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[03/21/11 - 10:59 PM]
Development Update: Monday, March 21
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!
ANGLER (HBO, New!) - Barton Gellman's book of the same name - about former Vice President Dick Cheney - is being developed as a potential mini-series at the pay channel. Rick Cleveland ("Six Feet Under") is penning the adaptation, which will track Cheney's life from "his early days as Donald Rumsfeld's protege in the Nixon administration, to the nation's youngest Chief of Staff under President Ford, to serving as Secretary of Defense under George H.W. Bush, through two controversial terms as Vice President under President George W. Bush." Spring Creek Productions and Fair Catch Productions are co-producing with Paula Weinstein, Jeffrey Levine, David Kennedy and "Frontline's" David Fanning and Michael Kirk executive producing.
DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES (ABC) - Jonathan Cake ("Six Degrees") is set to join the cast of the long-running soap. He'll play Aaron, "a handsome, sexy, college-educated police detective with strong family values who becomes involved with Bree (Marcia Cross) when he comes to Wisteria Lane to investigate a case," in an upcoming four-episode arc before returning as a regular next season.
EATING WITH THE ENEMY (HBO, New!) - James Gandolfini ("The Sopranos") is set to star in and executive produce a potential docudrama at the pay channel about the true story of Bobby Egan, the owner of a Hackensack, New Jersey rib joint who became involved in back channel negotiations with North Korea to stop producing nuclear weapons. Said project is based on Egan and Kurt Pitzer's book of the same name, subtitled "How I Waged Peace With North Korea from My BBQ Shack in Hackensack." Egan improbably made inroads with the North Korean government after showing up at the doorstep of their consulate near the U.N. and offering his friendship. He subsequently made several trips to North Korea itself, where he was approached by the State Department to be their conduit in backdoor nuke talks. As for the film, Mark Armstrong, Nancy Sanders, Jane Rosenthal, Brandon Brito and Megan Lyvers will executive produce for Tribeca Productions and Gandolfini's Atta Boy Productions with Pitzer and Kimberly Levin co-producing. No other auspices were given.
FREE AGENTS (NBC) - Kathryn Hahn ("Hung") is set to star opposite Hank Azaria in the comedy pilot, about "the attraction between two quirky PR executives working together - Alex (Azaria) and Helen (Hahn) - who both are on the rebound, Alex from a divorce and Helen from the loss of a fiance." Todd Holland is directing the Universal Media Studios-based half-hour, from creator John Enbom. Mo Mandel also stars.
LOSING IT WITH JILLIAN (NBC) - Network sources have confirmed the Jillian Michaels-led series, in which "The Biggest Loser" trainer travels across the country to transform one family at a time, won't be returning for a second. Said effort was absent from the Peacock's summer lineup, which was revealed earlier today.
MORE AS THE STORY DEVELOPS (A.K.A. UNTITLED AARON SORKIN PROJECT) (HBO) - Jeff Daniels is reportedly in talks to topline the Aaron Sorkin-penned drama pilot, set behind the scenes of a nightly cable news show. He'd play Will McCallister, "a famous cable newsman of the Anderson Cooper/Brian Williams mold who is smart and talented guy but just a pain in the ass to work with and for." Sorkin and Scott Rudin are the executive producers.
PRIVATE PRACTICE (ABC) - Benjamin Bratt ("The Cleaner") is on track to join the cast of the veteran drama. Details about his role are being kept under wraps, however it's understood he'll be introduced in the season finale. Said casting is designed to fill the void left by Audra McDonald, who's departing the series at the end of the season.
R.E.M. (NBC) - Cherry Jones ("24") and Michaela McManus ("The Vampire Diaries") have both joined the cast of the drama pilot, about Mark Britten (Jason Isaacs), a police detective living in two different realities following a horrible car accident: one in which his son Rex (Dylan Minnette) lives, another in which his wife Hannah lives - each with their own partner and psychiatrist. In addition, co-star Laura Allen has been recast as Hannah ("stunning, warm"). The actress was previously attached as Tara ("long, slender, like someone who not only plays a sport for a living, but does it well"), Rex's tennis coach and trusted confidante. Said role will now go to McManus. Jones then is set as Stephanie Evans, Mark's psychiatrist in the reality where Rex lives. The previously cast B.D. Wong conversely is Mark's psychiatrist in the reality where Hannah lives, while Steve Harris and Wilmer Valderrama play Mark's respective partners. David Slade is directing the Kyle Killen-penned hour, from 20th Century Fox Television.
SECRET CIRCLE (The CW) - Natasha Henstridge ("Eli Stone") and Australian actor Louis Hunter have both landed roles on the drama pilot, about Cassie Blake (Britt Robertson), a California teen who moves to her mom's hometown of New Salem, Maine and discovers that she comes from a family of witches. She'll play Dawn Chamberlain ("a strikingly beautiful woman in her late 30's"), the vice principal at Cassie's school and an old friend of her mother's; while Hunter is on board as Nick Armstrong ("good physique, and he knows it"), Cassie's new neighbor, another member of the circle, a coven of young witches. Jessica Parker Kennedy, Phoebe Tonkin, Shelley Hennig and Thomas Dekker also star in the hour, which Liz Friedlander is directing from a script by Andrew Miller.
