former trio. Production then is set to begin next month in Toronto.
LAST OF THE NINTH (A.K.A. UNTITLED DAVID MILCH/BILL CLARK PROJECT) (HBO) - David Milch and Bill Clark's long-in-the-works drama script has been given a pilot commitment and a title. The project is described as a gritty drama set in the New York Police Department in 1972. As for specifics, Milch told Daily Variety: "It is about an older detective's mentoring of a young detective returned from Vietnam in a department fiscally crippled, under attack by revolutionaries, and which has been brought by allegations of systemic corruption into public disrepute." The pair co-wrote the pilot script and will executive produce. Filming then is expected to begin upon the conclusion of the WGA strike. Milch has an overall deal with HBO, which was extended back in August following the cancellation of "John From Cincinnati."
SPECIAL DELIVERY (LMN, New!) - Lisa Edelstein ("House") and Brenda Song ("The Suite Life of Zack and Cody") are set to topline a new "Midnight Run"-esque movie for the Lifetime sibling, about a bonded courier working in the Pacific Rim who's assigned to deliver a bratty teen to her father in China to her mother in the U.S. Edelstein will play said courier, Maxine Carter, with Song as the teen Alice. Michael Scott is set to direct the project from a script by Matt Dearborn with MarVista Entertainment's Michael Jacobs serving as executive producer and Marc Lorber producing. Production is set to begin later this year for a December air date.
TV LAND MYTHS & LEGENDS (TV Land) - TV Land is moving forward with a second season of the series, which aims to find out the truth behind mysteries, scandals, rumors and urban legends revolving around celebrities, music, TV series and movies. Seven new episodes are set to roll out on Wednesdays at 10:00/9:00c starting August 27. Among the upcoming topics: was Arnold Schwarzenegger originally cast as TV's "Incredible Hulk," is Jennifer Lopez's derriere really insured for $1 billion and did Mars Inc., maker of M&M's, turn down product placement in "E.T. The Extra Terrestrial?" The show's first season drew an average of 819,000 viewers, a 54% improvement over the same time period a year earlier. Gay Rosenthal Productions' Paul Barrosse is the executive producer.
Sources: Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Reuters
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[02/19/26 - 11:50 AM]
ABC Wednesday Comedies Deliver Audience Milestones as Romance Blooms With Valentine's Day Episodes
"Shifting Gears" earned 6.90 million Total Viewers and 0.99 rating among Adults 18-49, after seven days of viewing on ABC, Hulu, Hulu on Disney+ and digital platforms.
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[02/19/26 - 11:01 AM]
Oscar Winners Adrien Brody, Kieran Culkin, Mikey Madison and Zoe Saldana Return to the Oscars Stage
All return to the Oscars stage after winning last year in their respective acting categories.
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[02/19/26 - 10:32 AM]
Baseball Returns! ESPN to Stream More MLB Spring Training Games Than Ever
The offerings include four national games on ESPN, six games on ESPN Unlimited, and more than 250 out-of-market games via MLB.TV on ESPN platforms.
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[02/19/26 - 10:00 AM]
Daring Dark Polish Comedy "The Stroke" Exclusive U.S. Debut Thursday, March 12, 2026 Only on European Streamer Viaplay U.S.
In a fearless performance, Jacek Poniedzialek plays a celebrated culinary critic and TV personality, brilliant and caustic, who built a career skewering bourgeois taste while privately unraveling.
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[02/19/26 - 09:36 AM]
Nickelodeon to Air "Bedtime Stories with Ryan," Starring Ryan Reynolds, Beginning Monday, March 2, on Nick Jr. Channel
In the series, Ryan Reynolds reads new and classic bedtime stories as the tales magically come to life around him - creating a warm, playful and imaginative wind-down experience for kids and parents to enjoy together.
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[02/19/26 - 09:01 AM]
Video: "STEEL BALL RUN JoJo's Bizarre Adventure" - Official Trailer - Netflix
The series premieres on Thursday, March 19, 2026, only on Netflix.
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[02/19/26 - 08:46 AM]
Netflix Announces New Adult Animated Comedy Series "DANG!", Starring Stephanie Hsu, Poppy Liu and Andrew Law
The series follows a brother and sister duo whose fun, messy lives in New York City are interrupted when their worst nightmare comes true: their high-achieving older sister shows up and wants to hang out with them.
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[02/19/26 - 08:01 AM]
Video: "House of the Dragon" Season 3 - Official Teaser - HBO Max
From fire comes darkness.
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[02/19/26 - 08:01 AM]
Prime Video Announces Season Two Premiere Date and New Key Art for "House of David"
Season two premiere will debut on March 27, 2026 globally on the service, with all episodes available to stream at launch.
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[02/19/26 - 07:59 AM]
ESPN to Launch "Women's Sports Sundays," A First of Its Kind Summer Weekly Primetime Franchise Showcasing the Best of Women's Sports in Premium Windows
Debuting in Summer 2026, the new Sunday night destination will feature top-tier WNBA and NWSL on ESPN presented by Ally matchups, elevating the biggest moments, rivalries and stars across women's sports on ESPN networks in premium windows.
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[02/19/26 - 07:30 AM]
Prime Video Announces Ensemble Cast of "Jury Duty Presents: Company Retreat"
The highly anticipated followup will feature Alex Bonifer, Blair Beeken, Emily Pendergast, Erica Hernandez, Jerry Hauck, Jim A. Woods, LaNisa Renee Frederick, Marc-Sully Saint-Fleur, Rachel Kaly, Rob Lathan, Ryan Perez, Stephanie Hodge, Warren Burke, and Wendy Braun.
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[02/19/26 - 07:03 AM]
ESPN's 2026 UFL Commentator Lineup Features Signature Voices, Veteran Spring Football Experts
The three teams, with all 13 voices returning from the 2025 season, will once again bring fans inside the game in innovative and engaging ways, utilizing the full breadth and depth of on-field technology to showcase the action and go inside the sideline strategy.
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[02/19/26 - 07:01 AM]
Video: "Tyler Perry's Beauty in Black" Season 2 - Part 2 Official Trailer - Netflix
Under threat from Jules and the Bellaries, Kimmie forges fragile alliances in an empire where surviving at the top means dancing with the devil.
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[02/19/26 - 07:01 AM]
Video: Trailer & Key Art Debut - "Friends Like These: The Murder of Skylar Neese"
Three teenage girls share an unbreakable bond until terrible secrets threaten to emerge on social media. When one friend vanishes, the search for answers unearths a web of lies, betrayal, and murder - sending shockwaves through an unsuspecting community.
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[02/19/26 - 07:01 AM]
Video: "The Hunt" - Official Trailer - Apple TV
The most dangerous enemy is the one you can't see. Benoît Magimel and Mélanie Laurent star in the gripping thriller - streaming March 4 on Apple TV.
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