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[11/30/09 - 06:24 PM]
Development Update: Monday, November 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!
COUGAR TOWN (ABC) - Ryan Devlin ("Veronica Mars") has scored a recurring role on the freshman comedy. He'll play Smith, a love interest for Busy Phillipps's character. Further details about his character however weren't released.
FUNNY IN FARSI (ABC) - Barry Sonnenfeld ("Pushing Daisies") has been tapped to direct and executive produce the comedy pilot, based on Firoozeh Dumas's memoir about his experiences growing up in Newport Beach, California during the 1970s. The Alphabet originally issued the project a director-contingent order during its last development cycle. In any case, Sonnenfeld will work from a script by Jeffrey Hodes and Nastaran Dibai ("Rita Rocks") for ABC Studios. His involvement is tied to a first-look deal the director/producer inked with the studio earlier this year. The pact also called for Sonnenfeld to direct two pilots for the studio.
KEEP HOPE ALIVE (FOX) - Garrett Dillahunt ("Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles") has joined the cast of the comedy pilot, about Jimmy (Lucas Neff), "a 25-year-old man raising an infant with the help of his quirky family after the mother of the baby, with whom he had a one-night stand, ends up on death row." He'll play Jimmy's dysfunctional father and boss, "who is not thrilled to find himself a grandfather and worries that the baby might carry her mom's homicidal gene." Martha Plimpton and Olesya Rulin also star in the 20th Century Fox Television-based half-hour, which Michael Fresco is directing from a script by Greg Garcia.
THE MENTALIST (CBS) - Aunjanue Ellis ("E-Ring") has booked a multi-episode arc on the sophomore drama. She'll play the CBI's "beautiful but tough" new boss, who "is brought in to restore discipline and morale to the division after the murder of three agents." Ellis takes over for Gregory Itzin's Virgil Minelli, who is being written out to accommodate the actor's return to "24" later this season. Her first episode will likely air in the spring.
RAISING THE BAR (TNT) - The cable channel has passed on ordering a third season of the legal drama. "Everyone at TNT had a great experience working on 'Raising the Bar' with Steven Bochco and the rest of the show's terrific cast and crew," said the network in a statement. "We're proud of the series and appreciate the efforts of all of the creative people who were involved. Unfortunately, ratings for 'Raising the Bar's' second season did not reach the levels required for TNT to renew the series." The network still has three episodes yet to air of the series however when or if they will be broadcast wasn't specified.
ROOSTER TALES (FOX, New!) - Matthew McConaughey is developing an animated comedy at the network based on the life of his brother Rooster. The project, to be penned by Kell Cahoon ("Psych"), follows "the world of a beer-swilling, redneck sheriff who marries a much younger woman from Mexico [only to realize] he's gained not only a wife but an entire clan - 114 members and counting." McConaughey and Cahoon will executive produce the half-hour alongside Mark Gustawes for the actor's J.K. Livin' Productions. It's understood FOX beat out TBS and Comedy Central for the project, which has a script commitment.
TOUGH TRADE (Epix) - Lucas Black ("The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift") and Cary Elwes ("Disney's A Christmas Carol") have both been cast in the drama pilot, about the Tucker family, "a Nashville music dynasty whose penchant for drink, debauchery and divorce has left it on the verge of bankruptcy." Black will play "an extremely talented guitarist and singer who could have followed in the Tucker legacy started by his grandfather (the previously cast Sam Shepard) and father (Elwes) but has no interest in pursuing a career in country music." Chris Offutt and Jenji Kohan are behind the hour, which is set up at Lionsgate Television.
UNTITLED JASON MANTZOUKAS PROJECT (FOX, New!) - Jason Mantzoukas (NBC's "Off Duty") has landed a script order from the network for a new medical comedy about "a female doctor who is unraveling at the seams." 20th Century Fox Television and The Chernin Co. are behind the half-hour, which Mantzoukas will executive produce alongside Peter Chernin and Katherine Pope.
Sources: Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Reuters
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[03/11/26 - 01:44 PM]
Academy Award Winner Tommy Lee Jones Joins Season Two Cast of "The Lowdown" Coming to FX and Hulu
Jones joins previously announced Betty Gilpin in the next season, which begins production this spring in Tulsa.
