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[04/09/08 - 12:00 AM]
Development Update: Wednesday, April 9
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!
AUSTIN GOLDEN HOUR (The CW) - Michael Trevino ("Cane") and newcomer Cassidy Freeman have been cast in the pilot, a real time medical drama set in Austin, Texas. The former will play Charlie, an easy-on-the-eyes but tough country girl in her first day as a paramedic in the Shock Trauma Unit, while Trevino will play an aspiring musician who works as a part-time medic. Sanford Bookstaver ("Jericho") recently signed on to direct the CBS Paramount Network Television/19 Entertainment-based project, which was created by Lance Gentile and Mal Young.
CAPTAIN COOK'S EXTRAORDINARY ATLAS (ABC) - Thomas Schlamme ("Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip") has come on board to direct and executive produce the drama pilot, about a young girl who finds a magical atlas that reveals a secret world. He'll work from a script by creator Tom Wheeler. Warner Bros. Television is producing.
FAMILY GUY (FOX) - Gary Janetti ("Will & Grace") is returning to the animated comedy for the first time since its original 2003 cancellation. Said development is the result of a new overall deal the writer/producer has inked with producer 20th Century Fox Television. The two-year pact, which has an option for a third, also calls for him to develop new series projects for the studio. It's understood he and "Family Guy" creator Seth MacFarlane are looking to create a traditional multi-camera comedy together however no specifics were given.
FRINGE (FOX) - Jeff Pinkner ("October Road") has been tapped to run the upcoming drama, about an FBI agent (Anna Torv), who teams with a guy (Joshua Jackson) and his scientist father (John Noble), to confront the spread of unexplained phenomena. There he'll serve as an executive producer alongside J.J. Abrams, Bryan Burk and co-creators Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci. Warner Bros. Television is behind the project, which recently completed production on its two-hour pilot.
THE INN (FOX) - Molly Stanton ("Twins"), Jesse Tyler Ferguson ("The Class"), Jolene Purdy ("Donnie Darko") and Brando Eaton ("Zoey 101") have all joined the cast of the comedy pilot, about the staff of a hip Manhattan hotel. They'll play Nicole, Larry, Molly and Jason respectively, all presumably staffers at the hotel. The casting of Stanton comes as the result of a talent holding deal the actress inked with producer 20th Century Fox Television last year. Niecy Nash also stars in the half-hour, which Jason Bateman is helming off a script by creator Abraham Higginbotham. Principato-Young Entertainment and Reveille are also co-producing.
THE TOWER (CBS) - Cole Hauser ("K-Ville") and CCH Pounder ("The Shield") have both been cast on the drama pilot, about a group of Chicago reporters who treat breaking news as cases to be both investigated and solved. Hauser will play Sean Castleman, a crime reporter, while Pounder is set as the paper's managing editor. Meredith Stiehm is behind the CBS Paramount Network Television-based hour, which Davis Guggenheim is directing.
UNTITLED MEHMET OZ PROJECT (Syndication, New!) - "The Oprah Winfrey Show" fixture Dr. Mehmet Oz is set to be the focus of a potential syndicated talk show executive produced by the daytime queen. The health and wellness series is being eyed for a fall 2009 launch as Winfrey's Harpo Productions is talks with various distributors. CBS Television Distribution, who currently distributes Harpo's "Dr. Phil" and "The Rachael Ray Show," is widely seen as the most logical fit however said company has its own medical talk show in the works, "The Doctors," due this fall. Other options include Disney-ABC Domestic Television, who has carried "Oprah" on its sister owned-and-operated stations from the very beginning, and Twentieth Television, whose sister company HarperCollins publishes the books Oz co-authors. Any resulting deal is expected to include an option for Harpo to repeat the show on the forthcoming OWN: The Oprah Winfrey Network. Oz, head of the cardiovascular program at New York's Columbia Presbyterian Hospital, also hosts "Second Opinion With Dr. Oz" on the Discovery Channel.
UNTITLED TRICIA HELFER PROJECT (FOX, New!) - "Battlestar Galactica" co-star Tricia Helfer has inked a talent holding deal with the network. The one-year pact calls for FOX to cast her in one of its upcoming projects. Last season, Helfer starred in the pilot "Them" for the network.
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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