or


[09/08/09 - 06:34 PM]
Development Update: Tuesday, September 8
By The Futon Critic Staff (TFC)

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) - Rami Malek ("Night at the Museum"), Julian Morris ("ER") and Hrach Titizian have each landed roles on the upcoming eighth season. Malek will play Marcos, "a would-be suicide bomber who is Arab American with sympathies toward radical Islam," with Morris as a CTU SWAT agent and Titizian as Nabeel, "the second-in-command of security for President Hassan (Anil Kapoor)." No other details about their arcs were given.


COVERT AFFAIRS (USA) - Eric Lively ("24: Redemption") and Kari Matchett ("ER") has both been cast on the drama pilot, about Annie Walker (Piper Perabo), "a multilingual CIA trainee who joins the agency while still reeling over a mysterious ex-boyfriend who appears to be of particular interest to her bosses." In addition, Eion Bailey has signed on for the recurring role of said ex-boyfriend. Lively will play Conrad Sheehan III, "a third-generation CIA man and womanizer who enjoys a spicy rapport with Annie," while Matchett is set as "a driven CIA agent who is the head of the agency's Domestic Protection Division and Annie's new boss." Anne Dudek and Christopher Gorham also star in the Universal Cable Productions-based project, which Tim Matheson is directing from a script by Chris Ord and Matt Corman.


FAMILY BUSINESS (ABC, New!) - Sonny Lee and Patrick Walsh ("It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia") have booked a multi-camera comedy at the Alphabet about "a dysfunctional Midwestern family that tries to keep their grocery business afloat after being rocked by divorce." The project is set up at the ABC Studios-based Mark Gordon Co. with Gordon executive producing and Lee and Walsh serving as co-executive producers.


PREGNANCY PACT (Lifetime, New!) - Telefilm gurus Frank Von Zerneck and Robert Sertner are developing a new ripped-from-the-headlines movie at the cable channel inspired by the much-debated story about 17 girls at Gloucester High School in Massachusetts who allegedly agreed to get pregnant at the same time - and succeeded. Pam Davis and Teena Booth are penning the project for Von Zerneck-Sertner Films. No other specifics about the film were released.


UNTITLED RICHARD RUSSO PROJECT (HBO, New!) - Pulitzer Prize-winner Richard Russo ("Empire Falls") is developing a new drama at the pay channel about the recent Catskills Gas Rush. The project is based on David France's 2008 article for New York Magazine which detailed the conflict between New York weekenders, who have second homes in the area, and local diary farmers, looking to have their land prospected, over the latter's attempts to lease their land to gas companies. The Catskills are said to be home to the largest reservoir of natural gas ever discovered in America, however it wasn't until recently that the technology to drill for it - not to mention the demand - reached a level that was cost effective. The weekenders however oppose drilling for environmental and esthetic reasons. France himself will serve as a consulting producer on the project with Russo writing and executive producing alongside Mark Johnson and Will Gluck. As for specifics, the untitled hour will begin four years ago and follow both sides. Currently, gas companies are still waiting approval from New York State for drilling to start.


WHITE COLLAR (USA) - Natalie Morales ("The Middleman") has joined the cast of the upcoming drama, about a con artist (Matthew Bomer) and an FBI agent (Tim DeKay) who work together to solve white collar crimes. She'll play Lauren Cruz, "a smart junior FBI agent in the white-collar division who holds her own with her superiors and the master thieves she's investigating." Said role was originally pegged as a two-episode guest arc. The series launches Friday, October 23 at 10:00/9:00c.


Sources: Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Reuters





  [september 2009]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S
  


· 24 (FOX)
· COVERT AFFAIRS (USA)
· DEVELOPMENT UPDATE (TFC)
· EMPIRE FALLS (HBO)
· ER (NBC)
· FAMILY BUSINESS (ABC)
· IT'S ALWAYS SUNNY IN PHILADELPHIA (FXX)
· MIDDLEMAN, THE (ABC FAMILY)
· PREGNANCY PACT (LIFETIME)
· UNTITLED RICHARD RUSSO PROJECT (HBO)
· WHITE COLLAR (USA)





[03/16/26 - 03:05 PM]
College Basketball Crown Reveals Full Field and Bracket for Premier Postseason Tournament
With an NIL prize pool of $500,000 raising the stakes for every game, the College Basketball Crown provides fans with more elite competition and compelling storylines during the most exciting time of the year.

