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[01/16/09 - 06:09 PM]
Development Update: Friday, January 16
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!
ABC AT THE TCA - Alphabet chief Steve McPherson has confirmed the network won't be picking up "King of the Hill" after it completes its run on FOX. ABC flirted with the idea back in November, opening talks with producer 20th Century Fox Television to order addition scripts of the series. Meanwhile, Mike Judge's new animated comedy "The Goode Family" may not roll out until May while "In the Motherhood" is expected to bow in March, potentially as a lead out to "Dancing With the Stars." On the development side, McPherson said he hopes to shoot 10 comedy and drama pilots for next season with pick-ups set to begin as early as next week. And finally, fans looking for the remaining produced installments of axed dramas "Eli Stone," "Dirty Sexy Money" and "Pushing Daisies" will have to wait a bit longer - they could be burned off over the summer or streamed online at some point in the future.
LEGALLY MAD (NBC) - Hugh Bonneville ("Five Days") has booked the male lead in the drama pilot, about Brady Hamm (Charity Wakefield), a twentysomething woman who takes a job at her father's law firm. He'll play her father, Gordon Hamm, whom the casting notice details as follows: "Late 40s, any ethnicity. The firm's senior partner, part F. Lee Bailey, part Harold Hill of "The Music Man." Fun-loving, fast-talking, a little slick...it was either a career in law or used cars. He chose the law." Jon Seda and Kristin Chenoweth also star in the hour, which comes from Warner Bros. Television and creator David E. Kelley.
LEVERAGE (TNT) - The cable channel has quietly asked for six additional scripts of the series, which opened to 5.6 million viewers last month. The drama wraps its inaugural 13-episode run in February.
MAD MEN (AMC) - After months of negotiations, Matthew Weiner has finally closed a two-year, seven-figure overall deal with producer Lionsgate Television. The pact puts the writer/producer back at the helm of the Emmy-winning drama. He'll also develop new series projects for the studio, including a potential feature. It's understood AMC is helping fund Weiner's deal as is typical on the cable side. Production on the new season then is set to begin in time for a summer premiere.
PHIL ROSENTHAL PROJECTS (HBO, New!) - Emmy-winner Phil Rosenthal ("Everybody Loves Raymond") has lined up three projects at the pay channel - a comedy, a drama and a original movie. First up is "The Jeannie Tate Show," a comedy based on TheWB.com digital series created by Liz Cackowski and Maggie Carey about a neurotic soccer mom (Cackowski) who hosts a talk show from her minivan. Cackowski and Carey are penning the pilot and co-executive producing under Rosenthal's supervision with TheWB.com's Rich Rosenthal, Phil's brother, producing. Warner Bros. Television originally developed the project and remains a passive partner. Next is "Random Family," a drama based on the nonfiction book of the same name by Adrian Nicole LeBlanc and revolves around a multigenerational family in the South Bronx. LeBlanc and Chris Terrio likewise are writing the script and co-executive producing with Rosenthal and Neal Gabler serving as executive producers. And finally there's an original movie based on portions of Raymond Arsenault's book "Freedom Riders: 1961 and the Struggle for Racial Justice." Wayne Kramer is in talks to write and direct the film, which "chronicles civil rights activists' harrowing ride on buses through the South that escalated to a point where segregationists threw Molotov cocktails at them." Rosenthal and Gabler are executive producing.
Separately, Rosenthal is now editing the feature-length documentary "Exporting Raymond," about his outrageous experiences while remaking his own show in Russia. The series, "Vse Lubyat Kostya" (Everybody Loves Kostya), was ordered to pilot by Russian broadcaster CTC using Rosenthal's original "Raymond" script and produced by local production company Lean-M. Sony Pictures Television International, Worldwide Pants and HBO Independent Productions are behind the export, with Rosenthal's film chronicling the casting, the prep and the shooting of the pilot in December and ending with CTC's decision on whether or not to move forward with the show. No distributor has been set for the film, although Sony is widely expecting to.
Sources: Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Reuters
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[09/08/26 - 12:34 PM]
ESPN and Apple Music Collaborate on "Monday Night Football" Music Curation for the 2026-27 Season, Leading Up to ESPN's First-Ever Super Bowl and the Apple Music Super Bowl Halftime Show
The first song and artist Apple Music has selected is the recently-released single, "Dead Fresh" by Lil Baby, which will run in ESPN's Week 1 promotional efforts.
