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[01/25/08 - 06:37 PM]
Development Update: Week of January 21-25
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!
FRINGE (FOX) - John Noble ("The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King") and Lance Reddick ("The Wire") have landed two of the principal roles on the drama pilot, about a young female FBI agent who is forced to confront the spread of unexplained phenomena and work with an institutionalized scientist whose work might be at the center of the coming storm. Noble is set as Dr. Walter Bishop, said scientist, with Reddick as Phillip Broyles, a special agent for Homeland Security who heads the special Fringe division. They join the previously cast Kirk Acevedo and Mark Valley. Production on the two-hour pilot is set to begin shortly with Alex Graves helming from a script by J.J. Abrams, Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci. The quartet also serve as executive producers alongside Bad Robot's Bryan Burk for Warner Bros. Television.
KATH & KIM (NBC) - Selma Blair is in talks to star opposite Molly Shannon in the comedy pilot, about the dysfunctional relationship between a mother (Shannon) and her daughter (Blair). Blair's character, Kim Day Fattibene, is further detailed in the casting notice as follows: "26-32, any ethnicity. Also attractive, but not on the same healthy path as her mother, Kim is oblivious to needing any fitness or life plan whatsoever. Although loveable and endearing, she is a drama queen, tends to sit on the couch a lot, self absorbed and a little spoiled. She carries a few extra pounds but still thinks she's the hottest thing around and resists her mother's advice on pulling her life together. She's just left her perfectly nice husband, Dennis, not for the first time, just because he shushed her at a ballgame. Kim - after moving back home - now fully expects her mom and best friend Debbie to drop everything and attend to her and is horrified to learn that her Mom has a boyfriend and a sex life." Michelle Nader is behind the Universal Media Studios/Reveille-based half-hour, which Paul Feig is directing. Nader and Rick McKenna also serve as executive producers alongside original Aussie creators Gina Riley and Jane Turner.
LEGALLY BLONDE (MTV, New!) - The cable channel is casting a potential new "Grease: You're the One That I Want"-esque series in which women ages 18 and older with vocal, acting and dancing skills compete for the role of Elle Woods in the Broadway production of the film franchise. Laura Bell Bundy plays said role in the current production, which opened in April and has grossed a little over $30.8 million to date, a performance of which was broadcast on MTV on October 13. Casting calls are set for the coming weeks in Los Angeles, Chicago, New York, Nashville and Orlando. No production details however have been confirmed.
S.I.S. (Spike TV) - Keith David ("First Sunday") has scored the lead role in the two-hour backdoor pilot, about a five-man elite secretive police unit within the LAPD that tackles major crimes and major criminals. He'll play Assistant Chief Joseph Armstrong who's detailed in the casting notice as: "50's-60's. The head of the S.I.S. unit, Armstrong is a righteous man with a crisp military bearing. A devout Mormon, Armstrong prides himself on believing in men who have lost belief in themselves, and Billy Beckett is his latest "adoptee". Believing that Billy is a great detective who has lost his confidence, Armstrong is willing to buck official disapproval in order to get another great detective on his squad, no matter the price. A tough-minded man who has to stop his determined squad members from using their covert status to execute assassinations, Armstrong is the moral center of the S.I.S. team." Omari Hardwick, Matt Nable, Peter Stebbings and Colleen Porch also star in the project, which comes from Sony Pictures Television and Neal Moritz's Original Film. John Herzfeld will direct the pilot from his own script as well as executive produce alongside Moritz and Vivian Cannon.
A VERY MERRY DAUGHTER OF THE BRIDE (Lifetime, New!) - Luke Perry, JoAnna Garcia, Helen Shaver and Kenneth Welsh are set to star in a Christmas-themed movie at the cable channel. The project, due in December, centers on Roxanne (Garcia), a twentysomething wedding planner who conspires with Charlie (Perry), the son of her mother Rose's (Shaver) new beau Jack (Welsh), to break up their parents' impending nuptials but an unexpected romantic development forces Roxanne to re-examine her feelings. Actor/director Leslie Hope ("24") is helming the project from a script by Scott Eastlick and Nadine Van Der Veld. Chad Oakes and Mike Frislev are producing for Nomadic Pictures.
