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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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[04/17/24 - 01:03 PM]
Sunday Night's "Billy Joel: The 100th - Live at Madison Square Garden" Wins Its Time Period and Hits a High Note Scoring 5.73 Million Viewers
It originally aired Sunday, April 14 and due to the overwhelming demand from his legion of fans, will have a special encore airing this Friday, April 19 and available to stream live and on demand on Paramount+.
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[04/17/24 - 12:16 PM]
Season Three of Musical Game Show "Don't Forget the Lyrics" Hosted by Emmy Award-Winner Niecy Nash Premieres Thursday, May 23 at 9/8c on FOX and the Next Day on Hulu
Additionally, the season finale of "Farmer Wants a Wife," previously announced as airing on Thursday, May 9, is now scheduled to air on Thursday, May 16 following the return of "I Can See Your Voice."
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[04/17/24 - 12:10 PM]
Great American Family Announces Production Wrap on "A Christmas Less Traveled," Starring Candace Cameron Bure and Eric Johnson, Part of Great American Christmas 2024
In the film, "The Dine and Dash" diner has a stack of mounting unpaid bills, forcing its owner, Desi (Bure) to sell her beloved, mint condition, cherry red 1964 Ford F-100, a gift from her deceased father.
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[04/17/24 - 11:00 AM]
National Geographic Honors WW2 Soldiers of Color with Two New Specials
Continuing National Geographic's 136-year record of giving viewers access to pivotal historical moments with new breadth and insight, the network will honor the contributions and sacrifices of overlooked Allied soldiers of color with two new specials on Monday, June 3.
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[04/17/24 - 10:02 AM]
Paramount+ Announces New Episodes of "Behind the Music" to Premiere May 1
The new episodes profile Bell Biv DeVoe, Trace Adkins and Wolfgang Van Halen and remastered episodes feature 50 Cent, Bobby Brown, Ice-T, Milli Vanilli, The Notorious B.I.G. and Sinead O'Connor.
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[04/17/24 - 10:00 AM]
National Geographic Unravels the Culture-Defining Stanford Prison Experiment and Its Controversial Legacy in "The Stanford Prison Experiment: Unlocking the Truth" (w.t.)
From director Juliette Eisner, executive producer Alex Braverman and Muck Media, the three-part series unravels the layers of intrigue and controversy surrounding one of psychology's most debated studies from the past 50 years.
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[04/17/24 - 09:59 AM]
Iliza Shlesinger Heads to Prime Video for Next Stand-Up Comedy Special
The taping will take place at the Eccles Theater in Salt Lake City on November 2, and the premiere date for the one-hour special will be announced at a later date.
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[04/17/24 - 09:49 AM]
"Saving Sakic" Now Streaming on ESPN+
The documentary follows the high-stakes saga that ensued when Colorado Avalanche Chairman/CEO Charlie Lyons was blindsided by an attempt to sign away the captain of his team, Joe Sakic.
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[04/17/24 - 09:01 AM]
Video: "Sweet Tooth" - Final Season - Official Teaser Trailer - Netflix
Experience the final season June 6, only on Netflix.
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[04/17/24 - 09:01 AM]
Apple Renews Globally Acclaimed, Hit Space Drama "For All Mankind" for Season Five and Announces New Spinoff Series "Star City"
"Star City" is a propulsive, paranoid thriller that takes us back to the key moment in the alt-history retelling of the space race - when the Soviet Union became the first nation to put a man on the moon.
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[04/17/24 - 08:07 AM]
First Look: Hulu Documentary Film "Diane von Furstenberg: Woman in Charge"
An unprecedented look at the non-stop life of a cultural luminary, the film launches June 25 on Hulu in the U.S. and Disney+ internationally.
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[04/17/24 - 08:03 AM]
All-New Season of "Ghost Adventures" Returns Wednesday, May 15 on Discovery Channel
This season documents some of the team's most haunting encounters yet, including sinister Skinwalkers and an unprecedented first-ever investigation of the iconic Los Angeles Hospital.
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[04/17/24 - 07:20 AM]
"Live with Kelly and Mark" Celebrates One-Year Anniversary, Continuing Its Reign as Television's Number One Entertainment Talk Show
The series has increased in Total Viewers by 3% year over year (2.288 million vs. 2.229 million).
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[04/17/24 - 07:07 AM]
Global Music Icon Barbra Streisand to Release New Single for Upcoming Peacock and Sky Original Series "The Tattooist of Auschwitz"
This will be Streisand's first ever recording for a TV series and will be released globally by Columbia Records on April 25, ahead of the series global launch on May 2.
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[04/17/24 - 07:04 AM]
Video: Apple TV+ Debuts Trailer for Season Three of Global Hit Comedy Series "Acapulco," Starring and Executive Produced by Award-Winning Actor Eugenio Derbez
"Acapulco" returns for season three with the first two episodes debuting globally on Wednesday, May 1, followed by new episodes every Wednesday through June 26.
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