[03/16/26 - 01:35 PM]
FOX Sports' Kevin Burkhardt and Greg Olsen to Call Inaugural Fanatics Flag Football Classic
As previously announced, actor and comedian Kevin Hart will serve as the event's host alongside actor and comedian Druski.

[03/16/26 - 11:12 AM]
Starz to Premiere "The Housemaid" on April 1 in Its Exclusive Streaming Debut Following Blockbuster Theatrical Run
Directed by Paul Feig, "The Housemaid" is a gripping psychological thriller set in a world where perfection is an illusion, and nothing is as it seems.

[03/16/26 - 11:06 AM]
TNT Sports to Debut "4.7 Seconds: For the Championship" on March 16, Reliving Greatest Finish in NCAA Tournament History
The special will also be available on demand on HBO Max throughout the duration of the 2026 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship, and will also re-air on Saturday, March 28 on TBS after the conclusion of TNT Sports and CBS Sports' NCAA Men's Elite 8 coverage that night.

[03/16/26 - 11:01 AM]
Tina Fey, Jamie Dornan and Riz Ahmed Announced as First Three Hosts of "Saturday Night Live UK"
Wet Leg, Wolf Alice, and Kasabian will be their respective musical guests.

[03/16/26 - 10:56 AM]
"CNBC Cures: Defying Rare Disease" with Becky Quick to Premiere on Thursday, March 19 at 7PM ET
The special spotlights the families dealing with rare diseases and the scientists, advocates, and innovators fighting to change their futures.

[03/16/26 - 10:31 AM]
"Free Bert" Renewed for Season 2 on Netflix
Bert Kreischer will appear at Netflix is a Joke Festival 2026, performing the "Bert and Shaq's Crowd Work Show" at The Comedy Store on May 8 and hosting "2 Bears 5K" with Tom Segura and Jelly Roll at The Rose Bowl on May 9.

[03/16/26 - 10:31 AM]
Things Are About to Get Wild When "Primate" Streams on Paramount+ March 25
The film follows a group of friends' fight for survival after their pet chimpanzee, Ben, goes on a violent rampage, turning a tropical homecoming into a primal tale of horror and survival.

[03/16/26 - 10:01 AM]
CBS Presents "The Neighborhood: A Farewell Special," An Entertainment Tonight Production, Monday, April 6 on CBS
The special celebrates the acclaimed CBS comedy's final season, honoring eight seasons, 156 episodes, and eight unforgettable years of laughter, heart and community, leading up to the series finale on May 11.

[03/16/26 - 09:31 AM]
Haley Baylee to Host "Win the Mall" - A High-Stakes New Reality Competition Show Coming to Netflix Fall 2026
Part shopping spree, part social strategy, this high-gloss reality competition drops players into a living mall where they'll fight to outshop, outsmart, and outlast one another - and only one will walk away with the keys to the ultimate prize.

[03/16/26 - 09:01 AM]
Nate Diaz Vs. Mike Perry Join Most Valuable Promotions' Massive Triple-Headliner Professional MMA Event on Saturday, May 16, 2026, at Intuit Dome in Los Angeles, California, Live Globally Only on Netflix
The bout joins the recently announced heavyweight clash between lineal heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou vs. Brazil's Philippe Lins and the historic women's main event between former UFC champion and Olympic medalist Ronda Rousey vs. combat sports trailblazer Gina Carano.

[03/16/26 - 09:01 AM]
Video: "Star Wars: Maul - Shadow Lord" - Official Trailer - Streaming April 6 on Disney+
Let us have our revenge.

[03/16/26 - 06:00 AM]
ESPN Announces Commentator Pairings for Exclusive Coverage of NCAA March Madness Women's Basketball
For the first time ever, all four ABC sites in the first and second rounds will feature a reporter, with Holly Rowe, Alyssa Lang, Molly McGrath and Jess Sims joining the calls.

[03/16/26 - 05:31 AM]
Netflix's "Assassin's Creed" Casts New Recurring Roles
Noomi Rapace, Ramzy Bedia, Sean Harris, and Corrado Invernizzi are among the latest additions.

[03/16/26 - 05:01 AM]
Great American Media Announces "One More Christmas," Starring Candace Cameron Bure and Jonathan Scarfe, New Original Film for Great American Christmas 2026
Bure will headline two original films for Great American Christmas 2026 and will also serve as executive producer on an additional holiday feature to be announced soon.