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[12/09/11 - 10:51 PM]
Development Update: Friday, December 9
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!
AGAINST THE WALL (Lifetime) - The cable channel has pulled the plug on the Rachael Carpani-led drama. "I'd like to thank @lifetimetv, the #AgainstTheWall writers and the Amazing fans of Against The Wall but unfortunately we've been canceled," co-star Brandon Quinn posted to his Twitter account earlier today. The show's 13-episode run averaged 1.636 million viewers and a 0.5 rating among adults 18-49, ahead of the recently axed "The Protector" (1.294 million viewers, 0.3 adults 18-49 rating in prime airings) but behind the network's staples "Army Wives" (3.615 million viewers, 1.2 adults 18-49 rating) and "Drop Dead Diva" (2.264 million viewers, 0.7 adults 18-49 rating).
THE BLUE LAGOON (Lifetime) - Neil Meron and Craig Zadan's revival of Henry De Vere Stacpoole's book-turned-feature film franchise - about "a boy and a girl marooned on a tropical island, where they grow up together, fall in love and discover sexuality" - has been greenlit by the cable channel. Lifetime originally put the project into development in March of 2004 with Heather Rutman and Matt Heller tapped to write the script. Sony Pictures Television and Judith Verno's Peace Out Productions are likewise behind the film, which Verno will executive produce alongside Storyline Entertainment's Meron and Zadan. Production is set to begin this February in Puerto Rico as casting is underway. (Deadline.com)
CELEBRITY WIFE SWAP (ABC) - The celebrity incarnation of the series is now set to premiere Monday, January 2 at 10:00/9:00c following the season premiere of "The Bachelor." "Swap" will then settle into its regular Tuesday, 9:00/8:00c slot the following night.
DREAM CITY (HBO, New!) - Eddie Murphy is on track to play Marion Barry in a biopic of the former Washington, D.C. mayor from director Spike Lee and writer John Ridley. Said effort is based on Washington journalists Tom Sherwood and Harry Jaffe's 1994 book of the same name, subtitled "Race, Power and the Decline of Washington, D.C." HBO previously optioned the book nearly a decade ago but the resulting project - starring Jamie Foxx and executive produced by Chris Rock - didn't come to fruition. Barry served four terms as mayor of D.C. despite infamously being videotaped smoking crack cocaine in a hotel room during an FBI sting operation, eventually serving six months in federal prison on a misdemeanor drug possession conviction. He currently serves on the D.C. Council, representing one of the city's poorest neighborhoods. Lee and Ridley, who are also working on the network's drama pilot "Da Brick," will also executive produce. (WashingtonPost.com)
THE MOMENT (USA, New!) - Former NFL MVP Kurt Warner is set to host a new reality series at the cable channel focusing on personal reinvention and life transformation. Charlie Ebersol and Justin Hochberg are behind the project, which is set to roll out in the second quarter of next year. The pilot was shot in Los Angeles earlier this year. No other specifics were given. (Variety.com)
THE NATE BERKUS SHOW (Syndication) - Sony Pictures Television and Harpo Studios plan to wrap the series after its current second season. "After careful consideration, we have decided that The Nate Berkus Show will not return for a third season in the fall," said the companies said in a joint statement. "We are grateful for the hard work and heart that Nate, [executive producer] Corin Nelson and their entire team have poured into the show, and we're very proud of what they've delivered." Berkus himself also released a statement saying, "I'm incredibly proud of my hard working and talented staff, and proud of the show we were able to produce every day." (BroadcastingCable.com)
A SMILE AS BIG AS THE MOON (ABC) - The Alphabet has booked its second Hallmark of Hall of Fame production for Sunday, January 29 at 9:00/8:00c. John Corbett and Jessy Schram topline the film, based on the true story of Mike Kersjes, "a high school football coach and special-education teacher who teams up with fellow teacher Robynn McKinney (Schram) to achieve an impossible dream: to take a group of special-ed children to Space Camp in Huntsville, Alabama." Cynthia Watros also stars as Space Camp Director Deborah Barnhardt. James Sadwith directed from a script by Tom Rickman, based on Kersjes's memoir (with Joe Layden) of the same name. Brent Shields and Dan Paulson are the executive producers.
AND IN OTHER NEWS... - Diane Neal will guest on "A Gifted Man" as a defense attorney who grills Michael (Patrick Wilson) about a patient's brain tumor which he says caused him to become a firebug (TVLine.com); Alanis Morissette will turn up on NBC's "Up All Night" as a hip-hop legend from Ava's '90s band, Sound LLC (TVLine.com); Lowe's has pulled its advertising on TLC's "All-American Muslim" after "hearing the concerns we received through emails, calls, through social media and in news reports" (THR.com); plus Caspar Zafer and Nathaniel Buzolic will recur on "The Vampire Diaries" as Klaus' (Joseph Morgan) other Original brothers (TVGuide.com).
