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[03/24/08 - 04:28 PM]
Development Update: Monday, March 24
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!
DIARY OF A MANHATTAN CALL GIRL (HBO) - The pay channel has commissioned a pilot for the Darren Star-produced project, an ensemble comedy that takes a look at how power, sex and money collide through the eyes of a group of Manhattan's highest-paid escorts. Star penned the pilot script based on Tracy Quan's memoir of the same name and is executive producing via his Sony Pictures Television-based Darren Star Productions alongside Elaine Goldsmith-Thomas. He's also expected to direct should his schedule permit.
HOW TO TEACH FILTHY RICH GIRLS (The CW) - Michael Cassidy ("Hidden Palms") is the latest addition to the drama pilot, about a Yale-educated young woman who is hired to be the tutor to two rich heiresses in Palm Beach. He'll play the woman's boyfriend in the project, which comes from creator Rina Mimoun, Alloy Entertainment and Warner Bros. Television.
MEANT TO BE'S (CBS) - Amy Smart ("Smith") has been cast in the lead role of the drama pilot, about a wealthy young gallery owner in New York who becomes a pseudo-angel after her death in order to earn her spot in heaven. Said role, Janine Sebring, is further described in the casting notice as: "30, beautiful, extremely wealthy, sleek and stylish. Janine is a quintessential, high-powered, uppercrust New Yorker, complete with art gallery ownership, an on-call driver, and a gorgeous fiance. Despite her classy trappings, she's an endearingly bad dancer with no rhythm. Witty, erudite and elitist, she can be sharp-tongued and high-maintenance, and her underlings at work don't always know when she's being sarcastic. She's the type who gives money to homeless people so they'll move out of her way, not because she feels compassionate toward them. When Steven, her fiance, decides they should make their union official immediately and worry about the celebration later, she believes he's being romantic and allows herself to be swept up in the plan. While grabbing items for the subsequent honeymoon, she is attacked in her apartment and thrown from her 40th floor balcony for reasons unknown to her. When she wakes up, she's neither in Heaven nor Hell, but a dream-like world in which people belonging to different metaphysical departments make choices for those still on earth that will change the course of their lives. Her tour guide and mentor is a handsome Man who explains she has become a "Meant To Be," like him. This means she has a ways to go before Heaven will admit her, and must spend her time giving people on earth a nudging, helping hand in the "meant to be" direction." Glenn Gordon Caron is behind the CBS Paramount Network Television-based hour, which he wrote and is directing.
NY-LON (CBS) - Larry Shaw ("Desperate Housewives") has signed on to direct the drama pilot, about a New York record store clerk and a London stock broker who, after a fateful encounter in London, embark on a cross-continental romance. He'll work from a script by co-creators Lara Runnels and Patti Carr. ABC Studios is behind the hour, which is being executive produced by Armyan Bernstein, Chris Coelen, Laurie Zaks and Rob Pursey.
PRISON BREAK (FOX) - Nick Santora, a co-executive producer on the series, has posted to his MySpace.com page that season four is officially a go. The posting reads: "So we got word on Wednesday that we are officially picked up by the network for Season 4. This is great news. We are all very excited. We are moving offices onto the Fox Studio Lot next week and we had to say goodbye to the offices that were our home for the past 3 years ... not really that sad because, well, c�mon, it�s just a frickin� building. But my new office is about half the size with just a tiny window which normally would suck except for one thing ... I get to go to work everyday with people I love and respect and I get to be creative. So I don�t really give a rat�s ass what our new offices look like! For those of you who celebrate Easter, have a great one. I will be at my home having Easter dinner with family (visiting cousins) and friends (including Prison Break writer Kalinda Vazquez) -- it should be a nice weekend leading into an even better week of diving head-first into Season 4!" A network spokesperson however has told us the network has yet to officially announce any pickup.
SINGLE WHITE MILLIONAIRE (CBS) - Fred Savage ("Crumbs") has been tapped as the title role in the comedy pilot, about an unassuming millionaire (Savage) in his 30s who is ready to settle down. Savage's involvement lifts the casting contingency off the multi-camera pilot's production. Ricky Blitt created the half-hour, which is based at Warner Bros. Television.
SPACED (FOX) - Will Sasso ("Mad TV") and Federico Dordei ("Without a Trace") have both joined the cast of the comedy pilot, about two strangers (one played by Josh Lawson) who pose as a married couple in order to rent an apartment and become intimately involved with the other misfits in the building. Sasso will play Mike Watt, the guy's best friend who believes in government conspiracies, while Dordei is set as Brian Topp, a neighbor who is a struggling artist. Nick Frost and Mark Heap respectively originated the roles in the U.K. version. Charles Stone is directing the Warner Bros. Television-based half-hour from a script by Adam Barr. Granada International and Wonderland Sound and Vision are also co-producing.
SUBURBAN SHOOTOUT (HBO) - Barry Sonnenfeld ("Pushing Daisies") has been tapped to direct Michelle Ashford's comedy pilot, which received the firm go ahead this week. The project, which is based on the U.K. series of the same name, is a dark comedy about a woman who escapes the city for suburban bliss only to find herself caught between two rival gangs of homicidal housewives as they vie for control of their idyllic town. Ashford penned the adaptation and is executive producing (via her Round Two Productions) alongside Sonnenfeld (via his Right Coast Film Company) and Feelgood Fiction's Laurence Bowen and Philip Clarke.
