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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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[02/25/26 - 03:35 PM]
"20/20: The Au Pair, The Affair and Murder" About a Twisted Love Triangle Delivers Best Adult 25-54 Performance in 10 Months and Strongest Delivery in Adults 18-49 in 11 Months
Hitting new season highs for the second straight week, "20/20" improved on the previous week in Adults 25-54 and Adults 18-49.
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[02/25/26 - 02:59 PM]
Netflix's "Untamed" Season Two Casts New Roles
The newly added cast will join previously announced Eric Bana, Shea Whigham and Kelly Hu.
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[02/25/26 - 02:46 PM]
ABC News Is No. 1 Broadcast Network for Coverage of the State of the Union, Beating NBC by 1.4 Million and CBS by 1.7 Million
Said coverage ranked No. 1 among the broadcast networks in all key target demos: Total Viewers (4.912 million), Adults 25-54 (1.125 million) and Adults 18-49 (886,000).
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[02/25/26 - 10:30 AM]
Medical Mysteries Take Over Wednesdays on TLC Starting Wednesday, March 4 at 8PM ET/PT
Highlights include the return of "Untold Stories of the ER" on August 19 at 9:00/8:00c.
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[02/25/26 - 10:12 AM]
The CW Network Sets Season 4 Premiere of Hit Series "Sullivan's Crossing"
The series will return for its highly-anticipated 10-episode fourth season on Monday, April 20 (8:00-9:00pm ET/PT).
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[02/25/26 - 10:01 AM]
Martin Clunes to Guest Star on "Best Medicine"
Clunes, the BAFTA award winning original star of the UK's "Doc Martin," guest stars as Martin's father, Robert Best on Tuesday, March 3 on FOX.
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[02/25/26 - 09:07 AM]
FOX Sports, AV8 Productions, Allez! Sports, and Hello Sunshine Announce New Documentary Special "You See L.A." Premiering March 1 on FS1
The one-hour documentary special explores the human stories, emotional stakes, and deep community surrounding UCLA's Women's Basketball team during one of the most pivotal seasons in its program's history.
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[02/25/26 - 08:31 AM]
Video: "Louis Theroux: Inside The Manosphere" - Official Trailer - Netflix
With rare access and no holds barred, the acclaimed documentarian investigates a growing ultra-masculine network and its controversial influencers.
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[02/25/26 - 08:01 AM]
Peacock Launches the Official "House of Villains" Podcast Hosted by "Survivor" Fan-Favorite and "House of Villains" Season Three Competitor Tyson Apostol
Each week, Tyson invites a fellow Season Three villain to unpack their strategic betrayals, shifting alliances, and iconic meltdowns - diving into the psychology of villainy and savoring the act of making excellent reality TV.
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[02/25/26 - 08:01 AM]
Video: "Homicide: New York" - Season 2 Official Trailer - Netflix
Detectives and prosecutors revisit their most challenging murder cases in this chilling true-crime documentary series from the creator of "Law & Order."
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[02/25/26 - 08:01 AM]
Matt Dillon to Star in MGM+'s Drama Series "The Magnificent Seven"
Dillon, who also serves as an executive producer, will reprise the iconic role of Chris Adams, originally played by Yul Brynner, who becomes the leader of seven gunslingers who sign onto the task of protecting a group of innocent villagers from a mercenary land baron hellbent on stealing their land.
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[02/25/26 - 08:00 AM]
HBO Renews "Industry" for a Fifth and Final Season
"We're privileged to have joined the small, esteemed club of dramas that have run for five seasons on HBO," said creators Mickey Down and Konrad Kay.
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[02/25/26 - 07:01 AM]
HBO Max to Premiere "Song of the Samurai" - New Live Action Series from Hit Japanese Studio The Seven
The new series is the latest Japanese title to launch exclusively on HBO Max through WBD's partnership with U-NEXT and is set to premiere internationally on May 9.
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[02/25/26 - 07:01 AM]
CNN Films Boards "Homecoming: The Tokyo Series" as Streaming Partner
The film will begin streaming on Friday, March 27 exclusively for CNN's streaming subscribers.
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[02/25/26 - 07:01 AM]
Video: "Pretty Lethal" - Official Trailer - Prime Video
An action-packed thriller where five ballerinas, on their way to a prestigious dance competition, are barely on speaking terms when their bus breaks down in a remote forest.
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