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[10/30/09 - 06:09 PM]
Development Update: Friday, October 30
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!
AIRPLANE REPO (Discovery) - Craig Piligian ("Dirty Jobs") has booked yet another series at the cable channel in which repossessor Nick Popovich and his team re-acquires jets and helicopters from delinquent owners around the world, including Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Finland. Eight episodes are set to roll out early next year from Piligian's Pilgrim Films & Television banner. Popovich and Bill Rancic ("The Apprentice") are executive producing alongside Piligan.
APOSTLE PROJECTS (Various, New!) - Denis Leary and Jim Serpico's Sony Pictures Television-based Apostle Films has lined up a half-dozen series projects around town. At CBS, the company is redeveloping its Michael Rapaport-led drama about "a social worker who's good at helping others with their problems, but not necessarily his own." Peter Ocko ("Pushing Daisies") is taking over scripting duties from Bryan Goluboff. Over at FOX, Apostle continues to shepherd "Extended Family" from John Beck and Ron Hart ("According to Jim"). The multi-camera comedy is based on Beck's experiences growing up in a family that also made room for foster kids.
Newly revealed are an untitled hour for FX set in the world of televangelists. David Folwell ("Medium") is writing the project, which is set up at FX Productions. At Spike TV there's "The Rebel League," loosely based on Ed Willes's book of the same name (subtitled "The Short and Unruly Life of the World Hockey"), about "the startup of a contemporary hockey league and its out-of-control managers and players." Stephen Engel ("The Big Bang Theory") is writing the half-hour. Meanwhile, USA is developing "Partners in Crime" from Janine Sherman-Barrois and "Scales of Justice," from New York playwright Joe Sutton. The former revolves around ex-husband and wife private eyes while the latter is a New Orleans-set drama about "an overweight ex-cop who enlists his overeaters support group to fight crime." Lastly, the company is looking to bring the feature film "Gattica" to the small screen. Gil Grant ("NCIS: LA") is penning the hour, a police procedural set in the future, which will go out to networks soon.
COUGAR TOWN (ABC) - "The Unit" alum Scott Foley has landed a three-episode arc on the freshman comedy, Entertainment Weekly reports. He'll play a client of Courteney Cox's realtor character whom she begins dating. It's not clear when his first episode will air.
THE FOLLOWER (HBO, New!) - Jason Starr's novel of the same name is set to be the focus of a potential new drama at the pay channel. Said hour, which is set up at Lionsgate Television, is "described as a dark social satire chronicling the dating lives of a group of twentysomething New Yorkers as seen through the eyes of a stalker." Bret Easton Ellis ("American Psycho") is penning the adaptation with Jason Blum ("Paranormal Activity") and Vertigo Films partners Doug Davison and Roy Lee and Media Talent Group's Geyer Kosinski also executive producing. Vertigo's Gabriel Mason is likewise attached as a co-executive producer with Steven Schneider serving as an associate producer. Vertigo has a first-look deal with Lionsgate.
JOSH HEALD PROJECTS (Various, New!) - Feature writer Josh Heald (the upcoming "Mardi Gras" and "Hot Tub Time Machine") has sold a pair of projects, multi-camera comedies at NBC and FOX. The Peacock effort, "Sausagefest," is about "two very different twentysomething best friends whose lives are complicated by their clingy dads, one a thrice-divorced misogynist who means well and the other a gentle widower." Norm Macdonald is already attached as the former dad. The FOX project, "Sequestered," then revolves around "12 strangers forced to live together when they are sequestered for a lengthy jury trial." BermanBraun's Gail Berman and Lloyd Braun are executive producing the Universal Media Studios-based "Sausagesfest" while The Chernin Co.'s Peter Chernin and Katherine Pope are likewise executive producing the 20th Century Fox Television-based "Sequestered."
NCIS (CBS) - Rena Sofer ("Heroes") is set to appear on an upcoming episode of the veteran CBS drama. She'll play a no-nonsense attorney with mysterious motives, a role which is potentially recurring.
RIZZOLI (TNT) - Sasha Alexander, Bruce McGill, Jordan Bridges and Lee Thompson Young have all joined the cast of the drama pilot, based on Tess Gerritsen's popular Jane Rizzoli mystery novels about the crime-solving team of Boston police detective Rizzoli (Angie Harmon) and medical examiner Maura Isles. Alexander will play the latter role with McGill as "the gruff but lovable Detective Vince Korsak, Jane's former partner who is a bit hurt that she had taken the likable but green Barry Frost (Young), as her new partner." Bridges then is set as Franke Rizzoli Jr., "Jane's younger brother, a Boston patrol officer who worships her and hopes to make detective someday." Janet Tamaro penned the hour and is executive producing alongside Bill Haber.