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[09/08/26 - 12:01 PM]
Netflix Top 10: Week of August 31 - "The Whisper Man" Tracks Down No. 1 in This Week's Top 10
"Death of the Pastor's Wife" held the top spot of the English TV list with 13.9 million views.
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[09/08/26 - 12:01 PM]
Drama and Rumors Bloom as "The Real Housewives of Potomac" Season 11 Launches on Sunday, Oct 11. at 8 P.M. ET/PT
Returning "housewives" include Karen Huger, Gizelle Bryant, Ashley Darby, Dr. Wendy Osefo, Stacey Rusch and Tia Glover.
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[09/08/26 - 11:13 AM]
Jamie Demetriou and Amelia Dimoldenberg to Host Next Two Episodes of "Saturday Night Live UK," with Musical Guests Royal Blood and Rachel Chinouriri
They'll join the previously announced Jeff Goldblum and CMAT.
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[09/08/26 - 10:30 AM]
Prime Video Announces September 24 Premiere Date for "Go Deep: The DeSean Jackson Story"
The groundbreaking documentary traces the story of a father, his two sons, and their family's pursuit of the American Dream through football excellence.
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[09/08/26 - 10:09 AM]
FOX MLB Posts Best Regular Season Thursday Night Baseball Telecast Since 2022
2,668,000 viewers tuned-in to FOX Thursday for a two-game slate highlighted by the Cubs' 2-1 win over the Brewers in most of the country.
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[09/08/26 - 10:03 AM]
"Moonshiners" Celebrates 250 Years of American Rebellion, Risk and Reward in All-New Season Premiering Tuesday, September 29 at 8PM ET/PT on Discovery Channel
It's a 250-year celebration of life, liberty and the pursuit of tax-free liquor when America's favorite Appalachian distillers return in an all-new season.
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[09/08/26 - 10:02 AM]
ESPN Studio Lineup Continues 2026 Momentum with Record August Audiences
As a year-long pattern of strong viewership continued, multiple programs delivered their best August viewership on record, while overall studio show audiences increased 13% year over year.
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[09/08/26 - 10:01 AM]
"The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon" Scores Four Special Episodes Post-"Sunday Night Football" This Fall on NBC
The first Sunday night show is set for September 27 when Fallon will welcome an all-star lineup of guests, including Sylvester Stallone and Luke Bryan.
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[09/08/26 - 10:01 AM]
HBO Original Documentary "Siren: The Voices of Shelley" Beattie Debuts September 22
While searching the internet one day, Hollywood veteran Marlee Matlin came upon the story of athlete Shelley Beattie - a fellow Deaf woman whose life felt eerily like her own.
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[09/08/26 - 09:40 AM]
Following Their Emmy Win for Outstanding Animated Program, "South Park" Is Making a Big Change
Creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone announced: "Inspired by the bravery and patriotism of Apple and Google, we are changing the name of South Park to SOUTH AMERICA. We especially want to thank our parent company Paramount -- a Skydance Capitulation."
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[09/08/26 - 09:29 AM]
Paramount+ and T-Mobile Arena Launch Paramount+ Plaza in New Multi-Year Partnership
The agreement establishes a prominent new platform for the streaming service to connect its expansive portfolio of original series, films, live sports and iconic franchises with millions of fans visiting Las Vegas.
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[09/08/26 - 09:04 AM]
Terror on Tubi Continues with First Look Photos of "R.L. Stine's Pumpkinhead 2"
Cassandra Peterson, famously known as Elvira, joins Bean Reid and Adeline Lo in spooky sequel premiering October 9.
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[09/08/26 - 09:01 AM]
UPtv's "Most Uplifting Christmas Ever" Returns November 5 with Eight Premiere Movies and a Thanksgiving Marathon of "The Rookie"
Vivica A. Fox, Kelley Jakle, Kym Johnson Herjavec, Carson Kressley, Franco Lo Presti, Gilles Marini, Rob Mayes, and Jonathan Stoddard are among the featured talent.
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[09/08/26 - 09:01 AM]
Comedy Central Announces the Return of "Drunk History" with New Episodes on Comedy Central YouTube Channel
The brand-new short-form episodes will launch on Tuesday, September 15, with a premiere episode about Madonna's legendary first performance at the inaugural MTV Video Music Awards, starring Meghan Trainor as Madonna.
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