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[02/13/09 - 08:10 PM] Development Update: Friday, February 13 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!
FUNNY IN FARSI (ABC, New!) - Firoozeh Dumas's book, subtitled "A Memoir of Growing Up Iranian in America," is set to be the focus of a potential new comedy at the Alphabet. The network has commissioned a director-contingent pilot for the project, which chronicles her upbringing as an Iranian immigrant in 1970s Newport Beach. Nastaran Dibai and Jeffrey Hodes ("Rita Rocks") penned the pilot and are executive producing for ABC Studios.
GOOD GIRLS (CBS, New!) - Sherry Bilsing-Graham and Ellen Kreamer ("The New Adventures of Old Christine") are the latest to land a pilot commitment from the Eye, this time about two women/childhood friends who are trying to reinvent themselves after making some youthful mistakes. The pair wrote the CBS Paramount Network Television-based pilot and are executive producing alongside Katalyst Films's Ashton Kutcher, Jason Goldberg and Karey Burke.
THE GOOD WIFE (CBS) - Charles McDougall ("The Tudors") has scored helming duties on the drama pilot, about a politician's wife, who takes a legal job after her husband is disgraced. Robert and Michelle King are behind the hour, which comes from CBS Paramount Network Television and Scott Free Productions. Production nevertheless is contingent on casting the lead role.
HAPPY TOWN (ABC) - Lauren German ("Hostel: Part II") is the first to be cast on the drama pilot. She'll play a newcomer to the town, which had enjoyed a seven-year peace after a series of kidnappings until it is hit by another crime. Josh Appelbaum, Andre Nemec and Scott Rosenberg are behind the ABC Studios-based project, which Gary Fleder is directing.
HOT GIRLS IN SCARY PLACES (E!, New!) - The cable channel has commissioned a pilot for a potential new reality series in which, you guessed it, hot girls are challenged to spend the night in a scary place for a $10,000 cash prize. For the inaugural installment, set to air as a special on Friday, March 13, three University of Southern California cheer squad friends will be tasked with an overnight trip to a supposedly haunted abandoned hospital. Go Go Luckey Productions ("Paranormal State") is behind the project, which is being executive produced by the company's Gary Auerbach.
NCIS (CBS) - Louise Lombard ("CSI: Crime Scene Investigation"), Peter Cambor ("Notes From the Underbelly") and Daniela Ruah have all joined the cast of the show's proposed spin-off. Lombard will play Clara, "a former major in the military police... an intelligent, sharp investigator who can look after herself"; while Cambor is set as Nate, "the team's conscience and beating heart... an operational psychologist and a walking encyclopedia of American culture"; with Ruah as Kensi, "a super bright young investigator who studied forensics and criminology in college." The trio will potentially join Chris O'Donnell and LL Cool J, who are still in negotiations with producer CBS Paramount Network Television.
UNTITLED FRANK MILITARY PROJECT (CBS) - "Jericho" alum Lennie James is the first to be cast in the drama pilot, about prosecutors in the U.S. Attorney's office in Manhattan. He'll play a former assistant DA who works as a paralegal after getting disbarred. Frank Military is behind the hour, which is set up at CBS Paramount Network Television.
UNTITLED JEFF STRAUSS PROJECT (ABC, New!) - Jeff Strauss ("All of Us") has booked a pilot order from the Alphabet for a new multi-camera comedy which examines marriage and parenthood as seen through the eyes of three couples. The untitled half-hour is set up at ABC Studios with Acme Productions's Michael Hanel and Mindy Schultheis ("Surviving Suburbia") also serving as executive producers alongside Strauss.
UNTITLED JUSTIN ADLER PROJECT (NBC, New!) - Sony Pictures Television-based Tantamount has locked in yet another pilot, this time at NBC. Justin Adler is behind the half-hour, a multi-camera family comedy featuring adult siblings. He penned the pilot and is executive producing with the Tantamount team of Mitch Hurwitz, Eric Tannenbaum and Kim Tannenbaum.
UNTITLED NEW YORK CITY PRIVATE SCHOOLS PROJECT (Bravo, New!) - Broadcasting & Cable is reporting the cable channel has begun production on a new reality series referred to as a "real life" version of "Gossip Girl." Stone & Company Entertainment is behind the project, which will track the lives of New York City private-school kids, although it won't feature Manhattan's exclusive schools specifically.