TITANIC (ABC, New!) - Simon Vaughn's long-in-the-works mini-series has found a U.S. broadcast home at the Alphabet. Said effort will chronicle the famous ship's maiden and final voyage through multiple points of view, using both fictional and historical characters. Production is set to begin in Hungary shortly for a premiere in April 2012 - the 100th anniversary of the boat's sinking. Oscar-winner Julian Fellowes ("Gosford Park") penned the project with ITV Studios, Lookout Point, Deep Indigo Productions, Sienna Films and Mid Atlantic Films co-producing.
VINCE UNCENSORED (CBS) - Elizabeth Perkins ("Weeds") has booked the female lead on the comedy pilot, about Vince Donohue (Michael Chiklis), "a man who decides to take a more honest approach to life after a life-altering experience." She'll play his Wife, Janet, a middle school teacher and mother to their three daughters. Kelsey Grammer is directing the Warner Bros. Television-based half-hour, from creator Phoef Sutton.
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[01/28/26 - 09:02 AM]
Video: Trailer & Key Art Debut - Hulu's "Paradise" Season 2
The second season of the Emmy Award-nominated series premieres Monday, February 23 with three episodes, followed by new episodes weekly on Hulu and Hulu on Disney+ for bundle subscribers in the U.S. and Disney+ internationally.
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[01/28/26 - 08:33 AM]
HGTV Takes Viewers on an Epic Road Trip Across America in New Series "Wild Vacation Rentals" Premiering Monday, March 2, at 10 p.m. ET/PT
America's most extraordinary vacation homes - from a bird's nest to a grain silo and a potato house to an old western town - will be on tap for actresses and comedians Sherry Cola and D'Arcy Carden when HGTV sends them on an epic girls' trip of a lifetime.
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[01/28/26 - 07:02 AM]
ESPN to Premiere "Origin: The Story of the Basketball Africa League" on February 11
"Origin" documents the creation and launch of the NBA's first collaboration to operate a league outside North America, a pan-African professional basketball league in partnership with FIBA featuring 12 top club teams from across Africa's 54 countries competing in a caravan format.
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[01/28/26 - 06:36 AM]
FOX Scores 46 Million Viewers for NFC Championship Between NFC West Rivals
The Seahawks are soaring to the Super Bowl.
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[01/28/26 - 06:20 AM]
"Live with Kelly and Mark" Is LA Bound for Fan-Favorite "After the Oscars Show"
The show will feature comedy super star Leanne Morgan, who will dish on the best moments from Hollywood's biggest night!
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[01/28/26 - 06:01 AM]
Video: "Berlin and the Lady with an Ermine" - Official Teaser - Netflix
Targeting a priceless work of art, Berlin assembles his gang of thieves in Seville in this explosive new installment from the creators of "Money Heist."
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[01/28/26 - 06:01 AM]
AFC Championship Game Is This Year's Most-Watched NFL Postseason Game as "NFL on CBS" Caps Off Record-Setting Season
Patriots-Broncos averaged 48,618,000 viewers and peaked with 57,759,000.
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[01/28/26 - 06:01 AM]
Apple TV Shares First Look and Premiere Date for Second Season of "Criminal Record"
The eight-episode second season of "Criminal Record" will make its global debut on Apple TV with the first episode on Wednesday, April 22, followed by new episodes weekly through Wednesday, June 10.
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[01/28/26 - 05:17 AM]
Apple's Emmy Award-Winning "Ted Lasso" Heads Back to the Pitch This Summer
The fourth season is currently in production, and fan favorites including Emmy Award winner Hannah Waddingham, Juno Temple, Emmy Award winner Brett Goldstein, Brendan Hunt and Jeremy Swift are all set to return as their celebrated characters.
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[01/28/26 - 05:01 AM]
Tyson Fury vs. Arslanbek Makhmudov - Saturday, April 11 from the United Kingdom and Live Only on Netflix
Tyson Fury is coming home.
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[01/28/26 - 01:01 AM]
Netflix Announces a Fictional Miniseries Inspired by the Marta del Castillo Case
roduced by Bambú Producciones, in collaboration with La Claqueta PC and with the support of Marta del Castillo's family, the the as-yet-untitled miniseries is a fictional adaptation of the case that shocked Spanish society in 2009.
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[01/28/26 - 12:01 AM]
Video: "Jo Nesbo's Detective Hole" - Official Teaser - Netflix
Get ready to meet one of crime fiction's most iconic detectives like never before.
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[01/27/26 - 04:01 PM]
Video: "Even If This Love Disappears Tonight" - Official Trailer - Netflix
A high school girl wakes up each day with no memory of yesterday. When she agrees to date a shy classmate, can their love grow with every new beginning?
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[01/27/26 - 01:47 PM]
"America's Culinary Cup" Announces the Award-Winning Chefs Invited to Compete for the Biggest Prize in Culinary Television History
The ultimate culinary showdown premieres with a 90-minute episode following "Survivor 50" on Wednesday, March 4.
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[01/27/26 - 01:46 PM]
CBS Announces Landmark Crossover Event Between Hit Daytime Dramas "Beyond the Gates" and "The Young and the Restless"
The ambitious storyline will transport six iconic residents from Y&R's Genoa City into BTG's posh gated community, Fairmont Crest, and will air on "Beyond the Gates" in June.
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