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[12/10/09 - 06:13 PM]
Development Update: Thursday, December 10
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!
AMERICA: THE STORY OF US (History) - Meryl Streep, Michael Douglas, Colin Powell, Brian Williams, Buzz Aldrin, Tommy Franks, Donald Trump, John Lasseter and Stevie Wonder have all been tapped to participate in the upcoming 12-part event, which will "focus on the elements that distinguish American democracy, the conflicts that shaped it and the myriad social and industrial innovations that have fueled the country's prosperity." Said talent will serve as on-camera commentators with Jane Root executive producing via her Nutopia production banner. "America" is due sometime in 2010.
DELTA BLUES (TNT) - Alfre Woodard ("Three Rivers") has joined the cast of the drama pilot, about Dwight Hendricks (Jason Lee), "a Memphis police officer who lives with his mother (Celia Weston) and moonlights as a tribute artist." She'll play "the formidable new lieutenant who tries to exercise her power over Dwight," a role presumably in second position to the hiatused "Rivers." Warner Horizon Television and Smokehouse Productions are behind the hour, which also stars Abraham Benrubi, DJ Qualls, Leonard Howz, Robyn Lively and Sam Hennings. Clark Johnson is directing from a script by Joshua Harto and Liz Garcia.
FLIGHT OF THE CONCHORDS (HBO) - Bret McKenzie and Jemaine Clement have announced via their web site their pay channel series won't be returning for a third season. "We've noticed the less we say about the future of the show, the more people want to talk about it, so in an effort to reverse this trend we are today announcing that we won't be returning for a 3rd season," said the statement. "We're very proud of the two seasons we made and we like the way the show ended. We'd like to thank everyone who helped make the show and also everyone who watched it. While the characters Bret and Jemaine will no longer be around, the real Bret and Jemaine will continue to exist." The show wrapped its second season back in March.
GLEE (FOX) - Tony-winning actress Idina Menzel ("Wicked") is reportedly in talks to recur on the back half of the show's freshman season. She would play the coach to glee club "Vocal Adrenaline," the McKinley High glee club's main competition. Menzel had already been the focus of a fan campaign to cast her as Rachel Berry's (Lea Michele) biological mother. Also signing on for a five to six episode arc is Jonathan Groff. He'll play the lead male vocalist of "Vocal Adrenaline" and a potential love interest for Rachel Berry. Groff co-starred opposite Michele in the Broadway production of "Spring Awakening."
KEEP HOPE ALIVE (FOX) - Kate Micucci ("Scrubs") has landed a role on the comedy pilot, about Jimmy (Lucas Neff), "a 25-year-old single parent 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." She'll play Mike, "an unkempt, fairly oblivious cousin of Jimmy living in a tent in the laundry room of their great-grandmother's house." Said role was originally envisioned a male. Garrett Dillahunt, Kate Micucci, 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 SIX (ABC, New!) - Merv Griffin Entertainment has landed a presentation order from the Alphabet for a new game show based on the Russian format "What? Where? When?" Said project, which has been running for 35 years in its home country, is being redubbed "The Six," after the number of contestants on the show. The late Vladimir Voroshilov created (and hosted) the series, which pits a panel of six knowledgeable persons against the viewing audience. Said experts are tasked with answering audience-submitted questions listed on a spinning horizontal wheel divided into segments. If the experts answer correctly in the allotted 60 seconds they receive a point, if they don't the audience receives a point with question's author also earning a prize. (Sample question: "They first appeared in 1908 in Mexico. There were two of them. Over time, they came closer and closer together, like wings of a black raven. Name them." Answer: "Frida Kahlo's eyebrows.") Exact format details however are still being worked out. Merv Griffin's Roy Bank is executive producing the project alongside Ukranian-born actor Alex Reznik, Jonathan Barry and Ron Ward. Dwight Smith and Michael Agbabian are the showrunners with Brian Veskosky serving as a co-executive producer.