Sources: Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Reuters
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[03/25/26 - 03:03 PM]
ABC Programming Update: Tuesday Night Dramas
Following the Season 2 finale of "High Potential" on April 7, "R.J. Decker" will move to the Tuesday 9 p.m. time slot beginning April 14.
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[03/25/26 - 02:33 PM]
ESPN Scores Second Most-Watched NCAA Women's Second Round Ever
Through two rounds (First and Second), the 2026 Women's NCAA Tournament is averaging 628,000 viewers.
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[03/25/26 - 12:01 PM]
Video: HBO Original Harry Potter Series Releases First Official Teaser and Announces Christmas 2026 Debut
"Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone" will debut Christmas 2026 on HBO and will be available to stream exclusively on HBO Max where it's available, including recent launch markets Germany, Italy, and the UK & Ireland.
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[03/25/26 - 11:00 AM]
CBS Media Ventures Announces Programming Slate for the 2026-2027 Broadcast Season
Said offerings include eight fan-favorite and award-winning shows and three exciting new titles.
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[03/25/26 - 10:21 AM]
BET's "Love & Hip Hop: Miami" Returns for Its Explosive Midseason Premiere on Wednesday, April 8 at 8 PM ET/PT
Welcome back to the 305 - where the sun is hot, the tea is hotter, and everybody's business is everybody's business.
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[03/25/26 - 10:10 AM]
Zac Brown Band to Star in "Sunday Night Baseball" Open on NBC and Peacock
The show open debuts Sunday, April 12, leading into the Cleveland Guardians-Atlanta Braves game on NBC and Peacock (7 p.m. ET) and will open "Sunday Night Baseball" each weekend for the rest of the season.
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[03/25/26 - 10:01 AM]
Netflix's "A Different World" Sequel Series Adds Additional Guest Stars
The latest additions include Dawnn Lewis and Glynn Turman, who will be reprising their roles from the original series.
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[03/25/26 - 09:16 AM]
Video: "The Old Stories: Moses" - Official Trailer - Wonder Project
From the creators of "House of David" - a three part companion special.
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[03/25/26 - 09:05 AM]
German Political Thriller "Dangerous Truth" Debuts in U.S. Thursday, April 9 on European Streamer Viaplay
Inspired by real events surrounding the faulty intelligence that helped justify the 2003 invasion of Iraq, the six-part German thriller explores a deadly conspiracy buried within European intelligence services.
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[03/25/26 - 09:04 AM]
Video: "Star City" - Official Teaser - Apple TV
Star City. Where reaching for space meant risking everything on Earth.
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[03/25/26 - 07:01 AM]
Video: "Apex" - Official Trailer - Netflix
A grieving woman pushing her limits on a solo adventure in the Australian wild is ensnared in a twisted game with a cunning killer who thinks she's prey.
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[03/25/26 - 05:01 AM]
Duffy to Share Her Story as She Steps Back Into the Light in New Documentary Film for Disney+
The feature length documentary film that will follow Grammy, Brit, and Ivor Novello award-winning singer, Duffy.
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[03/25/26 - 04:17 AM]
Netflix Announces the Start of Production for "Reasonable Doubts"
The limited series centers on the Sellés family, who belong to the well-off bourgeoisie, are well integrated into their city, and enjoy the esteem and respect of high society.
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[03/25/26 - 03:01 AM]
Video: "Flunked" - Official Trailer - Netflix
Eddy, a math genius and small-time crook, avoids jail-time by going undercover as a teacher. His mission: to identify the kid of a major criminal.
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[03/25/26 - 01:01 AM]
Video: "Should I Marry a Murderer?" - Official Trailer - Netflix
A fiancée turned key witness reveals how she stayed engaged to a man accused of murder while gathering evidence against him in this documentary series.
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