Sources: Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Reuters
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[03/03/26 - 03:30 PM]
ABC's Beloved Comedy "Scrubs" Returns with Over 11 Million Total Audience to Date
On linear over three days, "Scrubs" was the top comedy telecast among Adults 18-49 (0.74 rating) on any network (excluding post-NFL telecasts) in over a year.
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[03/03/26 - 03:00 PM]
"Marshals" Premiere on CBS Is the Most-Watched New Scripted Debut Without a Football Lead-In Since 2018, with 9.5 Million Viewers
"Marshals," "Tracker" and "60 Minutes" are the top three series on television for the week.
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[03/03/26 - 02:04 PM]
FOX's "Doc" and American Red Cross Rally Fans to Give Blood During Red Cross Month
FOX is kicking off the campaign with a $20,000 donation to the Red Cross and encouraging fans across the country to help give others a second chance at life by giving blood and engaging on social media to further amplify the campaign and support critical blood collection efforts nationwide.
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[03/03/26 - 12:01 PM]
Netflix Top 10: Week of February 23 - "Bridgerton" Season 4 Lives Happily Ever After at No. 1 in This Week's Top 10
Coming in at No. 2 on the English TV list is Season 3 of "The Night Agent" with 9.9 million views.
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[03/03/26 - 11:01 AM]
Here Come the VIPs: Celebrities Are Entering the World of "Squid Game"
With more on the line than ever before, players and celebrity VIPs enter the "Squid Game: The VIP Challenge" for the chance at winning it all.
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[03/03/26 - 11:01 AM]
Lacey Chabert and Scott Michael Foster Star in "Paris Is Always a Good Idea" A New, Limited Series Premiering Later This Year Exclusively on Hallmark+
Based on the bestselling romance novel of the same name by Jenn McKinlay, the six-episode limited series is shooting on location in Paris and Spain.
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[03/03/26 - 10:42 AM]
"Foul Play with Anthony Davis" Star Studded Lineup Including LeBron James, Jordan Chiles, Tara Lipinski, Howie Mandel, Cooper Flagg, Puka Nacua and More Ignite the Ultimate Prank Wars
Hosted by 10-time NBA All-Star and Washington Wizards' Anthony Davis, the series will premiere on Monday, April 6 following the NCAA Championship Game and will simulcast across TBS,?TNT?and truTV.
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[03/03/26 - 10:16 AM]
NBC Renews Innovative Reality Travel Competition Series "Destination X" for Season Two
Produced by Twofour and Universal Television Alternative Studio, a division of Universal Studio Group, production on "Destination X" will begin later this year.
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[03/03/26 - 10:02 AM]
HBO Original Documentary Series "Born to Bowl" Debuts March 16
The series takes viewers inside the colorful world of professional bowling, chronicling five stars of the sport - Kyle Troup, Anthony Simonsen, EJ Tackett, Cameron Crowe, and Jason Belmonte - as they chase glory, respect, and much-needed prize money on the Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) Tour.
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[03/03/26 - 10:01 AM]
"Little House on the Prairie" Renewed for Season 2 Ahead of Series Premiere
Netflix's upcoming adaptation of Laura Ingalls Wilder's enduring, almost 100-year-old book series about growing up in the American West in the 1800s, will premiere on July 9, 2026 - and it's already coming back for more.
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[03/03/26 - 09:43 AM]
OWN Celebrates Women's History Month with a Special OWN Spotlight Honoring the Life and Legacy of Roberta Flack
"OWN Spotlight: Roberta" airs Thursday, March 12 at 9pm ET/PT on OWN.
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[03/03/26 - 09:09 AM]
TNT Sports Announces Multi-Year Extensions with Jimmy Rollins and Jeff Francoeur
MLB Tuesday on TBS will open its 2026 regular season coverage on Tuesday, March 31, with a matchup of baseball's home run leaders from the past two seasons: 2025 Home Run Champion Cal Raleigh and the Seattle Mariners will host 2024 Home Run Champion Aaron Judge and the New York Yankees at 9:30 p.m. ET.
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[03/03/26 - 09:06 AM]
Meet Your Max and Chloe in the Upcoming "Life Is Strange" Series on Prime Video
Tatum Grace Hopkins and Maisy Stella have been cast as Max Caulfield and Chloe Price, respectively.
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[03/03/26 - 09:01 AM]
The History Channel Announces Global Rollout of Landmark Series "World War II with Tom Hanks" Launching This Memorial Day
The landmark 20-episode documentary series reexamines World War II through the lens of a new century, offering a deeply human portrait of how the modern world was forged in the fires of global conflict.
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[03/03/26 - 08:54 AM]
Intense, Action-Packed Ukrainian Series "Double Stakes" Makes Exclusive U.S. Debut Thursday, March 19, 2026 on European Streamer Viaplay
Arriving at a cultural moment when American audiences are hungry for authentic stories from Ukraine, this eight-part series blends the moody atmospherics of Nordic Noir with the gritty realism of a modern Ukraine.
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