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[03/11/26 - 01:22 PM]
Lifetime Announces Two New "Ripped from the Headlines" Films for Spring
Nancy Travis and Stana Katic are among the featured talent.
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[03/11/26 - 01:00 PM]
FOX Entertainment Studios Signs Development Commitment with Frankie Quinones for New Comedy Series
Quiñones is a Los Angeles-based stand-up comedian and actor known for his viral character, "Creeper" and for starring in the Hulu comedy series "This Fool."
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[03/11/26 - 11:30 AM]
ESPN Delivers Most-Watched Women's College Basketball Regular Season Since 2008-09
ESPN networks were home to six of the top 10 women's college basketball regular season games across all networks this season and 29 of the top 30 on cable.
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[03/11/26 - 11:01 AM]
98th Oscars Rounds Out Show Presenters
Rose Byrne, Nicole Kidman, Jimmy Kimmel, Delroy Lindo, Ewan McGregor, Wagner Moura, Pedro Pascal, Bill Pullman, Lewis Pullman, Channing Tatum and Sigourney Weaver are all on tap.
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[03/11/26 - 10:05 AM]
Josh Gates Returns with an All-New Season of "Expedition Files," Revealing Striking New Revelations Behind History's Biggest Mysteries
The series is returning with a brand-new season on Wednesday, April 1 at 9pm ET/PT on Discovery Channel.
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[03/11/26 - 10:01 AM]
HBO Original Comedy Special "Color Theories by Julio Torres" Debuts March 27
In his second HBO comedy special, Peabody-winner Julio Torres presents a helpful guide to understanding the world through his playful interpretations of colors.
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[03/11/26 - 09:31 AM]
Video: MLB Opening Night: Yankees vs. Giants - Official Trailer - Netflix
The 2026 Major League Baseball season leads off on Netflix, with Yankees vs. Giants in a star-studded opener live at Oracle Park in San Francisco.
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[03/11/26 - 09:01 AM]
Date & Cast Announcement: Hulu's "Love Overboard"
Produced by Alex Cooper's Unwell Productions and Jeff Jenkins Productions, "Love Overboard" premieres Thursday, March 26 with all nine episodes on Hulu and Hulu on Disney+ for bundle subscribers in the U.S. and Disney+ internationally.
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[03/11/26 - 09:01 AM]
Nikki Glaser Returns to Host "The 84th Annual Golden Globes" Airing Sunday, Jan. 10, 2027 on CBS and Paramount+
Glaser said, "I'm thrilled to host the Golden Globes for a third time, not only because it's the greatest gig I've ever had, but because my sister has three kids and now we will be equal in the eyes of my parents and the Lord."
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[03/11/26 - 07:04 AM]
"#SKYKING," the Gripping New Documentary Set to Make Its World Premiere at SXSW 2026, Premieres on Hulu April 14
The feature-length documentary tells the story of Richard "Beebo" Russell, who captured the world's attention when he stole a commercial plane and took off on a flight that would come to embody the dreams and despair of the American working class, while offering a look at the US mental health crisis.
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[03/11/26 - 07:02 AM]
New Episodes of "Rick and Morty" Premiere May 24 on Adult Swim
Get ready to portal-jump back into the multiverse - Adult Swim's #1 series returns with a season that's bigger, bolder, and more ambitious than ever.
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[03/11/26 - 07:01 AM]
"Friday Night Baseball" Returns to Apple TV on March 27 for Its Fifth Season
Highlights include the storied New York Subway Series matchup between the Yankees and Mets, plus multiple appearances by reigning National League MVP Shohei Ohtani and the defending World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers.
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[03/11/26 - 06:47 AM]
Matt Vasgersian Joins NBC Sports as a Play-by-Play Voice for "MLB Sunday Leadoff" on Peacock and NBCSN
Vasgersian, who spent the last five years as a Los Angeles Angels TV play-by-play voice, will continue his role at MLB Network, a position he has held since its inception in 2009.
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[03/11/26 - 06:31 AM]
Video: "The Hawk" - Lonnie Hawkins Character Reveal - Netflix
One of the greatest names in golf history (that you're somehow only just hearing about), American hero Lonnie "The Hawk" Hawkins is Will Ferrell's newest original character.
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