Sources: Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Reuters
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[11/09/26 - 10:30 AM]
FOX Entertainment Docuseries "The Well" Is Now Streaming Exclusively on Hulu
Produced by FOX Entertainment Studios, Mountain Top Pictures, Haven Entertainment and Fairvale Entertainment, "The Well" investigates more than 200 unsolved murders that continue to haunt California's San Joaquin County, including those linked to the infamous Speed Freak Killers.
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[11/09/26 - 09:11 AM]
Peacock's "Here Come the Irish" Returns for Season Three Monday, Dec. 14, Chronicling the Trials and Triumphs of Notre Dame's Defining Season
"Here Come the Irish" follows Notre Dame in the aftermath of the playoffs as the team enters a new season fueled by grit, determination and brotherhood, with their sights set on reaching new heights.
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[11/09/26 - 09:03 AM]
BritBox Launches "Austen Untold" Anthology Franchise with Greenlight of New Series "The Other Elliot Sister"
"The Other Elliot Sister" builds on the approach established by "The Other Bennet Sister," placing a character previously confined to the margins at the heart of her own story.
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[11/09/26 - 09:01 AM]
Video: "The Trials of Karen Read" - Official Trailer - Netflix
An accident, a deadly fight or an elaborate cover-up? This true-crime series digs into the murder trials of Karen Read that sparked viral conspiracies.
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[11/09/26 - 09:01 AM]
Video: Prime Video Unveils New Trailer for "Blade Runner 2099"
All eight episodes of the highly anticipated limited series will premiere on November 25, 2026, exclusively on Prime Video in more than 240 countries and territories worldwide.
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[11/09/26 - 08:31 AM]
ESPN Secures Exclusive Media Rights to New Games in Expanded 24-Team College Football Playoff
The agreement runs through the 2031-32 season and builds on the six-year agreement ESPN and the CFP announced in 2024, which began with the 2026-27 season.
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[11/09/26 - 07:30 AM]
Peacock to Exclusively Stream "One Night Only" Beginning December 4
The film stars Academy Award nominee Monica Barbaro and BAFTA nominee Callum Turner, alongside Maya Hawke, Julia Fox and more.
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[11/09/26 - 06:31 AM]
"Darius Rucker: They Called Me Hootie" Premieres Monday, Nov. 16, on Hulu and Disney+ in Select Markets Internationally
The new feature-length documentary explores the triumphs and hardships that shaped Rucker's life, from his childhood in Charleston, South Carolina, to music superstardom around the globe.
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[11/09/26 - 06:01 AM]
Video: Prime Video Releases the Trailer for the Final Season of "Maxton Hall - The World Between Us"
The first two episodes of the six-part season will be available on Prime Video starting December 9, 2026, followed by a new episode each week until the grand finale on December 23, 2026.
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[11/09/26 - 05:01 AM]
Video: "The Unthinkable Daughter" - Official Trailer - Netflix
Decades after the crimes that shocked Brazil, Suzane von Richthofen speaks in exclusive interviews about the murders of her parents and their aftermath.
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[11/07/26 - 07:31 AM]
Video: "Salish's 12 Games of Christmas" - Official Trailer - Netflix
Salish Matter and seven of her closest friends go head to head in 12 epic holiday challenges for a mountain of Christmas presents, with her dad, Jordan, as host.
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[11/07/26 - 12:01 AM]
Video: "Ethos" Season 2 - Official Teaser - Netflix
Written and directed by Berkun Oya, "Ethos" returns for its second season of four episodes after six years, only on Netflix November 12.
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[11/06/26 - 01:55 PM]
Paramount Network to Launch Original Series "American Mayhem," Hosted by Larry the Cable Guy and Produced by V10 Entertainment, on Friday, Nov. 13
With his signature heartland humor, Larry the Cable Guy guides viewers through a fast-paced collection of funny, unexpected and relatable moments captured across America.
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[11/06/26 - 11:40 AM]
Romantic Epic "The Remarried Empress" Becomes The Most Viewed Local Original Premiere of All Time on Disney+ Globally
It currently ranks as the number one Korean title premiere in over 50 global markets including the US, the UK, France, Spain, Germany, Mexico, Chile, ANZ and Canada.
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[11/06/26 - 10:56 AM]
ABC News Wins Across Sunday Morning, Friday Night and Late-Night
"20/20: Justice for Faith" ranked as Friday's No. 1 newsmagazine in Adults 25-54 (437,000) and Adults 18-49 (341,000) on October 30.
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