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[10/02/09 - 06:14 PM]
Development Update: Friday, October 2
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!
ANGRY BOYS (HBO, New!) - Australian comedian Chris Lilley ("Summer Heights High") has booked a 12-episode order from the pay channel for a new mock-documentary style comedy about what it's like to be a male in the 21st century. Like his previous effort "High," Lilley will play multiple characters as well as write and executive produce alongside Laura Waters via their Princess Pictures banner. The news marks HBO's first co-production with an Australian partner as "High" was a straight acquisition. Pre-production on the series begins this month in Australia.
BOYS & GIRLS GUIDE TO GETTING DOWN (Comedy Central) - The cable channel has commissioned a pilot for the comedy, based on Paul Sapiano's 2006 indie feature of the same name. Said half-hour will "follow several characters through fast-paced adventures, while the show's narrator gives tips and explains how the characters plan to 'get down.'" Sapiano, John Lynch and Luke Greenfield are executive producing the project, with Greenfield attached to direct. "Getting Down" was announced back in May as part of the network's 2009-10 development slate.
FLASH FORWARD (ABC) - Michael Ealy ("Sleeper Cell") has scored a recurring role on the freshman drama. He'll play the nemesis of Joseph Fiennes's character, details of which weren't released. The series opened to strong numbers last month on Thursday nights for the Alphabet.
HOUSE RULES (CBS) - The Eye has picked up the actors' options through the end of 2009. The news marks the second time the actors, which include Zoe McLellan, Eion Bailey, Kristin Bauer, Tawny Cypress, Anna Chlumsky and Denzel Whitaker, have been put on hold. Said hour revolves around the freshman class of elected representatives in Washington, D.C. Daniel Minahan helmed the ABC Studios-based project from a script by Michael Seitzman. Deborah Spera and Mark Gordon also serve as executive producers.
HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER (CBS) - Rachel Bilson ("The O.C.") is set to guest star on the show's 100th installment, Entertainment Weekly reports. She'll play an unspecified character in the episode, which will once again tease the identity of the title character. The milestone episode is likely due to air in January.
MIDNIGHTERS (NBC) - Alloy Entertainment and Warner Bros. Television are taking another stab at bringing Scott Westerfeld's novel to the small screen, this time at NBC. The Peacock has given a script order to the project, to be written by Chad Hodge ("Runaway"). Said hour revolves around "a group of people born at the stroke of midnight who have access to the 25th hour of each day, which they use to stop crime." Darren Lemke previously shepherded an adaptation at The WB back in 2005. Hodge then will executive produce the new incarnation alongside Alloy's Bob Levy and Leslie Morgenstein.
MOUTHPIECE (Showtime, New!)/YOU AND ME AND HE (CBS, New!) - Veteran comedy writer Carol Leifer ("Rules of Engagement") has landed a single-camera at Showtime and a multi-camera half-hour at CBS. The Showtime effort, "Mouthpiece," stars Mario Cantone and Marlee Matlin as members of a high-powered law firm. Meanwhile CBS is behind "You and Me and He," about "a recently divorced woman who enters a gay relationship only to find out that she is pregnant with her ex-husband's baby." Fox Television Studios is producing the former while Sony Pictures Television and Happy Madison are behind the latter. Both have script commitments from their respective networks with Leifer writing and executive producing.
ROMANTICALLY CHALLENGED (ABC) - Australian actor Josh Lawson ("Chandon Pictures") has been cast in the lead role of the upcoming comedy series, about a thirtysomething man (Lawson) torn between his new girlfriend (Alyssa Milano) and needy best friend (Kyle Bornheimer). Eric Christian Olsen previously toplined the project, the producers of which opted to recast his role. Ricky Blitt is behind the Warner Bros. Television-based half-hour, which has a 12-episode commitment (including the pilot) for midseason.
THE STATION (FOX) - The network has extended its options on the cast of the comedy pilot through the end of the year. John Goodman, Julio Oscar Mechoso, Justin Bartha, Rob Huebel and Whitney Cummings all co-starred in the single-camera half-hour, about a "covert CIA operative (Justin Bartha) and his workmates, who are on a mission in Central America to install a new dictator." Kevin Napier penned the 20th Century Fox Television-based project, which was directed by David Wain and executive produced by Ben Stiller. It's understood should it move forward, some tweaking will take place.