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[12/16/25 - 10:01 AM]
Snoop Dogg to Headline Lions-Vikings with "Snoop's Holiday Halftime Party" During NFL Christmas Gameday Live on Netflix
Snoop Dogg takes the reins at halftime, promising chart-topping tracks, plenty of holiday spirit, and special guests, making for what is sure to be an unforgettable performance.
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[12/16/25 - 09:52 AM]
Video: "The Life of Chuck" - Trailer - Hulu
From author Stephen King and director Mike Flanagan, the film - starring Tom Hiddleston, Jacob Tremblay, Chiwetel Ejiofor, and Karen Gillan - streams December 26.
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[12/16/25 - 09:08 AM]
MGM+ Greenlights Series Adaptation of Iconic Western "The Magnificent Seven"
After a peaceful Quaker village is massacred by mercenaries working for a greedy and ruthless land baron trying to force them off the land he covets, seven gifted but flawed mercenaries are hired by the community to protect them from the land baron's hired guns.
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[12/16/25 - 09:01 AM]
"Miss Austen" Returns for Season 2 on "Masterpiece"
This newest season is largely based on Gill Hornby's latest novel, "The Elopement," which further delves into the family life of Jane and Cassandra Austen.
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[12/16/25 - 09:00 AM]
Meet the 11 New Survivalists and the Families Who Hold Their Fate as FOX's Survival Competition Series "Extracted" Returns for Season Two
Only one competitor and their family will endure it all and walk away with a life-changing quarter million dollar grand prize!
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[12/16/25 - 09:00 AM]
CBS Announces "Christina Aguilera: Christmas in Paris," A New Holiday Special Airing Monday, Dec. 22 on CBS and Paramount+
Filmed in front of an intimate audience above the Musée du Quai Branly, Aguilera performs both holiday classics and her career hits against the backdrop of the Eiffel Tower, fashioned into a shimmering Christmas tree.
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[12/16/25 - 08:30 AM]
The Epic New Landmark Natural History Series, "Kingdom," Premieres Saturday, January 24 on BBC America and AMC+
The six-part series chronicles the dramatic real-life sagas of four African rival animal families - leopards, hyenas, wild dogs, and lions - as they all fight to claim a remote Zambian paradise as their home.
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[12/16/25 - 08:03 AM]
HGTV Adds Over 30 Episodes of Original Content to 2026 Slate with New Series "Wild Vacation Rentals" and Renewals for "Zillow Gone Wild" and "Castle Impossible"
Coming early next year, "Nobody Wants This" actresses and comedians Sherry Cola and D'Arcy Carden will embark on an epic girls' trip of a lifetime to visit America's extraordinary vacation homes in the new HGTV series "Wild Vacation Rentals."
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[12/16/25 - 08:01 AM]
Video: Gather 'Round Faithfuls! Peacock Debuts Official Trailer for Season 4 of "The Traitors"
Season 4 debuts with the first three supersized episodes on Thursday, January 8 at 6pm PT/9pm ET, followed by two new episodes on Thursday, January 15, and one new episode weekly through the finale and reunion event on February 26.
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[12/16/25 - 08:01 AM]
Netflix and iHeartMedia Announce Exclusive Video Podcast Partnership for Top iHeartPodcasts
More than 15 industry-leading iHeartPodcasts will stream only on Netflix including "My Favorite Murder," "The Breakfast Club," "Bobby Bones Presents: The Bobbycast," "Behind the Bastards," "The Psychology of Your 20s" and more.
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[12/16/25 - 08:00 AM]
Video: HBO Max Releases Official Trailer and Key Art for Season Two of "The Pitt"
The Emmy-winning series debuts Thursday, January 8 at 9:00 p.m. ET on HBO Max.
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[12/16/25 - 07:01 AM]
Video: Apple TV Unveils a First Look at "Widow's Bay"
The series will make its global debut on Wednesday, April 29, 2026, with the first three episodes, followed by new episodes every Wednesday through June 17, 2026, on Apple TV.
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[12/16/25 - 05:31 AM]
Video: "My Korean Boyfriend" - Official Trailer - Netflix
Five Brazilian women, each at a different stage of life and love, travel to South Korea and meet their crushes in this K-drama-inspired reality show.
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[12/16/25 - 03:01 AM]
Great American Media Announces Lifestyle Series, "Jep & Jess: Beyond the Bayou," Starring Jep and Jessica Robertson, Debuting on Great American Pure Flix in 2026
The new series follows the Robertsons as they develop their Comanche Moon Ranch property, offering viewers an inside look at their journey.
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[12/16/25 - 12:01 AM]
Emma Appleton, Fares Fares, Frida Gustavsson and Jakob Oftebro Star in Swedish Thriller Series "Bytet"
Set against the stunning backdrops of Stockholm's archipelago and sun-drenched Sicily, two couples agree to a holiday home swap in a last-ditch effort to save their marriages.
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