Sources: Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Reuters
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[03/30/26 - 01:00 PM] CBS Announces Season Finale Airdates for 2025-2026 The network today announced season finale dates for its original primetime comedies, dramas and unscripted series for the 2025-2026 broadcast season.
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[03/30/26 - 12:42 PM] NBC Sports Delivers Largest MLB Opening Day Audience on Record for Multi-Game Presentation The two-game presentation averaged 2.7 million viewers across NBC and Peacock, based on official Nielsen Big Data + Panel and digital data from Adobe Analytics.
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[03/30/26 - 12:10 PM] "Greys Anatomy" Returns for Season 23 on ABC The network confirmed the news on social media today.
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[03/30/26 - 11:02 AM] Investigation Discovery's "Hollywood Demons" Returns with Season 2 Premiere on April 20, 2026 New episodes will continue to pull back the glamorous curtain of fame and dissect pivotal moments in popular culture to expose the hidden sacrifices, struggles, and scandals that accompany life in the spotlight.
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[03/30/26 - 10:36 AM] "Dr. Pimple Popper: Breaking Out" Returns for Season 2 Premiering Mondays at 9P/8C Starting April 20 on Lifetime As the 2025 Critics Choice Real TV Award winner for Female Star of the Year, Dr. Lee continues her relationship with Lifetime as she mentors up-and-coming protégés and helps more patients suffering from painful, complex, and often life-altering dermatological conditions.
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[03/30/26 - 10:14 AM] BET Launches the Creator Studio with "The Jason Lee Show" to Premiere April 8 as Flagship Series from New Digital-First Platform With new episodes dropping every Wednesday, the series combines access to Lee's day-to-day life with sit-down conversations alongside his celebrity guests.
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[03/30/26 - 10:03 AM] FOX Sports and The Workshop Content Studios Announce New Original College Basketball Documentary "March in the Garden" Premiering April 1 on FS1 The film, presented by Pacific Life, offers an all-access look at the tradition, stakes and legacy surrounding the 2026 Men's Big East college basketball tournament at Madison Square Garden.
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[03/30/26 - 10:01 AM] Ready, Set, "Danny Go!" The Beloved Children's Show Is Coming to Netflix Starting April 6, five episodes packed with fan-favorite songs like "'Ka-Pow!' Superhero Dance" and action-filled adventures like "Escape from Tiger Island!" are coming to Netflix.
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[03/30/26 - 10:01 AM] Video: HBO Releases Second Trailer for Season Three of the HBO Original Drama Series "Euphoria," Debuting April 12 A group of childhood friends wrestle with the virtue of faith, the possibility of redemption, and the problem of evil.
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[03/30/26 - 09:01 AM] The 90th Masters Tournament Begins on Amazon Prime Video, Thursday April 9th Teeing off at 1:00 p.m. ET on both days, Prime Video will open this year's first and second rounds with two additional hours of live Tournament coverage on Thursday, April 9 and Friday, April 10, as the best players in the world converge to compete for a coveted Green Jacket.
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[03/30/26 - 08:31 AM] Emmy-Winning Comedy Superstar Wanda Sykes Celebrates Her Legacy for Her Third Netflix Comedy Special "Wanda Sykes: Legacy" premieres globally on Netflix on May 19.
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[03/30/26 - 08:15 AM] CBS News Boosts Its Investigative Unit with Five New Award-Winning Journalists Joining the investigative unit immediately are: former Washington Post journalist Daniel Gilbert; The Free Press writer Gabe Kaminsky; and CBS News' Laura Geller, Jake Rosenwasser and Callie Teitelbaum.
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[03/30/26 - 08:03 AM] Video: "This First House" - Official Trailer - The Roku Channel From the producers of "This Old House," a team of young experts guide two millennial families through the process of buying, fixing up, and moving into their first home.
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[03/30/26 - 07:01 AM] BritBox Announces Second Season of "Lynley," Now in Production Leo Suter returns as DI Tommy Lynley and revealed news of the second season, along with details of new and returning cast members, during an appearance on "On the Box: The BritBox Podcast."
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[03/30/26 - 07:01 AM] Video: "Vitrerie Joyal" - Official Trailer - Prime Video Dive into the world of "Vitrerie Joyal," the new series by Martin Matte, following the daily life of a Quebec family-run business in the 1990s.
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