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[09/05/08 - 06:33 PM]
Development Update: Friday, September 5
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!
24 (FOX) - Michael Rodrick ("Close to Home") has landed a multi-episode arc on the veteran drama. He'll play Stokes, a deadly military operative. Rodrick's casting comes as news broke this week that production on the series will be halted for 18 days after the completion of the show's 18th installment (September 15). The unscheduled break was designed by showrunner Howard Gordon to give the writers more time to work on upcoming scripts. "24" is no stranger to such hiatuses - both scheduled and unscheduled - most notably the WGA strike, which ultimately bumped its season opener from January 2008 to January 2009.
GLEE (FOX) - Matthew Morrison ("Music and Lyrics"), Jayma Mays ("Ugly Betty") and Lea Michele ("Holy Rollers") are the first to be cast on the drama pilot, about a thirtysomething Spanish teacher at an Ohio high school who has the daunting task of taking over the school's glee club, which has become a heaven for outcasts. Morrison will play the lead role of Will Schuester, who's detailed via the casting notice as follows: "30ish, attractive, appealing, upbeat and naturally optimistic. A dreamer who's managed to evade close contact with reality for much of his life, Will is married to Terri and trying hard to become a father. A Spanish teacher at Harrison High in Ohio, Will has fond memories of his participation in the school's 1993 Glee Club (they made it to the Nationals!), and when he spots a chance to become the Glee Club coach of 2008, he seizes it - even though it will cost him money, and the club consists of five geektards. Under pressure from his wife to earn hard money and support his family, Will prefers instead to dream the impossible dream - though he'll probably wind up bearing the unbearable sorrow."
Mays then is set as Emma Pillsbury - "30ish, attractive, both endearing and quirky in a loveable way. She is the guidance counselor at Harrison High. Emma "The Ingenue" is pretty, but doesn't think so. A woman with a really bad case of OCD, who needs to scrub the table before unpacking her PBJ sandwich wrapped in tinfoil, Emma is both endearing and a little nuts, and she suffers from a bad case of unrequited love for Will Schuester. Quick to rebuff Ken Tanaka's attempts to date her, Emma is aware that Will is happily married, and wallows (perhaps pleasurably) in the hopelessness of her doomed romance." - with Michele as Rachel Berry - "18+ or emancipated to play high school. Pretty, the "star female singer" of the Harrison High Glee Club, a teenaged girl whose makeup and manner is way too theatrical, Rachel is self-absorbed, self-obsessed, self-deluded -- and an excellent singer. Rachel has a burning need to be a star. A determined young woman with two gay male parents at home, Rachel sets her cap for new Glee Club member Finn Hudson, and steams in his direction making Merman-esque assertions of desire." Ryan Murphy is behind the 20th Century Fox Television-based hour, which he's also directing from a script he co-wrote with Brad Falchuk and Ian Brennan.
HARPER'S ISLAND (CBS) - Harry Hamlin ("Veronica Mars") has joined the cast of the midseason effort, a serialized drama revolving around a group of friends who are terrorized when they meet on an island off the Seattle coast for a destination wedding. He'll play Marty, the groom's (Christopher Gorham) uncle Marty, an outgoing, charming womanizer who attends the wedding. Hamlin replaces Bill Pullman, who played the role in the original presentation as a favor to executive producer/director Jon Turteltaub. Elaine Cassidy and Katie Cassidy also star in the hour, which comes from CBS Paramount Network Television and creator Ari Schlossberg.
IN THE MOTHERHOOD (ABC) - The Alphabet has issued a blind 13-episode order to the project, a half-hour comedy based on the online series about the perils of parenting. Leah Remini, Chelsea Handler and Jenny McCarthy toplined the web version however no deals are in place for the TV version. Mindshare, who was behind the online incarnation, is co-producing alongside ABC Studios with original marketing partners Sprint and Suave also set to return. "Help Me Help You" co-creators Jennifer Konner and Alexandra Rushfield have been tapped to showrun the series with Stu Bloomberg and Mindshare's David Lang and Peter Tortorici also serving as executive producers.
MAD MEN (AMC) - Matthew Weiner, the creator and executive producer of the Emmy-nominated series, is reportedly making the rounds in search of an overall deal. The writer/producer isn't contractually obligated to the series after its current sophomore run. And while Lionsgate Television and AMC are in discussions to renew the show for a third go around, the overall deal would have to give Weiner the option to continue as showrunner of the period drama. "Men" is up for 16 awards, the most for any drama this year.
THE RETURN (ABC, New!) - Rene Echevarria ("Medium") and drama guru Greg Berlanti have booked a new drama at the Alphabet about the impact on the world - including the White House - when aliens land. The project is set up at the latter's ABC Studios-based banner with both serving as executive producers. No other specifics however were released.
