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[03/19/08 - 05:19 PM]
Development Update: Wednesday, March 19
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!
BIG IN JAPAN (ABC, New!) - Arthur Smith ("Hell's Kitchen") is developing a new reality competition series at the Alphabet in which Americans go to a foreign country to compete in local challenges while trying to adapt to their culture. ABC has given a series commitment to the project, which Smith will executive produce via his A. Smith & Co. banner. It's understood said title is tentative as producers are considering several different countries, including Japan. No other format specifics were released.
ENTOURAGE (HBO) - Rob Weiss, an executive producer on the series, has inked a two-year, seven-figure overall deal with the pay channel. The pact covers his duties on the upcoming fifth season of the comedy series, which resumes shooting at the end of April for a September premiere. In addition, Weiss, who's said to be one of the inspirations for the show's bombastic director Billy Walsh, will develop new projects for the network.
GOSSIP GIRL (The CW) - Michelle Trachtenberg ("Buffy the Vampire Slayer") has landed a multi-episode arc on the freshman drama. She'll play Georgina Sparks, a troubled friend of Blake Lively's character who rolls back into Manhattan from rehab and shakes up her world. No other details were given.
HOW TO TEACH FILTHY RICH GIRLS (The CW) - Marsha Mason is the first to be cast on the drama pilot, about a Yale-educated young woman hired to be the live-in tutor/life coach to two rich heiresses in Palm Beach. She'll play the grandmother of said heiresses who becomes their guardian. Rina Mimoun is behind the project, which is set up at Alloy Entertainment and Warner Bros. Television.
UNITED STATES OF TARA (Showtime) - John Corbett ("Sex and the City") is set to star opposite Toni Collette in the comedy pilot, about a woman with a multiple personality disorder. He'll play her husband, Max Gregor, a ruggedly handsome contractor who lives a life of stress and tries to read as much as he can about his wife's condition. Craig Gillespie is directing the half-hour from a script by Oscar-winning Diablo Cody. Production is set to begin next month.
UNTITLED KIRSTIE ALLEY PROJECT (Syndication, New!) - Kirstie Alley has inked a development deal with Oprah Winfrey's Harpo Productions. The pact includes the potential development of a daily talk show hosted by the actress, who made headlines after appearing in a bikini on Winfrey's show after a major weight loss achieved via Jenny Craig. Alley previously teamed with Buena Vista Productions and Fisher Entertainment to develop a talk show back in 2002 that never got off the ground.
Sources: Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Reuters
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[03/19/26 - 01:17 PM]
Maya Hawke to Star in Netflix's Series Adaptation of "The God of the Woods"
The multi-generational drama series is set in the Adirondacks, exploring the Van Laar family's dark secrets, class tensions, and the mysteries surrounding the disappearance of 13 year old Barbara Van Laar from her family's summer camp - in the wake of an earlier family tragedy that may be related.
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[03/19/26 - 01:03 PM]
3 Million "Outlander" Fans Drive the Epic Season Eight Premiere to a Four-Year Series High
The episode, entitled "Soul of a Rebel," secured the top spot for the week among all scripted cable programs.
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[03/19/26 - 01:01 PM]
Peacock Renews "Nelly and Ashanti: We Belong Together" for a Second Season
Production begins this month and the series will air later in the year.
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[03/19/26 - 12:46 PM]
Statement from Disney Entertainment Television: "The Bachelorette"
From a spokesperson: "In light of the newly released video just surfaced today, we have made the decision to not move forward with the new season of 'The Bachelorette' at this time, and our focus is on supporting the family."
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[03/19/26 - 12:13 PM]
FOX Sports, IndyCar Announce Launch of New Digital-Exclusive Series, "All In: IndyCar"
The debut episode, "The Champ Is Here," features four-time IndyCar Series champion Alex Palou at the season-opening Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg.
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[03/19/26 - 10:02 AM]
Amazon MGM Studios Has Officially Greenlit "The Challenger," A Limited Series Starring Kristen Stewart
Stewart will play astronaut and physicist Sally Ride, who in 1978 became the first American woman to fly in space.
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[03/19/26 - 10:01 AM]
Netflix Announces Limited Series "Enigma Variations" Starring Aaron Taylor-Johnson
The series, based on André Aciman's novel, tells the story of a man remade by the lovers who ignite and undo him over the course of 10 transformative years.
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[03/19/26 - 09:14 AM]
New Season of "Storied Spaces" Premieres March 28 on Magnolia Network
Escape to beautifully designed and curated spaces, seen through the eyes of the families that breathed life into them.
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[03/19/26 - 09:04 AM]
Video: "O11CE: New Generation" - Trailer - Disney+
Same team, new dream. The Hawks take the field in "O11Ce: New Generation," now streaming on Disney+.
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[03/19/26 - 09:01 AM]
Season Two of "Hazardous History with Henry Winkler" Set to Premiere Sunday, April 19 at 9/8c on The History Channel
Each one-hour episode of this nostalgia-drenched series tells the stories of the things we did for fun, for money, or out of plain boredom that you can't do anymore.
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[03/19/26 - 09:01 AM]
HBO to Debut Comedy Special "Josh Johnson: Symphony" This Spring
Said Josh Johnson: "I'm excited to have my breakout piece be with a company that nurtures vision like HBO does. I'm grateful to them, and you, for watching."
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[03/19/26 - 09:01 AM]
Cody Johnson, Lainey Wilson, and Riley Green to Perform at the 61st Academy of Country Music Awards
The 61st ACM Awards will stream live exclusively for a global audience across 240+ countries and territories on Prime Video on Sunday, May 17, 2026, at 8 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. CT / 5 p.m. PT from the world-renowned MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
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[03/19/26 - 08:34 AM]
Must-See April U.S. Debuts from Viaplay - German Conspiracy Thriller, Award-winning Film
Highlights include "Dangerous Truth," inspired by real events surrounding the faulty intelligence that helped justify the 2003 invasion of Iraq.
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[03/19/26 - 08:12 AM]
Apple Original Films' "What Happens at Night" from Martin Scorsese, Starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Lawrence, Begins Principal Photography
Hailing from Apple Studios, and made in partnership with STUDIOCANAL, the dream-like story follows a married American couple who travel to a small, snowy European town to adopt a baby.
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[03/19/26 - 08:11 AM]
Netflix Canada Announces New Series "This Summer Will Be Different"
Based on the beloved novel by Carley Fortune, the series is a simmering, sun-soaked romance set across multiple summers on Prince Edward Island about Lucy, a young woman navigating her 20s and her first real love with her best friend's brother, the one person she was never supposed to fall for.
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