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[03/11/08 - 05:37 PM]
Development Update: March 10-11
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!
DRIVING AROUND WITH JONI (HBO, New!) - Jhoni Marchinko ("Men in Trees") has scored a pilot commitment from the pay channel for a new comedy about an eccentric, successful 40-year-old widow who spends her days driving around Los Angeles with her French bulldog, looking for meaning in her life after the sudden death of her husband. The project was originally set up at Warner Bros. Television where Marchinko had an overall deal prior to its termination during the WGA strike. Marchinko then will pen and executive produce "Joni" while Warner Bros. will still retain a piece of the show but not be creatively involved.
ELEVENTH HOUR (CBS) - Marley Shelton ("Grindhouse") has been tapped as the female lead in the Jerry Bruckheimer-produced drama pilot, about Jacob Hood (Rufus Sewell), a special science adviser to the government who - with his feisty female bodyguard Rachel Young (Shelton) in tow - saves people from the worst abuses of science. Ashley Jensen originated Shelton's role in the U.K. version. Danny Cannon is directing the hour from a script by Mick Davis with the pair executive producing alongside Bruckheimer and Jonathan Littman for Granada International and Warner Bros. Television.
HARPER'S ISLAND (CBS, New!) - Feature writer Ari Schlossberg ("Hide and Seek") has booked a pilot presentation order from the Eye and CBS Paramount Network Television for a new horror-themed drama that unfolds during the course of a season as a group of friends meet on an island off the Seattle coast for a destination wedding. "Jericho's" Jon Turteltaub is on board to direct and executive produce alongside his Junction Entertainment partners Karim Zreik and Dan Shotz. The latter pair then will serve as co-executive producers, as will Schlossberg.
MY BEST FRIEND'S GIRL (CBS) - Josh Cooke ("Big Day") is set to star opposite Tim Peper in the multi-camera comedy pilot, about two best friends who own a bike shop and whose relationship becomes complicated when one (Peper) starts dating the ex-wife of the other (Cooke). Mike Sikowitz is behind the half-hour, which is set up at Sony Pictures Television.
THE SAINT (New!) - Barry Levinson, Tom Fontana, Jorge Zamacona, Bill Macdonald, Roger Moore and Geoffrey Moore are set to team to produce an independently financed two-hour TV movie/backdoor pilot based on Leslie Charteris's famed novels about debonair international thief Simon Templar. Zamacona and Macdonald previously set up the project at TNT last season (read the story) but it didn't move forward. The rights subsequently reverted back to them, after which Fontana and Levinson came aboard. Nehst Studios is behind the project while James Purefoy ("Rome") in talks to topline. Production then is set to begin next month with filming in Budapest, Hungary, New York and Puerto Rico. Since the 1997 feature starring Val Kilmer, both UPN (director John McTiernan and producer ATG in 2000) and ABC (writer Stephen Nathan and producer FremantleMedia North America in 2004) have taken stabs at developing a new small screen take.
UNTITLED NICK LACHEY PROJECT (MTV, New!) - Nick Lachey is developing a "Fame"-esque reality series set at his alma mater, the School for Creative and Performing Arts in Cincinnati. The untitled project then would track its students, blending their performances with a narrative about what takes place in the school. Marc Platt and Russell Heldt are executive producing alongside Lachey.
WORST WEEK (CBS) - Erinn Hayes ("The Winner") has landed the female lead in the comedy pilot, about a guy named Sam (Kyle Bornheimer) and his rocky relationship with the parents of his fiancee (Hayes) during a family holiday. Her character, Melanie "Mel" Cook, is further detailed in the casting notice as follows: "30. Sam's fiancee. She's a beautiful, warm woman who is unaffectedly striking, even when she's not wearing any make-up. Currently in her first trimester of pregnancy, Mel is throwing up on a regular basis and just trying to soldier on until she's feeling better. Very attached to Sam, she's hoping that his visit for Dick's birthday will sweeten up her parents and set the stage for their announcement of Mel's pregnancy and engagement. However, Sam's surreal string of blunders, gaffes and boneheaded misfortunes make it very hard for Mel to convince her folks that Sam is indeed Mr. Right." Jay Malone also stars in the half-hour, which comes from Universal Media Studios and executive producers Jimmy Mulville, Marc Buckland and Matt Tarses.