UNTITLED JASON BIGGS/MITCH HURWITZ PROJECT (CBS, New!) - "American Pie" star Jason Biggs and "Arrested Development" creator Mitch Hurwitz are on track to team for a new hybrid single/multi-camera comedy at the Eye about adult siblings and their parents who are over-involved in one another's lives. The network has given a put pilot commitment to the project with an order for six additional scripts. Sony Pictures Television, where Hurwitz's overall deal is based, and CBS Paramount Network Television, which has a deal with Biggs, are co-producing. Hurwitz is co-writing the half-hour alongside fellow "Arrested" alum James Vallely with the pair and Biggs executive producing alongside Tantamount's Eric and Kim Tannenbaum.
Sources: Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Reuters
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[10/05/26 - 11:06 AM]
Bravo's "Southern Charm" Returns for Season 12 with Secrets Simmering in the South on Thursday, Nov. 12 at 9 P.M. ET/PT
Charmers Venita Aspen, Salley Carson, Craig Conover, Austen Kroll, Madison LeCroy, Molly O'Connell, Rodrigo Reyes, Whitner Slagsvol and Shep Rose return.
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[10/05/26 - 11:01 AM]
NBC Sports to Present 60+ Big East Men's and Women's Basketball Games in 2026-27 on NBC, Peacock, and NBCSN
NBC Sports will present a slate of nearly 65 Big East basketball regular-season and tournament games this season, with 47 Big East men's games and 16 women's games presented across NBC, Peacock and NBCSN.
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[10/05/26 - 11:01 AM]
Apple TV's Hit Thriller "Imperfect Women" to Return for a Gripping Second Season
The series is returning for a compelling new chapter set on Martha's Vineyard that will revolve around fan-favorite character Eleanor, played by Kerry Washington, who will reprise her role and serve as executive producer alongside Elisabeth Moss.
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[10/05/26 - 11:01 AM]
Prime Video Debuts First Look Images for New Original Series "Bloodaxe," from the Creator of "Vikings"
All eight episodes will premiere exclusively on Prime Video in more than 240 countries and territories worldwide, and as previously announced, "Bloodaxe" has been picked up for a second season which is currently in production in Ireland.
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[10/05/26 - 11:00 AM]
Paramount+ Renews "Tulsa King" for a Fifth Season Ahead of the Season Four Premiere on October 16
Season five will return to Dwight "The General" Manfredi's mafia roots, relocating production from Atlanta to New York to coincide with the storyline, with production now underway.
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[10/05/26 - 09:01 AM]
Video: NBC Debuts Official Season 3 Trailer, Photos & Key Art for "Happy's Place"
Guest stars this season include James Denton, Jane Lynch, and Justina Machado.
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[10/05/26 - 09:01 AM]
The Soul Train Awards Nominees Are In, and Fans Decide the Winners in Two New Categories!
Voting is open now through October 16, and fans can see who takes home the trophies Friday, November 27, at 8 p.m. ET/PT on BET, with a simulcast on CBS, BET Her, VH1, MTV2, and LOGO.
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[10/05/26 - 08:31 AM]
BritBox Reveals Further Cast Joining Edward Bluemel in "Hercule"
Jessica Alexander, Honor Swinton Byrne, Omari Douglas, Paul Forman, Arthur Hughes, Ralf Little, River Medway, Katherine Parkinson, Natalie Quarry, Toby Stephens set to join the much-anticipated series.
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[10/05/26 - 08:01 AM]
Food Network Sets Premiere Date For New Season of "Harry Potter: Wizards of Baking"
Celebrating the 25th anniversary of the iconic first film in the series, the new season introduces a tournament twist with four teams of three, each representing one of the four Hogwarts Houses - Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Slytherin.
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[10/05/26 - 08:01 AM]
Prime Video Casts Sean Teale, Sarah Jeffery, Megan Stott, Lili Simmons, Anthony Keyvan, JoBeth Williams in "Things We Never Got Over"
The project is the series adaptation of Lucy Score's bestselling novel.
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[10/05/26 - 07:19 AM]
Video: "The Institute" Season 2 (MGM+ 2026 Series) Official Trailer
The series returns for a new season November 8 on MGM+.
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[10/05/26 - 07:01 AM]
Video: "Animals" - Official Trailer #2 - Netflix
When their son is kidnapped, an LA mayoral candidate and his wife scramble to raise the ransom while making choices that could tear their world apart.
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[10/05/26 - 07:01 AM]
Prime Video Releases Key Art for the Final Season of "Maxton Hall - The World Between Us"
The third and final season of the most successful international scripted original series in Prime Video history premieres worldwide on Prime Video on December 9, 2026.
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[10/05/26 - 06:01 AM]
David Ellison and Ynon Kreiz Announce Their CEO Leadership Team for Skydance Following Anticipated Close of Warner Bros. Discovery Acquisition
Drawing on deep expertise across entertainment, technology, and business operations, the CLT brings together leaders from both companies and reflects their complementary strengths.
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[10/05/26 - 06:01 AM]
"CMA Presents I Will Always Love You: A Celebration of Dolly Parton" Reveals Star-Studded Lineup
The special airs Wednesday, October 21 (9:00-11:00 p.m. EDT) on ABC and Disney+ in the U.S. and internationally, available next day on Hulu, and will be filmed before a live audience at Belmont University's Fisher Center for the Performing Arts in Nashville.
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