Sources: Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Reuters
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[11/06/25 - 10:04 AM]
Global Superstar Rosalia to Make Her "Tonight Show" Performance Debut on Nov. 16 Following NBC's "Sunday Night Football"
The special Sunday night telecast will also feature guest DJ Khaled, and air immediately after local news, following the "Sunday Night Football" game between the Detroit Lions and Philadelphia Eagles, on NBC and Peacock.
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[11/06/25 - 10:03 AM]
Holiday Programming Returns to TBS and TNT on Sunday, November 9
Festive films, spirited sitcoms and 24-hour movie marathons return this season as TBS's "All I Watch for Christmas" delivers nostalgic classics and TNT's "Christmas Maximus" showcases blockbuster holiday hits beginning Sunday, November 9.
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[11/06/25 - 10:01 AM]
Date Announcement: "Dance Moms: A New Era" Season 2 (A+E Factual Studios)
The series returns on Monday, December 8 only on Hulu and Hulu on Disney+ for bundle subscribers.
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[11/06/25 - 10:01 AM]
HBO Original Documentary "Thoughts & Prayers" Debuts November 18
This arresting yet sobering feature documentary captures the current landscape of safety rituals in schools and communities across America.
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[11/06/25 - 09:40 AM]
Paramount+ Sets Premiere of Doc-Feature "Predators" for Monday, December 8
Deeply surprising and entirely gripping, the film dives deep into an unnerving investigation of "Dateline's To Catch a Predator," pulling back the curtain on the show's complicated legacy.
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[11/06/25 - 09:01 AM]
Video: "One Shot With Ed Sheeran: A Music Experience" - Official Trailer - Netflix
One singer. One city. One shot. Ed Sheeran rocks the streets of New York with his greatest hits in this groundbreaking, real-time music experience.
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[11/06/25 - 09:01 AM]
Prime Video Announces Additional Recurring Cast for Upcoming Series "Off Campus"
The upcoming series is based on the best-selling books from Elle Kennedy.
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[11/06/25 - 09:00 AM]
Video: The Sea of Monsters Awaits! Disney+ Drops Official Trailer for "Percy Jackson and the Olympians"
Season two premieres December 10, with a two-episode debut on Disney+ and Hulu, with new episodes rolling out every Wednesday.
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[11/06/25 - 08:31 AM]
Video: Apple TV Unearths New Trailer for "Prehistoric Planet: Ice Age," Premiering November 26
The new trailer takes viewers into the Pleistocene era, millions of years after the extinction of the dinosaurs, as it has never been seen before.
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[11/06/25 - 08:11 AM]
"American Gangster: Trap Queens" S4B Returns Thursday, November 20 on BET+ with Five All-New Episodes Streaming at Once
Narrated by two-time Grammy-nominated rapper, actress, and radio personality Da Brat, each episode chronicles a Queen's journey as she builds a multi-million-dollar underworld empire, before her fall and ultimate redemption.
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[11/06/25 - 08:02 AM]
CMA Announces Performers for "The 59th Annual CMA Awards"
Blending first-time nominees and performers with Country Music's most celebrated superstars, this year's lineup promises unforgettable moments from BigXthaPlug, Luke Combs, Ella Langley, Megan Moroney, Shaboozey, Zach Top, Tucker Wetmore, Lainey Wilson and Stephen Wilson Jr.
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[11/06/25 - 08:01 AM]
Video: "Stranger Things: Tales From '85" - Official Announcement - Netflix
Welcome back to Hawkins in the stark winter of 1985, where the original characters must fight new monsters and unravel a paranormal mystery terrorizing their town.
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[11/06/25 - 07:51 AM]
Video: "Merry Little Mystery" - Official Trailer - The Roku Channel
Jordin Sparks and Keon Alexander star in the film, streaming free on November 19.
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[11/06/25 - 07:01 AM]
Apple TV Announces Political Thriller "La Decision," Starring Raphael Personnaz and Diane Kruger
In this riveting race against the clock, the life of the French president (Raphaël Personnaz) is turned upside down when an 8-year-old girl goes missing.
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[11/06/25 - 07:01 AM]
Video: "Oh. What. Fun." - Official Trailer - Prime Video
Claire Clauster (Michelle Pfeiffer) is the glue that holds her chaotic, lovable family together every holiday season.
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