Sources: Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Reuters
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[06/11/26 - 06:01 PM]
FX's "Adults" Releases Standalone Prequel Episode Revealing Paul Baker's Origin Story
The special episode entitled "Marathon Day" will be available for fans everywhere on Friday, July 31 on FXX and Hulu at 1 p.m. ET / 10 a.m. PT.
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[06/11/26 - 05:01 PM]
Cross the Boundaries of the Real World Into the Spirit Realm in "The East Palace", Premiering July 17
Netflix's new Korean series asks: what if the only way to stop a royal curse was to cross into a realm of spirits?
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[06/11/26 - 03:15 PM]
ABC Dominates Full Season Competitive Multiplatform Rankers
"High Potential" and "Dancing with the Stars" rank in the Top 5 among Total Viewers while the network excels among Adults 18-49 with four of the Top 5 shows.
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[06/11/26 - 02:31 PM]
Apple's Global Hit Series "Widow's Bay" Lands Season Two Renewal
The news arrives ahead of the highly anticipated season one finale, premiering Wednesday, June 17 on Apple TV.
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[06/11/26 - 11:31 AM]
"Celebrity Crime Scene: Marilyn Monroe" Premieres Sunday, June 21 at 8/7c on FOX
Retired cold case investigator Paul Holes, certified senior crime scene analyst Alina Burroughs, and true crime reporter Kiki Monique serve as hosts.
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[06/11/26 - 11:01 AM]
Bravo's "The Real Housewives of Orange County" Returns for a Milestone 20th Season on Thursday, July 9 at 8 P.M. ET/PT
Shannon Storms Beador, Heather Dubrow, Tamra Judge, Gina Kirschenheiter, Emily Simpson, and Jennifer Pedranti return for a dramatic season as the ladies band together to face their challenges head on, testing long-standing friendships while navigating the demands of family life
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[06/11/26 - 10:01 AM]
NBCUniversal Expands Shoppable Entertainment with New Digital Bravo Series "Shop What Happens" Sponsored by Target
Inspired by Bravo's beloved "Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen" format, the summer-themed weekly series transforms Bravo fandom into real-time shopping action.
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[06/11/26 - 09:43 AM]
"Tucci in Great Britain" Is Coming Soon to National Geographic, Disney+ and Hulu
Cheers to the next adventure!
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[06/11/26 - 09:28 AM]
Sylvia Rhone to Receive the Ultimate Icon Award at the "BET Awards" 2026
The Ultimate Icon Award honors the trailblazers whose work has transcended their field, figures whose names have become synonymous with excellence.
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[06/11/26 - 09:01 AM]
Video: HBO Releases Official Trailer for the Original Series "Life, Larry and the Pursuit of Unhappiness"
Those who don't know history... are doomed to watch Larry David repeat it.
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[06/11/26 - 08:46 AM]
Vice President JD Vance to Appear Live in Studio on ABC's "The View," Tuesday, June 16
This marks Vice President Vance's first appearance on "The View."
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[06/11/26 - 08:31 AM]
Get Ready to Sing, Dance and Learn! Disney Welcomes Global Phenomenon "Gracie's Corner" to Its Leading Disney Jr. Preschool Lineup
"Gracie's Corner" officially debuts Monday, June 15, on Disney+ in the U.S. and select international markets with a massive drop of 68 shorts and seven compilations.
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[06/11/26 - 08:01 AM]
Video: "Lioness" Unleashes Explosive Official Teaser Ahead of the August 2 Season Three Premiere on Paramount+
In season three, from creator and writer Taylor Sheridan, hidden networks, foreign operatives, and personal betrayals collide.
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[06/11/26 - 08:01 AM]
Video: "Little House on the Prairie" - Official Trailer - Netflix
The close-knit Ingalls family builds a new life on the Western frontier, where the joys of nature and the struggle for survival are deeply intertwined.
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[06/11/26 - 08:00 AM]
Video: AMC+ Releases "Doctor Who" Trailer Ahead of Its June 11 Debut on New Streaming Home
The series, which premiered 20 years ago this year in the U.S., follows the stories of a regenerating Time Lord who travels on adventures through all of time and space.
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