Sources: Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Reuters
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[09/22/26 - 12:16 PM]
Netflix's "Crew Girl" Renewed for Season 2
Season 1 of the coming-of-age teen drama series launched on September 10 and debuted in the Netflix English TV Top 10, where it has remained since its release, climbing up to #2 this week.
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[09/22/26 - 12:01 PM]
Netflix Top 10: Week of September 14 - "Tyler Perry's Why Did I Get Married Again?" Holds No. 1 for a Second Week
"Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story" debuted at the top of the English TV list with 12.1 million views.
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[09/22/26 - 12:00 PM]
"Dateline" Is the #1 Friday Newsmagazine in Both Key Demos for Second Consecutive Broadcast Season
The broadcast remains the #1 most-watched news magazine franchise and #1 most-watched true-crime franchise in total linear minutes watched for the season, with 151.2 million total viewers, up +4% vs. last season.
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[09/22/26 - 11:01 AM]
"Darkwing Duck" Is Back with an All-New Animated Series Greenlit for Disney+
Mark Hamill, Seth Rogen, Lizzy Caplan and Lilimar lead the show's voice cast.
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[09/22/26 - 10:31 AM]
Video: Trailer Available - Hulu Original "Reasonable Doubt" Season 4
Season 4 will debut with a three-episode premiere on October 6, with a new episode premiering each Tuesday through November 24 exclusively on Disney+ and Hulu.
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[09/22/26 - 10:01 AM]
Video: "Vampirina: Teenage Vampire" Season 2 Lets It All Fang Out with New Trailer
The series returns October 6 on Disney Channel, and the full season will stream the next day on Disney+.
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[09/22/26 - 09:33 AM]
Great American Media Unveils the Greatest Slate of Christmas Movies Ever Assembled for a Single Season
Leading the extraordinary lineup is the beloved "Queen of Christmas," Candace Cameron Bure, who stars in two films and serves as executive producer of a third movie.
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[09/22/26 - 09:01 AM]
Video: "Norm: The Tale of Norm Macdonald" - Official Trailer - Netflix
Go down a wormhole in this documentary on master of deadpan humor Norm Macdonald, whose life and career were uncompromising yet full of contradictions.
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[09/22/26 - 09:01 AM]
"Soulm8te" Kicks Off Huluween Thursday, October 1
Unnerving, sexy, suspenseful, and darkly compelling, the film follows a grieving engineer tasked with testing a ruthless tech giant's new artificially intelligent android.
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[09/22/26 - 09:00 AM]
ESPN and Omaha Productions Announce ESPN Original Series "The Breakdown" Hosted by Peyton Manning and Luke Kuechly
New episodes will debut Fridays on the ESPN App, with select episodes also airing on ESPN.
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[09/22/26 - 09:00 AM]
George Michael Tribute Set for the "2026 MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs)" Sunday, Sept. 27 on CBS
Raye, Sombr, and Teddy Swims will come together for a tribute performance to honor musical genius and icon.
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[09/22/26 - 08:11 AM]
BET Launches aTwist Microseries Partnership with Psychological Thriller "Her Baby," Premiering Wednesday, October 7 at 10 P.M. ET/CT on BET
The reformatted microseries will be presented in half-hour installments and aired in a horizontal format.
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[09/22/26 - 08:10 AM]
MGM+ Greenlights Crime Thriller "Rules of Prey" Starring Jensen Ackles
The project is an adaptation of Pulitzer-Prize-winning journalist John Sandford's acclaimed book series.
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[09/22/26 - 08:01 AM]
Video: Watch the Gripping Trailer for "Clown Panic," The Chilling New Documentary Coming Exclusively to Hulu on October 12, 2026
Featuring chilling archive footage, viral internet videos and revealing interviews with witnesses, law enforcement, clowns and cultural commentators, "Clown Panic" examines the collision of fear, social media and modern America at a moment of deep national anxiety.
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[09/22/26 - 07:46 AM]
AMC Global Media to Debut Crime Drama "Smilla's Sense of Snow," from ITV Studios and Constantin Film, in U.S and Canada on AMC+
The modern adaptation of Peter Høeg's worldwide bestseller stars Filippa Coster-Waldau, Elyas M'Barek and Henry Lloyd-Hughes, and is directed by BAFTA Winner Amma Asante.
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